FISHING GUIDE · RIO DE JANEIRO & ESPÍRITO SANTO, BRAZIL

Southeast Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Cabo Frio and Vitória Fishing Guide

Southeast Brazil is famous for big blue marlin and white marlin, with sport fishing centered on Cabo Frio and Vitória. The best billfishing is in the southern summer, roughly October to March. A Brazilian amateur fishing license is needed, minimum sizes apply to many coastal fish, and Arraial do Cabo has extra reserve rules.

📍 Brazil's southeast coast. Cabo Frio and Arraial do Cabo are east of Rio de Janeiro city; Vitória is the capital of Espírito Santo, farther north. The Royal Charlotte Bank, a related blue marlin spot, lies about 17-18 miles off Canavieiras in southern Bahia.

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Southeast Brazil map →

Quick facts

Paulo Amorim caught the men's all-tackle IGFA world record Atlantic blue marlin, 1,402 pounds, off Vitória in 1992.
Evandro Luiz Coser set the all-tackle white marlin record, 181 lb 14 oz, off Vitória on December 8, 1979.
Brazil holds 12 white marlin line-class world records, most from waters off Vitória.
Blue marlin can be caught all year in Brazil, but the peak is generally October through March.
Arraial do Cabo is a federal Marine Extractive Reserve (ICMBio) with its own sport fishing rules and no-fishing spots.

What you can catch

Blue marlin
Main big-game target; peak Oct-Mar. World record off Vitória.
White marlin
Vitória is known for big whites, including the all-tackle record.
Sailfish
Caught off Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Bluefish (anchova)
Minimum size 35 cm (IN MMA 53/2005).
Whitemouth croaker (corvina)
Minimum size 25 cm.
Snook (robalo)
Robalo-flecha minimum 50 cm; robalo-peva minimum 30 cm.
Dusky grouper (garoupa)
Minimum size 47 cm.
Mullet (tainha)
Minimum size 35 cm.

Month by month

January	Blue marlin peak season (Oct-Mar). Southern summer.
February	Blue marlin peak season.
March	Last month of the main blue marlin season.
April	Blue marlin possible year-round, but fewer.
May	Off-peak for billfish; inshore fishing.
June	Southern winter; off-peak for billfish.
July	Southern winter; off-peak for billfish.
August	Off-peak for billfish; inshore fishing.
September	Off-peak; billfish season approaching.
October	Blue marlin peak season begins.
November	Blue marlin peak season.
December	Blue marlin peak season; Vitória white marlin record was caught Dec 8, 1979.

Tips

Get your MPA amateur license (boat license if fishing from a boat) on gov.br before the trip.
Release billfish in the water; on the Royal Charlotte Bank all 103 billfish caught in 2012-2017 were released.
In Arraial do Cabo, fish only with ICMBio-authorized boats, between 6:00 and 14:00, and stay at least 100 m off rocky shores.
Check minimum sizes (IN MMA 53/2005) before keeping coastal fish.
Keep fish whole for transport so inspectors can measure them.

Rules and license

Ministério da Pesca e Aquicultura (MPA); ICMBio for Arraial do Cabo Marine Extractive Reserve · Official rules page ↗

Amateur license: shore-only R$20/year; boat R$60/year (MPA). Hand line or simple pole needs no license.
Saltwater take-home limit: 15 kg plus 1 fish per angler. No selling the catch.
Minimum sizes for ES, RJ, SP, PR, SC and RS (IN MMA 53/2005), e.g. anchova 35 cm, corvina 25 cm, robalo-flecha 50 cm, garoupa 47 cm; check current rules.
Arraial do Cabo reserve: sport fishing only with ICMBio authorization, 6:00-14:00, limit 10 kg plus 1 fish per angler and 100 kg per boat per day.
Arraial do Cabo: no sport fishing at listed spots (e.g. Ilha do Pontal, Prainha, Pedra Vermelha, Ilha dos Franceses) or within 300 m of them; stay 100 m from rocky shores elsewhere.
Arraial do Cabo: amateur spearfishing only for authorized reserve beneficiaries; no longlines.
No scuba or compressed air for spearfishing anywhere in Brazil.
Billfish-specific rules and closed seasons (defeso): check current rules.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 14 boat ramps and 8 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Boat ramp near Enseada de Búzios
Clube do Canal
Iate Club Rio das Ostras
Iate Clube Barra de Sao Joao
Iate Clube do Espírito Santo
Marina Bay Vix
Marina Marlin
Marina da Praia dos Anjos
Marina das Gaivotas

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.