são francisco river — piumhi
The still-young São Francisco River, near the Serra da Canastra, with a municipal sport-fishing route. Piapara, piau, piranha and mandi.
In Piumhi, in the center-west of Minas Gerais, the São Francisco still runs close to the springs of the Serra da Canastra, well above the Três Marias reservoir. The river is navigable along this stretch, with beaches, canyons and caves nearby. The town has set up a sport-fishing route with inns, fishing cabins and restaurants along the São Francisco, Piumhi and Samburá rivers, and Porto da Mariquita, on the São Francisco, is where anglers meet. There the National Piapara Fishing Tournament takes place, now with more than ten editions, together with the Minas Gerais Mixed-Species Fishing Championship, which awards piau, piranha, mandi and croaker. Boat and bank fishing, with chum and natural bait on the bottom for piapara.
best season
The season runs from March to October, after the spawning closure. The national piapara tournament takes place in September at Porto da Mariquita.
Local rules: Spawning closure (piracema) on the São Francisco River from Nov 1 to Feb 28 (Portaria IEF 154/2011): in Minas Gerais, only exotic and hybrid species; fishing is banned in rivers up to 20 m wide, within 1,000 m of waterfalls and rapids and within 500 m of confluences, and tournaments are allowed only in hydroelectric plant reservoirs. Minimum sizes in Minas Gerais (Portaria IEF 111/2003): piapara 40 cm, piau-três-pintas 25 cm, mandi 25 cm. A recreational fishing license is required. Check local rules.
- getting there
- Piumhi is about 264 km from Belo Horizonte via the MG-050. Porto da Mariquita is in the rural area, on the São Francisco.
- facilities
- Inns, fishing cabins and restaurants registered on the town's fishing route, boat trips of a few hours and hotels in town.
- basin
- São Francisco
tip
Piapara are wary: chum the hole with corn or dough bait, use light line and natural bait on the bottom, and wait for the run before setting the hook.
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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 Prefeitura de Piumhi — Festival de Pesca movimentou o Rio São Francisco no último fim de semana (20/09/2023)16th National Piapara Fishing Tournament and Minas Gerais Mixed-Species Fishing Championship at Porto da Mariquita
- press Estado de Minas — Pesca: Piumhi faz projeto para estimular turismo no Rio São Francisco (15/02/2023)Sport fishing route; season March to October
- official IEF-MG — Portaria nº 154/2011 (piracema na bacia do São Francisco em Minas Gerais)Text of the ordinance: only exotic and hybrid species during the spawning closure; distances from confluences, waterfalls and dams; narrow rivers closed
- official IEF-MG — Tamanhos mínimos para a pesca (Portaria IEF nº 111/2003)