steindachner's sea catfish
Cathorops steindachneri · Ariidae · omnivore
Sea catfish of marine, brackish and fresh waters of Central America, reaching 36 cm. Little fished and rarely eaten because of its small size.
Also called: bagre-babão, bagre baboso, steindachner's sea catfish
- maximum
- 36 cm
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.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
tap or drag on the chart to read each hour · on a keyboard, arrow keyssee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
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 steindachner's sea catfish
who is the steindachner's sea catfish
Fish of the family Ariidae, a small catfish reaching 36 cm, with a common size of 20 cm. It lives in marine, brackish and fresh water, in rivers, estuaries and coastal waters of the Central American Pacific, from Guatemala to Panama, with a record in Ecuador too. It has spines that wound. In angling it has little commercial importance. Because it is small, it is rarely eaten. The head plate, grainy and rough, is the mark that helps identify the species.
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 steindachner's sea catfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Body somewhat elongated, dark brown on the back, white belly and blue-silver flanks with a shine. Fins dark or black, and barbels dark brown. The head plate is thick, grainy and rough, and the caudal lobes are long, thin and pointed, almost as long as the head. The dorsal and pectoral spines wound.
where found
Central American Pacific, from Guatemala to El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, with a record in Ecuador too.
Habitat: Rivers, estuaries and coastal waters, from fresh to marine water.
rules for the steindachner's sea catfish
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.
The dorsal and pectoral spines wound. Hold it carefully when releasing it.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00776, b = 3.08; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). 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: Cathorops steindachneri (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Cathorops steindachneriNames by country and language.
similar species
where 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: