lerma catfish
Ictalurus dugesii · Ictaluridae · omnivore
A catfish endemic to Mexico, recorded in the Turbio and Ayuquila rivers. It is heavily exploited by commercial fishing.
Also called: bagre-do-Lerma, bagre del Lerma, Lerma catfish
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 lerma catfish
who is the lerma catfish
A bottom-dwelling freshwater catfish of the family Ictaluridae, endemic to Mexico: it does not exist in any other country. It lives in tropical rivers, near the bottom, and does not migrate. It occurs in the Turbio and Ayuquila rivers, a small area, and intense commercial fishing is the main use. Catfishes of this family have barbels around the mouth, have no scales and carry spines on the pectoral and dorsal fins.
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 lerma catfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Scaleless catfish, with barbels around the mouth and strong spines on the dorsal and pectoral fins, traits of the family. To tell it apart from other catfishes, use the region: the species is recorded only in the Turbio and Ayuquila rivers, in Mexico. If a catfish like this turns up outside that area, it is another species, such as the channel catfish or the blue catfish.
where found
Endemic to Mexico, recorded in the Turbio and Ayuquila rivers. It is not recorded in Brazil.
Habitat: Freshwater, near the bottom, in tropical rivers of Mexico.
rules for the lerma 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.
It has spines on the dorsal and pectoral fins that can cut. Handle it carefully, holding it by the body.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00794, b = 3.12; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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: Ictalurus dugesii (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Ictalurus dugesiiNames 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: