speckled hind
Epinephelus drummondhayi · Epinephelidae · predator
A large rocky-bottom grouper, reaching 110 cm, found in the Gulf of Mexico. It does not occur in Brazil and is also sought by sport anglers.
Also called: garoupa-salpicada, mero pintarroja, speckled hind
- maximum
- 110 cm
- record/max.
- 30.0 kg
- depth
- 60–120 m
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…
—
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
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 speckled hind
who is the speckled hind
A fish of the family Epinephelidae, the family of groupers and sea basses. It reaches 110 cm and 30 kg. It lives on rocky bottoms far from shore, between 25 and 183 m, but is most common between 60 and 120 m. It eats fish and crustaceans, like other groupers. It occurs in the North American Atlantic, from North Carolina to the Florida Keys, and in the northern and eastern Gulf of Mexico. In Latin America it is recorded in Mexico. It is caught commercially and is also sought by sport anglers.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the speckled hind; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Specimens 45 years old have been recorded.
identification
A fish with an elongated, laterally compressed body, found on rocky bottoms. Its popular names refer to the spots that cover the body: in Spanish, pintarroja means "with red spots", and the English name, speckled hind, means "speckled". It looks like other groupers of the Gulf of Mexico, such as the Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) and the red grouper (Epinephelus morio). In practice, check the spots, the size and the depth where the fish was caught.
where found
In Latin America it occurs only in Mexico, in the Gulf of Mexico. Outside it, it occurs in the North American Atlantic, from the Carolinas to Florida, and in Bermuda.
Habitat: Rocky bottoms far from shore, most common between 60 and 120 m.
rules for the speckled hind
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. 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.
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.
It has no venom, but it is a bottom fish: rapid ascent causes barotrauma, so release requires care.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01096, b = 3.04; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
sources and references
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: Epinephelus drummondhayi (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Epinephelus drummondhayiNames by country and language.
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: