Leporinus friderici
Small, scrappy piau, found in nearly every river in Brazil. A fish for bank fishing, chum and bamboo rods.
Also called: piau-três-pintas, piau, aracu, piau-de-três-pintas
The best-known piau for bank anglers. It lives in schools in rivers, streams and reservoirs, near the bottom and vegetation. It eats grains, seeds, fruit, leaves and small invertebrates. It nibbles like the piapara and needs a quick hookset. It rarely exceeds 1 kg but pulls well on light tackle. It is also widely used as live bait for pintado and golden dorado where permitted. It produces all year. Respect the 25 cm minimum, which applies in MS, MT and the Paraná basin.
Elongated body, yellowish to silver, olive back. Three round, well-marked black spots in the middle of the flank: below the dorsal fin, near the adipose fin and at the base of the tail. Faint vertical bands on some fish. The piapara is larger, more silvery and has fainter spots. The piavuçu has a large head and greenish body.
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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.
Rivers, streams and reservoirs of the Pantanal, the upper Paraná and the São Francisco, plus the Amazon and Tocantins-Araguaia.
Habitat: Backwaters, banks, stream mouths, rocks and submerged vegetation; sand and gravel bottom.
native to the basins
states
Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Paraná, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins
Good all year outside strong cold; best from late summer through autumn and in spring.
Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Active by day, with peaks early and late in the afternoon.
Strong cold leaves the school still.
A cold front stops the bites for a day or two.
Little effect.
Water starting to cloud after light rain can activate the fish.
Stable or falling river.
Bank fishing in silence produces more.
Little effect.
Shallow bottom, 0.5 to 3 m.
natural baits
accessories
Chum with broken corn and use a small hook. Set the hook fast at the touch.
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Federal minimum size for piau-três-pintas in the Paraná basin. In MG, IEF Portaria 111/2003 also sets 25 cm.
Source: Instrução Normativa Ibama nº 26/2009 (fishing rules for the Paraná River basin), Annex
Minimum size for piau-três-pintas in MS.
Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.375/2020 (amends Decreto nº 15.166/2019), art. 9º - Semadesc/Imasul
Minimum size for piaus (Leporinus spp.) in the Paraguay basin in MT.
Source: Lei estadual MT nº 9.096/2009, art. 28 and Annex I (Paraguay Basin) - Sema-MT
Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019, art. 9º (as amended by Decreto nº 15.375/2020)
Source: IN IBAMA nº 26/2009, Annex (Paraná River basin; stricter state rules prevail)
Source: Portaria IAT nº 650/2025, Annex I (interior basins of PR, except Iguazu and coastal)
Source: IN Semad-GO nº 17/2026, Annex I, Araguaia-Tocantins basin (on-site consumption only; zero transport)
Source: IN Semad-GO nº 17/2026, Annex I, Paranaíba basin (on-site consumption only; zero transport)
Allowed: Recreational fishing only for non-native species and hybrids (peacock bass, tilapia, black bass, carp, croaker, etc.; piauçu remains prohibited), with handline, simple pole, or rod with spinning or baitcasting reel, up to 10 kg + 1 fish. In rivers, from shore only; in reservoirs, from a boat or from shore. Prohibited: floodplain lakes, aquatic-animal bait, within 1,500 m of dams and waterfalls, and within 500 m of confluences. Tournaments only in reservoirs and only with non-native species.
Source: IN IBAMA nº 25/2009
Allowed: Only exotic or hybrid species, 3 kg + 1 fish per day, with handline, rod, simple pole, or spinning or baitcasting reel. Nets prohibited. Keep the minimum distances from dams and reservoirs.
Source: Portarias IEF nº 154/2011 (São Francisco), 155/2011 (East) and 156/2011 (Grande/Paranaíba)
Allowed: Sport and guided fishing only in reservoirs, catch and release with barbless hooks (no keeping, transporting or eating). Subsistence: up to 5 kg per day, for household consumption only.
Allowed: Subsistence fishing by riverside residents and authorized scientific fishing. Decree 15.166/2019 (art. 11, §5) allows catch and release only in February and only in the channels of the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. For the rest of the period, not even catch and release is allowed. Check the Imasul portaria for each season.
Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019, art. 11; IN IBAMA nº 201/2008
Allowed: All fishing modalities are prohibited in rivers, including catch and release (Law 9.096/2009, art. 19-A). Exceptions: subsistence fishing from shore (3 kg or 1 fish, no transport or sale) and scientific fishing. Law 13.159/2025 now allows licensed sport fishing in UHE/PCH hydropower reservoirs, natural lakes and border rivers, subject to a scientific study and a license from the environmental agency. We have not confirmed whether these licenses are already being issued.
Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with handline, rod, or spinning or baitcasting reel. Fish may only be eaten on site, not transported. Competitions prohibited. Subsistence: 3 kg + 1 fish. State rules (GO and TO) may be stricter.
Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with on-site consumption. Subsistence: 5 kg + 1 fish. State rules may be stricter.
Allowed: In 2025/26: catch and release with barbless hooks and recreational fishing card; subsistence fishing on foot or from a rowboat, with simple pole or handline.
Source: Portaria Naturatins nº 244/2025 (2025/26 season); INIs MPA/MMA nº 12 and 13/2011
Allowed: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore with handline, rod, spinning or baitcasting reel, up to 5 kg + 1 fish. Prohibited within 1,000 m of dams, waterfalls and rapids, and within 500 m of confluences. Floodplain lakes have a longer closed season (see next item).
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 50/2007
Allowed: No fishing in the floodplain lakes during the period.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 50/2007
Allowed: The same recreational-angler exceptions as in Portaria 48/2007 apply (handline or rod, 5 kg + 1 fish), unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: Recreational anglers with handline or rod, line and hook are outside the Annex II prohibitions, with a bag limit of 5 kg + 1 fish, unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: Subsistence fishing only.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: See the exceptions in Portaria 48/2007 and the state rules for each bank.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Small, tough fish; remove the hook in the water and release it.
Fried whole or in steaks, with fine cuts for the bones.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01175, b = 3.06; FishBase). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
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