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.
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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
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 kissing prochilodus
how to recognize it
Tall, compressed, silver body with a grey back. Fleshy, sucker-shaped mouth with small teeth, like the curimbatá's. Caudal fin with bold black and clear diagonal bands on both lobes. The thick-scale jaraquí has larger scales, in fewer numbers, than the thin-scale jaraquí, which is where its common name comes from. The curimatã does not have a striped tail.
Also called: jaraqui, jaraqui-escama-grossa, jaraqui-de-escama-grossa, jaraqui-açu, jaraqui-escama-grande
don't confuse with:
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Blackwater and clearwater rivers, mouths of lakes and igarapés (streams), igapó and várzea in flood; river channel during migrations.
Central and western Amazon: Rio Negro and other blackwater and clearwater tributaries, the Solimões-Amazonas channel, the Madeira River and várzea lakes. Heavily fished around Manaus.
native to the basins
states
Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Acre
famous destinations
when to fish
best season
Schools are concentrated and easy to find during falling water and the dry season (July to November in central Amazonas), and at the start of the flood, when they move down to spawn. During the flood, when they spread through the flooded forest, they nearly vanish.
best time of day
Daytime. Scrapes the bottom and logs during the day. Migrating schools move at any hour.
what affects the kissing prochilodus
cold and cold fronts
Cold snaps (friagem) keep the school still for a few days.
atmospheric pressure
Little known effect.
moon
Little known effect.
rain
The first rains and the rising river trigger the downstream run to spawn.
water level
Falling water concentrates the school in channels and lake mouths; the flood spreads the fish through the forest.
noise
A large school sinks and changes direction when a motor is nearby.
wind
Little effect.
depth
Mid-water and bottom, 1 to 6 m.
how to fish
natural baits
- cassava flour dough
- bread dough
tip from an angler
It's a net fish. On the hook, only with groundbait and soft dough, and even then it's a game of patience.
- rod
- 3 to 4 m cane pole or light 5'6" to 6' rod, 6 to 12 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 1000 to 2500 (optional)
- line
- monofilament 0.20 to 0.25 mm
- leader
- optional
- hook
- small, #8 to 4
accessories
- bran chum
- small float
catch and release
Delicate mouth: if you hook one, remove the hook carefully and release it quickly.
rules for the kissing prochilodus
Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Amazonian closed season (AC)
catch, transport and sale prohibited (commercial fishing)15/11 to 15/03AC details
In AC the jaraquí (Semaprochilodus spp.) is in Annex II of the ordinance, with fishing prohibited from Nov 15 to Mar 15. Under art. 2 of the ordinance, anglers fishing with a handline or pole, line and hook are exempt from this ban, unless a stricter state rule applies; during the period the angler's limit is 5 kg + 1 fish.
piracema and closed seasons
Each bar is the period when fishing is prohibited or restricted. The green line is today. Tap the name to see what is still allowed.
Spawning closure (piracema) in Mato Grosso (all basins)
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.
Closed season in the rivers of Marajó Island (PA)
Allowed: The same recreational-angler exceptions as in Portaria 48/2007 apply (handline or rod, 5 kg + 1 fish), unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Closed season in the Amazon basin in Amapá
Allowed: Recreational anglers with handline or rod, line and hook are outside the Annex II prohibitions, with a bag limit of 5 kg + 1 fish, unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Closed season in Roraima
Border rivers MT/RO and MT/PA
Allowed: See the exceptions in Portaria 48/2007 and the state rules for each bank.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Conservation: Not on the national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026).
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
estimated weight
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how we calculate
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01995, b = 3.0; FishBase). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
more about the kissing prochilodus
A relative of the curimbatá, the jaraqui scrapes mud, algae and organic matter from the bottom, logs and rocks. Lives in schools in blackwater and clearwater rivers and in várzea (floodplain) lakes of central and western Amazonia. Its migrations follow the water cycle: at the start of the flood, schools move down the blackwater tributaries, such as the Rio Negro, and spawn where they meet muddy water; then they enter the flooded forest to feed and, as the water falls, move again. It is one of the most landed fish in Manaus, caught with purse seines and cast nets. On the hook it almost never appears: it eats mud and doesn't chase bait.
Family: Prochilodontidae · detritivore
fun facts
- In Manaus they say whoever eats jaraquí never leaves the city.
- A natural hybrid between the thick-scale and thin-scale jaraquí has been recorded.
in the kitchen
Tasty meat full of bones. Fried well done, with fine cuts along the back, or grilled over coals with flour and pepper.
similar species
sources and references (8)
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 — Semaprochilodus insignis (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 Semaprochilodus insignis (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)ICMBio national assessment, published in 2025. DOI checked on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Semaprochilodus insignis (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 09/11/2020)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- scientific Ribeiro, M. C. L. B.; Petrere Jr., M. (1990). Fisheries ecology and management of the jaraqui (Semaprochilodus taeniurus, S. insignis) in central Amazonia. Regulated Rivers: Research & Management 5(3): 195–215.Ecology, migrations and fishing of both jaraquís in central Amazonia. DOI checked in Crossref.
- scientific Ribeiro, M. C. L. B. (1984). A natural hybrid between two tropical fishes: Semaprochilodus insignis x Semaprochilodus taeniurus (Teleostei, Characoidei, Prochilodontidae). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 2(7): 419–421.DOI checked in Crossref.
- 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.Revision of the family, with the genus Semaprochilodus. DOI checked in Crossref.
- scientific Ferreira, E. J. G.; Zuanon, J. A. S.; Santos, G. M. (1998). Peixes comerciais do médio Amazonas: região de Santarém, Pará. Brasília: Ibama. 211 p.Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record on FishBase, which cites this work for the species.
how we calculatewhere 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: