BARGADA, WHEAP CATFISH... WHAT FISH IS THIS?

Rubinho Almeida Prado

Cutting Brazil from south to north, the Araguaia River is one of the most famous rivers to those  game fishermen that love variety, abundance and a good fight on the other side of the line.  Its beauty has been attracting sportsmen from all States, not to say  the pilgrimage of thousands of tourists that in the month of July look for beaches to set up camps with the comfort of a good hotel. In this period of vacations, the climate is really nice and the beaches remind a lot those filled up with people along the coast, where it is practically impossible to find some space to open an umbrella.  If in this period of the year, in some areas, fishing is jeopardized by  the tumult of motorboats and jets-ski that circulate everywhere, in other months Rio Araguaia is still a paradise and it challenges the most experienced fishermen from all over the world. 

For those that appreciate the emotion of a rude fishing, the obligatory stops are the margins of deeper ravines. In these places the great pirararas swim as queens and even the fisherman using heavy equipment, with a 90mm line, will feel the bravery and the force of this fish that it is one of the largest catfishes of the Brazilian waters. Its strong colors, tones of brownish in back, marks tending to caramel and red fins make this fish, typical of the Amazon basin, one of the most beautiful of all the species. Its name, pirarara, in the language of the Indians means " fish with spots”. It fights strongly and the fisherman should be prepared to lose some strikes because the pirarara has the habit of looking for logs submerged  and other protections in order to escape of the fishhook and to win its freedom again.    

In the marginal lakes, the game is due to the peacock bass – this fish is very aggressive when attacking the artificial baits. In the area there can be found two species of peacock bass,  the commonly called “yellow” and  the blue once; they rarely surpass 6 kilos. If on one side the average weight of the peacock bass is not very expressive, from 1 to 3 kg, the quantity is the strong point, not being rare counts from 30 to 50 fish per day for each boat.   

But if the fisherman gets curious and wants to have a different experience, it is worthwhile your stop the boat in a shallow beach, preferably with gravel bottom. The surprise may happen at any moment. A first touch in the line, a firm bite soon after, usually preceding to a big race and there will be the fisherman with a “bargada” in the other tip of the line. It is also known as surubim chicote (whip surubim) or peixe lenha (log fish), this fish, of the family of the catfish, resembles a gigantic jurupensem (another type of Brazilian catfish). Its body is very long and can surpass the 1,5m of length. Its force impresses and the line really sings when the fish starts to run.   

In the dawn, the bargada seeks the shallow waters of the beaches in search of small fish. The hunt is voracious and it is not rare to notice its movements in the surface of the water. In this atmosphere, the water instinct of the fish is sharpened and it has a good perception of what is happening around. Attention and silence are necessary if the fisherman intends to be successful. To fish seated and avoiding noises increase the productivity of the fishery.   

The equipment can be from medium to lightly heavy and a rod with 6 to 7 feet will facilitate the casting of the bait – it should be cast as far as possible because the bargada usually notices the boat and gets scared, fleeing immediately for deeper waters where the piranas will not attack them. A 20 to 25lb line is OK and the reel, besides a good drag, should have capacity to store among 150 and 200m of line, otherwise the fisherman can be surprised by big fish and see his spool reach the end in a second. The fishhook should be  from size 7 to 8/0. It should be covered with about 30cm of flexible steel to avoid the bites of the piranas. The lead should be light to allow good sensibility but it should have enough weight to make possible a long cast. As bait, use the minhocuçu  (big African worm), but do not despise small regional fish because the are even more attractive sometimes.  

An important clue in the fishing of the bargada is to choose the right moon. I personally dislike the full moon, mainly when it rises in the evening and there is a lot of clarity. In this condition, my experience is that the bargada is very unfriendly and it doesn't feed in a normal way because it is very exposed to much clarity.   

If you have ever fished in the Araguaia river and has not yet tried the fishing of the bargada, be sure you are losing a good opportunity to have a lot of fun. If you don’t know the area, I invite you to embark with me in one of the adventures planned by Pescaventura with the support of the Boatel Piratinga that belong to the Kuryala Lodge (Phone Number - 62 – 2151313). I am sure you will enjoy the fishery in our company.  

 rubinho@pescaventura.com.br