spotfin croaker
Roncador stearnsii · Sciaenidae · predator
Grunt of surf beaches and bays in the eastern Pacific, from California to southern Baja California, Mexico. It is caught on line and is commercially fished.
Also called: roncador-de-nadadeira-manchada, roncador manchado, spotfin croaker
- maximum
- 70 cm
- record/max.
- 4.8 kg
- depth
- 1–22 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 spotfin croaker
who is the spotfin croaker
A fish of the family Sciaenidae, with an elongated body, reaching 70 cm and 4.8 kg. Common size 30 cm. It lives near the bottom, over shallow sands of the surf zone, near rocks and bay mouths, from 1 to 22 m. It forms small groups and joins larger groups to spawn. It eats invertebrates such as marine worms, bivalve mollusks, crabs and small crustaceans. It spawns in the water, not on the bottom. It is taken in sport and commercial 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 spotfin croaker; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Elongated, spindle-shaped body, like other grunts. The common name points to spots on the fins. It lives in the surf zone, near rocks and bay mouths, in small groups. It shares the beach with the yellowfin croaker (Umbrina roncador), which reaches 56 cm; this one reaches 70 cm, and the difference in size helps tell them apart.
where found
Eastern Pacific, from California to southern Baja California. In Latin America, it occurs in Mexico.
Habitat: Surf zone, bays and near rocks, from 1 to 22 m.
rules for the spotfin croaker
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.
Harmless to people. When fishing the surf, release it quickly and carefully, without leaving the fish on the sand.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00871, b = 3.07; 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: Roncador stearnsii (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Roncador stearnsiiNames 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: