xingu and iriri rivers — altamira
Xingu of rocky stretches and rapids, Belo Monte reservoir, and the Iriri heading toward the Terra do Meio. Trairão, cachorra and catfish.
Altamira is the largest city on the middle Xingu and the base for the river, the Belo Monte dam reservoir and the Iriri, its major tributary. The Xingu is a clear-water river of rock ledges and rapids: trairão along the edges and eddies, cachorra and bicuda in the currents, pirarara, piraíba and jaú in the pools. The reservoir changed the landscape across from the city, and the Volta Grande, below the dam, now has controlled flow. Upriver, the Iriri enters the Terra do Meio, a mosaic of conservation units and indigenous lands where fishing has its own rules.
best season
Dry season, July to November, with rocky stretches exposed and clear water.
Local rules: On the Iriri and on the Xingu above Altamira are the Terra do Meio Ecological Station (strictly protected, fishing prohibited) and the extractive reserves Rio Iriri, Riozinho do Anfrísio and Rio Xingu, for community use, plus indigenous lands, where tourism requires a plan approved by Funai. In Pará, sport anglers practice catch and release and consume only on site (Decreto PA 5.271/2026). Dam safety zones are prohibited. Check local rules.
- getting there
- Altamira airport, with flights to Belém. By road, on the Transamazônica (BR-230).
- facilities
- Hotels, marinas, tackle shops and boatmen in Altamira. For the Iriri and the upper Xingu, only organized expeditions.
- basin
- Amazon
tip
Trairão hit noisy surface lures near logs and rocks. Use a steel or heavy fluorocarbon leader: their teeth cut thin nylon.
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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.