fishing forecast

fortune jack

Seriola peruana · Carangidae · predator

Sea

Small amberjack (medregal) of the eastern Pacific, without stripes, living near the coast and close to the bottom. Takes light jigs, live bait and cut bait around rocks and islands.

Also called: olhete-fortuno, fortune jack

everything about the fortune jack where found

common size: 30–45 cm
maximum: 57 cm
common weight: 0.3–1 kg
record/max.: 2.7 kg
depth: 0–30 m
ideal water: 22–28 °C

location

Sample location: choose yours to see the forecast for where you fish.

species

period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

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index Score from 0 to 100 for the fishing conditions of each hour. It reads weather, sun, moon, tide and the species' habits. It doesn't promise fish: it tells you when the water is on your side. 0–24 poor · 25–44 fair · 45–64 good · 65–84 very good · 85–100 excellent.

today

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confidence —

confidence How much you can trust the weather forecast for the day. It drops with distance and when the models disagree. It is not the chance of catching fish.

models and trend Up to 16 days, three global weather models (the European ECMWF, the American GFS and a high-resolution blend) read hour by hour; when they disagree, the light band on the chart widens. Beyond that it's a trend: 31 runs of the American GEFS model. Confirm when it's 1 week out.

window Consecutive hours with the index near the day's peak and no danger alert. It is the time to have the bait in the water.

hour by hour

slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hour

see hour-by-hour table

why this index at —?

next 7 days

choose the day

chart: bar height = day's index · line = variation between models · striped = trend · fainter = less confidence

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 species

everything about the fortune jack

overview

who is the fortune jack

Small amberjack of the eastern Pacific, from the southwestern Gulf of California to Peru and Chile, with the Galápagos, Cocos and Malpelo islands. Lives near the coast, in the water column and near the bottom, from 0 to about 30 m. Grows to about 57 cm fork length and a little over 2.5 kg. Sold fresh, salted or dried, and FishBase classifies it as a sport fish. It is a smaller relative of the other amberjacks: for anglers it shows up around rocks, islets and banks close to shore and responds to light jigs, live bait and cut bait. Also known as medregal fortuno and huayaipe rojo.

fun facts

The name peruana suggests Peru, but the species lives from the Gulf of California to Chile.
Juveniles have dark membranes in the second dorsal and anal fins, which helps identify them.

how to recognize it

identification

Elongated, fusiform, compressed body with a short, rounded snout. Olive to bluish back, silvery to slightly bronzed flanks, somewhat darkened fins, yellowish pectorals and tail; no bars or stripe on the head or body. No scutes on the lateral line, with grooves above and below the tail base and no lateral keel. Juveniles have dark membranes in the second dorsal and anal fins. The California amberjack (Seriola dorsalis) has a yellow stripe and is much larger; the longfin yellowtail (Seriola rivoliana) has a deeper body and a dark band on the nape.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

Does not occur in Brazil. Eastern Pacific: from the southwestern Gulf of California to Peru and Chile, with the Galápagos, Cocos and Malpelo islands.

Habitat: Near the coast, in the water column and near the bottom, over rocks, islets and banks, from 0 to 30 m.

calendar and clock

when to fish

best season

time of yearbest: Apr–Oct

JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Fished all year. Clear water, a bait school and moderate current over the rock matter more than the month.

best time of day

Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Hunts by day, with peaks at dawn and at dusk, when bait schools rise.

weather, water and behavior

what affects the fortune jack
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.

cold and cold fronts

Cold upwelling water drives the fish off the rocks.

atmospheric pressure

Little direct effect; a calm sea makes it easier to find the fish.

moon

Strong moons move more water over rocks and islets.

rain

Little effect in open sea.

water level

Not applicable at sea.

noise

A motor over the rock scares fish; approach slowly and cast far.

wind

Rough sea makes vertical jigging and keeping the boat over the rock difficult.

tide

Moderate current over the rock concentrates bait and yellowtails.

depth

From 5 to 30 m, near the rocks.

technique, gear and bait

how to fish

Jigging Natural bait on the bottom Bottom fishing from a boat Mid-water casting

rod: 6'6" to 7', 15 to 30 lb
spinning / baitcasting reel: 4000 to 6000 spinning reel or small conventional reel with firm drag
line: braid 30 to 40 lb
leader: fluorocarbon 30 to 50 lb, 1 m
hook: circle 1/0 to 3/0; assist hooks on jigs

lures

metal jig 40 to 100 g
jig head with 10 to 12 cm shad
heavy spoon

natural baits

live sardine or mackerel
squid strips
sardine fillet

accessories

alicate
sinker, 60 to 120 g
fighting belt

tip from an angler

Hooked near the rock, the medregal bolts for the bottom: lock the drag and pull the fish out of the hole in the first few meters, or it will cut the line on the rocks.

what the law says

rules for the fortune jack

Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.

Mexico: up to 5 per species and 10 saltwater fish per day

5 specimens of the species per angler per day, within the limit of 10 saltwater fish

In federal waters of Mexico, recreational sport fishing allows each angler to keep up to 10 marine fish per day, no more than 5 of the same species. The medregal fortuno is not among the species reserved for sport fishing (marlins, sailfish, swordfish, tarpon (sábalo), roosterfish and dorado, up to 50 nautical miles from shore, item 0.3 of the standard) and has no quota of its own. Fish over the quota must go back alive, and sport-caught fish may not be sold. Anyone fishing from a boat needs an individual permit; from shore, no.

Source: Amendment to NOM-017-PESC-1994 (recreational sport fishing in federal waters of Mexico), published in the DOF on Nov 25, 2013, items 0.3, 4.3, 4.9.1, 4.9.5, 4.11 and 4.14 (Sagarpa/Conapesca)

Colombia: AUNAP license and catch-and-release in sport fishing

Individual AUNAP license; catch-and-release guidanceconfirm with the agency

AUNAP Resolution 0549 of 2022 sets the guidelines for recreational sport fishing in Colombia. Anglers need a permit: for an individual, Colombian or foreign, it is a personal, non-transferable card. The rule makes "catch and release" the guidance and admits keeping only part of the catch for personal consumption, respecting the minimum sizes it sets. We did not confirm the daily limit or the minimum sizes by species: check with AUNAP before keeping fish.

Source: Resolución AUNAP 0549 of 2022 (fishing management guidelines for sport fishing for recreational purposes), arts. 6 and 8; Official Gazette of Mar 25, 2022

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.

Keep the fish in the water, remove the hook with pliers and release it head down, toward the bottom.

in the kitchen

Sold fresh, salted or dried; good grilled or baked.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

total length (cm)

Length-weight relationship W = a·L^b (a = 0.01445, b = 2.93; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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: Seriola peruana (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Seriola peruanaNames by country and language.
scientific Robertson, D. R. & Allen, G. R. (2024). Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system, versão 3.0. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Seriola peruanaDescription, colors, size, depth and distribution in the eastern Pacific. Page checked Oct 13, 2026. It cites at least 66.5 cm and 2.66 kg, common up to 45 cm, and depth of 0 to 30 m. We kept FishBase's 57 cm (fork length) and added the 2.66 kg weight as the known maximum; the value is a minimum, not a record.
official DOF: Modificação da NOM-017-PESC-1994, para regular a pesca deportivo-recreativa em águas de jurisdição federal do México (publicada em 25/11/2013)Reserves species for sport fishing (item 0.3), permits (4.3 and 4.14), rods and hooks (4.6), bait (4.7), daily limits at sea (4.9.1) and in fresh water (4.9.2), catch and release (4.9.5), closed zones and seasons (4.10), and a ban on selling the catch (4.11). Text checked on Oct 13, 2026; the publication date (Nov 25, 2013) comes from Secretaría de Economía rules that cite the amendment.
official AUNAP (Colômbia): Resolução 0549 de 2022, lineamientos de ordenación pesquera para la pesca deportiva con fines recreativosWe reviewed, in a partial transcript of the text, what the rule says about the personal license (art. 6) and the catch-and-release guidance (arts. 8 to 10). We could not read the articles on the daily bag limit and minimum sizes; the draft rule provided for a personal-consumption limit that AUNAP said it would revise, so those figures are left out.

don't confuse

similar species

Carangidae

Longfin yellowtail

Seriola dorsalis

The California yellowtail, the emblematic fish of boat fishing in Baja California and the Gulf of California. It fights hard and pulls toward the rocks; it takes jigs, surface lures and live sardines.

Sea

time of yearbest: Apr–Oct

Carangidae

Almaco jack

Seriola rivoliana

The seriola with the deepest body and sickle-shaped fins, from deep shoals and wrecks. A target of vertical jigging: it pulls hard toward the rock right after the hookset.

Sea

time of yearbest: Oct–Mar