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
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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 pilotfish
how to recognize it
Slender jack with a slightly flattened body, pale to dark blue, with 6 to 7 broad, dark vertical bars. The tips of the tail lobes and of the lobes of the second dorsal and anal fins are white. The end of the maxilla reaches the front edge of the eye. It has no scutes on the lateral line, but has fleshy keels on the caudal peduncle. The first dorsal fin is reduced to 4 or 5 short, separate spines. It is almost always seen in front of a shark, a large fish or a drifting object.
Also called: peixe-piloto, piloto, pilotfish, pilot fish
don't confuse with:
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Open sea and shelf waters, near the surface, alongside sharks, rays, turtles and large fish; juveniles live under jellyfish and drifting sargassum.
The entire Brazilian coast, in open sea and alongside large animals, according to FishBase's latitude range (61°N to 43°S). In Latin America, the FishBase list includes Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.
coast
when to fish
best season
Present all year; it shows up wherever its host is, and does not depend on the season.
best time of day
Daytime. It stays with its host all day; the chances of hooking one are higher by day, near the surface.
what affects the pilotfish
cold and cold fronts
A fish of tropical and subtropical waters; it follows its host wherever the water is warmer.
atmospheric pressure
Small effect.
moon
Small effect.
rain
Little effect in open sea.
water level
Does not apply at sea. The equivalent is the presence of the host.
noise
Small effect.
wind
Rough sea makes it hard to see the pilot fish at the surface.
tide
Little direct effect.
depth
Almost always at the surface, in the first few meters.
how to fish
lures
- small jig, 10 to 30 g
- small feather jig
natural baits
- squid pieces
- shrimp
- strips of fish
tip from an angler
If the pilot fish starts following the boat or your hooked fish, stay alert: it is usually with a shark, a ray or another large fish.
- rod
- 6' to 7', medium to fast action, 10 to 20 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 3000 to 4000
- line
- braided line 15 to 25 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon 20 to 30 lb, 1 m
- hook
- single 1/0 to 3/0 hook
accessories
- alicate
- long-handled landing net
catch and release
Hold it with a wet hand, remove the hook with pliers and release it promptly.
rules for the pilotfish
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 recreational sport fishing in Mexican federal waters, each angler may keep up to 10 marine fish per day, no more than 5 of the same species. The pilot fish is not among the species reserved for sport fishing and has no quota of its own. Fish above the limit must be returned alive to the water, and sport-caught fish may not be sold. Anglers fishing from a boat need the recreational fishing permits provided for in the rule.
Conservation: Not on the Brazilian national list (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026). Outside Mexico we found no specific rule for the species.
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 = 0.01413, 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 pilotfish
The pilot fish is a slender, striped jack that accompanies sharks, rays, turtles and other large open-sea fish in a semi-obligate commensal relationship: it eats scraps from its host's meals, parasites and waste, as well as small fish and invertebrates. Juveniles stay with jellyfish and drifting sargassum. It is circumtropical: in the western Atlantic it ranges from Nova Scotia to Argentina, and in the eastern Pacific from Vancouver Island to the Galápagos and Chile. It reaches 70 cm, with a common length of 40 cm. Its eggs are pelagic. It is occasionally caught with a dip net at the surface and sold fresh, salted or dried. For sport anglers, it usually turns up by chance, along with hooked sharks, attractor buoys and drifting objects.
Family: Carangidae · omnivore
fun facts
- The name comes from the old idea that it guided the shark; in fact, it eats its host's scraps and parasites.
- Juveniles shelter under jellyfish and drifting sargassum.
- FishBase cites capture with a hand dip net at the surface.
in the kitchen
Edible; FishBase records sales fresh, salted or dried, in small-scale commercial fishing. Given its size, it yields little.
similar species
sources and references (4)
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: Naucrates ductor (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology and IUCN status. Page checked on October 13, 2026. The common size range is an editorial estimate around the common length of 40 cm reported by FishBase.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Naucrates ductorNames 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.
- official NOM-017-PESC-1994 (pesca deportivo-recreativa em águas de jurisdição federal do México), modificação publicada no DOF em 25/11/2013 (Sagarpa/Conapesca)Limit of 10 marine fish per angler per day, no more than 5 of the same species (item 4.9.1), return of the excess (4.9.5) and ban on selling sport-caught fish (4.11). Text checked Oct 13, 2026. The rule sets no quota of its own for this species.
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: