Species › South & Central America › Payara (Vampire Fish)

Freshwater

Payara (Vampire Fish)

Hydrolycus armatus · vampire fish, sabre-toothed tetra, dog-tooth characin

Water temp
75–86°F
Peak season
Nov–Mar
Best light
Dawn · Dusk
IGFA record
39 lb 4 oz (17.8 kg)
Payara (Vampire Fish) (Hydrolycus armatus.jpg)

Photo: Secundus Zephyrus · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Payara are tall-bodied, silver characins with an upturned mouth, a mane-like extended dorsal lobe and a pair of 4–6 in (10–15 cm) fangs on the lower jaw that give them the vampire-fish name. Several Hydrolycus species occur across the Amazon and Orinoco basins of Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Guyana and Bolivia, favoring fast, turbulent water below rapids, river confluences and the tailraces of dams, where they ambush schools of small fish. They strike hard, fight with powerful runs and repeated jumps, and throw hooks constantly, which makes a 25 lb (11 kg) payara a serious trophy for traveling anglers.

Typical size5–15 lb (2.3–7 kg); 20–30 in
Trophy25 lb+ (11 kg); 35 lb+ is exceptional
Table farePoor — bony; catch and release on all sport fisheries

Where & when

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Low, clear water in the dry season (roughly December–April in Venezuela and Colombia; later in the southern Amazon) concentrates payara below rapids; the rainy-season floods scatter them and make rivers unfishable.

Uraima Falls, Paragua River, VenezuelaLegendary whitewater payara fishery and record waterBita River, ColombiaProtected Orinoco tributary with big payaraRio Travessão (Xingu basin), BrazilRemote Amazon rapids with payara and wolf fish

How to catch

Swinging lures through rapidsCast large sinking minnows, heavy spoons and jerkbaits into the fast water at the base of rapids and across eddy lines, retrieving at a fast, steady pace so the lure swings through the current. Strikes are savage; keep the rod low during the jumps and re-sharpen hooks often.
Live or cut bait on the drop-offFish a live or whole dead baitfish on a 5/0–7/0 hook with a wire or heavy mono bite leader in the deep slot below a rapid, letting it drift and hold in the current. Payara take the bait sideways in their fangs, so give them a moment to turn before striking hard.

Gear

Rod7' medium-heavy to heavy spin or baitcast, fast action
Reel4000–6000 spinning or heavy baitcaster
Line40–65 lb braid; 60–80 lb fluorocarbon or light wire bite leader

Lures

large sinking minnows and jerkbaitsheavy spoonsbig soft-plastic swimbaits

Baits

live baitfish (sardinas)whole dead fishfish strips

Regulations

Payara fishing is almost entirely catch and release through licensed lodges and outfitters; Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil require national or state fishing permits and the Bita River and Brazilian reserves have additional protected-area rules. Confirm permit requirements with the operator.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 39 lb 4 oz (17.8 kg) — Uraima Falls, Venezuela, 1996 (Bill Keeley). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

Why are payara called vampire fish?

Because of the two long lower fangs that extend several inches beyond the upper jaw and fit into special holes in the roof of the skull. The teeth are used to impale and hold prey, not to drink blood. Despite the look, payara are harmless to people and are a fast, jumping game fish prized on light tackle in the rapids of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.

Bite forecast — Payara (Vampire Fish)

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Payara (Vampire Fish).

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