river carpsucker
Carpiodes carpio · Catostomidae · detritivore
Fish of rivers and lakes of North America, present in Mexico, up to 64 cm. It lives on the bottom, is caught for subsistence and sometimes on rod.
Also called: carpa-sugadora-do-rio, carpa-sugadora, matalote chato, river carpsucker
- maximum
- 64 cm
- record/max.
- 4.6 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
tap or drag on the chart to read each hour · on a keyboard, arrow keyssee 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 river carpsucker
who is the river carpsucker
The river carpsucker is a fish of the family Catostomidae and reaches 64 cm and 4.6 kg. It occurs in North America, in the Mississippi basin and the Gulf rivers, down to the Rio Grande, and also in Mexico. It lives in lakes, pools and backwaters of small to large streams and rivers. It eats organic detritus. In fishing it is used for subsistence and also appears as a sport fish. The maximum recorded age is 10 years.
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 river carpsucker; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Fish with a fusiform body and a lower mouth facing downward, a typical trait of catostomids. It has no teeth in the mouth. Its body shape is similar to that of the black buffalo and other carpsuckers, so the location and the habit of living on the bottom, eating detritus, help identify the species.
where found
It occurs in Mexico; in North America it lives in the Mississippi basin and the Gulf rivers, from the Mississippi to the Rio Grande.
Habitat: Lakes, pools and backwaters of small to large streams and rivers.
rules for the river carpsucker
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 fusiform, sturdy fish: hold it with both hands, support the body and return it promptly.
in the kitchen
It is a subsistence fish, eaten by the people who catch it.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01023, b = 3.01; 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: Carpiodes carpio (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Carpiodes carpioNames 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: