bigeye scad
Selar crumenophthalmus · Carangidae · forage fish
A small fish with huge eyes that moves in compact schools near islands and rocky coasts. It is one of the most used live baits for seriolas, mackerel, tunas and dorado.
Also called: xixarro, chicharro, chicharro-olho-grande, garapau, bigeye scad
- common size
- 15–25 cm
- maximum
- 30 cm
- common weight
- 0.1–0.2 kg
- record/max.
- 0.4 kg
- depth
- 0–170 m
- ideal water
- 24–28 °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 bigeye scad
who is the bigeye scad
The scad (xixarro) is a small carangid of tropical seas worldwide. In the western Atlantic it ranges from Nova Scotia and Bermuda to São Paulo. It prefers clear water around islands and rocky coasts, but also enters the coastal strip and sometimes murky water. It forms compact schools, which may contain hundreds of thousands of fish, and it is more active at night, when it spreads out to feed on small shrimp, larvae and plankton. It grows fast and lives short. For anglers, it is mostly valuable as live bait: it holds up well on the hook and in the livewell and attracts yellowtail amberjacks, longfin yellowtails, mackerel, tunas and dorado. It bites on a sabiki and on a small hook with a fish strip, by day near the bottom and at night under the boat light.
fun facts
- Travels in compact groups that can number hundreds of thousands of fish.
- Short-lived: the maximum recorded age is about 3 years.
identification
Elongated, compressed body, metallic blue-green back and silvery flank, sometimes with a weak yellow band. The eye is very large, covered by a thick fatty eyelid. Lateral-line scutes only on the straight part near the tail. The blue runner (xerelete) and the jack have a deeper body and a smaller eye; the rainbow runner has blue stripes and loose pinnules behind the dorsal and anal fins.
where found
In Brazil, from the Northeast to São Paulo, most common in clear water: oceanic islands, rocky coasts, reefs and bays.
Habitat: Clear water around islands, rocky coasts and shoals; at night it rises and spreads through the water column.
coast
states
Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo
when to fish
best season
Available year-round; what matters is finding the school.
best time of day
Night and twilight. Feeds more at night and at dusk; by day it forms a tight school near the bottom or the rock.
what affects the bigeye scad
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Cold upwelling water spreads and drives schools away.
atmospheric pressure
Little direct effect.
moon
On dark nights the boat light gathers the school more; under a full moon it scatters.
rain
Little effect.
water level
Not applicable at sea.
noise
A large school tolerates an anchored boat but disappears if the engine runs above it.
wind
Strong wind makes it hard to anchor on the school's spot.
tide
With the current, the school moves along the rock; look for the sheltered side.
depth
By day, near the bottom or by the rock; at night, in midwater and at the surface.
how to fish
- rod
- light rod 6' to 7' or cane pole
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 1000 to 2500
- line
- monofilament 0.25 to 0.30 mm
- leader
- sabiki (rain of hooks) rigged on 0.30 to 0.40 mm line
- hook
- hook size 10 to 12, or the sabiki's own
lures
- sabiki with feathers or fish skin
natural baits
- fish strip
- small shrimp
accessories
- livewell with air pump or running water
- sinker 20 to 50 g
- night-fishing light, where permitted
tip from an angler
To use it as bait, take the scad off the sabiki with a wet hand and put it straight into the livewell; hook it through the back or the nostrils.
rules for the bigeye scad
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.
Small and fragile: if you are not using it as bait, release it quickly, without squeezing it or scraping off its scales.
in the kitchen
Dark, fatty flesh, good fried, grilled or salted. Specimens from reef areas have been linked to ciguatera.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01318, b = 2.99; 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 — Selar crumenophthalmus (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship, country list and references. Page checked on October 13, 2026. The record cites an isolated 70 cm specimen in Indonesia; other maximum size records are around 30 cm, the value used here. The maximum weight was estimated from the length-weight relationship.
- 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 Selar crumenophthalmus (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)National assessment by ICMBio, published in 2023. DOI verified on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Selar crumenophthalmus (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 07/11/2013)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- scientific Carpenter, K. E. (org.) (2002). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. Roma: FAO.Chapter Carangidae (Smith-Vaniz, W. F.).
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: