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fishing forecast

boccone weakfish

Cynoscion praedatorius · Sciaenidae · predator

Large croaker of the coastal waters of the eastern Pacific, from Costa Rica to Panama. It appears in sport fishing with line and has a small commercial catch.

Also called: pescada-boca-grande, corvina bocona, bocón, Boccone weakfish

Scientific illustration of Boccone weakfish
maximum
110 cm
location

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period

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the species

everything about the boccone weakfish

overview

who is the boccone weakfish

Fish of the family Sciaenidae, the croaker group, with an elongated, fusiform body, reaching 110 cm. It lives in coastal waters of the eastern Pacific, in Costa Rica and Panama, between the bottom and the water above it. Like the other members of the family, it makes drumming sounds with its swim bladder. It appears in sport fishing with line and has a small commercial catch. Its large mouth gives it its Spanish name: bocón and corvina bocona.

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 boccone weakfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.

how to recognize it

identification

Elongated, fusiform body, typical of croakers, with a large mouth and canine teeth at the tip of the upper jaw, common in the genus Cynoscion. The large mouth is the feature that gives it its Spanish name (bocón). It lives only on the coast of Costa Rica and Panama. On the same coast, the queen weakfish (Cynoscion albus) is similar, but reaches 130 cm, compared with 110 cm for this species.

distribution

where found

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Eastern Pacific, in coastal waters of Costa Rica and Panama.

Habitat: Coastal waters, near the bottom.

what the law says

rules for the boccone weakfish

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.

Harmless to people. Release it carefully and quickly, without taking the fish out of the water for long.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00871, b = 3.06; 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: Cynoscion praedatorius (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 Cynoscion praedatoriusNames by country and language.
don't confuse

similar species