black carp
Mylopharyngodon piceus · Xenocyprididae · omnivore
A large fish from Asian rivers, reaching 180 cm, introduced to Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico and Panama. In several countries it causes ecological impact.
Also called: carpa-preta, carpa negra, black carp
- maximum
- 180 cm
- record/max.
- 73.5 kg
- depth
- 5–30 m
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 carp
who is the black carp
Fish of the family Xenocyprididae, freshwater and sometimes brackish, reaching 180 cm and weighing up to 73.5 kg. It lives in large lowland rivers and in clear, oxygen-rich lakes, in Asia, from the Amur River basin to southern China. Adults eat mostly mollusks, such as snails and bivalves; juveniles eat zooplankton and ostracods early in life. It moves upriver to spawn, and the pelagic eggs drift downstream with the current. It has commercial value and is raised in aquaculture. It has been introduced to several countries, where it causes ecological impact.
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 carp; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Adults prefer mollusks, and juveniles, from 12 cm on, start eating snails and bivalves.
identification
Fusiform fish with a rounded body. The main difference is in the throat: it has large, molar-shaped pharyngeal teeth on each arch, typical of mollusk eaters. To tell it apart from other carps of the same family, such as the grass carp, look at these throat teeth, which can only be seen with the fish in hand. It lives in large lowland rivers and in clear-water lakes.
where found
Native to Asia, from the Amur River basin to southern China, and introduced to Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico and Panama. It is not recorded in Brazil.
Habitat: Large lowland rivers and clear, oxygen-rich lakes, from 5 to 30 m deep.
rules for the black carp
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.
Harmless to anglers, but it is exotic in several regions and causes ecological impact. Do not release it into waters where it does not occur.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00891, b = 3.09; 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: Mylopharyngodon piceus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Mylopharyngodon piceusNames 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: