lago rincón del bonete — san gregorio de polanco
Beach town on a peninsula of Rincón del Bonete lake, on the Negro River, with a cove reserved for sport fishing. The tararira (trahira) is the target.
San Gregorio de Polanco is on a peninsula of the Rincón del Bonete dam lake, on the Negro River, in southern Tacuarembó. The shore has sand beaches, dunes and pine and eucalyptus woods, and the lake opens into coves, points and islands. According to DINARA, the tararira (trahira) is the reservoir's main fishery resource. It is the fish of anglers casting surface and mid-water lures along vegetated edges, points and cove mouths. Black catfish (jundiá) and yellow catfish (mandi) are caught on the bottom with natural bait, and pejerrey (silverside) also shows up. The Brazo del Chileno Grande cove, next to the town, is a sport-fishing reserve closed to nets and a tararira breeding area. Fishing is from a boat or from the shore.
best season
From spring to early autumn, October to April, when the water warms and the tararira (trahira) becomes more active. In summer, fish early and late in the afternoon.
Local rules: In Uruguay, sport fishing requires no license unless DINARA specifies otherwise, and only handlines or rods, landing nets and harpoons may be used (Res. DINARA 333/2022, art. 26). The Brazo del Chileno Grande cove is a Sport Fishing Reserve Zone, with artisanal fishing banned (Res. DINARA 63/2024). The regulation sets 40 cm as the minimum landing size for tararira: release the smaller ones. Sport-caught fish may not be sold. Check local rules.
- getting there
- It sits in the south of the department, about 140 km from the city of Tacuarembó and about 390 km from Montevideo, in central Uruguay.
- facilities
- Varied hotel options and a large campground with prefab units, plus sand beaches and dunes along the lakeshore.
- country
- Tacuarembó, Uruguay
tip
For tararira, surface lures along vegetated edges, early and late in the day. Use long-nose pliers: the teeth cut the line and your hand.
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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
before you fish in Uruguay
In Uruguay sport fishing is open and requires no license, unless DINARA sets a prior permit for a certain zone, species, period or gear (Law 19.175, art. 44; Decree 115/018, art. 132). On the Uruguay River, the rules of the Administrative Commission of the Uruguay River (CARU) also apply.
- Golden dorado on the Uruguay River: CARU closed season from September 1 to December 31 each year, for commercial and sport fishing (CARU Res. 111/2023).
- Pacu, manguruyú, salmón de río (piracanjuba), tiger surubim (cachara) and armored catfish are prohibited from being fished: DINARA Res. 333/2022 (art. 29, 2nd paragraph) prohibits fishing for these species regardless of method, and on the Uruguay River CARU prohibits their capture in all fishing categories, including sport fishing (CARU Res. 8/98, as amended by CARU Res. 59/12). Release any specimen you hook.
- Fish from sport fishing may not be sold or leave the country (Decree 115/018, art. 133).
- Fishing is prohibited up to 1 km downstream of dams; at Salto Grande, sport fishing may be authorized, with release under the CARU regulation (Decree 115/018, art. 129).
- Between 1,000 m downstream of the Salto Grande dam and the port of Salto there is a Sport Fishing Reserve (Decree 179/018).
The rules and closed seasons in the rest of the app are Brazilian. Outside Brazil, the regulations of the country and province apply: confirm with the official agency.
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official MGAP/DINARA — Resolución 63/2024, Zona de Reserva para la Pesca Deportiva en San Gregorio de PolancoBrazo del Chileno Grande; artisanal fishing banned; tararira breeding area, the reservoir's main resource
- official MGAP/DINARA — Resolución 333/2022, Reglamento General de la Pesca ArtesanalArt. 12 (Zone I, Rincón del Bonete lake), art. 26 (sport fishing gear) and art. 29 (tararira: 40 cm total length for landing)
- official DINARA e FAO — Sitio piloto Rincón del Bonete, projeto de enfoque ecossistêmico da pesca (pescaresponsable.gub.uy, cópia de 2013 no Internet Archive)Tararira (trahira) and black catfish are the main resources; also yellow catfish, vieja del agua and pejerrey. San Gregorio is 390 km from Montevideo
- official Tacuarembó Turismo — San Gregorio de Polanco140 km from the departmental capital; beaches, camping, lodging and sport fishing