Pousada Piquiri

Poconé, MT · Pantanal Norte

Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Water: Freshwater

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Pousada Piquiri is a small, exclusive lodge on the banks of the Piquiri River, in the Northern Pantanal, marketed as an all-inclusive sport fishing and jaguar-watching experience. Access to the river is restricted to guests, which keeps fishing pressure low compared to busier stretches of the region — that's the lodge's main selling point, along with frequent jaguar sightings along the banks, which also attract photographers and documentary filmmakers.

What you fish for

Pintado (spotted catfish) — the most sought-after trophy, large catfish
Cachara (barred sorubim) — a catfish species distinct from pintado, although both are called surubim
Dourado (golden dorado) — most active at dawn and dusk, on beaches and channels
Jaú (jau catfish) — caught in deeper holes
Pacu (pacu, also called pacu-caranha) — baited with fruit or corn
Peacock bass (tucunaré) — a species introduced to the Piquiri basin since the 1980s, more associated with bays and corixos than the main channel

Best time to go: not the entire advertised window is open season

The falling water and dry season concentrate fish in the river channel and favor fishing — that part is true. But advertising 'June to November' as the fishing window is misleading: November already falls, in practice, within the closed season (in the border rivers of the Paraguay basin, the recent reference is a closed season from November 5 through the end of February; in inland rivers of Mato Grosso, the 2026/2027 closed season runs from October 1 to January 31). The safer window to plan a trip is May to September, with June and July possibly bringing cold fronts. It's worth confirming the exact rules for this stretch with the lodge, since fishing today is essentially catch-and-release, with small local consumption allowed under Mato Grosso state law.

Techniques and bait

The technique most associated with the Piquiri is drift fishing with live tuvira: the boat drifts down, controlled by the current, with the bait near the bottom, targeting channels, hole entrances, and depth changes — a method aimed at pintado, cachara, and, in deeper holes, jaú. For dourado, plugs and mid-water lures worked by trolling or casting on the beaches formed by the falling water tend to work best at dawn and dusk. For pacu, baiting the banks with fruit or corn is the cited practice. Bait is provided by the lodge and varies according to the time of year — guests don't need to bring their own bait, but it's worth confirming what will be available on the trip date.

Facilities and prices

The lodge has 6 air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms, capacity for up to 24 people, minimum of 2 per room. It operates on an all-inclusive basis: lodging, all meals, drinks (including beer and selected spirits), a 5.5m boat with a 30hp motor, a boat pilot, 30 liters of gasoline per day, and seasonal bait. The official website lists two clear packages: 2 nights + 1 day of fishing for R$2,800/person, and a day-visit rate (1 person) for R$2,000. It wasn't possible to confirm on the official website the prices for longer packages (4 to 6 days, between R$7,000 and R$13,000) cited in other sources — it's worth requesting a direct quote for longer stays.

Lodging in an air-conditioned room with private bathroom (min. 2 people)
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks
Non-alcoholic drinks, beers (Heineken, Original, Amstel), and spirits (Smirnoff, Campari, Velho Barreiro, caipirinhas)
5.5m boat with a 30hp motor, boat pilot, and 30 liters of gasoline per day
Seasonal bait

The trip to the lodge always happens in two legs: about 3 hours by road from Cuiabá to Porto Jofre (via Poconé and the Transpantaneira), followed by approximately 1 hour by boat along the river to the lodge — this leg is already included in the experience and organized by the lodge itself as a transfer. There is no direct road access to the lodge's door; arrivals necessarily require the river leg.

What you can catch

Pintado/Surubim
Dourado
Pacu-caranha
Jaú
Cachara

Location

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