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all techniques fishing technique

caniço (cane pole)

Rod without a reel, with the line tied to the tip: the simplest and most sensitive way to fish small and medium fish near the bank.

when to use it

Fish close to the bank, on bank edges, piers, açudes and calm river: lambari, piau, tilapia, acará, mandi, trahira on the float, mullet and parati at the pier. Great for kids and for catching live bait. Big fish or fish far from the bank call for a rod with a reel.

where to look

  • shaded bank edge
  • pier and landing
  • river eddy
  • reservoir and lagoon
  • stream mouth

gear

Bamboo, fiberglass or telescopic rod 2.5 to 5 m; mono 0.18 to 0.30 mm about the length of the rod or a bit less; fine bobber; split shot; hook no. 18 to 12 for lambari, no. 8 to 1 for piau, tilapia and acará, and 1/0 to 2/0 for trahira.

baits and lures

  • minhoca
  • flour dough and cornmeal
  • bread crumb
  • green corn
  • insect larva
  • chopped shrimp (estuary)
  • live lambari (trahira)
step by step

how to do it

  1. Tie the line to the tip with a firm loop and leave the line the length of the rod or a bit shorter, to bring the fish to hand.
  2. Adjust the float so the bait sits near the bottom or mid-water where the school is, with split shot so the float stands upright, showing only the tip.
  3. Chum little and always in the same place (broken corn, dough), where local rules allow chum.
  4. Cast with a pendulum motion, without whipping the line.
  5. Set with a short wrist flick when the float sinks; lambari and piau need a quick hookset.
  6. With a bigger fish, keep the rod high and let the rod's bend tire the fish before bringing it to hand or to the net.

common mistakes

  • Line longer than the rod: you can't control it.
  • Thick float: the fish feels it and lets go.
  • Big hook for a small-mouthed fish.
  • Chumming where it's banned (Goiás bans chum, for example).
  • Using an ornamental species as bait, which is banned nationwide.
which fish it's for

species

Illustration of Lake tetra
Characidae

Lake tetra

Astyanax lacustris

The bamboo-pole fish. Many people's first fish, universal live bait and fried riverbank snack.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Oct–Mar
Illustration of Threespot leporinus
Anostomidae

Threespot leporinus

Leporinus friderici

Small, scrappy piau, found in nearly every river in Brazil. A fish for bank fishing, chum and bamboo rods.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Mar–Apr and Oct
Illustration of Piapara
Anostomidae

Piapara

Megaleporinus obtusidens

The queen of chum fishing on the Grande and Paranaíba rivers. Nibbles delicately, demands a quick hookset and fights hard for its size.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Mar–Apr and Oct
Illustration of Piavuçu
Anostomidae

Piavuçu

Megaleporinus macrocephalus

The largest of the piaus. Native to the Pantanal, now common in upper Paraná reservoirs. Caught on chum with corn and dough bait.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Mar–Apr and Oct
Illustration of Streaked prochilod
Prochilodontidae

Streaked prochilod

Prochilodus lineatus

The fish of the piracema. Forms huge schools, leaps up waterfalls and feeds golden dorado and pintado. Hard to hook.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Oct–Nov
Illustration of Nile tilapia
Cichlidae

Nile tilapia

Oreochromis niloticus

Exotic African fish, found in almost every small farm pond and reservoir in Brazil. Easy, fun fishing on light tackle. Never release it into a river or lake.

Freshwaternon-native
time of yearbest: Oct–Apr
Illustration of Oscar
Cichlidae

Oscar

Astronotus ocellatus

Robust cichlid from Amazon lakes, with an eyespot on the tail and orange blotches. Famous in the aquarium hobby as the oscar.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Jul–Nov
Illustration of Trahira
Erythrinidae

Trahira

Hoplias malabaricus

The predator of lagoons and small farm ponds, found in almost all of Brazil. Explosive strike at the surface frog among the water hyacinth.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Oct–Mar
Illustration of South American catfish
Heptapteridae

South American catfish

Rhamdia quelen

The leather catfish of the rivers of the South and Southeast. Nocturnal, tolerates cold water and bites well on worms on the bottom.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Oct–Mar
Illustration of Mandi-amarelo
Pimelodidae

Mandi-amarelo

Pimelodus maculatus

The yellow, spotted catfish of the Paraná, Pantanal and São Francisco cutbanks. Easy to catch, but its sting hurts.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Mar and Oct–Nov
Illustration of Granulated catfish
Doradidae

Granulated catfish

Pterodoras granulosus

Plated, spiny catfish, very common in the Paraná and the Pantanal. Heavy, stubborn on the bottom and dangerous to handle.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Mar
Illustration of Red-bellied piranha
Serrasalmidae

Red-bellied piranha

Pygocentrus nattereri

The red-bellied piranha of the Pantanal. Travels in schools, bites everything and cuts line. Guaranteed fun and a famous broth.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Aug–Oct
Illustration of Black piranha
Serrasalmidae

Black piranha

Serrasalmus rhombeus

The largest piranha in the Amazon, with red eyes and a very powerful bite. It steals bait, cuts line and fights hard for its size.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Jun–Nov
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 Matrinxã
Bryconidae

Matrinxã

Brycon amazonicus

Silvery, nervous fish of fast rivers, jumps a lot and eats everything: fruit, insects and small fish.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Jul–Oct
Illustration of Common carp
Cyprinidae

Common carp

Cyprinus carpio

Exotic Eurasian fish, common in reservoirs, small farm ponds and fishing lakes in the South and Southeast. Fights hard and requires patience. Don't release it into a river.

Freshwaternon-native
time of yearbest: Oct–Mar
Illustration of Lebranche mullet
Mugilidae

Lebranche mullet

Mugil liza

A traditional fish in the South and Southeast. The run from May to July, with the cold, brings beach activity, purse seining and beach seining.

EstuarySea
time of yearbest: May–Jul
Illustration of White mullet
Mugilidae

White mullet

Mugil curema

The small mullet of the estuaries. Fun on light tackle and one of the best live baits for snook and weakfish.

EstuarySea
time of yearbest: Nov–May

ready-made kits

kit · beginner

first fishing trip (cheap beginner kit)

guides to practice

knots · 9 min

essential fishing knots

conservation · 5 min

catch and release done right

technical · 5 min

how to read the river

sources and references

  1. official Portaria SAP/MAPA nº 616/2022 — normas gerais da pesca amadoraGear allowed to amateurs (arts. 4 and 5), bait (art. 11) and transport (arts. 6, 12 and 13), per the app's regras.json.
  2. official IN Semad-GO nº 17/2026 — pesca em GoiásBans chum in Goiás, per the app's regras.json.
  3. technical Schultz, K. Ken Schultz's Fishing Encyclopedia: Worldwide Angling Guide. IDG Books