Where to fish in Paraguay: the twelve areas, river by river

Paraguay fishes on three rivers, each with its own character. The Paraguay river comes down from the Pantanal in the north and passes Asunción; it is the river of surubí holes and long houseboat expeditions. The Paraná enters from the east, passes the Itaipú and Yacyretá dams and joins the Paraguay at Paso de Patria: it is the dorado river. And the Tebicuary, smaller and white-sanded, is the classic of Paraguayan families.

On those three rivers the guide has 12 areas with 121 places verified one by one. Here are the twelve, north to south and east to west, with what you catch in each and who takes you out. Prices are on each listing, because they change; the river level is at today's river levels.

The Paraguay river, north to south

Bahía Negra and the Pantanal. The far north of the country, in the Paraguayan Pantanal, with caimans, jaguars and over a hundred fish species. You get there by light aircraft or by boat up the Paraguay river from Concepción, so fishing here is an expedition: 3 places, between lodges and a houseboat that reaches the Tres Gigantes Biological Station. You catch pacú, surubí catfish, golden dorado and piranha. In the Pantanal the pacú is fished on low water, July to October. Bahía Negra y Pantanal.

Vallemí and San Lázaro. At the confluence of the Paraguay and the Apa, with over fifty caves for the non-fishing day and river beaches. Emerging tourism: 8 places, between new guesthouses, guides and trips. You catch surubí catfish, golden dorado and pacú. Vallemí y San Lázaro.

Concepción. The river gateway to the north: big surubí in the deep holes of the Paraguay river, fishing on the Apa and the Tagatiyá, and the port the houseboats leave from towards the Pantanal. 11 places. You catch surubí catfish, golden dorado, pacú and pirá pytá. Concepción.

Asunción and Chaco'i. The country's logistics base, with day trips: boat and yacht rental, the Chaco'i boatmen's association across the bay, and the biggest cluster of tackle shops. You catch surubí catfish, patí catfish and tararira (wolf fish): the patí is the classic of night fishing off the capital. 20 places. Asunción y Chaco'i.

Villeta and Ypeka'e. Forty minutes from Asunción, cabins with their own pier and local guides who have fished all their lives. You catch surubí catfish, golden dorado and patí catfish. Villeta e Ypeka'e.

Pilar. Capital of Ñeembucú and home of the Holy Week International Fishing Tournament, the oldest in the country, which reached its 55th edition in 2026. It has its own guides' association and the hotels fill up every season: 19 places. You catch surubí catfish, golden dorado, pacú and boga. Pilar.

The Paraná, east to west

Ciudad del Este. The Alto Paraná at the triple border, with boat clubs and fishing on the Itaipú reservoir. 4 places. You catch golden dorado, surubí catfish, pacú and boga. Ciudad del Este.

Encarnación and San Cosme. The base city on the Yacyretá reservoir: waterfront, beaches and the fishing clubs that organise a good share of the country's tournaments (14 in the guide, six of them here). At San Cosme y Damián, the Yacyretá binational entity breeds boga, pacú, surubí, dorado and river salmon to restock the reservoir. 8 places. You catch golden dorado, surubí catfish, pacú and boga. Encarnación y San Cosme.

Ayolas and the Paraná Corridor. The heart of fishing in Paraguay: Ayolas and Coratei, on the Paraná below the dam. Around five hundred people make a living guiding anglers in these two towns, and around five thousand tourists arrive at Easter. Houseboats, lodges with decades of history and the Club de Pesca Yacyretá tournament, whose 24th edition runs on September 27, 2026. 24 places, the biggest area in the guide. You catch golden dorado, surubí catfish, pacú, boga and pirá pytá. Ayolas y Corredor Paraná.

Cerrito. On the Paraná facing Yahapé, in Argentina, 120 kilometres from Pilar: white sand beaches, islands and guesthouses with boats, a magnet for Brazilian anglers for decades. 10 places. You catch golden dorado, surubí catfish, pacú and boga. Cerrito.

Paso de Patria. Facing the confluence of the Paraná and the Paraguay, the most famous dorado water in the region, with guesthouses on the shore and guided boats. 7 places. You catch golden dorado, surubí catfish, pacú and boga. Paso de Patria.

The Tebicuary

Villa Florida. The traditional destination of Paraguayan families: white sand beaches, historic roadside inns and bungalows on the river. It is the only area in the guide with tararira, in the lagoons and marshes. 6 places. You catch golden dorado, surubí catfish, boga and tararira (wolf fish). Villa Florida.

How to choose

• If you are after dorado, the Paraná: Paso de Patria, Cerrito and Ayolas. Its best stretch, according to the guide, is March to May and August to October.
• If you are after big surubí, the deep holes of the Paraguay river in the north: Concepción, Vallemí and the Pantanal, best between June and September on low water.
• If you have one day, Asunción, Villeta or Villa Florida: out in the morning, back home to sleep.
• If you want to sleep on board, a houseboat: they leave Concepción heading north, or run Asunción to Concepción.
• If you are coming from Brazil, Cerrito, Ayolas and Encarnación are the areas where Portuguese is most spoken.

The annual closed season applies everywhere: it starts in the first days of November, until December 20 on waters shared with Argentina and until January 31 of the following year on waters shared with Brazil. The month-by-month picture, with the closure marked, is at the month-by-month calendar; the licence, sizes and closed season in detail, at licence, closed season and sizes.

Frequently asked questions