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Peacock Bass Fly-Fishing in the North Amazon Basin Rain Forest
Royal Amazon Lodge, Located on the Equator in Northern Brazil
Mike Sadar - November 5-11, 2004 - For the Angling Report
11/5/04 - Travel:
Well, it finally happened. Call it bad timing, call it what you will, but United Air Lines and I did not connect on proper flight times from Denver to Miami. So when a flight is moved up for 45 minutes, and you are a little behind, bad thing are sure to follow. And they did.
(Releasing My Biggest Tucunare or Peacock Bass)
 My baggage did not make it and would not arrive until my LAB light had long departed for Manous. The best that United could do is forward my bags onto Manous via several other carriers, all of which have tight connections. It is the best chance I have though, so I need to give it a chance. So, it boils down to a bunch of "ifs". If United actually gets my bags transferred, and if they make the connections, and if they make it to Manous, I might get lucky if my bags can somehow find their way over 220 miles of jungle into the Royal Amazon Lodge. I might get my bags if I fork over $500 for travel. Since I have no choice, as I invested several thousand dollars into this adventure from a fishing tackle standpoint, I really need to try to have my equipment. Best case will be Sunday. Worst case will be never. In any event, it is time to make the best of this situation
Let's get positive. Larry encouraged me to continue on and offered his gear and cloths for my use. (As this was a solo adventure, I have no fishing buddy to share the pain of no clothes or tackle.) As word funnels through our group of what happened to my baggage, several of the other people at the lodge offered me gear, clothing, and anything else I could think of. It is quiet humbling to have total strangers offer their equipment and help for the benefit of my fishing pleasure. After several delays, a long customs line, delays and more delays, I arrive at the Royal Amazon Lodge (RAL) some 27 hours after I left home in Fort Collins, Colorado. With no sleep, I am not sure what to expect today. But this is where the trip begins.
11/6/04 - The first time out...
Larry, our group leader, offer to get me fishing and so we rigged up rods and lines, stretched lines, dressed lines and changed into some lightweight clothing for the afternoon. We then hurried down to the boats to begin our adventure.
From the time we leave the dock, the Amazon rainforest lets one know that this is somewhere very different, very remote, and with lots of unknowns. The first birds we came across with some blue-headed birds that I never ever seen. The next wildlife was the sighting of freshwater dolphins. They are inland by more than 1200 miles from the Atlantic, it reminds one just how vast and immense this territory really is. So, now onto some fishing.
After our guide Mario carefully weaved our way through some dense rainforest that lead to a small lake (lagoon), we start to fish for the famed peacock bass. The first cast for me yielded me my first peacock, a speckled fish of 3-pounds. But, if you were to base the weight off the fight, it would have been more like a fish an order of magnitude larger. It appeared, at least briefly, that these fish are what they were hyped up to be, badass fish!
We continued to fish a lot of different spots. Fishing was somewhat slow for me, but it speeded up for Larry a little. Over the next couple of hours he managed a good dozen fish, and I only had the occasional vicious strike. However, I was soon to find out that it would all change.
As we moved to a sandy bar on the main tributary of the Aqua Boa River, we were soon into nice fish in the 4-6 pound range. It was not long before I had landed 8 fish. Each fish felt like at least a 15-pound fish in their voracious strikes, hard chaotic runs, and their plain meanness. It was like trying to discipline a wild teenager…it was difficult at best. I managed just one picture on my camera, and Larry took a double-header picture with his camera. It was a good start and we did about average against the rest of the group. Hopefully, tomorrow will improve, but for now I need some sleep.
Back at the lodge, dinner is prepared and is of exceptional quality and variety. Whenever I travel, I try to limit my intake so as not to gain too many pounds, but it is going to be tough this week. Everything about the food and service is top quality. I have been a lot of places, but to have food and service in the middle of the Amazon is almost a fairy tale.
After dinner, I tie about a dozen flies. The flies are relatively simple, bi-colored streamers that are tied with synthetic fur. Colors that show distinct differences such as light and dark are what's recommended. The main lounging area of this lodge is very open and comfortable. Tying flies and getting to know the other fishermen in this group is a great way to wind down my first day.
November 7, 2004 and the magic number is…..65!
(A 9 to 10-Pound Tucunare or Striped Peacock Bass - Caught with Boro')
 Today I went with a guide named Pedro. Pedro spoke very limited English, but we managed to communicate OK and we had a great day. We fished a little bit of every kind of water including some that required hiking through a machete-cut trail through the jungle and onto a lagoon. We then to traveled by boat from one lagoon to the next. It made life real interesting for I never have been anywhere like this before. I wasn't sure where to step or what to watch out for. Stories ranged from poisonous snakes, crocodiles, nasty plants, and parasites that make you sick for a long time. They could come from any direction!
