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fishing forecast

pacific eyed flounder

Bothus constellatus · Bothidae · predator

Soft-bottom flatfish of the eastern Pacific, with both eyes on the left side of the body. It poses no danger to anglers, and its flesh is sold fresh.

Also called: linguado-folha, lenguado hoja, pacific eyed flounder

Scientific illustration of Pacific eyed flounder
maximum
16 cm
depth
1–121 m
location

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period

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the species

everything about the pacific eyed flounder

overview

who is the pacific eyed flounder

Flatfish of the family Bothidae, flattened and strongly compressed, with both eyes on the left side of the head. It lives on soft sand and mud bottoms, from 1 to 121 m deep, and reaches 15.7 cm total length. It occurs in the eastern Pacific, from Mexico to Peru, including the Galapagos. Its flesh is sold fresh, and the species is caught commercially. For rod anglers, it is an occasional catch on sandy bottoms.

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 pacific eyed flounder; in the meantime, see the similar species.

how to recognize it

identification

Flattened, strongly compressed body, with both eyes on the left side of the head. The eyed side is dark brown to olive green and has no clear markings. The lateral line makes a marked arc over the pectoral fin, without dropping below the lower eye. Bothus mancus, which lives on the region's oceanic islands and reaches 51 cm, has pale spots with dark edges and scattered dots, which this species lacks.

distribution

where found

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Occurs in the eastern Pacific, from Mexico to Peru, through Central America and Colombia, on soft bottoms.

Habitat: Soft sand and mud bottoms, from 1 to 121 m deep.

what the law says

rules for the pacific eyed flounder

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.

It poses no danger to anglers. As a bottom fish, it may suffer barotrauma if it comes from depth: release it carefully.

in the kitchen

Sold fresh.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01072, b = 3.04; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). 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.

  1. scientific FishBase: Bothus constellatus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Bothus constellatusNames by country and language.
don't confuse

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