dog snapper
Lutjanus jocu · Lutjanidae · predator
Fighting snapper of reefs and rocky shores, with huge canines. Juveniles in the mangrove attack small lures.
Also called: dentão, vermelho-dentão
- common size
- 40–70 cm
- maximum
- 128 cm
- common weight
- 1–6 kg
- record/max.
- 28.0 kg
- depth
- 1–40 m
- ideal water
- 24–29 °C
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
tap or drag on the chart to read each hour · on a keyboard, arrow keyssee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the dog snapper
who is the dog snapper
The dentão (dog snapper) is a robust, aggressive snapper, common on reefs, rocky shores, patch reefs and wrecks from the Northeast to the Southeast. Juveniles grow up in mangroves and estuaries, where they attack small artificial lures, and migrate to reefs as they grow. Adults of 2 to 6 kg are common, and large ones exceed 10 kg. Active mainly at dusk and at night, it hunts fish, crustaceans and squid near the structure. It has large canines and cuts thin leader. In boat bottom fishing and jigging it is one of the strongest fights on the reef: the first run decides everything. Very good meat.
fun facts
- The front canines look like dog fangs; in English it is called dog snapper.
- Juveniles live for years in the mangrove before going to the reef.
identification
A robust snapper with a coppery olive back and pinkish to reddish flanks. It has a pale triangle under the eye and one or two very large canines at the front of the upper jaw; juveniles have a blue line below the eye. Difference from the caranha: the caranha is grey, without the pale triangle. From the ariacó: the ariacó has yellow stripes and a black spot on the flank.
where found
From Maranhão to Santa Catarina, most abundant on the reefs of the Northeast, Abrolhos, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. Juveniles in mangroves along that whole stretch.
Habitat: Reefs, rocky shores, patch reefs, wrecks and pilings; juveniles in mangroves, estuaries and seagrass.
coast
states
Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina
when to fish
best season
In the Northeast it is fished all year, with the best results in summer's warm water. In the Southeast the season runs from November to April.
best time of day
Night and twilight. Most active at dawn, dusk and at night. By day it attacks near structure and in water with current.
what affects the dog snapper
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
A drop in water temperature greatly reduces activity in the Southeast.
atmospheric pressure
Stable pressure favors it; post-frontal conditions are poor.
moon
Dark nights and big-tide moons are usually better on the reef.
rain
Rain doesn't bother it at sea; in the estuary, very fresh water drives the young away.
water level
Heavy sea makes bottom fishing and drifting difficult.
noise
Wary of a shallow reef: anchor away from the spot and let the bait drift in on the current.
wind
Wind against the current makes it hard to keep the boat on the spot.
tide
It needs current: on the rising and the falling tide it hunts at the corner of the reef and at channel exits. At slack the bite drops; use the time to change spots. Young ones in the mangrove follow the snook's pattern.
depth
Juveniles 1 to 5 m in the mangrove; adults 10 to 40 m on reefs and wrecks.
how to fish
- rod
- 5'6" to 6'6", 20 to 50 lb; 7'0", 10 to 20 lb for mangrove juveniles
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- 5000 to 8000 spinning reel or 300 baitcaster
- line
- braided line 30 to 65 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon 60 to 100 lb, 1.5 m
- hook
- circle 4/0 to 7/0; strong assist hook on the jig
lures
- metal jig 40 to 150 g
- jig head 1 to 2 oz with shad
- midwater and shrimp (juveniles in the mangrove)
natural baits
- lula
- sardinha
- live xerelete
- live shrimp
accessories
- descender (fish descender)
- long-nose pliers
- luvas
tip from an angler
On the reef, lock the drag and lift the fish in the first 5 metres. If it gets into a crevice, slacken the line and wait: it often comes out on its own.
deep-water saltwater boat fishing (pargo cubera, ariacó, guaiúba and dentão)
Fishing from an anchored or drifting boat over reefs, ledges and wrecks, with natural bait on the rig, from 20 to 100 m deep.
ready-made kitoffshore jigging
Vertical fishing with metal jigs over reefs, wrecks and the shelf edge, from 30 to 150 m deep.
rules for the dog snapper
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the national list of threatened species.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Barotrauma is common from more than 15 m: release with a descender. Watch the canines when removing the hook.
in the kitchen
White, firm meat, excellent roasted, grilled or in moqueca.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01514, b = 2.96; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana, comprimento total)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
- scientific FishBase — Lutjanus jocu (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship and references. Page checked on October 13, 2026.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026 — Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)Most recent national list. The species is not on it (search by scientific name in the text published in the DOU, checked on October 13, 2026).
- official ICMBio/SALVE — Ficha de Lutjanus jocu (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)ICMBio national assessment, published in 2025. DOI checked on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Lutjanus jocu (avaliação global: Dados Insuficientes, DD, 10/10/2015)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- scientific Allen, G. R. (1985). FAO species catalogue. Vol. 6. Snappers of the world. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 125(6). Roma: FAO. 208 p.
- scientific Carpenter, K. E. (org.) (2002). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. Roma: FAO.Chapter Lutjanidae (Anderson Jr., W. D.).
- scientific Menezes, N. A.; Figueiredo, J. L. (1980). Manual de peixes marinhos do sudeste do Brasil. IV. Teleostei (3). São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia da USP. 96 p.Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record on FishBase, which cites this work for the species.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: