Skip to content
EN
PT PortuguêsES EspañolEN English
all techniques fishing technique

tapping

Tapping the rod tip on the water under the tree to mimic falling fruit and attract pacu, pirapitinga and piraputanga to the bait.

when to use it

Flood, high water and the start of the falling water, when fruit drops at the edge of the flooded forest, the bank and the igapó. It's daytime fishing, with the boat tied up and quiet. In the dry season, with water far from the forest, it loses strength. The app lists tambaqui as Vulnerable on the national list: check the rule before aiming the tapping at it.

where to look

  • flooded forest and igapó
  • bank with fruit tree
  • edge of corixo with hanging vegetation
  • shaded eddy

gear

Traditional: long rod 3.5 to 4.5 m (bamboo or telescopic), short mono line 0.50 to 0.60 mm tied at the tip, no reel. With line reserve: rod 2.1 to 3.0 m, moderate action and firm tip, 20-40 lb, with spinning reel 4000 to 5000 or round baitcasting reel. Short mono leader 60 to 80 lb, 30 to 50 cm. Short forged hook 1/0 to 4/0 (chinu, maruseigo). No sinker, or 10 g at most.

baits and lures

  • laranjinha-de-pacu, tucum, ingá and other local fruits
  • river crab
  • green corn
  • EVA or rubber fruit bait
  • firm dough
step by step

how to do it

  1. Bring the boat up to the vegetation, under the tree that is fruiting, with the motor off.
  2. Bait with the same fruit falling there, or a crab, leaving the hook point free.
  3. Tap the rod tip on the water two to four times, sharply, next to the bait, and stop.
  4. Let the bait sink slowly, with no sinker, on controlled line.
  5. The pacu's bite is strong. Wait for it to settle and set hard: its mouth is tough and the hook has little room.
  6. Get the fish out of the timber in the first few meters, with the rod high and firm drag.
  7. Move to another tree every 10 to 15 minutes without a bite.

common mistakes

  • Tapping nonstop: scares off more than it attracts.
  • Noise from the boat and loud talking.
  • Setting on the first light touch.
  • Fine hook that bends on the bite.
  • Don't confuse it with lambada (also called rela, and batida in some places), which hooks the fish by the body with treble hooks in jerks and is banned in the Paraná basin, in Mato Grosso do Sul (MS) and in Paraná (PR).
which fish it's for

species

Illustration of Pacu
Serrasalmidae

Pacu

Piaractus mesopotamicus

The fruit eater of the Pantanal. Caught by batida (tapping the water with the rod), under the trees, or with crab. Pulls hard and dives into submerged timber.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Mar–Apr and Oct–Nov
Illustration of Red-bellied pacu
Serrasalmidae

Red-bellied pacu

Piaractus brachypomus

Amazonian relative of the pacu, strong and wary. On the Araguaia it is the famous caranha, fished with fruit under the trees.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Jun–Oct
Illustration of Piraputanga
Bryconidae

Piraputanga

Brycon hilarii

The fish of the crystal-clear waters of Bonito and the upper Paraguay. Fast, wary and excellent on a fruit-fly pattern.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: May and Aug–Oct
Illustration of Black pacu
SerrasalmidaeVU

Black pacu

Colossoma macropomum

A major eater of Amazonian fruits and seeds and a mainstay of national fish farming. Since 2026 it is listed as Vulnerable on the national list.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Apr–May

ready-made kits

kit · beginner

tap-fishing for pacu

guides to practice

technical · 5 min

how to read the river

technical · 5 min

trolling (rodada) and steep-bank fishing in the pantanal

conservation · 5 min

catch and release done right

sources and references

  1. scientific Goulding, M. (1980). The Fishes and the Forest: Explorations in Amazonian Natural History. University of California PressFrugivory of tambaqui, pirapitinga and other fish in the flooded forest.
  2. scientific Britski, H.A.; Silimon, K.Z.S.; Lopes, B.S. (2007). Peixes do Pantanal: manual de identificação. 2ª ed. Embrapa Informação Tecnológica
  3. official Instrução Normativa IBAMA nº 26/2009 — pesca na bacia do rio ParanáProhibits hooking fish by the body with jerks; in underwater fishing, the crossbow only for exotic and non-native species.
  4. official Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019 — pesca amadora em Mato Grosso do SulBanned gear, snagging fish by the body, and underwater fishing restricted to exotic species, per the app's regras.json.