MS: minimum 38 cm
38 cmMS
Minimum size for curimbatá in MS.
Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.375/2020 (amends Decreto nº 15.166/2019), art. 9º - Semadesc/Imasul
fishing forecast
streaked prochilod
Prochilodus lineatus · Prochilodontidae · detritivore
Freshwater
The fish of the piracema. Forms huge schools, leaps up waterfalls and feeds golden dorado and pintado. Hard to hook.
Also called: curimbatá, curimba, papa-terra, grumatã, corimbatá
- common size
- 30–50 cm
- maximum
- 80 cm
- common weight
- 1–3 kg
- record/max.
- 7.2 kg
- depth
- 0.5–8 m
- ideal water
- 22–29 °C
fishing forecast
the right time
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…
0—
index Score from 0 to 100 for the fishing conditions of each hour. It reads weather, sun, moon, tide and the species' habits. It doesn't promise fish: it tells you when the water is on your side. 0–24 poor · 25–44 fair · 45–64 good · 65–84 very good · 85–100 excellent.
today
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confidence —
confidence How much you can trust the weather forecast for the day. It drops with distance and when the models disagree. It is not the chance of catching fish.
models and trend Up to 16 days, three global weather models (the European ECMWF, the American GFS and a high-resolution blend) read hour by hour; when they disagree, the light band on the chart widens. Beyond that it's a trend: 31 runs of the American GEFS model. Confirm when it's 1 week out.
window Consecutive hours with the index near the day's peak and no danger alert. It is the time to have the bait in the water.
hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
next 7 days
chart: bar height = day's index · line = variation between models · striped = trend · fainter = less confidencechoose 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.
4-week calendar
the fishing month at a glance
plan a trip
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.
the species
everything about the streaked prochilod
overview
who is the streaked prochilod
A mud and bottom-organic eater, the curimbatá is the base of the food chain in Plata rivers. It forms enormous schools and is the most visible migrant of the piracema (spawning closure): its leaps at the Emas waterfalls in Pirassununga are famous. Golden dorado and pintado follow these schools. Because it eats mud, it rarely takes the hook: sport fishing uses dough, bread and a small hook, on chum or at pay lakes. Once hooked, it makes strong runs. Catching it by lambada (snagging with a treble hook) is banned in MS. It has fatty, widely eaten flesh and is a key species for commercial fishing.
fun facts
- The word piracema is strongly tied to curimbatá: it is the fish most often seen climbing waterfalls.
- By stirring the mud, it recycles organic matter and keeps the river productive.
how to recognize it
identification
Tall, sturdy body, silver with a bluish back and scales with dark edges forming fine lines on the flank. Fleshy suction-cup mouth with lips full of tiny teeth. Dorsal and caudal fins with dark spots in bands. No other fish on the list has this suction-cup mouth.
distribution
open on the large map where found
All of the Plata basin: Pantanal, upper Paraná and tributaries (Tietê, Mogi-Guaçu, Pardo, Grande, Paranapanema) and Uruguay River. Very common in reservoirs.
Habitat: Muddy bottom of backwaters, side lagoons, bays and reservoirs; rapids and waterfalls during migration.
native to the basins
ParanáParaguay (Pantanal)Uruguay
states
São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul
when to fish
best season
time of yearbest: Oct–Nov
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Peak concentration at the start of the piracema (October to December), when it runs up the rivers. Outside that period, it produces on chum and at pay lakes in warm months.
best time of day
Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Feeds by day stirring the bottom; schools move more early and late in the afternoon.
what affects the streaked prochilod
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Cold keeps the school still in pools.
atmospheric pressure
Little effect.
moon
Little known effect.
rain
The first heavy spring rains trigger the migration.
water level
Rising water after rain pulls the school upstream.
noise
Tolerant, but the school sinks when a motor is nearby.
wind
Little effect.
depth
Bottom, 1 to 6 m.
how to fish
- rod
- 6' to 7', medium action, 10 to 20 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 2500 to 3000
- line
- monofilament 0.30 to 0.35 mm
- leader
- optional
- hook
- small, #2 to 1/0, short shank
natural baits
- flour dough and cornmeal
- bread
- feed dough
- minhoca
accessories
- feeder sinker with dough
- bran chum
tip from an angler
Soft dough on the feeder, small hooks hidden in the dough. Wait for the float to move or the rod to bend and set the hook slowly: the mouth is weak.
rules for the streaked prochilod
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
MS: trade banned (except Paraná and captive-bred)
trade bannedMSParaguay (Pantanal)
In MS it is banned to sell curimbatá, except fish raised in captivity and fish caught in the Paraná River basin.
Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019, art. 5º, single paragraph - Semadesc/Imasul
MS: lambada fishing banned
lambada banned for recreational anglersMS
In recreational fishing in MS, lambada (snagging fish in schools with a treble hook), widely practiced against curimbatá, is not allowed.
Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019, art. 4º - Semadesc/Imasul
MT: minimum 38 cm
38 cmMTParaguay (Pantanal)
Minimum size in the Paraguay basin in MT.
Source: Lei estadual MT nº 9.096/2009, art. 28 and Annex I (Paraguay Basin) - Sema-MT
Paraná basin: minimum 38 cm
38 cmSPPRMGGOParaná
Federal minimum size for curimbatá in the Paraná basin. In MG, IEF Portaria 111/2003 sets 30 cm, but in the Paraná basin the stricter rule applies.
Source: Instrução Normativa Ibama nº 26/2009 (fishing rules for the Paraná River basin), Annex
Minimum size: 38 cm
MSParaguay (Pantanal)Paraná
Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019, art. 9º (as amended by Decreto nº 15.375/2020)
Minimum size: 38 cm
MTParaguay (Pantanal)
Minimum size: 38 cm
SPPRMGGOMSDFParaná
Source: IN IBAMA nº 26/2009, Annex (Paraná River basin; stricter state rules prevail)
Minimum size: 38 cm (max. 70 cm)
PRParanáSoutheast Atlantic
Source: Portaria IAT nº 650/2025, Annex I (interior basins of PR, except Iguazu and coastal)
Minimum size: 30 cm
MG
piracema closures in the basins where the species lives
Spawning closure (piracema) in the Paraná River basin
01/11 to 28/02SPPRMGGOMSDF
Allowed: Recreational fishing only for non-native species and hybrids (peacock bass, tilapia, black bass, carp, croaker, etc.; piauçu remains prohibited), with handline, simple pole, or rod with spinning or baitcasting reel, up to 10 kg + 1 fish. In rivers, from shore only; in reservoirs, from a boat or from shore. Prohibited: floodplain lakes, aquatic-animal bait, within 1,500 m of dams and waterfalls, and within 500 m of confluences. Tournaments only in reservoirs and only with non-native species.
Source: IN IBAMA nº 25/2009
Spawning closure (piracema) in Minas Gerais (state rule)
01/11 to 28/02MG
Allowed: Only exotic or hybrid species, 3 kg + 1 fish per day, with handline, rod, simple pole, or spinning or baitcasting reel. Nets prohibited. Keep the minimum distances from dams and reservoirs.
Source: Portarias IEF nº 154/2011 (São Francisco), 155/2011 (East) and 156/2011 (Grande/Paranaíba)
Closed season in Goiás (state rule)
01/11 to 28/02GO
Allowed: Sport and guided fishing only in reservoirs, catch and release with barbless hooks (no keeping, transporting or eating). Subsistence: up to 5 kg per day, for household consumption only.
Spawning closure (piracema) in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul
05/11 to 28/02MS
Allowed: Subsistence fishing by riverside residents and authorized scientific fishing. Decree 15.166/2019 (art. 11, §5) allows catch and release only in February and only in the channels of the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. For the rest of the period, not even catch and release is allowed. Check the Imasul portaria for each season.
Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019, art. 11; IN IBAMA nº 201/2008
Spawning closure (piracema) in Mato Grosso (all basins)
01/10 to 31/01MT
Allowed: All fishing modalities are prohibited in rivers, including catch and release (Law 9.096/2009, art. 19-A). Exceptions: subsistence fishing from shore (3 kg or 1 fish, no transport or sale) and scientific fishing. Law 13.159/2025 now allows licensed sport fishing in UHE/PCH hydropower reservoirs, natural lakes and border rivers, subject to a scientific study and a license from the environmental agency. We have not confirmed whether these licenses are already being issued.
Spawning closure (piracema) in the Uruguay River basin
01/10 to 31/01RSSC
Allowed: Recreational fishing from shore, or from a boat without motor. Only handline or rod, line and hook, one gear per angler, up to 5 kg. Prohibited in floodplain lakes, within 1,500 m of dams, within 500 m of confluences, and in stretches listed in the rule (e.g., Turvo River).
Source: IN IBAMA nº 193/2008
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.
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.
Fragile mouth: remove the hook carefully and release quickly.
in the kitchen
Fatty, tasty flesh with many bones; excellent grilled over coals, in thin fried steaks or smoked.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01862, b = 2.98; FishBase). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
- scientific FishBase — Prochilodus lineatus (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship and references. Page checked on October 13, 2026.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026 — Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)Most recent national list. The species is not on it (search by scientific name in the text published in the DOU, checked on October 13, 2026).
- official ICMBio/SALVE — Ficha de Prochilodus lineatus (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)National assessment by ICMBio, published in 2024. DOI verified on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Prochilodus lineatus (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 09/11/2020)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- scientific Castro, R. M. C.; Vari, R. P. (2004). Detritivores of the South American fish family Prochilodontidae (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Characiformes): a phylogenetic and revisionary study. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 622: 1–189.
- scientific Ota, R. R.; Deprá, G. C.; Graça, W. J.; Pavanelli, C. S. (2018). Peixes da planície de inundação do alto rio Paraná e áreas adjacentes: revised, annotated and updated. Neotropical Ichthyology 16(2): e170094.Annotated list of species of the upper Paraná River, indicating native and non-native ones. Open access; species name checked in the text.
- scientific Zaniboni Filho, E.; Meurer, S.; Shibatta, O. A.; Nuñer, A. P. O. (2004). Catálogo ilustrado de peixes do alto rio Uruguai. Florianópolis: Editora da UFSC; Tractebel Energia. 128 p.Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record on FishBase, which cites this work for the species.
similar species
how we calculate
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: