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 southern king weakfish
how to recognize it
Elongated, silver body with a grayish-brown back, large oblique mouth with strong canines in both jaws, and a pointed, spear-shaped tail with a dark tip (atricauda means "black tail"). Differs from the pescada-olhuda and the vermilion seatrout by its very visible teeth and pointed tail. The northern pescada-gó (M. ancylodon) is almost identical and is told apart by scale and ray counts.
Also called: pescada-foguete, pescadinha-real, pescadinha, foguete
don't confuse with:
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Sand and mud bottoms of the inner shelf, near the surf zone and the mouths of bays and estuaries.
From Espírito Santo to Rio Grande do Sul, reaching Uruguay and northern Argentina.
coast
states
Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul
when to fish
best season
In spring and summer, schools come closer to the coast in the Southeast and South.
best time of day
Night and twilight. Comes close to the beach and channels in late afternoon and at night; during the day it stays deeper.
what affects the southern king weakfish
cold and cold fronts
A sharp drop in temperature pushes schools away from the beach.
atmospheric pressure
A cold front shuts down activity for a day or two.
moon
New and waxing moon nights usually produce more on the beach.
rain
Light rain doesn't hurt; very muddy water does.
water level
Salt water entering the bays brings the pescada-foguete inside.
noise
Not very sensitive on the beach; from a boat, avoid running the motor over the school.
wind
Moderate choppy sea helps on the beach; strong surf makes fishing impossible.
tide
Fish the flood tide and the first hours of the ebb.
depth
From 1 to 20 m in most beach and boat catches.
how to fish
lures
- small shads on 10 to 20 g jig heads (boat)
natural baits
- shrimp
- sardine strips
- squid strips
- corrupto
tip from an angler
Use a two-hook rig on the beach and strip baits: the pescada-foguete strikes bait that moves with the current.
- rod
- beach: 3.6 to 4.2 m, 80 to 150 g; boat: 6'0" to 7'0", 10 to 20 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 4000 to 6000 (beach) or 2500 to 4000 (boat)
- line
- monofilament 0.30 to 0.35 mm or braided line 15 to 20 lb with shock leader
- leader
- monofilament 0.40 to 0.50 mm
- hook
- maruseigo or wide gap 1 to 1/0 (the mouth has teeth)
accessories
- pyramid sinker or treble hook (beach)
- forceps
catch and release
Pescadas die easily out of the water: if you release a small one, do it quickly, without squeezing the belly, and use pliers to remove the hook.
rules for the southern king weakfish
Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Minimum size 25 cm (ES to RS)
25 cm (TL)ESRJSPPRSCRSconfirm with the agency details
On the coast from ES to RS it is banned to fish for, keep on board or land pescada-foguete under 25 cm total length. The 20% tolerance of the catch (by weight) provided in the rule is for enforcement at landings; recreational anglers must release the small ones. The rule does not apply to trawling. The rule uses the name Macrodon ancylodon, which at the time included the southeastern and southern pescada, now M. atricauda.
Source: IN MMA nº 53/2005, Annex II (pescadinha / king weakfish, Macrodon ancylodon)
Conservation: Not on the national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026). Minimum size of 25 cm from ES to RS (IN MMA 53/2005, as Macrodon ancylodon).
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 = 0.00631, b = 3.09; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana, comprimento total)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
more about the southern king weakfish
The pescada-foguete is a small, elongated weakfish with a large mouth and strong canine teeth, heavily exploited by artisanal and industrial fishing from Espírito Santo to the Río de la Plata. Until 2010 it was treated as Macrodon ancylodon, a name now kept for the northern and northeastern form (pescada-gó); the southeastern and southern form was revalidated as Macrodon atricauda. It lives on sand and mud bottoms near the coast, from shallow water to a few dozen meters, and eats shrimp and small fish. It approaches the surf zone and the mouths of bays and estuaries, where it is caught from the beach and from boats with shrimp and sardine. It is intensively exploited across its range.
Family: Sciaenidae · predator
fun facts
- It was recognized as a species distinct from the northern pescada-gó only in 2010.
- The name atricauda, "black tail", describes the dark tip of the caudal fin.
in the kitchen
White, fine and tender meat; a classic fried as fillets or whole, breaded.
similar species
sources and references (6)
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 — Macrodon atricauda (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship and references. Page checked on October 13, 2026.
- 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)Most recent national list. The species is not on it (search by scientific name in the text published in the DOU, checked on October 13, 2026).
- official ICMBio/SALVE — Ficha de Macrodon atricauda (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)ICMBio national assessment, published in 2025. DOI checked on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Macrodon atricauda (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 30/07/2019)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- official Instrução Normativa MMA nº 53, de 22 de novembro de 2005 — tamanho mínimo de captura de espécies marinhas e estuarinas do litoral Sudeste e SulText reproduced from the DOU of Nov 24, 2005, checked on Oct 13, 2026. Annex II; § 2 of art. 2 (exemption in competitions) was revoked by IN MMA nº 3/2006.
- scientific Carvalho-Filho, A.; Santos, S.; Sampaio, I. (2010). Macrodon atricauda (Günther, 1880) (Perciformes: Sciaenidae), a valid species from the southwestern Atlantic, with comments on its conservation. Zootaxa 2519: 48–58.Revalidation of the species. Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record in FishBase, which cites this work for the 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: