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
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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 peixe-cachorro
how to recognize it
Elongated body, silvery to yellowish, with a rounded black spot behind the head and an oval black spot, elongated horizontally, at the base of the tail that extends onto the central rays. Yellowish fins. Large mouth with canine teeth. The saicanga has a humped back and a head spot elongated vertically.
Also called: peixe-cachorro, cachorrinho, peixe-cadela, dentudo, bicuda
don't confuse with:
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Reservoirs, lagoons, eddies and vegetated shores; still, clear water.
Upper Paraná (Grande, Paranaíba, Tietê, Paranapanema and Paraná rivers) and São Francisco basin, mainly in reservoirs and lagoons.
native to the basins
states
São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bahia
famous destinations
when to fish
best season
Spring and summer. In winter it eats much less.
best time of day
Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Hunts by day, peaking early and in late afternoon.
what affects the peixe-cachorro
cold and cold fronts
Feeding drops off sharply in winter.
atmospheric pressure
A cold front shuts down activity.
moon
Little effect.
rain
Murky water hampers visual hunting.
water level
Little effect in reservoirs.
noise
Moderately sensitive.
wind
Light chop helps.
depth
Shallow to mid-water, 0.5 to 3 m.
how to fish
lures
- colherzinha
- spinner
- micro jig
- small streamer
natural baits
- live lambari
tip from an angler
Small spinner reeled in fast alongside vegetation. Fluorocarbon leader because of the teeth.
- rod
- 5' to 6', ultralight, 4 to 10 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 1000 to 2000
- line
- braided line 8 to 12 lb or monofilament 0.20 mm
- leader
- fluorocarbon 20 lb
- hook
- treble hook #6 to 2
accessories
- alicate
catch and release
Use pliers to remove the treble hook and release quickly.
rules for the peixe-cachorro
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.
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 the Paraná River basin
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)
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)
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 São Francisco River basin (rivers and reservoirs)
Allowed: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore with handline, rod, spinning or baitcasting reel, up to 5 kg + 1 fish. Prohibited within 1,000 m of dams, waterfalls and rapids, and within 500 m of confluences. Floodplain lakes have a longer closed season (see next item).
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 50/2007
São Francisco: floodplain lakes
Allowed: No fishing in the floodplain lakes during the period.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 50/2007
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 = 0.00912, b = 3.07; FishBase). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
more about the peixe-cachorro
A long-bodied fish with a mouth full of teeth, living mainly in still water: reservoirs, lagoons and eddies of the upper Paraná and São Francisco. It eats almost only fish, mostly lambari and other small fish, and feeds much less in winter. It is a frequent catch for anglers using small artificial lures in São Paulo and Minas reservoirs, and a fun target on ultralight tackle. Its teeth cut thin line and injure hands.
Family: Acestrorhynchidae · predator
fun facts
- In Goiás, another species of the genus (Acestrorhynchus pantaneiro) is listed as allochthonous in the Paranaíba, having arrived through the Itaipu fish-passage channel.
- Acestrorhynchus means needle snout.
in the kitchen
White flesh with many bones; fried whole.
similar species
sources and references (7)
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 — Acestrorhynchus lacustris (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 Acestrorhynchus lacustris (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)National assessment by ICMBio, published in 2023. DOI verified on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Acestrorhynchus lacustris (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 13/02/2020)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- 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 Silva, A. T.; Goitein, R. (2009). Diet and feeding activity of Acestrorhynchus lacustris (Lütken, 1875) (Characiformes, Acestrorhynchidae) in the water reservoir at Ribeirão Claro, SP. Brazilian Journal of Biology 69(3): 757–762.Piscivorous diet and reduced feeding in winter. DOI and abstract checked in Crossref.
- scientific Rocha, A. A. F.; Santos, N. C. L.; Pinto, G. A.; Medeiros, T. N.; Severi, W. (2011). Diet composition and food overlap of Acestrorhynchus britskii and A. lacustris (Characiformes: Acestrorhynchidae) from Sobradinho reservoir, São Francisco river, Bahia State. Acta Scientiarum. Biological Sciences 33(4).DOI checked in Crossref.
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: