How to catch Bigeye scad
Selar crumenophthalmus (Bloch, 1793)
About Bigeye scad fishing
The bigeye scad is a slender, streamlined pelagic fish belonging to the jack family Carangidae. It features a bluish-green metallic back, silvery white underparts, and characteristically large eyes covered by a well-developed adipose eyelid. Growing up to 70 centimetres in maximum length, this species typically inhabits clear oceanic and neritic waters around islands, descending to depths of 170 metres. Bigeye scads are highly sociable, forming dense compact schools that travel together in large numbers. Primarily nocturnal in their feeding habits, they disperse after dark to consume zooplankton, small shrimps, benthic invertebrates, and fish larvae. Because of their abundance and high nutritional value, they are widely utilized both as a high-grade food fish and as live bait for larger predators.
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Difficulty
Medium
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Average size
25 cm
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Market value
Very high
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Habitat
Saltwater
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Season
Spring, Summer, Autumn
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Also known as
Big eye scad, Bigeye Scad, Big-eye scad, Bigeye scad atulai, Big-eyed scad, Chicharro
Forked caudal shape
Deeply forked caudal fin helps distinguish this pelagic swimming carangid.
Terminal mouth
Terminal mouth position indicates midwater feeding habits.
Horizontal stripe
A faint yellowish horizontal stripe runs along the midbody flank.
Bigeye scad fishing facts
Characteristics
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Typical size
25 cm (max 70 cm TL ) -
Typical weight
0.5 kg (max 4.3 kg ) -
Preferred temperature
20–29.2 °C -
Depth
0–170 m -
Longevity
3 years -
Body shape
Fusiform / Normal -
Commercial?
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Vulnerability score
24.7
Best hours
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Active
Dawn
First light
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Low
Morning
After sunrise
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Low
Midday
High sun
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Low
Afternoon
Late day
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Active
Dusk
Last light
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Peak
Night
After dark
When to fish for Bigeye scad
Other names for Bigeye scad
Local and alternate names anglers use for Bigeye scad.
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Bigeye scad
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Big eye scad
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Goggle-eye
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Purse-eye scad
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Goggler
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Horse mackerel
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Goggle-eyed scad
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Scad
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Silver scad
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Purse-eyed scad
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Chicharro
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Google eye jack
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Horse-eye jack
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Jack
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Jackfish
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Big-eye scad
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Bigeye scad atulai
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Big-eyed scad
Best equipment to catch Bigeye scad
Compare fishing methods for Bigeye scad — sized kit for each technique.
Note: Typical fish is 0.5 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.
Float Fishing
Suspending bait beneath a float at a controlled depth.
80% Effectiveness
Rod
Float rod
A float rod is the all-round fishing rod for a float in rivers and still water, a step down in length from match.
Sized for a typical fish
light · 3.6 m
- Reel seat
- Spinning
- Form factor
- Multi-piece
- Action
- Moderate
- Grip
- Cork
Reel
Spinning reel
A spinning reel hangs under the fishing rod and is the default reel for casting lures and light baits. Line peels off an open spool with a bail.
Sized for a typical fish
1000 · 3 kg drag · 185 g
- Spool
- Fixed
- Mount
- Under
- Drag
- Front
- Retrieve
- Manual
Line
Monofilament line
Monofilament fishing line is the everyday main line: easy to knot, cheap to replace, and stretchy enough to forgive a hard strike.
Sized for a typical fish
2.5 kg · 0.16 mm
- Visibility
- Medium
- Abrasion
- Medium
- Stretch
- High
- Sink rate
- Slow
Hook
J-hook
A J-hook is the classic J-bend fishing hook for bait. You set it with a strike. Sizes are tokens such as 12 or 1/0.
Sized for a typical fish
8
- Points
- 1
- Offset
- No
- Barbed
- Yes
- Gap
- Standard
Float
Waggler
A waggler is a bottom-only attachment float for stillwaters and slow rivers. You shot it down and watch the antenna.
Sized for a typical fish
4 g
- Attachment
- Fixed
- Habitats
- Freshwater
- Methods
- Float Fishing
Spinning
Casting and retrieving lures with a spinning rod and reel.
75% Effectiveness
Rod
Spinning rod
A spinning rod is a fishing rod built to carry a spinning reel under the blank. You cast lures and light baits with it from shore or a boat.
