barra do guaicuí — várzea da palma
Historic village at the meeting of the Rio das Velhas and the São Francisco, a traditional fishing spot. Dorado, matrinxã and piranha.
Barra do Guaicuí is a district of Várzea da Palma, in northern Minas Gerais, about 800 m from where the Rio das Velhas flows into the São Francisco, just below Pirapora. It is an old fishing spot: professional and sport anglers seek the meeting of the waters for dorado, matrinxã and piranha, and the stretch of the Velho Chico between Pirapora and the mouth is also good for surubim. The village keeps the ruins of the 17th-century stone church of Senhor Bom Jesus de Matozinhos, and appears in the pages of Guimarães Rosa. At the end of September the town hall holds the Fishermen's Festival. Boat and bank fishing, with mid-water lures for dorado and matrinxã and natural bait on the bottom for surubim.
best season
March to October, outside the spawning closure (piracema). The district's Fishermen's Festival takes place at the end of September.
Local rules: Spawning closure (piracema) on the São Francisco, Nov 1 to Feb 28: in Minas, only exotic and hybrid species, and fishing is banned within 500 m of confluences and river mouths, in marginal lagoons, and within 1,000 m of waterfalls and rapids (Portaria IEF 154/2011). Surubim (pintado) is a Vulnerable species: capture only within the recovery plan, with a minimum of 80 cm on the São Francisco (PI MPA/MMA 15/2024). São Francisco dorado: minimum 60 cm in Minas. Check local rules.
- getting there
- Várzea da Palma is about 308 km from Belo Horizonte; Barra do Guaicuí is between the town and Pirapora.
- facilities
- Simple facilities in the district, with local fishers and boatmen; hotels in Várzea da Palma and Pirapora.
- basin
- São Francisco
tip
Use the current line the Rio das Velhas forms as it enters the São Francisco: dorado hunts at the line where the two waters meet.
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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
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- press Estado de Minas — Festa do Pescador agita cidade mineira a partir desta sexta (26) (25/09/2025)Meeting of the Rio das Velhas and São Francisco rivers as a fishing spot; dorado, matrinxã and piranha
- official IEF-MG — Portaria nº 154/2011 (piracema na bacia do São Francisco em Minas Gerais)Text of the ordinance: only exotic and hybrid species during the spawning closure; distances from confluences, waterfalls and dams; narrow rivers closed
- official MMA — Planos de recuperação para espécies aquáticas ameaçadas de extinçãoSurubim (Vulnerable): capture only under the rules of the recovery plan and PI MPA/MMA 15/2024
- official IEF-MG — Tamanhos mínimos para a pesca (Portaria IEF nº 111/2003)