rainbow seaperch
Hypsurus caryi · Embiotocidae · predator
Rocky-shore surfperch of the Mexican Pacific, which lives at the edges of algae and is caught mainly by shore anglers.
Also called: perca-arco-íris, mojarra arcoiris, rainbow seaperch
- maximum
- 30 cm
- depth
- 1–50 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 rainbow seaperch
who is the rainbow seaperch
Surfperch of the family Embiotocidae, which lives on rocky shores, along the edges of kelp beds. It sometimes appears over sand, but not in the surf zone. It reaches 30 cm and is viviparous: the female carries the young until birth. It lives from 1 to 50 m deep and forms aggregations in autumn. It occurs from Cape Mendocino, in California, to northern Baja California, in Mexico. It is commercially fished and is caught mainly by shore anglers.
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 rainbow seaperch; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Rocky-shore surfperch with a compact body, like the other surfperches of the family, which lives along the edges of algae and rarely over sand. Its common name, rainbow, points to its colors. It is viviparous, like the other surfperches of the group. On the same coast, the striped surfperch (Embiotoca lateralis) has blue stripes and reaches 38 cm, and the kelp perch (Brachyistius frenatus) is much smaller, at 22 cm.
where found
From Cape Mendocino, in California, to northern Baja California; in Latin America, only in Mexico, on rocky shores and along the edges of algae.
Habitat: Rocky shores and kelp edges, from 1 to 50 m deep.
rules for the rainbow seaperch
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. 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.
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.
It has no venomous spines and is safe to handle. Be careful with the rocks and the tide, where it lives.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0195, b = 2.97; 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: Hypsurus caryi (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Hypsurus caryiNames by country and language.
similar species
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: