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.
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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 pacific spadefish
how to recognize it
Fish with a very tall, compressed body, short head, sloping profile and small terminal mouth. The spines of the dorsal fin are well developed. On the same coast, the Panama spadefish (Parapsettus panamensis) lives on the same reefs, and the main difference is size: it reaches 31 cm, while this one reaches 65 cm.
Also called: enxada-do-pacífico, paguala, peluquero, palma rayada, pacific spadefish
don't confuse with:
We don't have tips on season, bait or technique for this species yet.
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Coral reefs and sandy bottoms near the coast, 3 to 50 m deep.
Eastern Pacific of Latin America, from Mexico to Peru, on coral reefs and sandy bottoms.
rules for the pacific spadefish
Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
estimated weight
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how we calculate
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02692, b = 2.85; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
more about the pacific spadefish
Fish of the family Ephippidae, with a very tall, compressed body, short head, sloping profile and small terminal mouth. It grows to 65 cm, and the common size is 25 cm. It lives close to the coast, over coral reefs and sandy bottoms, from 3 to 50 m deep, and forms small schools. It eats bottom invertebrates. It occurs in the eastern Pacific, from San Diego, California, to Peru. It is commercially fished and also sold for aquariums.
Family: Ephippidae · predator
fun facts
- It forms schools together with the three-band butterflyfish (Chaetodon humeralis).
similar species
sources and references (2)
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Chaetodipterus zonatus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Chaetodipterus zonatusNames by country and language.
how we calculatewhere 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: