xantic sargo
Anisotremus davidsonii · Haemulidae · predator
Sargo of rocky reefs and kelp beds in the eastern Pacific, which now and then turns up on sport-fishing lines.
Also called: sargo-pedreiro, burro piedrero, sargo rayado, xantic sargo
- maximum
- 58 cm
- depth
- 0–40 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 xantic sargo
who is the xantic sargo
The rock sargo belongs to the family Haemulidae, the same family as the sargos, grunts and burros. It reaches 58 cm and lives in coastal waters of the eastern Pacific, from central California, United States, to Baja California, Mexico, with an isolated population in the Gulf of California. It usually stays on rocky reefs, sometimes on sandy bottoms and near kelp beds. Juveniles form schools in tide pools along the shore. It feeds on crustaceans, mollusks and bryozoans. It is taken in sport fishing and also caught on a small scale by 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 xantic sargo; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- It spawns by releasing eggs into the water, without leaving them on the bottom.
identification
Short, deep and compressed body of a reef fish, and juveniles form schools in tide pools along the shore. The rock sargo lives farther north, from California to Baja California and the Gulf, while Anisotremus taeniatus ranges from Mexico to northern Peru and is much more colorful: it has a golden-yellow back, six blue stripes on the flanks, each edged in dark blue, and a dark band running from the nape to the eye.
where found
Found in the eastern Pacific, from central California, United States, to Baja California, Mexico, with an isolated population in the Gulf of California.
Habitat: Rocky reefs and sandy bottoms near algae, down to 40 m deep.
rules for the xantic sargo
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 you release it, return it to the water carefully, since it lives on shallow reefs.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh in markets; it is a food fish.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0166, b = 3.02; 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: Anisotremus davidsonii (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Anisotremus davidsoniiNames 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: