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 pacific jack mackerel
how to recognize it
A spindle-shaped schooling fish, typical of jack mackerels, reaching 81 cm. Small individuals may have an extra spine pointing forward at the origin of the first dorsal fin. To tell it apart from smaller coastal jacks and jack mackerels, size and the habit of forming large schools in open sea, far from shore, are useful.
Also called: xixarro-do-pacífico, chicharro, pacific jack mackerel
We don't have tips on season, bait or technique for this species yet.
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Open sea, 0 to 400 m; juveniles stay near kelp and piers.
Found in the eastern Pacific, in Mexico, Nicaragua and Ecuador, with records at Acapulco and the Galápagos. The species lives from southeastern Alaska to southern Baja California.
rules for the pacific jack mackerel
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 = 0.00955, b = 2.96; 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 pacific jack mackerel
A fish of the family Carangidae, with a spindle-shaped body, forming large schools in the open sea up to 500 miles from the coast. Juveniles stay near kelp and piers. It reaches 81 cm total length, and its common size is 55 cm. It can live to 30 years of age. It feeds on small crustaceans and fish larvae. Large individuals move closer to the coast and head north in summer. It is commercially fished and is also a sport fish.
Family: Carangidae · forage fish
fun facts
- It can live to 30 years of age.
in the kitchen
It is sold fresh, smoked, canned and frozen, and is prepared fried, grilled or baked.
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: Trachurus symmetricus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Trachurus symmetricusNames 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: