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Illustration of Steel pompano
fishing forecast

steel pompano

Trachinotus stilbe · full profile

location

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period

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the species

everything about the steel pompano

how to recognize it

Deep, laterally flattened body, silvery like most pompanos, with a forked tail. It is recognized by its shape and habitat: a pompano of very shallow water, down to 6 m, forming large schools near islands. It can be confused with other Pacific pompanos, such as the slender pompano (Trachinotus rhodopus).

Also called: pampo-de-aço, pámpano acerado, pámpano, steel pompano

We don't have tips on season, bait or technique for this species yet.

Where to look: Very shallow water, from 0 to 6 m, in large schools near islands.

Eastern Pacific of Latin America, in Ecuador, Peru and Mexico, in very shallow water near islands.

rules for the steel pompano

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 = 0.01288, b = 2.94; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

more about the steel pompano

The steel pompano belongs to the family Carangidae, with a deep body flattened on the sides, like all pompanos. It reaches 34 cm, and its common size is 30 cm. It lives in very shallow water, from 0 to 6 m, near islands, in the eastern Pacific from Ecuador to Peru, with records at the Galapagos, Revillagigedo and Mexico. It forms large schools. It is not a direct target of anglers, but can be caught with a rod and has a small commercial catch.

Family: Carangidae · predator

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.

  1. scientific FishBase: Trachinotus stilbe (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Trachinotus stilbeNames by country and language.