orinoco, bita and tomo — puerto carreño
Peacock bass and payara at the confluence of the Meta and the Orinoco, on the Venezuelan border. A tourist fishing destination awaiting regulation.
Puerto Carreño sits at the confluence of the Meta River and the Orinoco, facing Venezuela. Nearby flow the Bita, Colombia's largest Ramsar site, and the Tomo, clear and blackwater rivers with lagoons, beaches and rocky ledges in the dry season. Peacock bass is the main target: the butterfly peacock bass (Cichla orinocensis) provides numbers and the açu (C. temensis) the big fish. Payara (cachorra) fights in the rapids and rocky ledges of the Orinoco, with leaps and huge teeth. Bicuda and large catfish such as pirarara complete the list. Fishing is by casting with surface and mid-water lures, from a boat with a local guide. Together with Inírida, the town is one of the country's sport fishing hubs, with active participation from local communities.
best season
Llanos summer (dry season), December to March, when rivers drop and fish concentrate in lagoons, river mouths and rocky ledges. Orinoquia closed season from after Holy Week to May 31.
Local rules: Sport fishing was declared unconstitutional (Ruling C-148/2022, effective from July 2023). Law 2.501/2025 created "tourism fishing", with a permit from AUNAP, but zones, species and seasons depend on a decree that had not yet been issued as of January 2026: confirm with AUNAP and your operator before you travel. On the Bita, nets and cast nets are banned, and recreational fishing for royal peacock bass (Cichla intermedia), blue arowana and piraíba is prohibited (AUNAP Res. 2877/2022). Orinoquia closed season from the first Monday after Holy Week to May 31 (AUNAP Res. 2663/2022). The other side of the river is Venezuela, with its own rules. Confirm the local rules.
- getting there
- Flights from Bogotá to Puerto Carreño. By land, dirt roads across the Llanos, difficult in the rainy season. Within the region, travel is by boat.
- facilities
- Hotels and inns in town and fishing operators with boats and local guides.
- country
- Vichada, Colombia
tip
For payara, use a steel leader and reinforced treble hooks, and hold firm when it jumps. For açu peacock bass, big propeller lures on the rocky points at dawn.
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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
before you fish in Colombia
The Constitutional Court declared sport fishing unconstitutional (Ruling C-148/2022), effective July 2023; AUNAP sport fishing licenses expired on July 22, 2023. Law 2,501/2025 created "tourism fishing": whoever practices it as an economic activity (people, communities and operators) needs an AUNAP permit. Zones, species and seasons depend on a government decree; in January 2026 the Ministry of Commerce and Tourism reported that these decrees had not yet been issued. Before traveling, confirm with AUNAP and with your operator whether the activity is already regulated.
- Orinoquía closed season (Arauca, Casanare, Meta, Vichada, Guainía and Guaviare): from the first Monday after Holy Week to May 31. Fish for consumption may only be sold in the same municipality, and ornamental fish may not be caught (AUNAP Resolution 2663/2022).
- Bita River (Vichada, Ramsar site): gillnets, chinchorro and cast nets prohibited; recreational fishing of pavón real (Cichla intermedia), blue arowana (Osteoglossum ferreirai) and piraíba (valentón) prohibited (AUNAP Resolution 2877/2022).
- In national natural parks, fishing is prohibited, except for authorized scientific fishing and cases the Ministry of Environment allows in defined zones (Decree 1076/2015, art. 2.2.2.1.15.1).
- Tourism fishing may not take place in zones excluded by the authority, and it is prohibited to release exotic species or to move native fish from one basin to another (Law 2,501/2025).
The rules and closed seasons in the rest of the app are Brazilian. Outside Brazil, the regulations of the country and province apply: confirm with the official agency.
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official AUNAP — Resolución 2877 de 2022 (reglamentación de la actividad pesquera en la cuenca del río Bita)Ban on nets and species prohibited in recreational fishing
- official AUNAP — Boletín: nuevas resoluciones para el manejo de los recursos pesqueros en la Orinoquía (2022)Orinoquia closed season (Res. 2663/2022) and the role of Puerto Carreño and Inírida in sport fishing
- official Función Pública — Ley 2501 de 2025 (pesca de turismo)
- official MinCIT — Respuesta 2-2026-002219 sobre la implementación de la Ley 2501 de 2025 (28/1/2026)Decrees for the tourist fishing zones not yet issued