The first lagoon we got to started fast and furious. It was no time at all before I was into 1, 2, 3, and several big peacock bass. While most of the fish were caught near the shallows, I managed my bigger fish when casting into the deeper water. The big cruising fish appeared to be in the deepest water. The key was to get the fly down about 5 or 6 feet. The first lap around this lagoon yielded 18 fish. Being that it was fast, I should have caught more. But, I missed a lot of fish, and got too excited too many times, but that is part of the adventure. The biggest was probably around 7 pounds, and he was a speckled peacock bass. I even managed to hook and land a freshwater stingray, who was hungry enough to eat my fly!
(Bringing a Peacock Bass to The Boat - The boats are 16' flat bottom boats that comfortably hold two anglers. Guides do a good job keeping them clean and comfortable. The carpeting is a necessity to protect against burns as the jungle sun heats the metal up to over 160F.)
We then trekked into another lagoon that was a little more remote. We managed a bunch more fish, and they were all up in one end of the lagoon. The fishing was outstanding and there were so many times when 10-20 others would chase a hooked fish. This was the first time I had seen so many schools of fish. However, most of the fish were small and by the time we were finished making a lap around this lagoon, it was lunchtime. A 10-Pound Spotted Peacock Bass - A fish this size can easily break a 30-pound tippet immediately after it is hooked.
Lunch proved to be a nice beneficial nap. I forgot the food part of lunch, so I supplemented it with candy that Courtney and Megan gave to me from their Halloween Trick or Treat. This proved to be enough and with the shaded nap and a break from the relentless heat, I was ready to go again.
We fished the first lagoon after lunch and it proved to be a little slow, but I was still picking up a fish every 5-10 minutes. We focused on the center of the lagoon, and this proved to be a better choice for a big fish. I was finally rewarded with a big 9.5-pound speckled peacock bass that, simply put, fought like a freight train. I have the line burns to prove it as well. The big fish measured 27 by 17 inches in girth. This would prove to be the biggest fish landed for the day, though I lost a couple more big fish that I never ever stopped!
(A 10-Pound Spotted Peacock Bass - A fish this size can easily break a 30-pound tippet immediately after it is hooked.)
We then decided to try a few other spots and this happened to be a good thing. We found a nice little spot that had the peacock bass stacked like cordwood. I managed several big fish (5-8 pounds) and a few smaller ones. But, it was literally a fish, bite, or wrap-around, on every cast. It was unbelievable. The biggest obstacle was my inability to hold the rod steady for hard and steady pressure. Thus, I had a few big boys simply pull and break off. Hopefully, tomorrow will prove to be a little better.
The wildlife is amazing. Today alone, I spotted a baby crocodile, a couple of monkeys, all kinds of different birds, and Lex Luther, and the camp garbage disposal crocodile. He hangs out at the boat landing and is around 15-feet long. When the fishermen get in, he's already there waiting to get the fish scraps. He learned this method of getting food that hopefully will not prove to be fatal. He is immense in size and makes me think twice before getting into the water anywhere in these rivers.
Pedro was excellent. He even dived into the water to free up a fly. It was not an easy task, and maybe he wanted to get some relief from the relentless heat. But, nonetheless, we had a great day. My hope for tomorrow will be to rest a little more, and take breaks now and again. Fish hard and maybe that 15-pounder will be mine tomorrow!
Pedro was excellent. He even dived into the water to free up a fly. It was not an easy task, and maybe he wanted to get some relief from the relentless heat. But, nonetheless, we had a great day. My hope for tomorrow will be to rest a little more, and take breaks now and again. Fish hard and maybe that 15-pounder will be mine tomorrow!
("Lex Luther" getting his dinner)
November 8, 2004 - Boro'
Today I would be fishing with Boro' and Matt. Matt is a doctor from Seattle,
and Boro' is the elderly guide in camp. Fishing was to be up-river into a few different lagoons that were not too far from camp.
The day started slowly as we went to a new lagoon that had very poor water quality. We managed no fish today. However that would change.
The spot that was so productive near the end of yesterday (with Pedro) proved to be the starting point for today. Within the first half hour, I managed 12 fish, but they were all small. We then went into another finger of a lagoon and searched and searched. It was not long before Matt hooked into a nice peacock and along with it, another bigger fish followed. I cast three times, frantically stripping the line through the waters where Matt's fish was swimming, and finally one nice one chomped down on my fly! The fish turned out to be a nice 9-pound peacock, of incredible colors. But, that would not be all. The very next cast resulted in an 8.5-pound fish that burrowed down under two different brush piles. After sifting my rod through each of the obstacles, I somehow brought this monster to the boat. Then, the next cast was a 7 pounder. The fight was unbelievable! The fishing continued as the sun tried its best to bake the life out of us, but we would not give up.
