Species › South & Central America › Surubí Catfish

Freshwater

Surubí Catfish

Pseudoplatystoma corruscans · surubí, pintado, spotted sorubim

Water temp
72–84°F
Peak season
Mar–Apr, Nov–Dec
Best light
Night
IGFA record
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Surubí Catfish (Pescadorpintado.jpg)

Photo: Pescador: Tomcather , Fotógrado: Klaus · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Surubí are long, flat-headed pimelodid catfish with a shovel-shaped snout, long barbels and a bold pattern of spots (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans, the pintado) or dark bars and reticulations (Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum, the cachara), native to the Paraná–Paraguay–Uruguay basins of Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia, with related species through the Amazon and Orinoco. They hold in deep channels, eddies and the tailouts of rapids, hunting fish at night and on rising water. The best fisheries are the middle Paraná in Argentina and the Paraguay River and Pantanal, where fish over 60 lb (27 kg) are caught each season and anglers combine them with golden dorado.

Typical size10–30 lb (4.5–14 kg); 30–45 in
Trophy60 lb+ (27 kg); 100 lb+ is exceptional
Table fareExcellent — firm, boneless white flesh; a prized food fish, but sport anglers release most big fish

Where & when

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Surubí feed best in warm water from spring to autumn (October–April in Argentina and Paraguay), with rising or falling flows after rains triggering the strongest action; Argentina closes the fishery for a spawning period in late spring.

Paraná River, Corrientes to Goya, ArgentinaMiddle Paraná deep channels; dorado-and-surubí capitalParaguay River and the Pantanal, BrazilVast wetland rivers with pintado and cacharaRío Bermejo, ArgentinaTurbid Chaco river with big pintado on bait

How to catch

Bottom fishing live bait in channelsAnchor at the head of a deep channel, eddy or river junction and fish a live baitfish or a big piece of cut bait on a 6/0–8/0 hook with a running sinker heavy enough to hold in the current. Fish from dusk into the night and let the fish load the rod fully before striking.
Deep-trolling and jiggingTroll large deep-diving plugs along channel edges and drop-offs, or drop heavy soft plastics and jigs vertically into the slot below rapids and eddies and work them slowly along the bottom. Surubí often take on the pause.

Gear

Rod7' heavy casting or boat rod rated 30–50 lb
ReelHeavy baitcaster or 30 lb-class conventional
Line50–80 lb braid; 80–100 lb mono leader

Lures

large deep-diving plugsheavy soft-plastic shads on jigheadsbig spoons

Baits

live baitfish (morenas, bogas, sábalo)cut fisheel (morena) sections

Regulations

Argentina's provinces each issue sport fishing licenses and set minimum sizes, slot limits and a spring closed season for surubí, with catch and release mandatory on parts of the Paraná; Brazil and Paraguay require national permits and the Pantanal has its own closed season (piracema). Rules differ by province and country.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: not listed. State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

What is the difference between a pintado and a cachara?

Both are surubí, but the pintado (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans) is covered in dark round spots on a grey body and grows largest, past 100 lb, while the cachara (Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum) has dark vertical bars and net-like markings and tops out smaller. They share the same rivers in the Paraná and Paraguay basins and are fished in exactly the same way.

Bite forecast — Surubí Catfish

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Surubí Catfish.

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