greybar grunt
Haemulon sexfasciatum · Haemulidae · predator
Grunt of shallow reefs of the eastern Pacific, recognizable by the dark bars on its yellowish body. It has small-scale commercial fishing and little sport value.
Also called: roncador-barrado, burro almejero, rompe paila, greybar grunt
- maximum
- 71 cm
- record/max.
- 2.3 kg
- depth
- 10–12 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 greybar grunt
who is the greybar grunt
The barred grunt belongs to the family Haemulidae, the grunts. It reaches 71 cm and usually measures 30 cm. It lives on shallow coastal reefs, from 3 to 30 m deep, most commonly between 10 and 12 m. It occurs in the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California to Panama. By day it forms schools over the reefs, and at night it spreads out to feed, digging in the sand. It is commercially fished on a small scale, with little interest for sport fishing.
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 greybar grunt; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Oblong, compressed and shallow-bodied, with a large, terminal mouth. Adults have six or seven dark gray vertical bars on a yellowish background and a dark spot behind the eye. The young have three vertical bars and a spot at the base of the tail, which fades with age. Among the Haemulon of the same coast, it is the one with vertical bars: the Haemulon maculicauda is dark brown with pearly blue spots on each scale, and the Haemulon scudderii is silvery gray with dark spots on the scales.
where found
Occurs in the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California to Panama, on coastal reefs, with a record also in Ecuador.
Habitat: Shallow coastal reefs, 3 to 30 m deep.
when to fish
best time of day
Nighttime. By day it forms schools over coastal reefs; at night it spreads out to search for food, often digging in the sand.
rules for the greybar grunt
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.
No danger to anglers. If released, return it to the water carefully.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0257, b = 3.0; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). 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: Haemulon sexfasciatum (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Haemulon sexfasciatumNames 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: