all destinations PE · Petrolina · river

são francisco river — petrolina and juazeiro

The Velho Chico (São Francisco River) between two cities, with islands and rapids below Sobradinho. Croaker and surubim in the irrigated backlands.

forecast for here see on the map

Petrolina and Juazeiro sit face to face on the São Francisco, linked by a bridge and surrounded by irrigated grape vineyards in the backlands. The river is wide here, with islands like Rodeadouro, rocky beds and stretches of current, and its flow is controlled by the Sobradinho dam upstream. Croaker is the most-caught fish; surubim appear in the deep pools and channels; trahira, tilapia, mandi and piau along the banks and at chum. Fishing from a boat and from the bank, with natural and artificial bait.

best season

JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

April to October, outside the São Francisco spawning closure (Nov 1 to Feb 28).

Local rules: Spawning closure (piracema) on the São Francisco, Nov 1 to Feb 28 (Portaria Ibama 50/2007): recreational anglers may fish with line, rod and spinning reel, up to 5 kg plus 1 fish, but fishing within 1,000 m of dams and waterfalls and within 500 m of confluences is prohibited; in the marginal lagoons, no fishing until April 30. Surubim is a threatened species (VU), with use only under the recovery plan and a minimum size of 80 cm on the São Francisco. The Bahia shore follows Bahia rules. Check local rules.

getting there: Petrolina airport, with scheduled flights. Juazeiro is across the bridge.
facilities: Hotels, restaurants, boatmen, tackle shops and boat tours in both cities.
basin: São Francisco

tip

Croaker feed on shrimp and lambari late in the afternoon, along the island edges. Natural bait on a light sinker, letting it drift in the current.

next 7 days here

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

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

Erythrinidae

Trahira

Hoplias malabaricus

The predator of lagoons and small farm ponds, found in almost all of Brazil. Explosive strike at the surface frog among the water hyacinth.

Freshwater

time of yearbest: Oct–Mar

Cichlidae

Nile tilapia

Oreochromis niloticus

Exotic African fish, found in almost every small farm pond and reservoir in Brazil. Easy, fun fishing on light tackle. Never release it into a river or lake.

Freshwaternon-native

time of yearbest: Oct–Apr