Fishing in Paraguay in January

In January the closed season is still on in some rivers and over in others. What you catch, where, and until what date on each river.

Closed season depending on the river
Closed season depending on the river. This month the closed season is still on in part of the country and over in another part, depending on which country the water is shared with. Check the exact date before you travel.

In season this month, but the closed season is on

On the days the closed season is on, these species are not fished, however good their season. Check when it ends on the river you are going to.

🐟 Golden dorado

Season: Year round outside the closed season; best from March to May and from August to October

Why it appears: «Year round outside the closed season; best from March to May and from August to October»

🐋 Surubí catfish

Season: Year round (outside the closed season); from June to September it holds in the deep pools

Why it appears: «Year round (outside the closed season); from June to September it holds in the deep pools»

🥭 Pacú

Season: Outside the closed season: on the Paraná, summer (December to March); in the Pantanal and on the upper Paraguay, low water from July to October

Why it appears: «Outside the closed season: on the Paraná, summer (December to March); in the Pantanal and on the upper Paraguay, low water from July to October»

🔥 Pirá pytá

Season: Spring and summer, outside the closed season; best in summer

Why it appears: «Spring and summer, outside the closed season; best in summer»

🥖 Boga

Season: Year round (outside the closed season)

Why it appears: «Year round (outside the closed season)»

⚡ Tararira (wolf fish)

Season: September to April outside the closed season, in lagoons and marshes

Why it appears: «September to April outside the closed season, in lagoons and marshes»

🌙 Patí catfish

Season: Year round (outside the closed season)

Why it appears: «Year round (outside the closed season)»

🦷 Piranha

Season: Year round (outside the closed season)

Why it appears: «Year round (outside the closed season)»

Where to go this month

The areas where at least one of the in-season species is fished (12 in all).

Ayolas and the Paraná CorridorPilarPaso de PatriaCerritoCiudad del EsteEncarnación and San CosmeVilla FloridaConcepciónBahía Negra and the PantanalVilleta and Ypeka'eAsunción and Chaco'iVallemí and San Lázaro

What the guide says about the closed season

🚫 Annual closed season
Every year MADES sets by resolution a closed season for sport and commercial fishing during spawning; the only exemption is subsistence fishing by riverside fishermen holding a commercial licence, from the bank and without a boat. The 2026/27 one is Res. MADES 511/2026, of October 22, 2026: it starts at 00:00 on November 2, 2026 across the country. In waters shared with Argentina: until December 21 (50 days; in 2024/25 and 2025/26 it was until the 20th, in 2023/24 until the 15th). Inland rivers, streams and lagoons follow that same date. In waters shared with Brazil (the Paraguay River from the Río Negro to the Apa, the Apa River and the Paraná from Saltos del Guairá to the Yguazú): until January 31 (2027, the same date as in the last five closed seasons). During the closed season it is also banned to sell or move live bait, and to take or sell tareyí (tararira, wolf fish) and mbusu (swamp eel). Fishing during the closed season: fine of 1 to 20,000 minimum daily wages depending on severity (Decree 1837/2019), today up to Gs. 2,342 million.

Licence, closed season and sizes in detail →

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Pira Experience, the sport fishing guide to Paraguay.
Each species’ months are derived from its season exactly as loaded in the guide, and quoted verbatim. A species naming neither month nor season appears in no month.