sepetiba bay — itacuruçá
Shallow bay with islands and reefs, sheltered by the Marambaia Spit, 85 km from Rio. Croaker, fat snook and cutlassfish, with boat trips from Itacuruçá.
Sepetiba Bay is an inland sea sheltered by the Marambaia Spit, with mangroves at the head of the bay and islands such as Itacuruçá, Jaguanum and Guaíba near the mouth. A study of recreational fishing in 2019 and 2020, with trips from Itacuruçá and Ilha da Madeira, recorded 1,190 fishing trips at 42 fishing grounds, almost all in small and medium boats. Croaker was the most frequent fish, followed by fat snook, catfish, cocoroca, cutlassfish and peroá; bluefish, acoupa weakfish, common snook and crevalle jack complete the list. The zone between the islands and reefs accounts for most of the trips, almost always over rocky bottom, while the murkier bottom of the bay is where kayakers find cutlassfish and common snook. Outside the bar, larger boats go for olho-de-cão, snapper and mahi-mahi. The most used bait is shrimp, followed by sardine.
best season
Croaker, cutlassfish and bluefish produce best in autumn and winter; fat snook peaks in summer and winter.
Local rules: The Marambaia Spit is an Army area, with a test range and firing lines: access to the spit is prohibited, and on the stretch of open beach authorized for bathing, fishing is not allowed. Minimum sizes in the Southeast sea (IN MMA 53/2005): common snook 50 cm, fat snook 30 cm, croaker 25 cm, bluefish 35 cm, cutlassfish 70 cm. Miraguaia (Critically Endangered) and badejo-mira (Endangered), which also appear in the bay's catches, are on the national list of threatened species: capture banned, release live fish (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026). Check local rules.
- getting there
- About 85 km from Rio de Janeiro via BR-101 (Rio-Santos) to Mangaratiba; Itacuruçá is on the highway itself, before the town center. Rio de Janeiro airports.
- facilities
- Boatmen and fishing guides in Itacuruçá and on Ilha da Madeira (Itaguaí), where there is ice and live bait; schooners and trawlers make the crossing to the islands; inns and restaurants along the waterfront.
- coast
- Southeast Coast
tip
In autumn and winter, look for croaker on the reefs and rocky bottoms between the islands, with shrimp on the bottom and only enough sinker to hold the line in the current.
Loading…
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
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- scientific UFRRJ — Souza (2022), Composição de espécies e padrões espaço-temporais das capturas provenientes da pesca amadora na Baía de Sepetiba (dissertação)Monitoring of 1,190 recreational fishing trips departing from Itacuruçá and Ilha da Madeira, Oct 2019 to Sep 2020
- official Centro de Avaliações do Exército — Acesso restrito para banho de mar na Praia da MarambaiaMarambaia Spit closed to the public; fishing not permitted in the bathing area
- official Normas Brasil — Instrução Normativa MMA nº 53/2005 (tamanhos mínimos de captura no Sudeste e Sul)Republication of the official text
- official Imprensa Nacional (DOU) — Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026 (lista nacional de peixes ameaçados)Miraguaia (CR) and badejo-mira (EN)