Cynoscion jamaicensis · Sciaenidae · predator
Weakfish with large scales and a soft mouth, common on the shelf from North to South. Comes in schools to bottom fishing from boats.
Also called: goete, gorete, pescada-goete, pescada-boca-mole, boca-mole
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…
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.
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.
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.
The vermilion seatrout (goete) is a medium-sized weakfish living on sand and mud bottoms, from the coast down to about 70 m; adults rarely stay in water shallower than 18 m, and juveniles use estuaries. It occurs from Panama and the Antilles to Argentina. It eats fish, crabs and shrimp. It is an important commercial resource, caught mainly by trawl and gillnet. In recreational fishing, it shows up in bottom fishing from boats in deep bays and on the shelf, in schools, biting shrimp, sardine and squid baits. Its mouth is fragile (hence the name boca-mole, soft mouth) and tears easily if the drag is tight.
Gray back and silver underside, without obvious spots but with faint dark streaks along the scale rows above the lateral line. Large scales. Dorsal and caudal fins darkened with a darker edge; ventral and anal fins yellowish; inside of the gill cover dark. Large, oblique mouth with a pair of canines at the tip of the upper jaw. The base of the soft dorsal fin is scaled up to half its height, which helps set it apart from other weakfish.
All along the coast, from Amapá to Rio Grande do Sul, reaching Uruguay and Argentina.
Habitat: Sand and mud bottoms of the shelf, at 18 to 60 m most of the time; juveniles in estuaries and bays.
coast
states
Amapá, Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul
Present all year; schools shift depth with water temperature.
Any time. In deep water, it bites throughout the day; in the shallows, best at dawn and dusk.
Cold bottom water (upwelling) scatters the schools.
A cold front shuts down biting.
Small effect at depth.
Not very sensitive.
Juveniles enter estuaries; adults stay on the shelf.
Not very sensitive at depth.
Strong wind and fast drift make it hard to keep bait on the bottom.
Moderate current helps; strong current requires a heavy sinker.
From 15 to 50 m in most boat catches.
lures
natural baits
accessories
Set the drag looser than usual: the vermilion seatrout has a soft mouth and the hook tears out easily.
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 (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026). Minimum size of 16 cm from ES to RS (IN MMA 53/2005).
On the coast from ES to RS it is banned to fish for, keep on board or land goete under 16 cm total length. The 20% tolerance of the catch (by weight) provided in the rule is for enforcement at landings; recreational anglers must release the small ones. The rule does not apply to trawling.
If it comes from depth, it can suffer barotrauma: release it quickly and, if it floats, use a descender.
White, tender meat, good fried, as fillets or in broth.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00776, b = 3.06; 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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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.
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.
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:
Your location is saved only on this device and feeds the forecast, the map and the "today" on the home page.
