all destinations PR · Santa Helena · reservoir

itaipu lake — santa helena

Arms and small beaches of Itaipu Lake, with peacock bass, croaker and native fish from Paraná. Many tournaments.

The Brazilian side of Itaipu has dozens of arms, coves and artificial beaches between Foz do Iguaçu and Guaíra. Santa Helena is a sport fishing hub, with a marina and peacock bass tournaments. The yellow and blue peacock bass hold in the logs and points, croaker at the bottom of the channels, and native species such as surubim, pacu and piapara in the old Paraná channel. Casting for peacock bass, jig and natural bait for croaker, bottom for the leather catfish.

best season

JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Hot season, October to March, is peacock bass time. During the spawning closure (piracema, Nov 1 to Feb 28) special rules apply to reservoirs.

Local rules: In Paraná, dorado fishing is banned for 8 years (state law 19.789/2018, in force since 2019): catch and release only. Lake on the border with Paraguay: stay in Brazilian waters. The dam's safety zone is off-limits. Spawning closure (piracema) Nov 1 to Feb 28 (IN Ibama 25/2009): in reservoirs, recreational fishing is restricted and applies to non-native species, such as peacock bass and croaker. Check local rules.

getting there: Airports at Foz do Iguaçu and Cascavel, each about 100 km away. Ramps and marinas in the lakeside municipalities.
facilities: Marinas, beaches with facilities, inns, guides and boat rentals in the lakeside municipalities.
basin: Paraná

tip

Itaipu peacock bass like submerged logs between 2 and 4 m. Mid-water bait with long pauses.

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

Cichlidae

Yellow pavon

Cichla kelberi

Brazil's most fished peacock bass. Native to the Araguaia-Tocantins and spread across reservoirs and dams in almost the whole country.

Freshwater

time of yearbest: Sep–Dec

Cichlidae

Blue peacock bass

Cichla piquiti

Five-bar peacock bass from the Tocantins-Araguaia, strong and aggressive, now spread across large reservoirs in the Southeast and Center-West.

Freshwater

time of yearbest: Aug–Nov

Sciaenidae

South American silver croaker

Plagioscion squamosissimus

Freshwater croaker from the Amazon and Parnaíba, now common in reservoirs of the Paraná and the Northeast. Bites well in the afternoon and at night.

Freshwater

time of yearbest: Sep–Dec

PimelodidaeVU

Spotted sorubim

Pseudoplatystoma corruscans

The great leather catfish of the Pantanal, the Paraná and the São Francisco. Nocturnal, heavy and with long runs. Vulnerable on the national list.

Freshwater

time of yearbest: Aug–Oct

Bryconidae

Golden dorado

Salminus brasiliensis

The king of the river. A rapids predator that strikes violently and leaps out of the water several times. In MS, MT and PR it may only be fished for catch and release.

Freshwater

time of yearbest: Aug–Oct

Serrasalmidae

Pacu

Piaractus mesopotamicus

The fruit eater of the Pantanal. Caught by batida (tapping the water with the rod), under the trees, or with crab. Pulls hard and dives into submerged timber.

Freshwater

time of yearbest: Mar–Apr and Oct–Nov