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fishing forecast

carachi-de-agassiz

Orestias agassizii · Cyprinodontidae · omnivore

Freshwateressential profile

Small carachi from high-altitude Andean lakes in Bolivia, Peru and northern Chile, up to 15 cm. Not a rod-and-reel fish, but it enters commercial fishing and the aquarium trade.

Also called: carachi-de-agassiz, carachi

Scientific illustration of Carachi-de-Agassiz
maximum
15 cm
location

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period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

the species

everything about the carachi-de-agassiz

overview

who is the carachi-de-agassiz

Agassiz's carachi is a small freshwater killifish of the family Cyprinodontidae, reaching 15 cm. It lives in high-altitude Andean lakes and rivers in southeastern Peru, eastern Bolivia and northern Chile, including Lake Titicaca and the headwaters of Amazon basin rivers. It stays near the bottom and also in the midwater, without migrating. It has commercial fishing and is sold for aquariums, but it is hard to keep in captivity. It is not a target of recreational angling.

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 carachi-de-agassiz; in the meantime, see the similar species.

how to recognize it

identification

Small fish from the carachi group (genus Orestias), from high-altitude lakes, without pelvic fins. In Lake Titicaca it lives alongside the yellow carachi, Cuvier's carachi and Tschudi's carachi, and size tells them apart: this is the smallest of the group, at up to 15 cm, versus 17 cm for the yellow, 20 cm for Tschudi's and 27 cm for Cuvier's.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

High-altitude lakes and rivers of southeastern Peru, eastern Bolivia and northern Chile, including Lake Titicaca and the headwaters of Amazon basin rivers in those countries.

Habitat: High-altitude Andean lakes and rivers, near the bottom and in the midwater.

what the law says

rules for the carachi-de-agassiz

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.

No danger to anglers. It is a small, delicate fish: handle it with wet hands and return it quickly.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00389, 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.

  1. scientific FishBase: Orestias agassizii (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Orestias agassiziiNames by country and language.
don't confuse

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