Hoplosternum littorale · Callichthyidae · omnivore
Small armored catfish that breathes air and lives in swamps. It builds a foam nest and is a traditional dish in Pará and Amapá.
Also called: tamoatá, tamuatá, tamboatá, camboatá, caborja, cascudo
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…
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.
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.
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.
Small catfish covered by two rows of bony plates on each side. It breathes atmospheric air, which lets it live in swamps, flooded areas and lakes with little oxygen. In the flood it eats insect larvae and bottom detritus; in the dry season, land insects and small crustaceans. The male builds a floating nest of foam and plant pieces and guards the eggs. It matures in about a year. It is highly prized in the cooking of Belém and Amapá, and caught with a cane pole and worm in ditches and ponds, as well as with traps and nets.
Rounded body, dark brown to olive, covered by two rows of bony plates on each side. Dark spots on the body and fins. Two pairs of barbels at the mouth. A strong spine on the pectoral fin. Cascudos (Loricariidae) have a sucker mouth under the head; the tamoatá does not.
Almost all South American basins east of the Andes, north of Buenos Aires. Very common in the eastern Amazon (Marajó, Amapá), the Pantanal and the upper Paraná. In Minas Gerais the IEF lists the tamoatá among the allochthonous species.
Habitat: Swamps, flooded areas, ditches, oxbow lakes and shallow vegetated lakes, even with low oxygen.
native to the basins
states
Pará, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, São Paulo, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul
Easy to find at the start of the rains, when it builds nests on flooded banks, and in the dry season, when it is trapped in pools and ditches.
Night and twilight. Most active late in the afternoon and at night, rooting along the bottom.
In the South and the Pantanal, strong cold leaves the fish buried and still.
Little known effect.
Little known effect.
Rains trigger nest building.
In the dry season it concentrates in pools and ditches.
Not very sensitive.
Little effect.
Very shallow, 0.2 to 1.5 m.
natural baits
accessories
Bait on the bottom, very close to the vegetation, late in the afternoon. Watch out for the pectoral spine when removing the hook.
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026).
In AP the tamoatá (Hoplosternum spp.) is in Annex II of the ordinance, with fishing prohibited from Nov 15 to Mar 15. Under art. 2 of the ordinance, anglers fishing with a handline or pole, line and hook are exempt from this ban, unless a stricter state rule applies; during the period the angler's limit is 5 kg + 1 fish.
In the rivers of Marajó Island the tamoatá (Hoplosternum spp.) is on the fishing ban list from Jan 1 to Apr 30. Under art. 2 of the ordinance, anglers fishing with a handline or pole, line and hook are exempt from this ban, unless a stricter state rule applies; during the period the angler's limit is 5 kg + 1 fish.
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
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)
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.
Allowed: Subsistence fishing by riverside residents and authorized scientific fishing. Decree 15.166/2019 (art. 11, §5) allows catch and release only in February and only in the channels of the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. For the rest of the period, not even catch and release is allowed. Check the Imasul portaria for each season.
Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019, art. 11; IN IBAMA nº 201/2008
Allowed: All fishing modalities are prohibited in rivers, including catch and release (Law 9.096/2009, art. 19-A). Exceptions: subsistence fishing from shore (3 kg or 1 fish, no transport or sale) and scientific fishing. Law 13.159/2025 now allows licensed sport fishing in UHE/PCH hydropower reservoirs, natural lakes and border rivers, subject to a scientific study and a license from the environmental agency. We have not confirmed whether these licenses are already being issued.
Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with handline, rod, or spinning or baitcasting reel. Fish may only be eaten on site, not transported. Competitions prohibited. Subsistence: 3 kg + 1 fish. State rules (GO and TO) may be stricter.
Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with on-site consumption. Subsistence: 5 kg + 1 fish. State rules may be stricter.
Allowed: In 2025/26: catch and release with barbless hooks and recreational fishing card; subsistence fishing on foot or from a rowboat, with simple pole or handline.
Source: Portaria Naturatins nº 244/2025 (2025/26 season); INIs MPA/MMA nº 12 and 13/2011
Allowed: Recreational fishing from shore, or from a boat without motor. Only handline or rod, line and hook, one gear per angler, up to 5 kg. Prohibited in floodplain lakes, within 1,500 m of dams, within 500 m of confluences, and in stretches listed in the rule (e.g., Turvo River).
Source: IN IBAMA nº 193/2008
Allowed: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore, with a single hook, one gear per angler, up to 5 kg.
Source: IN IBAMA nº 197/2008
Allowed: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore with handline or rod, up to 5 kg or 1 fish. Transport only within the municipality. Competitions prohibited.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 85/2003
Allowed: The same recreational-angler exceptions as in Portaria 48/2007 apply (handline or rod, 5 kg + 1 fish), unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: Recreational anglers with handline or rod, line and hook are outside the Annex II prohibitions, with a bag limit of 5 kg + 1 fish, unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: Subsistence fishing only.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: See the exceptions in Portaria 48/2007 and the state rules for each bank.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Hardy: release it in shallow water, near the vegetation.
Tasty, firm meat. In Pará and Amapá it is stewed or baked in its own armor and served peeled.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02042, b = 2.98; FishBase). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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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.
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.
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:
Your location is saved only on this device and feeds the forecast, the map and the "today" on the home page.
