Species › South & Central America › Arapaima

Freshwater

Arapaima

Arapaima gigas · Pirarucu, Paiche, Arapaima gigas

Water temp
79–90°F
Peak season
Jul–Oct
Best light
Daytime
IGFA record
339 lb 8 oz (154 kg)
Arapaima (Arapaima gigas 5147.jpg)

Photo: T.Voekler · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Arapaima are torpedo-shaped, armor-scaled fish with a flattened head and a tail edged in red, reaching 7 ft (2 m) or more. They must surface to breathe every 10–20 minutes, which tells anglers exactly where they are. Native to the Amazon and Essequibo basins of Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Guyana, they live in slow oxbow lakes, flooded forest and backwaters, ambushing fish and even birds at the surface with a powerful suction strike. Stocked ponds in Thailand and Malaysia now offer the most accessible arapaima fishing. Anglers target them for the sheer size and the sight of a 200 lb (90 kg) fish clearing the water.

Typical size40–120 lb (18–55 kg); 4–6 ft
Trophy200 lb+ (90 kg+); 300 lb+ in the wild Amazon
Table fareMostly catch & release — commercially important food fish, but sport-fish populations are protected

Where & when

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In the Amazon the dry, low-water season (roughly July–November) concentrates fish in lakes and channels; Southeast Asian stocked lakes fish year-round.

Rewa River (Rupununi), GuyanaCatch-and-release wild arapaima in oxbow lakesMamirauá Reserve (Rio Solimões), BrazilProtected flooded forest; managed sport fishingRio Negro, BrazilBlackwater lagoons on the lower river

How to catch

Live or dead bait near surfacing fishWatch for a fish rolling to breathe, then drop a live baitfish or fresh fish chunk on a circle hook within casting range and let it sit under a float or free-lined. Set the hook with steady pressure, not a slash, to avoid the bony mouth.
Big soft plastics and swimbaitsCast large paddletails or glide baits across lagoon edges and flooded timber with a slow, steady retrieve. Strikes come as a surface boil; hold on, because the first run and jump are savage.

Gear

Rod7–8' extra-heavy spinning or casting
Reel8000–14000 spinning or 400-size casting
Line65–100 lb braid; 100–150 lb mono or fluoro leader

Lures

Large paddletail swimbaitGlide baitBig topwater popper

Baits

Live baitfishFish chunksWhole dead fish

Regulations

Wild arapaima are protected or heavily managed in Brazil and Peru, with sport fishing allowed only in community-managed reserves on a catch-and-release basis; Guyana's Rupununi fishery is catch-and-release. Stocked ponds in Asia set their own rules.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 339 lb 8 oz (154 kg) — Rio Solimões area, Amazonas, Brazil, 2010 (Jakub Vágner). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

How big do arapaima get?

Arapaima commonly reach 6–7 ft (1.8–2.1 m) and 200 lb (90 kg) in the wild, with historical reports of fish over 400 lb. Most fish anglers catch today run 50–150 lb, since the giants were fished down before protections arrived. They grow fast, adding several pounds a year in warm water.

Bite forecast — Arapaima

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Arapaima.

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