bigbelly sea catfish
Cathorops dasycephalus · Ariidae · omnivore
Eastern Pacific sea catfish, common in the coastal waters of Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador. Its spines wound the angler, and its flesh is sold fresh.
Also called: bagre-barrigudo, bagre barrigón, bigbelly sea catfish
- maximum
- 36 cm
- record/max.
- 0.4 kg
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 bigbelly sea catfish
who is the bigbelly sea catfish
Fish of the family Ariidae that lives near the bottom in marine and brackish waters of the Pacific coast. It is common in coastal waters and reaches 36 cm total length and 393 g. It is caught with artisanal gear, and the flesh is sold fresh in markets. Like other sea catfish, it has no scales and has spines in the fins, which wound anyone handling it. For the sport angler, it is an occasional catch along the coast, not prominent in rod fishing.
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 bigbelly sea catfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Elongated, scaleless catfish with barbels around the mouth and fin spines, like all sea catfish of the family Ariidae. It lives in coastal waters, but that is not enough to identify it. Cathorops tuyra, from the same coast, is its closest look-alike, and telling the two apart depends on detailed examination.
where found
It occurs in the eastern Pacific, in coastal and brackish waters of Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador.
Habitat: Near the bottom, in coastal and brackish waters.
rules for the bigbelly 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 fin spines wound: use a cloth or glove, remove the hook with pliers, and release the fish with care.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh in markets.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00513, b = 3.16; 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: Cathorops dasycephalus (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 dasycephalusNames 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: