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 panama longfin herring
how to recognize it
Elongated, compressed body, with a belly keeled with serrated scutes. The upper jaw is wide in the middle, and its tip reaches or passes the gill opening. The pectoral fins are large and the dorsal fin is small, set well back on the body. It looks like the machete sardine (Ilisha fuerthii), but has a more elongated body and a long upper jaw.
Also called: sardinha-panamenha, sardina machete, Panama longfin herring
don't confuse with:
We don't have tips on season, bait or technique for this species yet.
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Coastal waters, possibly with entry into estuaries.
Eastern Pacific, from El Salvador to Panama, with records in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, in coastal waters of Central America.
rules for the panama longfin herring
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.
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 = 0.00407, b = 3.06; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
more about the panama longfin herring
A fish of the family Pristigasteridae, a relative of sardines and herrings, with an elongated, compressed body, reaching 17 cm. Common size 12 cm. It lives in coastal waters of Central America, from El Salvador to Panama, and may enter estuaries. It occurs in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. It feeds on small crustaceans and small fish. It has large pectoral fins and a small dorsal fin set well back on the body. The catch is for subsistence.
Family: Pristigasteridae · forage fish
similar species
sources and references (2)
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: Odontognathus panamensis (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Odontognathus panamensisNames by country and language.
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: