araguari river — porto grande
Large river in Amapá, with rapids and rock slabs, holding trairão and peacock bass. Sport fishing permitted in the Flona do Amapá stretch.
The Araguari rises in the Serra Lombarda and runs about 617 km within Amapá. Porto Grande, 114 km from Macapá on the BR-156, is the gateway to the stretch of rapids and rock slabs: from there, about 50 km of river are climbed to the confluence with the Falsino, in the Amapá National Forest (Flona), whose management plan allows sport fishing on the Araguari. Locals cite trairão, peacock bass, pacus and piranhas among the most fished species, and trairão is in high demand. Downriver, in the municipality of Ferreira Gomes, are the hydroelectric plants Cachoeira Caldeirão, Coaracy Nunes and Ferreira Gomes. In the dry season, only small boats get through the rapids.
best season
Dry season, September to mid-November, with rapids and rock slabs exposed. In Amapá, closed season from Nov 15 to Mar 15 (Portaria Ibama 48/2007).
Local rules: In the Amapá National Forest, the management plan (Portaria ICMBio 1/2014) allows sport fishing only on the Araguari River and bans fishing on the Mutum River; whoever pilots the boat must show a fishing license and Capitania documents and stop at the unit's inspection posts. In Amapá, closed season from Nov 15 to Mar 15 (Portaria Ibama 48/2007) and arapaima closed season from Dec 1 to May 31 (IN Ibama 34/2004). Don't fish in the safety areas of the three Araguari dams, and watch out for rapids in the dry season. Check local rules.
- getting there
- From Macapá, 114 km on the BR-156 to Porto Grande; from there, by boat up the Araguari. The trip upriver to the Flona takes two to three hours, depending on river level and motor.
- facilities
- Basic hotels in Porto Grande and Ferreira Gomes, voadeiras and local canoe operators.
- basin
- Amazon
tip
Trairão likes eddies with logs and rocks alongside the current: a noisy surface lure, long pauses and heavy leader, because its teeth cut the line.
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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
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official ICMBio — Floresta Nacional do AmapáDecreto nº 97.630/1989; 460,359 ha
- official ICMBio — Plano de Manejo da Floresta Nacional do Amapá, volume II (planejamento)Sport fishing permitted on the Araguari River, banned on the Mutum River; license and stops at inspection bases. Volume I covers access via Porto Grande and the fish cited by residents
- official Ibama — Defesos continentaisAmazon basin closed season in Amapá and arapaima closed season
- official Sema-AP — Secretaria de Estado do Meio Ambiente do Amapá