Fishing in Iguazú National Park

Iguazú National Park sits at the northeastern tip of Argentina's Misiones province, where the Río Iguazú runs its final kilometers before meeting the Río Paraná at the convergence of three countries.

The park protects a dense stretch of Atlantic Forest and the river corridor above and below the falls — and that distinction matters for anyone who comes here with a rod.

Fishing on the Río Iguazú within the park's boundaries, specifically along the riverbanks inside the protected area, is prohibited for environmental reasons.

The water that can be fished legally is the stretch below the falls, downstream toward the confluence with the Paraná. That section still holds the species the region is known for: dorado, surubí, and pacú.

The dorado — locally called the tiger of the rivers — is the main draw, a hard-fighting fish that runs the Paraná system and draws anglers to this corner of Argentina specifically.

Surubí, a large catfish of the genus Pseudoplatystoma, inhabit the deeper channels and structure-heavy water near Puerto Iguazú, where submerged roots and old timber create the kind of holding water the species prefers. Some individuals exceed 1. 5 meters.

Fishing excursions out of Puerto Iguazú typically depart from the town pier, run the Río Iguazú to its mouth, then continue roughly 15 kilometers down the Paraná to reach productive fishing sectors.

Natural and live bait — morenita, worm, crab, corn — is the standard approach on these trips. Sport fishing in Argentina operates under a catch-and-release ethic, and that principle applies here.

A personal fishing license is required by Argentine law; check current requirements with the park and provincial authorities before you go, as rules inside a national park can layer on top of standard provincial licensing.

The Arroyo Central and Arroyo Zanja Honda are smaller waters within the park, but the main fishing action in this region happens outside the strictly protected zone — on the Paraná and the lower Iguazú below the falls.

Come for the river, not the park interior. The jungle seen from the water is its own thing, and the point where two major rivers and three countries meet gives the whole stretch a context that doesn't need any embellishment.