mexican goatfish
Mulloidichthys dentatus · Mullidae · predator
Goatfish of sandy bottoms near shore, which digs in the sand with its barbels to find food. It occurs from California to Peru.
Also called: salmonete-barbudo, chivo barbón, chivo amarillo, mexican goatfish
- maximum
- 31 cm
- depth
- 3–46 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 mexican goatfish
who is the mexican goatfish
The bearded goatfish belongs to the family Mullidae and reaches 31 cm. It lives on sand, mud and rocky bottoms near shore, from 3 to 46 m, and forms small schools, sometimes living alone. It uses its barbels to dig in the sand for food. At night it rests on the bottom and changes color and pattern a great deal, showing reddish blotches. Juveniles are pelagic, that is, they live in open water before settling on the bottom. It occurs in the eastern Pacific, from California to Peru, including the Galápagos, and is rare north of southern Baja California.
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 mexican goatfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Juveniles are pelagic and live in the water column before settling on the bottom.
identification
Goatfish with an elongated body and chin barbels it uses to dig in the sand. At night, when it rests on the bottom, it changes color and pattern and shows reddish blotches. Adults are seen over sand, mud and rocky bottoms, sometimes in small groups.
where found
Found in the eastern Pacific of Latin America, from Mexico to Peru, including the Galápagos, on sandy bottoms.
Habitat: Sand, mud and rocky bottoms near shore, from 3 to 46 m.
rules for the mexican goatfish
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.
No danger to anglers. Handle with wet hands and release quickly.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01023, b = 3.09; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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: Mulloidichthys dentatus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Mulloidichthys dentatusNames by country and language.
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: