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
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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 misty grouper
how to recognize it
Head and body straw-colored (beige), with 8 or 9 regular dark brown vertical bars on the sides: it is the only Caribbean grouper with this pattern of regular bars. The pelvic fins are dark brown, almost black, and there is a well-marked dark brown band on the cheek, along the upper edge of the maxilla. Body depth fits 2.4 to 2.9 times into standard length, the forehead is convex, and the posterior nostrils are 4 times or more larger than the anterior ones. The Nassau grouper also has bars, but lives in shallow water.
Also called: garoupa-listrada, misty grouper
don't confuse with:
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Rock bottoms and slope from 100 to 400 m; juveniles sometimes at 30 m.
The species is not recorded in Brazil. It occurs from Bermuda and North Carolina to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, Cuba, Yucatán, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and through the Lesser Antilles to Trinidad; in the eastern Pacific, only in the Galápagos.
when to fish
best season
Living on the bottom, it hardly feels the seasons. In Mexico the grouper closure applies, from February 1 to March 31.
best time of day
Any time. At 100 m or deeper little light arrives, so time of day matters little; current and sea state matter more.
what affects the misty grouper
cold and cold fronts
It lives in deep, cold, stable water; a cold front only bothers it through rough seas.
atmospheric pressure
A cold front brings choppy seas and makes it hard to hold station over the spot.
moon
Small effect.
rain
No effect at depth.
water level
Not applicable at sea.
noise
Not very sensitive to noise at that depth.
wind
Strong wind and fast drift keep the bait from staying on the bottom.
tide
Strong current drags the line; with moderate current the fish stays near the bottom.
depth
Adults from 100 to 400 m; juveniles sometimes at 30 m.
how to fish
lures
- slow pitch jig 200 to 400 g
natural baits
- lula
- fish steak
tip from an angler
At 100 m or deeper, keep the descending device rigged before lowering the line: if you release it, the fish ascends with barotrauma.
- rod
- 5'6" to 6'6", 50 to 80 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- electric or high-profile baitcaster
- line
- braided line 50 to 80 lb
- leader
- monofilament 80 to 120 lb
- hook
- circle 6/0 to 9/0
accessories
- descender (descender) with weight
- sinker of 300 g to 1 kg
- long-nose pliers
catch and release
If it comes from more than 100 m, it ascends with barotrauma (stomach everted, eyes bulging). Use a descender to return it to the bottom and do not puncture the swim bladder. Circle hook and quick release.
rules for the misty grouper
Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Mexico: grouper closed season from Feb 1 to Mar 31
catch prohibited from Feb 1 to Mar 3101/02 to 31/03 details
In Mexico, capture of all grouper species, a group in which NOM-065 includes the misty grouper (mero listado), is banned from February 1 to March 31 in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico off Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, up to the Belize border. During that period, using bottom longline is also banned. The agreement does not mention recreational fishing: confirm with Conapesca whether it applies to your type of fishing.
Mexico: up to 3 kg of grouper per angler per day (household consumption)
3 kg per angler per day details
In federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, NOM-065 allows, for domestic-consumption fishing, at most 3 kg per angler per day of any grouper or associated species, such as the misty grouper. The fish is only for the angler's and family's consumption, may not be sold, and only equipment operated by one person is allowed. Recreational fishing has its own rule (NOM-017-PESC-1994), which we did not check.
Source: NOM-065-SAG/PESC-2014 (DOF Jul 3, 2015), items 4.1 and 4.13 (Sagarpa/Conapesca)
Puerto Rico (federal waters): up to 5 per person per day
5 per person per day; 15 per boat with 3 or more people details
In federal waters around Puerto Rico, beyond 9 miles from the coast, the recreational angler may keep a maximum of 5 fish per day from groupers, snappers and parrotfish combined (up to 15 per boat when there are 3 or more people aboard). The limit does not apply to anyone with a commercial license from Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Conservation: Least Concern in the 2016 global assessment. It does not occur in Brazil, so it is not on the national list.
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 = 0.01318, b = 3.04; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
more about the misty grouper
The misty grouper (garoupa-listrada) lives in the western Atlantic, from Bermuda and North Carolina to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, Cuba, Yucatán, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and through the Lesser Antilles to Trinidad; in the eastern Pacific, only in the Galápagos Islands. It is solitary and deep-water, recorded from 100 to 400 m, and juveniles sometimes appear at 30 m. It eats fish, crustaceans and squid. It reaches 160 cm and 107 kg. Almost nothing is known about its age, growth and reproduction. It is sold fresh, and the IUCN classifies it as Least Concern. It does not occur in Brazil.
Family: Epinephelidae · predator
fun facts
- It is the only Caribbean grouper with 8 or 9 regular vertical bars.
- Almost nothing is known about the species' age, growth and reproduction.
- In the eastern Pacific it occurs only at the Galápagos Islands.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh, according to FishBase. In Mexico, domestic consumption of groupers is limited to 3 kg per angler per day.
similar species
sources and references (7)
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 field experience from anglers and guides. They are not official data or measurements made for this species and may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the rule and link. The common size and weight ranges, water temperature and typical depth are also editorial estimates, anchored in FishBase data.
- scientific FishBase: Hyporthodus mystacinus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology and IUCN status. Page checked on 13/10/2026. Common size and weight ranges, water temperatures and typical depths are editorial estimates anchored in FishBase data. Entry name: FishBase lists no Portuguese name; 'garoupa-listrada' follows the pattern of species entries that do not occur in Brazil (a Portuguese group name plus the Spanish name, mero listado, used in NOM-065).
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Hyporthodus mystacinusNames by country and language.
- official México: NOM-065-SAG/PESC-2014, para regular o aproveitamento das espécies de mero e espécies associadas no Golfo do México e no Mar do Caribe (DOF de 03/07/2015)Text published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación, in a copy from the Secretaría de Economía, read Oct 13, 2026: item 4.1 (list of grouper species), 4.8 (minimum size of the mero rojo) and 4.13 (household-consumption fishing: up to 3 kg per angler per day). Sport fishing has its own rule (NOM-017-PESC-1994, amended in 2013), whose limits were not checked.
- official México: acordo que modifica a veda de todas as espécies de mero no Golfo do México e no Caribe (DOF de 03/03/2017; acordo original de 14/02/2007)Sets the closed season from Feb 1 to Mar 31, starting in 2018, in federal waters off Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, and bans bottom longlines in that period. The text does not mention sport fishing. We found no later amendment; confirm each season with Conapesca.
- official 50 CFR § 622.444: cotas de pesca recreativa nas águas federais de Porto Rico (NOAA Fisheries, EUA)Consolidated text of the Code of Federal Regulations, checked Oct 13, 2026: paragraph (a)(1), combined quota for groupers, snappers and wrasses.
- technical NOAA Fisheries: Return 'Em Right, soltura de peixes de recife pescados em fundo (barotrauma e dispositivos de descida)Guidance for releasing deep-water fish: barotrauma comes from rapid ascent, and specialists prefer descending devices to needle venting.
- scientific Heemstra, P. C.; Randall, J. E. (1993). FAO species catalogue. Vol. 16. Groupers of the world (family Serranidae, subfamily Epinephelinae). FAO Fisheries Synopsis 125(16). Roma: FAO.General reference for identifying groupers worldwide.
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: