atlantic bonito
Sarda sarda · Scombridae · predator
A small, striped tuna with strong teeth that hunts in schools along the coast and on the shelf south of the Amazon. It fights well on light tackle and hits spoons, jigs and trolling baits.
Also called: sarda, serra-comum, bonito-atlântico, sarrajão, serra-sarda, Atlantic bonito
- common size
- 40–60 cm
- maximum
- 91 cm
- common weight
- 1–3 kg
- record/max.
- 11.0 kg
- depth
- 0–200 m
- ideal water
- 16–24 °C
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
tap or drag on the chart to read each hour · on a keyboard, arrow keyssee 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 atlantic bonito
who is the atlantic bonito
The Atlantic bonito (sarda) is a small tuna, a relative of the bonitos and mackerels, living in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In the western Atlantic it ranges from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of Mexico and, in South America, from Colombia and Venezuela and from the south of the Amazon mouth to northern Argentina; it is almost absent from the Caribbean. It moves in schools near the surface, in the coastal strip and over the shelf, and can enter estuaries. It eats sardines, anchovies, squid and shrimp, swallows large prey and can be cannibalistic. It grows fast and lives short, about 5 years, and matures at about 40 cm. In recreational fishing it is caught on trolling with small baits and by casting spoons and jigs over bait schools.
fun facts
- It is cannibalistic: adults eat juveniles of their own species.
- Lives about 5 years and matures at about 40 cm fork length.
identification
Spindle-shaped body, fully covered with small scales behind the corselet. Steel-blue back with 5 to 11 very slanted dark stripes; silvery belly with no stripes. Large mouth with strong conical teeth. The skipjack tuna (barrilete) has dark stripes on its belly, not on its back. The little tunny (bonito pintado) and the frigate tuna (bonito cachorro) have a bare body behind the corselet and wavy lines on the back.
where found
In Brazil it occurs from the south of the Amazon mouth to Rio Grande do Sul, along the coastal strip and over the shelf, and extends to northern Argentina and Uruguay. It is rare in the Caribbean.
Habitat: Open waters of the coastal strip and the shelf, near the surface, following sardine and anchovy schools; it enters bays and estuaries.
coast
states
Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul
when to fish
best season
More frequent in the warm water of spring and summer, when sardine and anchovy schools move close to shore; it moves away in winter.
best time of day
Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Hunts by day, with peaks at dawn and at dusk, when bait schools rise.
what affects the atlantic bonito
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Tolerates colder water than other small tunas (around 12 °C), but the school scatters when the water cools suddenly.
atmospheric pressure
A cold front with rough seas scatters the bait and shuts down fishing for a day or two.
moon
Small effect; spring tides concentrate bait at points and channels.
rain
Little effect in open sea; river water muddied by runoff drives the school away.
water level
Not applicable at sea. The equivalent is the presence of bait on the surface.
noise
An engine over the school makes it sink; approach from outside and cast at the edge.
wind
Chop helps hide the line; strong wind makes it hard to see birds and feeding attacks.
tide
Near the coast, tidal current at points and bay mouths gathers the bait.
depth
From the surface to about 30 m for most catches, following the bait.
how to fish
- rod
- 6'6" to 7', 12 to 25 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 3000 to 4000 or small baitcasting reel for trolling
- line
- braided line 15 to 30 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon 25 to 40 lb, 1 m (the teeth cut thin line)
- hook
- single hook 1/0 to 3/0 or the treble hooks of the baits
lures
- metal spoon and jig 20 to 60 g
- small feather and squid trolling baits
- small midwater plug
natural baits
- live sardine or sardine strips
- manjuba
accessories
- alicate
- luvas
tip from an angler
When you see birds diving, stop the boat ahead of the school and cast the spoon, reeling in fast.
rules for the atlantic bonito
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026). We found no specific federal rule for this species.
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 tires quickly and suffers out of the water: release it fast, without lingering for a photo. Use pliers, since the teeth cut.
in the kitchen
Dark, firm and tasty flesh; bleed and chill it right after catching. Good grilled, baked or canned.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00851, b = 3.06; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana, comprimento total)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
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 — Sarda sarda (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship, country list and references. Page checked on Oct 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 Sarda sarda (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)ICMBio national assessment, published in 2026. DOI checked on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Sarda sarda (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 15/11/2021)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- scientific Collette, B. B.; Nauen, C. E. (1983). FAO species catalogue. Vol. 2. Scombrids of the world. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 125(2). Roma: FAO.
- technical ICCAT Manual, cap. 2.1.10.1 — Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda). International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.Chapter by Mourato, B.; Barreto, T.; Lucena-Frédou, F., updated June 2021.
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: