Horse-eye Jack
Horse-eye Jack (Caranx latus) is a saltwater species. The first thing to check: a very large eye, obviously bigger relative to the head than any other Atlantic jack. The look-alike to rule out is Crevalle Jack: crevalle have a steep blunt forehead, a smaller eye and a black blotch at the pectoral base.
Last updated
| Scientific name | Caranx latus |
|---|---|
| Also called | horse-eye, big-eye jack, goggle-eye jack |
| Water | Saltwater |
| Group | Jack |
| Temperature | Common between 74 and 86 °F. |
How to identify a Horse-eye Jack
- A very large eye, obviously bigger relative to the head than any other Atlantic jack.
- A bright yellow tail, with no dark blotch at the base of the pectoral fin.
- A gently rounded forehead and hard scutes along the rear lateral line.
If you would rather not work through a key on a wet deck, photograph the fish and let the app name it — you get the common and the scientific name back, and the record is filed before you release.
Fish it is mistaken for
| Species | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Crevalle Jack | Crevalle have a steep blunt forehead, a smaller eye and a black blotch at the pectoral base. |
| Blue Runner | Blue runners have a much smaller eye and a dusky rather than bright yellow tail. |
Side-by-side comparisons
Read the full entry for Crevalle Jack and Blue Runner.
Where it lives
Warm Atlantic waters, from inshore channels and bridges out to reefs and wrecks, often in schools with other jacks.
Temperature
Common between 74 and 86 °F.
The conditions that matter
Horse-eye school and roam like crevalle, feeding hardest in low light and on moving water through channels and around bridges. Their oversized eye is a real clue to behaviour: they feed further into darkness than the jacks they run with.
Global Fishing League records 18 weather and water readings against every catch automatically — tide stage, barometric pressure, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, swell, current, moon phase and more, taken at your GPS position at the moment you log the fish. Over a season that turns a hunch about horse-eye jack into a pattern you can read.
See every reading recorded with a catch, or the guides to what each reading means.
Size limits, bag limits and seasons
Size limits, bag limits, slot limits and seasons are set by your state wildlife agency — and for many offshore and migratory species by federal regulators — and on many waters they differ from the statewide rule. They also change between seasons. Check the current regulations for the exact water you are fishing before you keep a fish — we do not republish limits here, because a number that is a season out of date is worse than no number.
What the app does do is make your side of it accurate: every catch carries a length measured from the photograph, a GPS position and a timestamp, exportable if you ever need to show your work for a tournament or a record claim. It is also what a Global Fishing League entry is built from — a record that verifies itself, without publishing where you caught the fish.