(A Red-Eyed Butterfly Peacock Bass)
Finally, lunch came and so did a few clouds and stiff breeze "vento"! At least the sweat stopped getting into my eyes! The fishing picked up and the spot that was good for the big fish continued to produce. Every time I had a strike, it resulted in several fish following, and some of them were big. I even came across two Temesis Peacock bass, cast to one, and the savage strike resulted in a memorable fight. The 7 or 8 pounder was the last big fish of the day, but several smaller ones were also taken. By the end of the day, I had landed between 38 and 40 fish, and missing at least half as many again.
November 9, 2004 - Mario!
Today, I fished with Ray, and our guide Mario. The day began as an absolute adventure in which we slashed and chopped our way through the rainforest to get to the next majestic fishing spot. It took the better part of an hour and a half before we made it to the first spot and unfortunately, it was not very productive. So we moved on through another part of this massive forest to another inter-connected lagoon.
The second lagoon was much better. We did not move too far into the lagoon before we were into fish big time. In the next hour, Ray and myself must have landed at least fifty peacock bass in the 2-5 pound range. The fishing was phenomenally fast! We then fished down the bank and caught one here or there, with some regularity, but it seemed slow compared to the first part of the pond. The heat continued to beat upon my body to the point that you feel you are actually burning! Finally, it was too intense for both Ray and I and so we headed for the canopy for lunch.
Lunch was interrupted by an intense thundershower. It rained unbelievably hard for the better part of an hour. The feeling of wetness was not as bad as one would think because you simply do not get cold. And all you have to do is go back into the center of the lake to warm up and any chill is only a pleasant memory!
After lunch we focused in the center of the lake where the bigger peacock bass would hopefully be hanging out. But, we had no luck and we decided to do some shoreline exploring. It was not that fast, but we did find two nice peacock bass, one for each of us before we left this lagoon.
On our travels back to another spot, we did spot a crocodile and more species of birds than one could count. We found a good holding spot for peacock bass and landed many big fish and lost a couple of giants that I simply could not stop. It is amazing how easily a 6 or 7 pound fish can snap a 30-pound tippet. These fish are like they are on crack and are body builders to boot! They are stronger than they should be!
The last spot of the day actually resulted in fishing a few sandbars where one could actually sight cast to cruising fish. By now the arms were tired, the fingers were aching and it was an effort to just hold onto the fly rod. It was an intense effort just to make a good cast, once in a while I would surprise my self and would make one and be rewarded. At this spot, the fish continued to chase and hit the flies and the day ended splendidly.
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(The Pathway to a Hidden Lagoon - At this time of year, the rainy season has ended and the flooded river begins to drop. These narrow passage ways, that lead to hidden lagoons become less and less navigatible. One should expect to have to get out and either hike to the lagoon, or help pull the boat through these shallow crossings. As the week progressed and the river dropped, accessibility to many of these spots became more and more difficult.)
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(One of Many Strange Species That Were Caught This Week)
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November 10, 2004 - Mario Again!
For the third time, we get to fish with Mario again! Larry joined me and gave me both a good fishing lesson and the front of the boat. Though he beat me in numbers (65 to 50), I beat him in size. My forth or fifth fish of the day was my first 10 pound tucunare. It is awesome how hard this fish fought! Unfortunately, my camera was not working very well, so only Larry managed a photo, but hopefully it was a good one! I also managed a few nice butterfly peacock bass, which were probably better than 6 pounds. I also caught some strange fish including, hooking but not landing, an ariawana, and some carp-looking fish with big and nasty teeth. This guy could rip a finger right off!
It seems here that everything that survives in this river is based on your teeth…how big they are, how many you have, and how sharp they are, though they all appear to be nastier and sharper than any species of fish I have every encountered anywhere else. They make a northern pike look like a frilly, gentle sort of fish that you would treat like your cuddly little puppy!
This was also the first day that I saw a 20-pound peacock swim right toward the boat and it was so close, I never even managed a cast to him. I will never forget the vision of that fish laying on the surface of the water. He was gigantic! I also saw many other large peacock bass, some better than 10 pounds on the sand bars. This might be the place to focus on if big fish are in order.
Other excitement today included the 3-toed slough that was swimming across the river. He was the slowest moving thing I had ever seen. Mario helped him across the river by providing him a ride on the boat paddle.
