juruá river — cruzeiro do sul
The big river of western Acre. Leather catfish in the dry-season pools, and peacock bass and aruanã in the várzea lakes.
Cruzeiro do Sul is the gateway to the Juruá valley, a muddy river with tight bends that leaves dozens of várzea lakes along its course. In the dry season, the river drops, beaches appear, and catfish gather in the deep pools and banks: pirarara, jaú, surubim and caparari, fished on the bottom with natural bait. In the lakes connected to the river, peacock bass, aruanã and pescada-do-piauí respond to artificial lures. Matrinxã show up along the edges with fruit and in the rodada (drift fishing). It is fishing with local boatmen and voadeiras, without the houseboat infrastructure of the Rio Negro.
best season
Dry season, July to October, when the Juruá exposes beaches and fish gather in the pools and at the lake mouths. Closed season for the species in Portaria Ibama 48/2007 from Nov 15 to Mar 15.
Local rules: Annual closed season in Acre from Nov 15 to Mar 15 for the species in Annex II of Portaria Ibama 48/2007 (among them dourada, piraíba, pirapitinga, caparari, aruanã and matrinxã); line-and-hook recreational anglers have an exception, with a bag limit of 5 kg plus 1 fish. Upriver are the Alto Juruá Extractive Reserve and the Serra do Divisor National Park, a strictly protected area where sport fishing is not open. Tambaqui has become a threatened species: capture prohibited from Oct 25, 2026. Check local rules.
- getting there
- Cruzeiro do Sul airport, with flights from Rio Branco. By land, about 640 km from Rio Branco on the BR-364, a road that suffers in the rain.
- facilities
- Hotels and inns in town, boatmen and fishermen who rent voadeiras. Arrange the itinerary in advance.
- basin
- Amazon
tip
In the dry season, fish the tail end of the beaches, where the water suddenly deepens. Pirarara eat a chunk of fish on the bottom and fight hard: 50 lb line and a sinker that holds in the current.
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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 Ibama — Defesos continentaisAmazon basin closed season in Acre (Portaria Ibama 48/2007)
- official ICMBio — Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor
- official ICMBio — Reserva Extrativista do Alto Juruá
- official Imprensa Nacional (DOU) — Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666, de 27 de abril de 2026Protection of threatened species; 180-day deadline for new ones, such as tambaqui