all destinations MS · Corumbá · pantanal

paraguay river — corumbá

Gateway to the southern Pantanal by the Paraguay River. Live-aboard boats; surubim, pacu and dorado catch and release.

Corumbá is the fishing capital of the southern Pantanal. Live-aboard boats leave from here and run up and down the Paraguay River for days, entering bays, corixos and tributaries. Surubim and cachara on the cutbanks and pools, pacu on the banks, jaú in the deep pools, dorado in the current and at bay mouths. Barbado and piranha show up all the time. Bottom fishing with live bait, such as tuvira and muçum, and casting for dorado. The river is wide and the current changes with the flood.

best season

JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Season from March to October. August to October, with low water, is the peak. March to May is good for pacu on the falling water.

Local rules: In MS, catching and transporting dorado are banned (Law 5.321/2019, extended, with a planned validity until March 2027): catch and release only. Spawning closure (piracema) in state rivers from Nov 5 to the end of February. Border with Bolivia: stay in Brazilian waters. Check local rules.

getting there: Corumbá airport. By land, BR-262 from Campo Grande, about 420 km.
facilities: Dozens of live-aboard boats, hotels and inns, fishing guides, tackle shops and live bait sales.
basin: Paraguay (Pantanal)

tip

Bring live tuvira and change it often. Tired bait doesn't catch surubim.

next 7 days here

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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

PimelodidaeVU

Spotted sorubim

Pseudoplatystoma corruscans

The great leather catfish of the Pantanal, the Paraná and the São Francisco. Nocturnal, heavy and with long runs. Vulnerable on the national list.

Freshwater

time of yearbest: Aug–Oct

Pimelodidae

Cachara

Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum

The striped sorubim of the Pantanal. Smaller than the pintado, more common along the shore and much sought in night drifting with tuvira.

Freshwater

time of yearbest: May and Aug–Oct

Serrasalmidae

Pacu

Piaractus mesopotamicus

The fruit eater of the Pantanal. Caught by batida (tapping the water with the rod), under the trees, or with crab. Pulls hard and dives into submerged timber.

Freshwater

time of yearbest: Mar–Apr and Oct–Nov

Bryconidae

Golden dorado

Salminus brasiliensis

The king of the river. A rapids predator that strikes violently and leaps out of the water several times. In MS, MT and PR it may only be fished for catch and release.

Freshwater

time of yearbest: Aug–Oct