miranda river — águas do miranda (bonito)
Hill stretch of the Miranda River, between Bonito and the Pantanal, with hotels, inns and fishing lodges. Pacu, piraputanga, dorado and catfish.
Before reaching the Pantanal plain, the Miranda River runs through the hilly region of Bonito, Jardim and Guia Lopes da Laguna, with fishing lodges and inns along the way. The Águas do Miranda district in Bonito, known as "21", appears in Mato Grosso do Sul's official fishing guide as a fishing hub, with hotels, inns and lodges. The targets are those of the Miranda: pacu, piraputanga and dorado, which respond to fruit, dough and artificial lures, including fly, and surubim, cachara and jaú, caught on the bottom with live bait. The same guide notes that piraputanga make long migrations in floods and that surubim run upriver at the start of the rains. Downriver, the Miranda enters the Pantanal and passes Passo do Lontra.
best season
Season from March to October, outside the MS piracema (Nov 5 to Feb 28). In the dry season, August to October, the river drops and fish concentrate in the pools.
Local rules: In MS, amateur fishing is catch and release: you may consume on site and take only 1 native fish within size limits, plus 5 piranhas; peacock bass and other exotics have no limit (Decreto 15.166/2019). Imasul state license, in addition to the federal one. Dorado: capture banned until Mar 31, 2027, catch and release only (Lei 5.321/2019, wording from Lei 6.390/2025). Surubim is a Vulnerable species: capture only under the recovery plan, with a minimum of 85 cm in the upper Paraguay (PI MPA/MMA 15/2024); in MS, between 85 and 125 cm. Other MS sizes: pacu 45 to 65 cm, cachara 80 to 120 cm, jaú 95 to 130 cm, piraputanga from 30 cm. Piracema from Nov 5 to Feb 28 (Decreto 15.166/2019, art. 11): in Pantanal rivers there is no fishing or catch and release in that period. Check local rules.
- getting there
- By road, from Campo Grande or from Bonito, the ecotourism hub in the Serra da Bodoquena. In the rainy season, check the condition of the side roads.
- facilities
- Hotels, inns and fishing lodges in the district and along the river, according to the state's official guide; plus tourism infrastructure in Bonito.
- basin
- Paraguay (Pantanal)
tip
Pacu and piraputanga eat fruit falling from riparian forest: fish close to the shaded bank with fruit, dough or a small artificial lure, and approach without revving the motor near the spot.
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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 Fundtur-MS (Visit MS) — Pesca em Mato Grosso do SulHill region of the Miranda and the Águas do Miranda district ("21") as a fishing hub; species and sizes in MS
- official Governo de MS — Decreto estadual nº 15.166/2019 (pesca amadora em MS)Catch and release with 1 native fish, state license and piracema (art. 11)
- official Diário Oficial de MS — Lei estadual nº 6.390/2025 (altera a Lei 5.321/2019, dourado)Dorado catch banned in MS until Mar 31, 2027
- official MMA — Portaria Interministerial MPA/MMA nº 15/2024 (pintado)Surubim: minimum size of 85 cm in the upper Paraguay (art. 4º)