tiger fish
Hoplias microlepis · Erythrinidae · predator
Freshwater predator from the Pacific slope, from Panama to Peru, reaching 36 cm. It has sharp teeth and is caught commercially.
Also called: traíra-tigre, guanchiche, dientón, pez perro, tiger fish
- 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
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 tiger fish
who is the tiger fish
The tiger trahira is a freshwater fish of the family Erythrinidae, reaching 36 cm. It occurs on the Pacific slope, from Panama to Costa Rica, in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It lives in rivers, streams and slow-current swamps, over sand and mud bottoms, between 20 and 40 meters of altitude, in tropical water. It is a fish predator with strong, sharp teeth. It has commercial fishing and is not a featured species in recreational 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 tiger fish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Elongated, rounded fish with a large mouth and sharp teeth, like the trahiras and trairões of the family Erythrinidae. It belongs to the group of the trahira (Hoplias malabaricus), which also lives in the region, and the two are hard to tell apart by eye: this one has more scales around the caudal peduncle, 22 to 24 versus 18 to 20 in the trahira.
where found
Pacific slope, from Panama to Costa Rica, and also in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, in freshwater. In Panama there are records on the Atlantic side, restricted to the canal zone.
Habitat: Rivers, streams and slow-current swamps, over sand and mud bottoms, between 20 and 40 meters of altitude, on the Pacific slope.
rules for the tiger fish
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.
Has strong, sharp teeth, and the bite hurts. Use pliers or a cloth to remove the hook and avoid putting your hand near the mouth.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00676, b = 3.11; 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: Hoplias microlepis (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Hoplias microlepisNames 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: