flapnose sea catfish
Sciades dowii · Ariidae · predator
Pacific catfish, from Panama to Ecuador, of estuaries and rivers, up to 90 cm. Its flesh is sold fresh and salted, and the spines injure anyone handling it.
Also called: bagre-moreno, canchema, bagre masato, flapnose sea catfish
- maximum
- 90 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
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee 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 flapnose sea catfish
who is the flapnose sea catfish
The flapnose sea catfish is an ariid catfish from the Pacific side of Central and South America, from Panama to Ecuador, with a blue-brown or blue-gray body. It lives in estuaries, rivers and brackish water. It reaches 90 cm, and the common size is 50 cm. It eats small fish and bottom invertebrates. It is caught commercially and sold fresh, salted and dried. Like other sea catfish, it has spines that injure, so handle it with care. Canchema and bagre masato are names used in Ecuador.
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 flapnose sea catfish.
identification
Elongated, slender body, blue-brown or blue-gray, with a white belly. The fins are dark, with many brown spots, and the maxillary barbels are dark gray. The nostrils are connected by a thin fold of skin that runs across the snout. The adipose fin, above the end of the anal fin, is quite long compared to the dorsal fin.
where found
Pacific side, from Panama to Ecuador, including Colombia, in rivers, estuaries and brackish water. Not recorded in Brazil.
Habitat: Estuaries and lower stretches of rivers, in fresh and brackish water.
rules for the flapnose 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 injure. Hold it with a cloth, remove the hook with pliers and release it; never touch the spine with your hand.
in the kitchen
Flesh sold fresh, as well as salted and dried, from estuary and river catfish.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00398, b = 3.18; 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: Sciades dowii (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Sciades dowiiNames by country and language.
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: