Cucharón
The cucharón, or duckbill catfish, is a native pimelodid of Brazil's major river systems — the Amazon, Paraná, Tocantins, and Parnaíba.
Known locally as sorubi, it's a food fish of real commercial importance across much of its range and shows up as a bycatch or target species for anglers working the Pantanal and Amazonian floodplains, particularly at night when it moves most actively.
Scientific Name: Sorubim lima
Also known as Sorubi, duckbill catfish, lima shovelnose, hockey stick catfish
- Flat, elongated snout shaped like a duck's bill — unmistakable among Brazilian catfish; body is laterally compressed and deepens toward the dorsal fin, giving it a hockey-stick silhouette.
- Dark brown to olive on the back with a pale underside; a bold dark lateral stripe runs from snout to tail, helping distinguish it from the slimmer S. elongatus.
- Typical adults run to about 40–50 cm; maximum recorded length is around 54 cm with weights up to roughly 1.3 kg — a modest-sized pimelodid by Amazonian standards.
- Large adults often develop small bony plates or ossicles along the anterior lateral line — a useful ID feature when the fish is in hand.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Native to Brazil; found across the Amazon, Paraná, Tocantins, and Parnaíba river basins — one of the more broadly distributed shovelnose catfish in the country.
- Mostly inhabits turbid, white-water rivers but also moves into floodplain lakes and oxbow lakes during high water, making it a fish of both main channels and backwaters.
- Juveniles congregate around grass beds, reed margins, and submerged root tangles; adults school in deeper, open water sections of rivers and tributaries.
Key Locations
- Pantanal — the vast floodplain system of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul holds sorubi alongside pintado and other large catfish; a primary destination for Brazilian catfish anglers.
- Amazon basin — widespread through the main river and its tributaries; encountered regularly by anglers targeting mixed Amazonian species out of Manaus and surrounding areas.
- Rio Paraná and Rio Parnaíba drainages — part of the species' native range and fished commercially and recreationally.
- Rio Tocantins drainage — another confirmed native basin where the fish appears in local catches.
Specific Spots
- Submerged timber, root masses, and woody debris on the bottom — adults rest and feed tight to hard structure, especially after dark.
- Deeper holes and channel edges in turbid white-water rivers, where low light conditions let them feed throughout the night.
- Oxbow lakes and floodplain backwaters connected to main river channels during high water — fish move in to feed and can concentrate in these areas.
- Grass and reed margins in shallower water hold juveniles and smaller fish, worth targeting with lighter presentations.
Cucharón FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for Cucharón?
Live or fresh-cut baitfish are the go-to across Brazil, small native fish rigged on the bottom near structure produce consistently, especially at night. Freshwater shrimp and cut crustacean baits work well in the Paraná basin and Pantanal where shrimp are available as natural forage.
When is the best time to fish for Cucharón?
High-water season (roughly November–March in the Pantanal and Amazon) pushes fish into flooded backwaters and oxbow lakes, where they can concentrate and feed actively.
How do you catch Cucharón?
Most Brazilian anglers target sorubi from boats at night, fishing natural bait hard on the bottom near timber, root tangles, or channel edges. In the Pantanal, guided trips targeting mixed catfish species, pintado, barbado, cachara, regularly encounter sorubi as part of the catch.
What do Cucharón eat?
Feeds primarily on smaller fish and crustaceans. For anglers, live or fresh-cut baitfish are the most direct match, small fish native to the same river system are the standard approach across Brazil's Pantanal and Amazonian fisheries.
Where do Cucharón live?
Native to Brazil; found across the Amazon, Paraná, Tocantins, and Parnaíba river basins, one of the more broadly distributed shovelnose catfish in the country.
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