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Cachorra

Cachorra

The cachorra — payara in English — is one of the Amazon basin's most distinctive predators.

Armed with long canine teeth that spear prey like a pair of daggers, it draws anglers from across Brazil and abroad to fast, clear rivers in the Amazon and Tocantins drainages.

Two species share the name: Hydrolycus tatauaia (the orange-tail payara) and the larger H. scomberoides. Both are native to Brazil and pursued with the same intensity.

Scientific Name: Hydrolycus tatauaia

Also known as Payara, Pirandirá, Cachorra Larga (H. scomberoides), Orange-tail Payara (H. tatauaia)

Physical Characteristics:
  • Silvery body with a dark dorsal surface; a vertically elongated dark blotch sits just behind the gill cover — the clearest field mark.
  • H. tatauaia has reddish-to-orange coloring on the tail and lower fin rays, giving it the Tupi name tatauaia — "fire tail."
  • The defining feature: two massive lower-jaw canine teeth that fit into corresponding holes in the upper jaw, allowing the mouth to close fully around them.
  • H. tatauaia reaches about 59 cm and 2.7 kg; H. scomberoides grows considerably larger and is the one anglers call cachorra larga.

What to know

Habitat Distribution

  • Native to Brazil; found throughout the Amazon basin, including the Tocantins and Tapajós drainages, and extending into the upper Orinoco.
  • Adults favor deep, fast-flowing stretches of large rivers — rapids, chutes, and the turbulent water below falls where oxygen is high and baitfish concentrate.
  • Pelagic and migratory; moves upstream to spawn during the high-water season (roughly November through April).
  • Also recorded in rivers of the Guyana shield that drain into the Amazon system within Brazilian territory.

Key Locations

  • Tocantins River (Peixe – TO): the Tropeço archipelago's fast, clear water is a well-known cachorra destination.
  • Amazon River mainstem near the Ecolodge da Barra (confluence of the Teles Pires and Juruena, where the Tapajós forms): one of the most-cited fly-fishing destinations for the species.
  • Upper Amazon tributaries in Amazonas state: remote river camps target cachorra alongside peacock bass and arowana.
  • Juruena and Teles Pires rivers (Mato Grosso/Pará border): fast, clear water with strong cachorra populations reported by lodge operators.

Specific Spots

  • The white water below rapids and waterfalls is the most reliable holding water — cachorra stack up where current breaks and baitfish get disoriented.
  • Deep mid-river channels adjacent to fast current give fish a resting lane between feeding runs into the flow.
  • Rocky points and submerged ledges that deflect current create seams where cachorra wait for prey to wash past.
  • During high water, flooded margins and island edges along the Tocantins archipelago (Tropeço) hold fish moving with the flood pulse.

Cachorra FAQ

Answers from onWater's species guide.

What are the best lures and bait for Cachorra?

Large minnow-style jerkbaits and stick baits (10–15 cm) retrieved fast through current seams are the most consistent producers, the erratic action mimics a fleeing baitfish.

What flies work for Cachorra?

Large baitfish streamers, Clouser Minnows and Deceiver-style patterns in white, chartreuse, or silver, are the foundation. Strip them fast with erratic pauses to mimic a wounded fish being swept through current.

When is the best time to fish for Cachorra?

June to November (dry season and mixed season): falling and low water concentrates fish in main channels and below rapids, generally the most productive window for targeting cachorra on lures and flies.

How do you catch Cachorra?

Most anglers fish cachorra from boats, positioning above or alongside rapids and casting large lures or streamers into the fast water, then retrieving quickly back through the current.

What do Cachorra eat?

Primarily smaller fish, matrinxã, apapá, and other schooling species common in Amazonian rivers. Those long canine teeth are built for spearing fast-moving baitfish, not crushing prey, so lures that mimic a fleeing fish trigger the most strikes.

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