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
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
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 blackblotch pompano
how to recognize it
Very deep, compressed body with a very blunt, rounded snout and a pronounced forehead in adults. Silvery, sometimes with a golden or bronzed tone, with the top of the head and back darker and a large black blotch at the inner base of the pectoral. Six short, sturdy spines free in front of the main dorsal fin, short pointed lobes on the dorsal and anal fins, and no scutes on the lateral line. The fine pompano (Trachinotus rhodopus) has long lobes and yellowish bars on the flanks.
Also called: pampo-de-mancha-negra, blackblotch pompano, silver pompano
don't confuse with:
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Shallow sandy bottoms near the coast, beaches, bays and estuaries, from 0 to about 70 m.
Does not occur in Brazil. Eastern Pacific: from central Baja California and the Gulf of California to Ecuador, with records as far as Peru.
when to fish
best season
Fished all year. Clear water in the surf and a rising tide matter more than the month.
best time of day
Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Feeds by day, near the bottom; tidal movement in the surf and in estuary channels usually helps.
what affects the blackblotch pompano
cold and cold fronts
Cold upwelling water drives fish away from the beaches.
atmospheric pressure
Little direct effect.
moon
New and full moon tides move more water in the surf.
rain
Heavy rain muddies the water in estuaries and bays and pushes fish away from the river mouth.
water level
Not applicable at sea.
noise
Not very sensitive in rough surf; sensitive in calm, shallow water.
wind
A light swell helps; very rough sea makes casting hard.
tide
A rising and falling tide in channels and the surf concentrates fish.
depth
From 0 to 10 m, near the sandy bottom.
how to fish
lures
- metal jig 20 to 50 g
- jig head with silicone shrimp bait
natural baits
- shrimp
- caranguejinho-de-areia
- clam or mussel
- sea worm
tip from an angler
Fish the bait right on the bottom, along the line where the wave breaks, and let the fish take it before you set the hook. The pompano runs in short, strong bursts, so adjust the drag carefully.
- rod
- 9' to 12' for beach (20 to 40 lb); 6'6" to 7', 12 to 25 lb for boat
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 4000 to 6000
- line
- monofilament 0.30 to 0.40 mm or braid 20 to 30 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon 20 to 40 lb, 60 cm to 1 m
- hook
- circle 1/0 to 3/0, or short hook no. 1/0 to 2/0
accessories
- rod holder (beach)
- sinker, 60 to 120 g
- alicate
catch and release
Wet your hands, remove the hook with pliers and release it quickly; avoid leaving the fish on dry, hot sand.
rules for the blackblotch pompano
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 details
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 blackblotch pompano 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.
Colombia: AUNAP license and catch-and-release in sport fishing
Individual AUNAP license; catch-and-release guidanceconfirm with the agency details
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.
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 = 0.01445, b = 2.93; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
more about the blackblotch pompano
Pompano of the eastern Pacific, from central Baja California and the Gulf of California to Ecuador, with records as far as Peru. Lives near the bottom in shallow coastal waters, and juveniles are common in estuaries, where they eat bottom invertebrates; adults prefer mollusks but also take crustaceans and small fish. Sold fresh, salted or dried, and FishBase classifies it as a sport fish. For beach and boat anglers it is a medium-sized pompano, caught with natural bait on the bottom (shrimp, sand crab, shellfish) and light jigs; like the other pompanos, it fetches a good price at the table and fights with fast runs.
Family: Carangidae · predator
fun facts
- The English name, blackblotch, comes from the large black blotch at the base of the pectoral.
- Juveniles are common in estuaries, where they eat a variety of bottom invertebrates.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh, salted or dried. Like the other pompanos, it has white, firm flesh; good fried whole, grilled or in ceviche.
similar species
sources and references (5)
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: Trachinotus kennedyi (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Trachinotus kennedyiNames 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: Trachinotus kennedyiDescription, colors, size, depth and distribution in the eastern Pacific. Page checked Oct 13, 2026. It cites a length of up to 73 cm (common up to 40 cm) and depth of 0 to 72 m; we kept FishBase's 90 cm as the maximum published.
- 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.
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: