mountain mullet
Dajaus monticola · Mugilidae · omnivore
Mullet that runs up the rivers of Central America and the Caribbean and spends its adult life in fresh water. It is used in subsistence fishing.
Also called: tainha-de-montanha, dajao, lisa de río, mountain mullet
- maximum
- 36 cm
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
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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 mountain mullet
who is the mountain mullet
Mullet of the family Mugilidae, with a fusiform body, living in small and medium rivers, in pools and rapids. It is the only mullet that travels far inland and spends its adult life in fresh water. It reaches 36 cm. Juveniles sometimes appear in brackish waters. It spawns in the rainy season, with pelagic, non-sticky eggs. Local people in parts of Central America catch and eat it, and it is used in subsistence fishing.
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 mountain mullet; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Mullet with the typical spindle-shaped body of its group. It almost always lives in rivers, in pools and rapids, far from the sea. Among the mullets of the same region, this one stands out for living in fresh water, while the others live more in the sea and estuaries.
where found
In Latin America, it ranges from Central America to Venezuela, including the Antilles, in fresh and brackish rivers. Ecuador is also listed among the countries where it occurs.
Habitat: Pools and rapids of small and medium rivers, in fresh water.
rules for the mountain mullet
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 has no dangerous spines. Release it quickly, with wet hands, so as not to remove its skin mucus.
in the kitchen
Caught and eaten by local people, in subsistence fishing.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01202, b = 3.03; 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: Dajaus monticola (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Dajaus monticolaNames 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: