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all techniques fishing technique

pay-to-fish lake

Fishing in a stocked farm pond with dough, feed and feeder floats: a technique school, a guaranteed fight, and house rules.

when to use it

For training, bringing family and beginners, testing gear and fighting big round fish (tambacu, tambaqui, pacu, pirarara, carp) close to home. Hot days do better; in the winter in the South and Southeast the fish eat little and the chum takes time to work.

where to look

  • water inlet and aerator
  • corners where the wind pushes the feed
  • tree and deck shade
  • fishing platforms and deep part of the lake

gear

Tilapia: rod 1.8 m, 6-14 lb, spinning reel 1000 to 2500, mono 0.20 to 0.25 mm and maruseigo hook no. 8 to 2. Round fish: rod 1.8 to 2.1 m, 15-30 lb, spinning reel 4000 to 5000 or baitcasting reel 200, mono 0.35 to 0.45 mm or braid 30 to 40 lb, mono leader 50 to 60 lb and chinu or iseama hook 2/0 to 5/0. Pirarara and catfish: 30 to 60 lb gear. Feeder float 20 to 30 g, rubber landing net, pliers and rod holder.

baits and lures

  • feed and cornmeal dough
  • pellet feed (in the feeder or EVA bait)
  • pellets and artificial fruit bait
  • minhoca
  • green corn
  • fruit (guava, grape)
  • piece of fish and liver (catfish and pirarara)
step by step

how to do it

  1. Read the house rules before rigging: many fish farms ban barbs, treble hooks, live bait and certain feeds, limit rods, and charge by the kilo of fish taken.
  2. Ask what feed is used in the tanks and what bait is working that day.
  3. In the feeder, use firm dough that breaks down slowly, with hooks hidden in it and 20 to 40 cm below the float for surface fish.
  4. On the bottom, use a light sliding sinker and dough or feed bait, with the line taut.
  5. Set when the float sinks for good or starts moving off. The first run of the tambacu is strong: drag set, never locked.
  6. Fight with the rod high and land the fish with a rubber landing net.
  7. To release, keep the fish in the water, remove the hook with pliers and let it go quickly.

common mistakes

  • Locked drag: breaks the line on the first run.
  • Too much chum: the fish fills up and stops eating the bait.
  • Taking a long photo with the fish in the sun.
  • Ignoring the house rules on barbs, treble hooks and bait.
  • Releasing into a river or reservoir a fish brought from a fish farm: it's a species introduction and can be an environmental crime.
which fish it's for

species

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 Tambacu
Serrasalmidae

Tambacu

Colossoma macropomum × Piaractus mesopotamicus

Hybrid of tambaqui and pacu, raised in fish farms. The star of pay lakes: strong, greedy and heavy. Never release it into a river.

Freshwaternon-native
time of yearbest: Oct–Apr
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
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 Redtail catfish
Pimelodidae

Redtail catfish

Phractocephalus hemioliopterus

A strong, unmistakable catfish with a red tail and yellow band. Heavy fighter, sought after in rivers and pay lakes.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Jul–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 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 African sharptooth catfish
Clariidae

African sharptooth catfish

Clarias gariepinus

Exotic, invasive African catfish. Breathes air, tolerates foul water and eats just about anything. Caught at pay lakes and in rivers where it escaped.

Freshwaternon-native
time of yearbest: Oct–Mar
Illustration of Bighead carp
Xenocyprididae

Bighead carp

Hypophthalmichthys nobilis

Bighead carp, with an enormous head, raised in fish farms and released into pay lakes. It filters plankton, exceeds 40 kg and rarely bites ordinary hook bait: the secret is the dough that breaks apart.

Freshwaternon-native
time of yearbest: Oct–Mar
Illustration of Blue tilapia
Cichlidae

Blue tilapia

Oreochromis aureus

Exotic tilapia with a bluish head during spawning, tolerant of cold. It is established in Mexico, Central America and Peru; in Brazil we found no records of free-living populations. Fish with light tackle and never release into a river or reservoir.

FreshwaterEstuary
time of yearbest: Oct–Mar

ready-made kits

kit · beginner

first fishing trip (cheap beginner kit)

kit · beginner

pay-to-fish lake

guides to practice

gear · 6 min

spinning reel: setting up, adjusting and caring for it

knots · 9 min

essential fishing knots

gear · 4 min

how to read a rod: action, power and line rating

conservation · 5 min

catch and release done right

sources and references

  1. technical Keep Fish Wet — boas práticas de captura, manuseio e soltura
  2. scientific Brownscombe, J.W.; Danylchuk, A.J.; Chapman, J.M.; Gutowsky, L.F.G.; Cooke, S.J. (2017). Best practices for catch-and-release recreational fisheries – angling tools and tactics. Fisheries Research 186: 693–705
  3. official Lei nº 9.605/1998 (crimes ambientais), art. 61 — disseminação de espécies que possam causar dano aos ecossistemas