bigmouth sanddab
Citharichthys gilberti
Flatfish of soft bottoms, common in estuaries and bays of the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California to Peru. It has a small commercial fishery and is sold fresh or frozen.
Also called: linguado-de-boca-grande, lenguado tapadero, bigmouth sanddab
- maximum
- 28 cm
- record/max.
- 0.3 kg
who is the bigmouth sanddab
Flatfish of the family Cyclopsettidae, with a flat, oval body, reaching 28 cm and weighing up to 258 g. Its common size is 20 cm. It lives on soft bottoms of trawling grounds and bays, often in estuaries, and sometimes enters fresh water, down to 36 m. It occurs in the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California to Peru. It eats large bottom invertebrates and small fish. It has a small commercial fishery and is sold fresh or frozen.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the bigmouth sanddab; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Flatfish with a flat, short, deep body, both eyes on the left side and a large mouth, as its common name suggests. It lives on soft bottoms of trawling grounds and bays, and is common in estuaries, where it sometimes goes up into fresh water. Habitat and the short, deep body are the main clues.
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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.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Eastern Pacific of Latin America, from Mexico to Peru, in estuaries and bays with soft bottoms.
Habitat: Soft bottom of estuaries, bays and trawling grounds, down to 36 m.
rules for the bigmouth sanddab
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. 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.
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.
No danger to anglers is recorded. Hold the fish by the body and return it to the water if you are not keeping it.
in the kitchen
Eaten fresh or frozen.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00794, b = 3.15; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
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: Citharichthys gilberti (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Citharichthys gilbertiNames by country and language.
