how to read the river
Where fish are in each type of water, from rapids and swirls to bay mouths and corixo channels, and how river level changes everything.
the principle: food, shelter and little effort
Fish stay where they spend little energy and food reaches them. Look for edges: fast water beside still water, shallow beside deep, light beside dark, sun beside shade. Most strikes happen along those seams.
tips
- River fish almost always face the current, waiting for food to drift down.
- On a river bend, the outside is deep with a steep bank; the inside is shallow and forms a beach.
rapids, swirl and eddy
Three types of water that appear together on almost every stretch with current.
tips
- Rapids: shallow, fast water over rock, well oxygenated. Golden dorado and piraputanga hunt at the head, where the water speeds up, at the tail, where it loses force, and behind the rocks. Cast upstream or across and let the lure drift down, working it.
- Swirl: water that spins and bubbles behind a rock, point or bend. The predator waits at the edge between the current and the spin, ready for what passes. Run the lure along that seam, not through the middle of the whirl.
- Eddy: calm, slow water, usually behind points and on the inside of bends. A resting area for bottom fish. Fish the edge where the current meets it.
- A strong swirl pulls boats and people. Don't anchor inside it.
pool, steep bank and submerged timber
Structures that hold fish all year, especially in the dry season and in the cold.
tips
- Pool: the deepest stretch of the riverbed. Large catfish (surubim, jaú) rest there by day. In the dry season and the cold, almost everything concentrates in the pools. Fish with natural bait on the bottom or with a jig.
- Steep bank: a high bank cut by the current, with deep water alongside. A steep bank dropping straight into deep water with logs or roots is a classic spot for pacu, surubim and cachara.
- Submerged timber: sunken trees and branches. Shelter for peacock bass, trahira, trairão and bait. Use a weedless lure, stronger line and a firm drag: a hooked fish runs into the cover.
mouths, beaches, foam lines and confluences
Passage points and food-collecting spots. Their value changes as the river rises or falls.
tips
- Bay and corixo mouths: in the Pantanal, a bay is the lagoon linked to the river and corixo is the channel that connects them. On the falling water, water leaves the bays carrying food and the predator waits at the mouth. On the rising water, the flow reverses and fish move in.
- Beach: a sandbank that appears on the falling water and in the dry season. Peacock bass patrol beaches in the early morning; at night, catfish move up to hunt in the shallows.
- Foam line: where two currents meet, foam and insects collect. Food and fish are under it.
- Confluence: at the mouth of a tributary or where waters of different color or temperature meet, the dividing line concentrates food. Fish along that dividing line.
river level calls the shots
The same river becomes a different one in each phase of the water. Knowing whether it's rising, steady or falling is worth more than knowing the month.
tips
- Rising water (river rising): fish follow the new water into freshly flooded areas and spread out. It coincides with the spawning closure (piracema) for migratory species: respect the closed season.
- High water: fish spread through flooded brush (igapó, campo). Fishing is harder; look for mouths, channels and the edges of the flooded area.
- Falling water (river falling): water drains out of the brush and bays, and fish go with it. Corixo and bay mouths and points become hot spots. For many species, it's the best phase.
- Dry season: low river, fish concentrated in channels, pools and lagoons. Easy to find, but wary and pressured. Arrive quietly.
- In the Pantanal, at the start of high water, decomposing flooded vegetation can drop the water's oxygen (decoada), driving fish away and even killing them. Move to another area.
- Sudden, short rises (repiquetes) often shut down fishing for a few days.
approaching a new stretch
Read the water before casting. Five minutes watching the water saves an hour of fishing in the wrong spot.
- Watch the current, water color, foam, shadows, points and logs.
- Identify the current seams and structures.
- Approach from downstream and quietly, by paddle or electric motor.
- Start on the edges and in the shallows; then move to deeper water.
- Vary the depth and speed of the lure before moving to another spot.
- Mark where you caught fish on the GPS and note the river level.
common mistakes
- Driving the outboard right up onto the spot.
- Fishing only the middle of the river and ignoring the edges.
checklist
Check off what's ready. Saved on this device.
sources and references
- scientific Junk, W. J.; Bayley, P. B.; Sparks, R. E. (1989). The flood pulse concept in river-floodplain systems. In: Dodge, D. P. (ed.). Proceedings of the International Large River Symposium. Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 106: 110–127.Article without a DOI; the URL is the bibliographic record in the EPA's HERO database (USA).
- scientific Welcomme, R. L. (1985). River fisheries. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 262. FAO, Roma.
- scientific Junk, W. J.; Cunha, C. N. da; Wantzen, K. M.; Petermann, P.; Strüssmann, C.; Marques, M. I.; Adis, J. (2006). Biodiversity and its conservation in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Aquatic Sciences 68(3): 278–309.
- scientific Hamilton, S. K.; Sippel, S. J.; Calheiros, D. F.; Melack, J. M. (1997). An anoxic event and other biogeochemical effects of the Pantanal wetland on the Paraguay River. Limnology and Oceanography 42(2): 257–272.Oxygen shortage at the start of high water, the 'decoada'.
keep reading
trolling (rodada) and steep-bank fishing in the pantanal
How to rig your gear, choose bait, feel the bottom, decide between anchoring and trolling, the best times, and respect for fishing guides and riverside communities.
weather and moonhow weather affects fish
Pressure, cold fronts, friagem (cold spells), wind, rain and water temperature: what changes in fish behavior, and how to read the app's index, confidence and forecast horizon.
technicalhow to work artificial lures
Zara, prop bait, popper, jerkbait, shad, jig, spoon and spinnerbait: the right movement for each and how to adjust the rhythm to water temperature and fish activity.