Sized for a typical fish
light · 2.1 m
- Reel seat
- Spinning
- Form factor
- Multi-piece
- Action
- Fast
- Grip
- EVA
Reel
Spinning reel
A spinning reel hangs under the fishing rod and is the default reel for casting lures and light baits. Line peels off an open spool with a bail.
Sized for a typical fish
1000 · 3 kg drag · 185 g
- Spool
- Fixed
- Mount
- Under
- Drag
- Front
- Retrieve
- Manual
Line
Braided line
Braided fishing line is the thin, no-stretch main for long casts, jigging, and feeling every tick on the retrieve.
Sized for a typical fish
6 kg · 0.1 mm
- Visibility
- High
- Abrasion
- Low
- Stretch
- None
- Sink rate
- Floats
Leader
Fluorocarbon leader
A fluorocarbon leader is the clear, fast-sinking join between a visible main line and the lure or hook.
Sized for a typical fish
7 kg · 0.3 mm · 90 cm
- Visibility
- Very low
- Abrasion
- High
- Stretch
- Low
- Sink rate
- Fast
Bottom Fishing
Presenting bait or rigs on or near the lake or sea floor.
60% Effectiveness
Rod
Spinning rod
A spinning rod is a fishing rod built to carry a spinning reel under the blank. You cast lures and light baits with it from shore or a boat.
Sized for a typical fish
light · 2.1 m
- Reel seat
- Spinning
- Form factor
- Multi-piece
- Action
- Fast
- Grip
- EVA
Reel
Spinning reel
A spinning reel hangs under the fishing rod and is the default reel for casting lures and light baits. Line peels off an open spool with a bail.
Sized for a typical fish
1000 · 3 kg drag · 185 g
- Spool
- Fixed
- Mount
- Under
- Drag
- Front
- Retrieve
- Manual
Line
Monofilament line
Monofilament fishing line is the everyday main line: easy to knot, cheap to replace, and stretchy enough to forgive a hard strike.
Sized for a typical fish
2.5 kg · 0.16 mm
- Visibility
- Medium
- Abrasion
- Medium
- Stretch
- High
- Sink rate
- Slow
Leader
Fluorocarbon leader
A fluorocarbon leader is the clear, fast-sinking join between a visible main line and the lure or hook.
Sized for a typical fish
4 kg · 0.2 mm · 80 cm
- Visibility
- Very low
- Abrasion
- High
- Stretch
- Low
- Sink rate
- Fast
Hook
Circle hook
A circle hook turns in the mouth and usually finds the corner of the jaw. You do not strike hard — you come tight. It includes freshwater.
Sized for a typical fish
4
- Points
- 1
- Offset
- No
- Barbed
- Yes
- Gap
- Standard
Best lures and baits for Bigeye scad
Ranked lures and natural baits from every method, best first.
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Shrimp
- Float Fishing
- Bottom Fishing
Translucent segmented carapace protects the body.
How Bigeye scad migrates — Oceanodromous
Migrates within the sea between spawning, nursery and feeding grounds, and never enters fresh water. Follow its seasonal shifts along the coast and offshore.
1 Eggs
Spawning grounds
Laid on the spawning grounds.
2 Larvae
→ Nursery grounds
Drift with the currents to the nursery grounds.
3 Juveniles
Nursery grounds
Grow up in sheltered nursery waters.
4 Adults
Feeding grounds
Range widely over the feeding grounds.
5 Spawners
→ Spawning grounds
Return to the spawning grounds each season.
It stays in the sea and never runs up into fresh water.
Hover or tap a number to read each stage.
Diet and behavior of Bigeye scad
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Diet
Carnivore -
Feeds by
Hunts animals -
Hunts
Night -
Feeds over
Seagrass -
Social
Schooling -
Main prey
Baitfish -
Used as bait
Yes
Prey and predators of Bigeye scad
Prey is what Bigeye scad eats. Predators are the animals that eat it.
That is how it feeds, and how it is hunted.
Prey
What it eats
Predators
What hunts it
Where Bigeye scad lives
Tied to reefs and rocky structure in shallow coastal water.
0–170 m · usually 2–10 m
Where this species lives
Bigeye scad photos for identification
Compare these photos with the catalog plate to identify the species.
Where to fish for Bigeye scad
Mapped fishing spots where Bigeye scad is recorded — open a pin for access and methods.
