long snouted lancetfish
Alepisaurus ferox · Alepisauridae · predator
Open-sea lancetfish with large canine teeth in its mouth. It lives from the surface to over 1,000 m and is rarely seen in sport fishing.
Also called: peixe-lanceta-de-focinho-longo, lanzón picudo, longnose lancetfish, handsaw fish
- maximum
- 215 cm
- record/max.
- 9.0 kg
- depth
- 0–1,830 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…
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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
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 long snouted lancetfish
who is the long snouted lancetfish
Fish of the family Alepisauridae, up to 215 cm and 9 kg. It is pelagic and lives in the open sea, from near the surface to more than 1,000 m, sometimes close to the coast. Mainly nocturnal, it feeds on fish, cephalopods, tunicates and crustaceans. It reproduces by eggs, with planktonic larvae, and the species is a synchronous hermaphrodite. It is prey for tunas, sharks and sea lions. It is taken commercially, but its soft flesh makes it of little importance.
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 long snouted lancetfish.
fun facts
- Gonads have clearly separated ovary and testis areas: it is a synchronous hermaphrodite.
identification
Elongated body with a circular cross-section, pale and iridescent, darker on the back. Large mouth with two erect canine teeth on the roof of the mouth. The dorsal fin is very tall, with the first rays very elongated. The fatty keel on the flank and all the fins are brown or black. None of the fins have spines.
where found
Occurs in the open sea on both sides of Latin America, from the Caribbean and Brazil to Chile and Peru, in both the Atlantic and the Pacific.
Habitat: Open sea, from the surface to over 1,000 m, sometimes close to the coast.
coast
when to fish
best time of day
Nighttime. It is mainly nocturnal.
rules for the long snouted lancetfish
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 Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
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.
No danger to anglers, but it has strong canine teeth, so hold it carefully when removing the hook.
in the kitchen
Sometimes eaten, but of little importance because of its soft flesh.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00389, b = 3.12; 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
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: Alepisaurus ferox (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Alepisaurus feroxNames by country and language.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026: Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
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: