Guyana, Suriname & French Guiana Fishing Guide

Guyana is one of the few places to catch wild arapaima, and only on catch-and-release trips run through community lodges in the Rupununi, where peacock bass, payara and arowana are also caught. Suriname and French Guiana offer tarpon, snook and acoupa at river mouths and around coastal islands. Rules for visiting anglers are not well published in any of the three countries, so book with a licensed local operator and confirm rules before you go.

📍 Northeast South America. Guyana's Rupununi savanna and rivers (Rupununi, Rewa, Essequibo) are reached by small plane from Georgetown; Rewa village sits where the Rewa meets the Rupununi. Suriname's coast runs from the Suriname River mouth at Braamspunt near Paramaribo to the Commewijne and Coppename rivers. In French Guiana, fishing spots include the Îles du Salut off Kourou, Pointe Saint-Joseph at Cayenne and the Kaw river.

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

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

Open the full The Guianas (Guyana, Suriname & French Guiana) map →

Quick facts

Arapaima can pass 10 feet (3 m) and 400 pounds (180 kg); Guyanese law forbids harvesting them.
Guyana's draft law for arapaima catch-and-release sport fishing in the North Rupununi was finished in 2016; in 2017 officials said no catch-and-release licenses existed yet.
Rewa village, about 250 miles from the nearest road, banned harvesting on its lands in 2000 and limits its lodge to 20 fly anglers a year.
Community management in the North Rupununi has been credited with a threefold rise in arapaima numbers.
In French Guiana, fishing is banned in the Grand Connétable island nature reserve off the Approuague river mouth.

What you can catch

Arapaima
Guyana, Rupununi and Rewa rivers; catch-and-release only with operator permission. Never keep one.
Peacock bass (lukanani, toekoenari)
Rupununi watershed in Guyana; Brokopondo Reservoir in Suriname.
Payara
Fast water below rapids and falls in Guyana.
Arowana
Guyana rivers; part of the arapaima's diet.
Tarpon
French Guiana: Îles du Salut and Pointe Saint-Joseph, baby tarpon in the Kaw river. Suriname: reported runs at the Suriname River estuary.
Acoupa (weakfish)
River mouths in French Guiana (Kourou, Sinnamary, Iracoubo).
Snook
Estuaries and coastal lagoons in Suriname.
Goliath grouper (mérou géant)
French Guiana: one per boat per trip for recreational boats; no cleaning on board.

Month by month

January	Guyana dry season (reported Sept-Apr). Suriname's first dry season starts mid-January.
February	Dry season in Guyana and Suriname; good river fishing reported.
March	Dry season; good river fishing reported.
April	End of dry season in Guyana and Suriname.
May	Guyana high water begins (May-Aug); most lodges cut back river trips.
June	High water in Guyana; rivers can rise many meters.
July	High water in Guyana.
August	High water ends; Suriname's second dry season starts mid-August.
September	Guyana dry season starts; river fishing improves.
October	Dry season; often named as one of the best months in Guyana.
November	Dry season in Guyana and Suriname.
December	Guyana dry season. Suriname's second dry season ends by early December (sources differ).

Tips

Book arapaima trips only through community lodges such as Rewa, Karanambu or Surama; they arrange the permissions.
Use heavy tackle (12-weight fly rods, 75-80 lb leaders) so you can land and release arapaima fast.
Watch fly line around fingers and toes when an arapaima runs; it can cut you.
In French Guiana, stay out of the Grand Connétable reserve and follow the goliath grouper limit.
In Suriname, ask the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (LVV) or your operator about permits before fishing nature reserves.

Rules and license

Guyana: Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries Department; Suriname: Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (LVV); French Guiana: French state maritime authorities · Official rules page ↗

Guyana: harvesting arapaima is illegal; catch-and-release needs special government permission, normally arranged by the lodge.
Guyana: the North Rupununi catch-and-release law was in draft (2016-2017); check current rules with the Fisheries Department.
Guyana: community rules apply on village lands (e.g. Rewa banned harvesting in 2000).
Guyana visitor sport fishing license and fees: not confirmed; check current rules.
Suriname: permit rules for visiting anglers not confirmed from an official source; check with LVV. Nature reserves need separate permission.
French Guiana: no fishing in the Grand Connétable nature reserve.
French Guiana: goliath grouper limited to one per boat per trip for recreational sea fishing, no cleaning on board (arrêté 1641/DRAM, 2012).

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

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 108 boat ramps and 1 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Awarikuru Landing
Boat ramp near Baie des Cocotiers
Dégrad (river landing)
Dégrad Abel
Dégrad Balata
Dégrad Bellevue
Dégrad Bois Blanc
Dégrad Claude (Dégrad des Emerillon)
Dégrad Clément Bourdon
Dégrad Corrèze
Dégrad Demailly
Dégrad Edmond
Dégrad Eskol
Dégrad Fiévée
Dégrad Florian
Dégrad Fourgassier
Dégrad Grand Maman Piraye
Dégrad Haut Camopi
Dégrad Inipi
Dégrad Lalanne
Dégrad Pariacabo
Dégrad Patagaï
Dégrad Petit Maman Piraye
Dégrad Saramaka
Dégrad Savane
Dégrad St Pierre
Dégrad Stoupan
Dégrad amérindien
Dégrad de Cacao
Dégrad de Kaw
Dégrad de la Levée
Dégrad du pont de Régina
Ecolodge Landing
Ginip Landing
Kwatamang Landing
Lake Landing
Main Landing
Old dégrad (river landing)
PK 6
Port Inini
Port de l'ouest
River Landing
Veerpont Carolina
Yupukari Landing

Sources

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