Well, I only have two days before this trip ends and it has been spectacular! It is indescribable how wild it really is. Besides having to deal with the brutal heat, one really has to be on his wits and on the lookout for crocodiles, snakes, and too many nasty bugs to describe at once. But it is worth it with all that you see and experience. I cannot wait to take Lisa and kids here!
November 11, 2004 - A Little Competition!
Today was time for a little fun. Larry gathers $10 from each person into a pot. The pair of anglers who catch either the largest or most fish wins that portion of the pot, which is given to the guide. I was partnered with Dan, an elderly gentleman from Montana who is an excellent fly-fisherman.
(A Sinking Boat with a Swimming Guide. Fortunately, everyone turned out to be OK, but it puts things in perspective. Always be on your wits and prepared for an unfortunate incident.)
The day started out very bad with Elton's (another guide) boat breaking down. We were trying to help out and it was finally decided to tow then back to camp. Without thinking it out much, our guide, Mario did not tow the boat properly nor did he take time to get the occupants out and into our boat. We only traveled a couple hundred yards when the towed boat capsized! In a quick move, Dan and I hurried to help get the victims, Cory and Mike out of the water. In short, everyone was saved, but some gear was lost, as some damaged rods were damaged. Cory and Mike were both good swimmers and had no problem with the incident, but someone who was not so fit might have had a very disastrous experience. Cory and Mike took it quite well and went to shore to dry off and start fishing. I was amazed how fast that boat sunk…talk about the Titanic!
(A Nice Butterfly on a Hot, Sweaty Day. Typical fishing and typical heat.)
After all had settled down and the guides returned from camp with a new boat, we headed downstream into a newly accessible lagoon. We immediately began to catch fish and were soon lots of numbers. Dan and I caught many fish and some very nice butterfly peacock bass. My biggest was about 5 pounds and very heavy. He was 22.5 inches long and just beautiful.
The biggest fish between us was a 10-pound peacock that Dan caught. Together, we boated 198 fish, and probably lost another 30-40 fish. My arms and fingers and hands are tired. It is worth remembering that the fish probably average 3-4 pounds, so that adds up to a lot of fish in the boat!
November 12, 2004 - The Last Day With Cucia
(The First Fish Landed on My Last Day - A 12.5 Pound Striped Peacock Bass)
It is hard to believe that the week is nearly gone, as this is the last day. The lodge caters to what the guest really wants and today it was to try to get a big peacock. Cucia has been known as the big fish guide and that is exactly what we will be looking for.
We start off up river, not too far from the lodge and fish a sandy bank that drops gradually into about 4 feet of water. On my third I have hooked my first fish and it appears to be big! He ran out into the middle of the river and away from the snags. How lucky is that! After a 10-minute knock down drag out battle, the big fish finally came to hand. He was gigantic! I was finally able to grab the red-eyed monster with a Boga grip and he weighed 12.5 pounds. After a few photos, we gently released him to fight another battle.
(The First Fish Landed on My Last Day - A 12.5 Pound Striped Peacock Bass)
 Fishing continued to be good for me as we moved up that bar. I hooked several more nice fish in the 3-7 pound range, which included several more Temesis or striped peacock bass. Each of these fish looks like the baddest-assed fish in the world. They have the humped back with the red eyes of anger. They are indeed the bad boys of the jungle. By 8:30 AM, I had landed 13 fish of which many of them were very nice. It was probably my best hour of fly-fishing in my entire life!
By 11:00 I was up to 23 fish for the day but I did loose a couple of big boys! One was unstoppable as he headed into the jungle and broke my 28-pound tippet like it was sewing thread. At the time of lunch, I was up to 32 fish. The biggest surprise was hooking and landing an ariawana. He was not real big, but he was a magnificent jumper. Silver and large scaled like a tarpon; these beasts can grow to very large sizes, though mine was in the 4-pound range.
After lunch, fishing slowed down dramatically. By 3:30, I had only caught 2 more fish, and then the second big fish of the day was hooked. He gently took the fly at the end of a long sand bar and fought hard to hold to his spot. After about a five-minute battle, I was able to land the 10.5-pound beauty.
Fishing continued to be slow, but it did pick up as the day neared its end. My heat-battened body is nearly finished, but not before I managed another 9-10 fish that were all in the 3-6 pound size range. As the sun sank behind the jungle, I lie my rod down and call it a trip. I was done, beaten up, and ready to go home! Oh what a great trip!
