coco sea catfish
Bagre bagre · Ariidae · predator
The bandeirado: long filaments on the dorsal and pectoral fins and ribbon-like barbels. Common near the mouths of rivers in the North and Northeast, it fights well and is good eating.
Also called: bandeirado, bagre-bandeira, bagre-bandeirado, bandeira, bagre-fita, sarassará
- common size
- 30–45 cm
- maximum
- 55 cm
- common weight
- 0.2–0.6 kg
- record/max.
- 1.0 kg
- depth
- 1–30 m
- ideal water
- 26–30 °C
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…
—
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 coco sea catfish
who is the coco sea catfish
The bandeirado is a marine catfish of the genus Bagre, from Colombia to Brazil. It is more marine than most coastal catfish, but lives very close to river mouths and enters estuaries. It eats small fish and crustaceans. It grows to 55 cm and almost 1 kg, with the usual size between 30 and 45 cm. Its name comes from the fins: the dorsal spine and the pectoral spines end in long filaments, like pennants. It is caught on bottom lines with shrimp or fish strips, from boats and from beaches and estuary shores, and is sold fresh in markets in the North and Northeast.
fun facts
- Also called bagre-fita, for its flattened barbels.
- The pectoral filament is so long that it reaches the start of the anal fin.
identification
Elongated body, silver-gray to bluish gray on the back and silvery white below. Only two pairs of barbels: one on the chin and one at the corner of the mouth, the latter long, flattened like a ribbon and extending past the origin of the anal fin. Pectoral filament long, reaching the anal fin; membranes of the dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins black. Other coastal catfish have three pairs of barbels and lack the filaments.
where found
From Amapá to the Northeast, most common near the mouths of northern rivers. Outside Brazil, from the Guianas to Colombia.
Habitat: Coastal strip with muddy bottoms near river mouths, bays and estuaries.
coast
states
Amapá, Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia
when to fish
best season
Caught all year; it is more accessible from the shore when salt water enters the estuaries, in the dry season.
best time of day
Night and twilight. Active late in the afternoon and at night; in murky water, it also bites by day.
what affects the coco sea catfish
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
No significant effect on the tropical coast.
atmospheric pressure
Not very sensitive.
moon
Spring tides at new and full moon stir the bottom and activate the catfish.
rain
Rain doesn't bother it; very fresh water at the river mouth pushes the school outward.
water level
In the dry season, salt water enters the estuaries further and the bandeirado follows it.
noise
Not very sensitive to murky water.
wind
Moderate surf helps on the beach; undertow prevents casting.
tide
Fish the flood tide and the tide change.
depth
2 to 20 m, from the shore and along the coastal strip.
how to fish
- rod
- 6'0" to 7'0", 12 to 25 lb (boat) or 3.0 to 3.9 m (beach)
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- 3000 to 5000 spinning reel
- line
- monofilament 0.30 to 0.35 mm or braided 20 to 30 lb
- leader
- monofilament 0.45 to 0.60 mm
- hook
- wide gap or circle 1/0 to 4/0
natural baits
- shrimp
- fish strips
- sardinha
accessories
- pliers and gloves
- bottom sinker, 40 to 100 g
tip from an angler
The spines and filaments hurt: hold the bandeirado with a glove, from behind the spines, and remove the hook with pliers.
rules for the coco 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.
Conservation: Not on the national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026). We found no specific federal rule for this species.
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.
Use a glove and pliers: the serrated spines of the dorsal and pectoral fins cause painful wounds. Release the fish quickly, horizontally and in the water.
in the kitchen
White, tasty flesh; sold fresh and eaten in fried steaks, stews and caldeiradas.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00501, b = 3.06; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana, comprimento total)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
sources and references
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 — Bagre bagre (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship, country list and references. Page checked on 13/10/2026. FishBase's distribution text runs from Colombia to the Amazon mouth, but the entry's latitude range reaches 21°S and the species was assessed by ICMBio on the Brazilian coast; the southern limit in Brazil has not been confirmed.
- 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 Bagre bagre (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)National extinction risk assessment by ICMBio, published in 2025. DOI checked on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Bagre bagre (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 17/08/2011)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
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: