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babitonga bay — são francisco do sul

Santa Catarina's largest estuary, with dozens of islands and mangroves. Snook, croaker and sargo near Joinville.

Babitonga is a bay of mangroves, islands and channels between São Francisco do Sul, Joinville, Itapoá and Araquari. It is the main snook fishing estuary in northern Santa Catarina: flecha and peva along the mangrove edges, pilings and island rocks; croaker, pescada-amarela and flounder in the channels; sargo-de-dente and dog snapper (caranha) on the rocks. The bay is home to franciscana dolphins, a small and threatened dolphin, and the São Francisco do Sul port moves ships through the main channel.

best season

JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Warm months, October to April, with snook active along mangrove edges and islands.

Local rules: The bay has franciscana dolphins, a threatened dolphin: go slow and never use nets. Port navigation channel: don't anchor on the ships' route. Robalo-flecha minimum 50 cm and peva 30 cm in the South (IN MMA 53/2005). Dog snapper (caranha) is a threatened species (Vulnerable): catch and release only. Check local rules.

getting there: Joinville airport, about 45 km from São Francisco do Sul. Curitiba is about 190 km away via BR-376 and BR-101.
facilities: Marinas, fishing guides, boat rentals, inns and restaurants in São Francisco do Sul and Joinville.
basin: South Atlantic
coast: South Coast

tip

Babitonga snook respond well to live shrimp under a float, around island rocks, during the tide turn.

next 7 days here

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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.

what you can catch here

Centropomidae

Common snook

Centropomus undecimalis

Brazil's largest snook and the prize of coastal fishing. Hunts with the tide running at inlets, mangroves and rocky shores.

EstuarySea

time of yearbest: Oct–Mar

Centropomidae

Fat snook

Centropomus parallelus

The most common snook in estuaries. A classic for night fishing with live shrimp, and excellent on shrimp lures and jig heads.

EstuarySea

time of yearbest: Oct–Apr

Sciaenidae

Whitemouth croaker

Micropogonias furnieri

The most fished fish on the beaches of the South and Southeast. Bites shrimp and corrupto on the bottom, by day and at night.

EstuarySea

time of yearbest: Oct–Mar

Sciaenidae

Acoupa weakfish

Cynoscion acoupa

The largest weakfish on the coast, over 1 m. Hunts in murky water with the tide running, at dawn and at night.

EstuarySea

time of yearbest: Oct–Mar

Sciaenidae

Southern kingfish

Menticirrhus americanus

The fish of the surf. Digs in the sand for tatuí and corrupto, and it is the school of surf casting.

SeaEstuary

time of yearbest: Oct–Apr

Sparidae

Sheepshead

Archosargus probatocephalus

The bait thief of the rocks and pilings. It has teeth like ours and requires a quick hookset.

SeaEstuary

time of yearbest: Mar–May and Aug–Nov

Paralichthyidae

Linguado

Paralichthys orbignyanus

An ambush hunter buried in sand in lagoons and estuaries of the South. Fished with live bait and a jig dragged along the bottom.

EstuarySea

time of yearbest: Oct–Apr

LutjanidaeVU

Cubera snapper

Lutjanus cyanopterus

The largest red snapper on the coast, king of the rocky shores. Vulnerable: recreational anglers may only practise catch and release, with a closed season in August and September.

SeaEstuary

time of yearbest: Nov–Mar