top minnow
Belonesox belizanus · Poeciliidae · predator
A slender predatory fish with a pointed beak, living in freshwater or brackish canals from Mexico to Costa Rica. Reaches 20 cm.
Also called: barrigudinho-bicudo, picudito, Pike killifish
- maximum
- 20 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 top minnow
who is the top minnow
Fish of the family Poeciliidae, slender and elongated, reaching 20 cm. It lives in vegetated canals and poorly oxygenated waters, fresh or brackish, with up to 40 parts per thousand of salt. It occurs from Mexico to Costa Rica, from the San Julián lagoon near Veracruz to Central America, including Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua. It is a fish predator and has commercial use, including for aquariums. It was introduced to fresh water in Florida, in the United States.
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 top minnow.
fun facts
- It was used in medical research in the past.
identification
Slender, elongated fish with long jaws that form a pointed, prominent beak. The scales are very small and numerous. The long beak and slender body set it apart from the other livebearers of the region, which have short snouts. It lives in vegetated canals, in fresh or brackish water, and reaches 20 cm, a large size for a livebearer.
where found
Native from Mexico to Nicaragua, including Belize and Guatemala, and introduced to fresh water in Florida, in the United States. It is not recorded in Brazil.
Habitat: Vegetated canals, in fresh or brackish water, with low oxygen.
rules for the top minnow
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 a pointed beak, but it is not dangerous. Handle it with a wet hand and release it promptly into the water.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00832, 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: Belonesox belizanus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Belonesox belizanusNames 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: