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 oscar
how to recognize it
Oval, thick body, dark olive to black with orange-red blotches and edges. Black eyespot with an orange ring on the upper base of the tail. Thick lips and small scales that give a velvety look. The peacock bass also has a tail eyespot, but its body is elongated with vertical bars. Tilapia has no eyespot and has fine stripes on the tail.
Also called: acará-açu, oscar, apaiari, cará-pirosca
don't confuse with:
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Floodplain lakes, igapós, backwaters and still-water reservoirs with submerged timber, roots and grass.
Floodplain (várzea) lakes, igapós and backwaters of the Amazon and Araguaia-Tocantins. Introduced to Northeastern reservoirs, the São Francisco and lakes and reservoirs in the Southeast.
native to the basins
introduced in
states
Amazonas, Pará, Amapá, Acre, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Maranhão, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo
famous destinations
when to fish
best season
Bites all year; in the Amazon the dry season concentrates fish in lakes. In a Northeastern reservoir it produces all year.
best time of day
Daytime. Active by day, mostly early morning and late afternoon.
what affects the oscar
cold and cold fronts
Very sensitive to cold water; below 20 °C it nearly stops.
atmospheric pressure
Moderate effect.
moon
Little effect.
rain
Little effect.
water level
A falling lake concentrates fish.
noise
Wary in shallow water.
wind
Little effect.
depth
Shallow, close to vegetation.
how to fish
lures
- micro jig
- spinner
- mini mid-water lure 4 to 6 cm
- nymph and small streamer fly
natural baits
- minhoca
- shrimp
- small lambari
- massa
tip from an angler
Small natural bait under a float, right next to the submerged timber, and patience: it sniffs and tests before swallowing.
- rod
- 5'6'', light action, 6 to 12 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 1000 to 2000
- line
- monofilament 0.20 to 0.25 mm or braided line 10 to 15 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon 12 to 15 lb
- hook
- 1 to 1/0
accessories
- small pliers
catch and release
Easy to handle: hold it by the mouth with your thumb and release it quickly.
rules for the oscar
Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Size window in Tocantins
12 cm (maximum 40 cm)TO details
In Tocantins the oscar/apaiari may only be kept between 12 and 40 cm.
Source: Portaria NATURATINS/GABIN nº 47/2026 (annexes amended by Portaria nº 105/2026)
other rules that mention the oscar (1)
Minimum size: 12 cm (max. 40 cm)
TO details
Source: Portaria Naturatins nº 47/2026, Annex I, as amended by Portaria nº 105/2026
piracema and closed seasons
Each bar is the period when fishing is prohibited or restricted. The green line is today. Tap the name to see what is still allowed.
Closed season in Goiás (state rule)
Allowed: Sport and guided fishing only in reservoirs, catch and release with barbless hooks (no keeping, transporting or eating). Subsistence: up to 5 kg per day, for household consumption only.
Spawning closure (piracema) in Mato Grosso (all basins)
Allowed: All fishing modalities are prohibited in rivers, including catch and release (Law 9.096/2009, art. 19-A). Exceptions: subsistence fishing from shore (3 kg or 1 fish, no transport or sale) and scientific fishing. Law 13.159/2025 now allows licensed sport fishing in UHE/PCH hydropower reservoirs, natural lakes and border rivers, subject to a scientific study and a license from the environmental agency. We have not confirmed whether these licenses are already being issued.
Spawning closure (piracema) in the Araguaia River basin
Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with handline, rod, or spinning or baitcasting reel. Fish may only be eaten on site, not transported. Competitions prohibited. Subsistence: 3 kg + 1 fish. State rules (GO and TO) may be stricter.
Spawning closure (piracema) in the Tocantins and Gurupi river basins
Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with on-site consumption. Subsistence: 5 kg + 1 fish. State rules may be stricter.
Spawning closure (piracema) in Tocantins (state rule)
Allowed: In 2025/26: catch and release with barbless hooks and recreational fishing card; subsistence fishing on foot or from a rowboat, with simple pole or handline.
Source: Portaria Naturatins nº 244/2025 (2025/26 season); INIs MPA/MMA nº 12 and 13/2011
Closed season in the rivers of Marajó Island (PA)
Allowed: The same recreational-angler exceptions as in Portaria 48/2007 apply (handline or rod, 5 kg + 1 fish), unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Closed season in the Amazon basin in Amapá
Allowed: Recreational anglers with handline or rod, line and hook are outside the Annex II prohibitions, with a bag limit of 5 kg + 1 fish, unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Closed season in Roraima
Border rivers MT/RO and MT/PA
Allowed: See the exceptions in Portaria 48/2007 and the state rules for each bank.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Conservation: Not on the national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026). Non-native in Northeastern and Southeastern reservoirs.
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 = 0.0155301, b = 3.02; FishBase (bayesiano, espécie + forma do corpo da família); coeficiente a ajustado ao porte máximo registrado). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
more about the oscar
The acará-açu is a large, robust cichlid of floodplain lakes (várzea), igapós and still-water backwaters. It eats insects, shrimp, crabs and small fish, which it sucks in with its big mouth. It lives in warm, low-oxygen water, near submerged timber, grass and roots. It pairs for spawning, lays eggs on a clean surface and the parents guard the young. It is widely known in the global aquarium trade as the oscar. It was released into Northeastern reservoirs and other basins, where it established itself. For anglers it is a fun target on ultralight tackle and on fly, and it is a common food fish in local communities.
Family: Cichlidae · predator
fun facts
- The tail eyespot fools predators, which strike the wrong "head".
- It is one of the best-selling aquarium fish in the world, with albino and red varieties bred in captivity.
in the kitchen
White, tasty flesh, fried whole or baked. Popular in riverside communities and in the Northeast.
similar species
sources and references (5)
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 — Astronotus ocellatus (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship and references. Page checked on October 13, 2026.
- 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 Astronotus ocellatus (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)ICMBio national assessment, published in 2025. DOI checked on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Astronotus ocellatus (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 04/11/2020)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- scientific Kullander, S. O. (2003). Cichlidae (cichlids). In: Reis, R. E.; Kullander, S. O.; Ferraris Jr., C. J. (orgs.). Check List of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, p. 605–654.Printed book chapter; the URL is the bibliographic record on FishBase, which cites the chapter for the species.
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: