bay whiff
Citharichthys spilopterus · Cyclopsettidae · omnivore
A flounder of beaches, bays and shallow lagoons, ranging from New Jersey in the United States to Brazil and the Antilles. It is caught with beach nets and is rarely fished with rod and reel.
Also called: linguado-de-baía, linguado, lenguado playero, arrevés, bay whiff
- maximum
- 21 cm
- record/max.
- 0.1 kg
- depth
- 0–75 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 bay whiff
who is the bay whiff
A flounder of the family Cyclopsettidae, with a short, relatively deep body, that lives on shallow mud bottoms, from the beach to 75 m. It enters estuaries and lagoons, including very salty water, and some are found in nearly fresh water near the sea. It reaches 21 cm, and its common size is around 15 cm. It feeds mainly on zooplankton and small bottom animals. It occurs from the Caribbean to Brazil, including Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico and the Guianas. It is caught mainly in beach nets, on a small scale.
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 bay whiff; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
A flounder with a short, relatively deep body, with both eyes on the same side and long dorsal and anal fins made only of soft rays. It enters estuaries and lagoons, even nearly fresh water, and ranges from the beach to 75 m. To tell it apart from Etropus crossotus, which also lives in estuaries, look at depth: this one reaches 75 m, while the other stays mostly within 30 m.
where found
In Latin America it ranges from the coast of several Caribbean countries to Brazil, including Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico and the Guianas, on beaches, in bays and in lagoons.
Habitat: Shallow mud bottoms, from the beach to 75 m, in bays, estuaries and lagoons.
coast
rules for the bay whiff
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
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.
It poses no danger to the angler. It is small and should be released quickly, without being left out of the water.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00617, b = 3.13; 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: Citharichthys spilopterus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Citharichthys spilopterusNames by country and language.
- 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)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
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: