Small, slender eastern Pacific jack, silvery with 8 or 9 incomplete dark bars and a very visible black spot on the edge of the gill cover. Travels in schools near the coast and rarely exceeds 38 cm.
Also called: xaréu-listrado, cocinero, Striped jack, Cocinero jack
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.
location
Sample location: choose yours to see the forecast for where you fish.
period
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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index Score from 0 to 100 for the fishing conditions of each hour. It reads weather, sun, moon, tide and the species' habits. It doesn't promise fish: it tells you when the water is on your side. 0–24 poor · 25–44 fair · 45–64 good · 65–84 very good · 85–100 excellent.
today
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confidence —
confidence How much you can trust the weather forecast for the day. It drops with distance and when the models disagree. It is not the chance of catching fish.
models and trend Up to 16 days, three global weather models (the European ECMWF, the American GFS and a high-resolution blend) read hour by hour; when they disagree, the light band on the chart widens. Beyond that it's a trend: 31 runs of the American GEFS model. Confirm when it's 1 week out.
window Consecutive hours with the index near the day's peak and no danger alert. It is the time to have the bait in the water.
hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hour
see hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
next 7 days
choose the day
chart: bar height = day's index · line = variation between models · striped = trend · fainter = less confidence
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.
4-week calendar
the fishing month at a glance
plan a trip
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.
the species
everything about the cocinero
overview
who is the cocinero
The cocinero is a small, common jack of the eastern Pacific, from the west coast of Baja California and the Gulf of California to Peru, with records also at Malpelo. It lives in midwater schools in coastal and offshore waters down to about 50 m, over any type of bottom. It eats small fish, crustaceans and other bottom invertebrates. It reaches about 38 cm, and its common length is about 20 cm. In Mexico it is usually caught as bycatch, in gillnets in shallow water near the beach, and is considered of little interest. FishBase classifies it as a game fish and reports that it is sold fresh, salted or dried, but in practice almost no one targets it.
fun facts
In Mexico it is simply known as cocinero, a name other jacks in the region also get.
According to the author of a Mexican fish guide, it is usually caught as bycatch in gillnets near the beach.
how to recognize it
identification
An elongated, laterally compressed body, dark blue on the back and silvery, with golden or greenish reflections on the flanks. It has 8 or 9 dark, incomplete vertical bars on the flanks and a clear black spot on the edge of the gill cover; the dorsal, anal and tail fins are yellowish. The chest is fully scaled, and the lateral line has 46 to 53 strong scutes in its straight part. The golden trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus) has yellow pelvic fins and a stripe across the eye; the green jack (Caranx caballus) is darker, without bars, and slimmer.
Does not occur in Brazil. Eastern Pacific, from the west coast of Baja California and the lower two thirds of the Gulf of California (Mexico) to Peru, with records at Malpelo. FishBase lists Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Habitat: Coastal and offshore waters near shore, in midwater schools over sand, rock and mud bottoms, including shallow water near the beach.
calendar and clock
when to fish
best season
time of yearbest: Jun–Sep
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Present all year round. The app gives more weight to the warmer months, May to November.
best time of day
Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. No study of its own. The app's estimate follows coastal jacks, with more activity at dawn and dusk.
weather, water and behavior
what affects the cocinero
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Cold water pushes the schools away from the shore.
atmospheric pressure
A rough sea from a strong front gets in the way of surf fishing.
moon
Small effect and no study.
rain
Little effect.
water level
Not applicable at sea.
noise
Coastal schools spook when someone wades in or knocks on the hull.
wind
Strong wind makes casting harder and leaves the water murky in the surf.
It is a small fish: use light gear and reel in fast; it usually comes in schools, so it pays to cast again in the same spot.
what the law says
rules for the cocinero
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: Of little concern globally. Not listed in Mexico's NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010.
Mexico: up to 5 per species and 10 saltwater fish per day
5 specimens of the species per angler per day, within the limit of 10 saltwater fish
In recreational sport fishing in Mexican federal waters, each angler may keep up to 10 marine fish per day, no more than 5 of the same species. The striped jack is not among the species reserved for sport fishing (marlin, sailfish, swordfish, "sábalo o chiro", roosterfish and dorado, up to 50 nautical miles from shore, item 0.3 of the regulation) and has no bag limit of its own. Fish over the limit go back alive to the water (item 4.9.5), and sport-caught fish may not be sold. Anglers fishing from a boat need permits under the Ley Federal de Derechos (Federal Rights Law); from the shore, they do not (item 4.3).
Personal Incopesca license, for people over 16confirm with the agency
In the regulation of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Law (Decree 36782, of May 24, 2011), art. 69, sport fishing is authorized only for natural persons over 16, with a license issued by Incopesca; tourists, whether national or foreign, also need the license. Art. 68 limits the landing of large pelagics to 5 per trip, and art. 66 promotes catch and release, but the rule sets no quota for this species. The decree was later amended (Decree 39458), so confirm the current rule with Incopesca.
Panama: new sport fishing decree in force from Dec 10, 2026
Executive Decree No. 9 (Jun 10, 2026), in force from Dec 10, 2026confirm with the agency
ARAP published Executive Decrees No. 9 and No. 10, of Jun 10, 2026, in the Official Gazette. The first regulates sport fishing throughout the territory; the second protects billfish (sailfish and marlins). Both take effect on Dec 10, 2026, after six months of adaptation. We did not verify the text: the press report gives no catch limits, sizes or license requirements. Before fishing in Panama, check with ARAP.
Colombia: AUNAP license and catch-and-release in sport fishing
Individual AUNAP license; catch-and-release guidanceconfirm with the agency
AUNAP Resolution 0549 of 2022 sets the guidelines for sport fishing for recreational purposes in Colombia. Anyone fishing needs a permit: for a natural person, Colombian or foreign, it is a personal, non-transferable license (art. 6). The rule uses "capture and release" as guidance. We did not verify the daily limit or the minimum sizes by species: check with AUNAP before keeping any fish.
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.
Delicate fish: wet your hands, hold it without squeezing and let it go right away. If it loses scales or bleeds, treat it as a catch for eating, following the local bag limit.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh, salted or dried, according to FishBase. In Mexico, the guide we consulted treats it as an unimportant catch of little interest.
calculator
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0166, b = 2.96; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). 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 seasonal values (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 of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor measurements made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the regulation and link. The common size comes from FishBase's common length (20 cm), and the common weight is calculated from the length-weight relationship.
technicalMexican Fish (mexican-fish.com): ficha do Cocinero (Caranx vinctus)Independent guide to fishes of the Mexican Pacific, with catch photos and the author's observations; not an official source. Page checked Oct 13, 2026. It covers the schooling habit, size up to 38 cm, capture as bycatch, and how to tell the cocinero from the golden trevally and the green jack.
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.
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:
where are you going fishing?
Your location is saved only on this device and feeds the forecast, the map and the "today" on the home page.
