all destinations PR · Paranaguá · coast

ilha do mel

Car-free island at the entrance of Paranaguá Bay. Beach and rocky-shore fishing outside protected areas.

Ilha do Mel sits at the mouth of Paranaguá Bay, with open-sea beaches, rocky shores, a lighthouse and an 18th-century fort. There are no cars, and access is by boat only. Beach and rocky-shore fishing yields pompano, betara, sargo-de-dente and snook on the rocks; in the bar channels, croaker and pescada-amarela. Dog snapper (caranha) appear along rocky shores with dens. Nearly the whole island lies within conservation units, and the villages of Nova Brasília and Encantadas hold most of the infrastructure.

best season

JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Spring and summer, October to April, for snook, sargo and pompano. In winter, croaker and pescada in the channel.

Local rules: About 94% of the island lies in the Estação Ecológica and the Parque Estadual da Ilha do Mel, run by IAT: visits are restricted at the ecological station, and fishing is not free in either unit; fish only in the permitted areas near the villages and check with IAT. Dog snapper (caranha) is a threatened species (Vulnerable): catch and release only. Bluefish closed season in the South, Dec 1 to Mar 31. Check local rules.

getting there: Boats leave from Pontal do Sul (Pontal do Paraná) and from Paranaguá. Curitiba is about 110 km from Paranaguá via BR-277.
facilities: Inns, campsites, restaurants and boatmen in Nova Brasília and Encantadas. Tackle shops on the mainland.
coast: South Coast

tip

Along the Encantadas' rocky shores, sargo-de-dente and snook feed on crab and shrimp tight to the rock, on the rising tide.

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

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

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