black buffalo
Ictiobus niger · Catostomidae · omnivore
Large freshwater fish of North America, present in Mexico and introduced to Cuba, up to 123 cm. It appears in commercial and sport fishing and is raised in aquaculture.
Also called: búfalo-negro, matalote negro, black buffalo
- maximum
- 123 cm
- record/max.
- 28.7 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
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 black buffalo
who is the black buffalo
The black buffalo is a fish of the family Catostomidae, the freshwater suckers, and reaches 123 cm and 28.7 kg. It is native to North America, in the Great Lakes and Mississippi basins and in the Gulf rivers, down to Mexico, and was introduced to Cuba, where it is exotic. It lives in ponds, backwaters and calm stretches of small to large rivers, and also in reservoirs and lakes. Adults eat mollusks, algae, diatoms and crustaceans. It has little importance in commercial fishing, is raised in aquaculture and is also listed as a sport fish.
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 black buffalo; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- There is a record of a specimen aged 24 years.
identification
Fish with a fusiform body and a mouth under the head, facing downward, a typical trait of catostomids. It has no teeth in the mouth. Its relatives in the same family, such as the bigmouth buffalo and the river carpsucker, have a similar body; the bigmouth buffalo has a much larger mouth, and the location and shape of the mouth are the guides.
where found
Native to the central-eastern United States, in the lower Great Lakes and Mississippi basins, and to Mexico, in rivers of the Gulf slope. It was introduced to Cuba, where it is exotic.
Habitat: Lagoons, backwaters and calm stretches of rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
rules for the black buffalo
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.
A large, strong fish: hold it with both hands, support the body and return it promptly.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01175, b = 3.05; 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: Ictiobus niger (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Ictiobus nigerNames 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: