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
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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 brazilian sardinella
how to recognize it
Elongated, compressed body with a dark blue back and silvery flanks, and a belly with a scute keel and black peritoneum. It has a single dorsal fin with no filamentous rays, and pelvic fins with one simple and eight branched rays. The Atlantic thread herring (sardinha-laje, Opisthonema oglinum) has a filamentous last dorsal ray. Separating the Brazilian sardinella from the round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) relies on the gill rakers (curved downward in S. brasiliensis, flat in S. aurita) and is tentative according to FishBase.
Also called: sardinha-verdadeira, sardinha, escamuda, Brazilian sardinella, orangespot sardine
don't confuse with:
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Coastal and inner-shelf waters, from about 5 to 60 m, in compact schools; juveniles use bays and sheltered areas.
The main stock lies between Cabo de São Tomé (RJ, 22°S) and Cabo de Santa Marta (SC, 28°36'S), on the Southeast and South continental shelf, the same area covered by the closed-season and minimum-size rules. FishBase extends the species from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to northern Uruguay, but says identifications are not always reliable.
coast
states
Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina
when to fish
best season
In general there is more sardine near the coast in the warm months and less in winter (editorial estimate). From Oct 1 to Feb 28 the closed season applies in the Southeast and South.
best time of day
Daytime. Schools form by day near the surface or in mid-water; at night schools rise and disperse, and boat lights concentrate them.
what affects the brazilian sardinella
cold and cold fronts
Cold water upwelling pushes schools offshore and changes the fishing.
atmospheric pressure
Not very sensitive.
moon
On moonless nights, boat light concentrates the schools more.
rain
Very murky water and fresh runoff push schools out of the bays.
water level
Avoid fresh floodwater.
noise
The school scatters with engine noise and hull noise.
wind
Rough seas scatter the schools and make bait fishing harder.
tide
A rising tide draws schools into bays and coves.
depth
From 5 to 60 m, closer to the surface at night.
how to fish
lures
- sabiki
natural baits
- ground sardine chum
tip from an angler
Take only what you will use as bait and check the size: a Brazilian sardinella 17 cm or less may not be caught, and buying live bait requires a legal source. Unhook it with wet hands and put it straight into the live well without squeezing: it loses scales and dies quickly.
- rod
- light rod 6'0" to 8'0" or cane pole
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 1000 to 3000
- line
- monofilament 0.20 to 0.25 mm
- leader
- sabiki (chuveirinho) size 8 to 12
- hook
- sabiki hooks or maruseigo 12 to 14
accessories
- aerated bucket or livewell
- cast net (where permitted)
- night-fishing light, where permitted
catch and release
Very fragile: if you won't use it as bait, put it back right away without holding it with a dry hand. It usually survives release poorly.
rules for the brazilian sardinella
Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Minimum size 17 cm
17 cm (total length), with 10% weight toleranceNorth CoastNortheast CoastSoutheast CoastSouth Coast details
Between Cabo de São Tomé (RJ, 22°S) and Cabo de Santa Marta (SC, 28°36'S) it is illegal to catch, land, store, transport, salt or sell Brazilian sardinella under 17 cm total length; enforcement tolerates up to 10% of the catch weight below that size. IN Ibama 16/2009, aimed at vessels, repeats the ban at any time and in any area. Only authorized pole-and-live-bait tuna boats may catch smaller sardines, for their own use as bait and never under 5 cm.
Closed season for Brazilian sardinella, Oct 1 to Feb 28
catch prohibited Oct 1 to Feb 2801/10 to 28/02RJSPPRSC details
Between Cabo de São Tomé (RJ) and Cabo de Santa Marta (SC) it is prohibited to catch Brazilian sardinella from Oct 1 to Feb 28 each year. Landing is tolerated until Oct 3, and anyone who transports, stores, sells or processes the sardine must submit the stock declaration (the Ministry of Fisheries gives until Oct 9). Fiperj's (RJ) closed-season table notes that the closure applies to purse-seine fishing with traineiras; anyone fishing bait with cast nets or sabiki rigs should confirm its application with Ibama or the Ministry of Fisheries.
Live bait: only from authorized vessels and outside the closed season
sardine 17 cm or longer, from an authorized purse-seine boat, outside the closed seasonRJSPPRSCconfirm with the agency details
Brazilian sardinella 17 cm or longer may only be sold, stored or transported as live bait by other fisheries outside the closed season, and only if bought from an authorized purse-seine vessel. The boat carrying it must prove its origin when boarded.
Source: Instrução Normativa Ibama nº 16, of May 22, 2009, art. 3º, §§ 1º and 2º (Ibama)
Conservation: Data Deficient in the global assessment (IUCN 2017). Not on the Brazilian national list (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026). Fishing is regulated by closed season and minimum size.
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 = 0.00759, b = 3.05; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
more about the brazilian sardinella
The Brazilian sardinella is the basis of the purse-seine fishery of Brazil's Southeast and South and a live bait widely used by pole-and-line tuna boats. It lives in coastal waters, from about 5 to 60 m, in compact schools, and reaches 27 cm according to FishBase, with a common size around 20 cm. It occurs from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil and northern Uruguay, but records outside Brazil are not always reliable. The stock between Cabo de São Tomé (RJ) and Cabo de Santa Marta (SC) is the most fished, and the 2009 federal rule described it as heavily overfished. The closed season protects the peaks of reproduction and recruitment, which that rule placed from November to February and from mid-June to July. There is a minimum size and a closed season; check the rules before catching or buying sardine as bait.
Family: Dorosomatidae · forage fish
fun facts
- Purse-seine effort for the species is limited by federal rule: the 2009 IN used 210 vessels as a reference.
- Pole-and-line tuna boats use it as bait, under their own rules for those who fish tuna.
- FishBase lists S. brasiliensis as a synonym of S. janeiro and treats its separation from the round sardinella as tentative: the group's taxonomy is still debated.
in the kitchen
Dark, flavorful, oily flesh. Good grilled, charcoal-roasted, canned, in escabeche or tinned. FishBase lists it as sold fresh and canned.
similar species
sources and references (9)
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 field experience from anglers and guides. They are not official data or measurements made for this species and may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the rule and link. Common sizes and weights are ranges around the common length reported by FishBase, with the weight calculated from the length-weight relationship.
- scientific FishBase: Sardinella brasiliensis (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Sardinella brasiliensisNames by country and language. Sardinha-verdadeira is the official name in Brazilian rules; escamuda and sardinha are listed in FishBase.
- 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)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
- official Instrução Normativa Ibama nº 15, de 21 de maio de 2009: ordenamento da pesca da sardinha-verdadeiraArt. 4º (closed season, later amended), Art. 5º (stock declaration) and Art. 6º (17 cm minimum size, 10% tolerance). Text published in the DOU of May 22, 2009, checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- official Instrução Normativa Ibama nº 16, de 22 de maio de 2009: captura da sardinha-verdadeira como isca viva por barcos atuneirosArt. 1º (exception for tuna boats), Art. 3º (general ban below 17 cm and rules for live bait). Text checked on Oct 13, 2026; we found no later amendment.
- official Ministério da Pesca e Aquicultura: sardinha-verdadeira (defeso de 1º de outubro a 28 de fevereiro, IN SAP/MAPA nº 18/2020)Official ministry page. Checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- official Ibama: Defesos marinhos (tabela de períodos de defeso e normas)Lists Brazilian sardinella from Oct 1 to Feb 28, between Cabo de São Tomé and Cabo de Santa Marta, under IN Ibama 15/2009 as amended by IN MAPA 18/2020. Checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- official Fiperj: tabela de defesos do estado do Rio de Janeiro (2025)Notes that the Brazilian sardinella closed season applies only to purse-seine fishing with traineiras. Checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- 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 SulAnnex II, from Espírito Santo to Rio Grande do Sul. Checked on Oct 13, 2026: Brazilian sardinella is not in Annex II (the minimum size comes from IN Ibama 15/2009).
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: