acre river — rio branco
Bank and voadeira fishing in the Acre state capital. Leather catfish in the dry season, with the river low and confined.
The Acre River runs through Rio Branco and is the closest fishing to people who live in the capital. In the dry season, the river narrows and sits deep between tall banks, and catfish gather in the pools and bends: pirarara, jaú, surubim, caparari and barbado, on bottom bait. Matrinxã and pescada-do-piauí show up along the edges and at igarapé mouths. The Acre is a river of extremes: it rises very high in floods and drops too low in severe droughts, which changes the fishing spots from year to year. For bigger trips, capital anglers go downriver by voadeira or head to the Purus and the Juruá.
best season
Dry season, June to October. From Nov 15 to Mar 15 the Acre River is under closed season for all species.
Local rules: On the Acre River, the closed season from Nov 15 to Mar 15 applies to all species (IN Ibama 205/2008): no fishing in that period. In the rest of the state, closed season for the species in Annex II of Portaria Ibama 48/2007 on the same dates. The river rises and falls fast: watch for banks that collapse. Tambaqui: capture prohibited from Oct 25, 2026 (threatened species). Check local rules with Imac.
- getting there
- Rio Branco airport, with flights to Brasília and other state capitals. The river runs through the city center.
- facilities
- Hotels, tackle shops and boatmen in the capital. Outside town, the facilities are fishing lodges and riverside communities.
- basin
- Amazon
tip
In the dry season, look for bends with high banks and deep water: that is where big catfish hold. Fresh local fish bait works better than frozen bait.
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
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official Ibama — Defesos continentaisAcre River closed season (IN Ibama 205/2008) and Amazon basin in Acre
- official Imac — Instituto de Meio Ambiente do Acre
- official Imprensa Nacional (DOU) — Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666, de 27 de abril de 2026Protection of threatened species, such as tambaqui