Conclusions:
It was an incredible week at this lodge. A total of 9 anglers landed a total of 2721 fish, which was more than 500 fish greater than the previous record. Personally, I landed about 385 fish, which is probably more fly-caught fish than I have landed in any other week in my 30 plus years of fly-fishing. It was simply awesome! Furthermore, I would estimate that my percentage of landed fish was around 60 to 70 percent. So if one adds all the hookups and lost fish, it would easily top 500 fish per person per week. There is nowhere else on the planet where this may be possible and still have quality and size to the catch.
Each and every day I would hook into 3 to 5 fish that simply beat me up! These were the brutes that one could not turn. They simply scream to the nearest piece of structure to break off. This was with a 30-pound tippet. For many anglers, this meant a broken rod. I was one of two anglers out of 10 who did not break any rods. One unfortunate angler broke three rods. The most durable rods were the 9 weight two-piece slow action rods. They were much more sturdy than the four piece travel rods. However, a broken rod is usually not the angler's fault, but rather the refusal to accept the inevitable when a fish runs for that nearest tree stump. If one thinks that their rod can turn a 10-pound plus peacock bass, that fish will teach a costly lesson. But that is all in the challenge of catching these fish.
All my fish were taken on flies stripped as fast as possible. A typical cast was followed with a 2-5 second wait on a T200 grain sink tip line. This was followed with five or six fast strips where were then followed by another 5-second wait time. Then I would make another five or six strips and wait again. The fish almost always strike the fly when the fly is stripped. And the strikes are voracious. So hold on tight to your rod!
As for the flies, the more colorful the fly the better it worked. Bar-belled eyes proved to be better because they sank just enough - about 3-4 feet deep. The key was to allow the fly to sink to where it was not visible from the surface as one stripped it through the water. There were exceptions however; such as when fishing the shallow river sandbars, or where casting to cruising fish was the norm. Favorite colors were any two conflicting colors. What I mean is a bi-colored fly with two contrasting colors. Combinations of yellow and blue, or green and black, are examples. Frankly, these fish are so predatory, that any fly that imitates one of millions of different baitfish species will work.
When I had the chance to fish the river sandbars, sight casting was very productive. The key was not to spook the fish. If this was done, one was certain of a hookup. If I could have done one thing different, it would have been to focus on more of this sandbar fishing. One morning as we floated past several bars on the lower river, I spotted large numbers of big (10 pound plus) peacocks. Unfortunately, I was not prepared and most of these opportunities went by the wayside.
The bugs - Aqua Boa is an unusual place as the water is fairly acidic and there was virtually no mosquitoes. There was one small no-see-um that appeared in the late evenings and they would put a welt on the skin, but this was alleviated with basic repellent. We never fished any at night because of black wasps, and bees proved to be the most irritable of insects during the fishing. But, there were no insect problems during my stay.
Thus far not much has been mentioned about the lodge or the grounds. But, it would be an injustice not to talk about this place. The rooms were oversized with double queen beds. There was plenty of room to spread out all the equipment. Each room had a small refrigerator to keep drinks cold. The rooms were also air-conditioned and this made the night very comfortable for sleeping. In addition, each room had separate showers and bathrooms. These were the nicest accommodations that I have ever had in any of my travels, which has included more than 30 lodges in the western hemisphere.
As was mentioned briefly, the main lodge was comfortable and there was plenty of room to just hang out. This included a big table to tie flies, a big-screen TV, pool table and a bar. This was connected to a large dining room where everyone had breakfast and dinner. Cold drinks were always available and offered. Dinner was always a four or five course mean and it was delicious. If one visits this lodge, they will gain weight.
Outside, the grounds were exceptionally groomed and simply beautiful. There was a large swimming pool, which was filled with river water. The pool never looked exceptionally clean, but I did visit it nearly every night just to get refreshed from the day in the heat. There was also a paved airstrip that was a popular place for exercise. The lodge overlooked the river and it provides beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The lodge is spread out and spacious. It was very comfortable.
Last, the help was exceptional. Each day your cloths are washed and dried. The food is exceptional, the help is polite and gracious to help in any way that they can.
As for the guides, they were very nice, and conversational. All but one of the guides speaks little to no English, but we managed to communicate our needs and wishes effectively. About half of the guides are fairly young (less than 30 years old) and they are the ones that are a little more daring. The older guides appear to be more easily going and have a better feel for the anglers needs. But, with that being said, one still has to be aware of what is safe and not safe and express their concerns whenever something is not right. I was in the boat that was toeing the stranded anglers when they capsized. Right from the start, the way the guides went about getting this boat to shore was not very safe. Had I been more assertive and stopped them to point out the obvious problem, this might have never happened. We need to always remember that like us, guides are human and no matter how experienced they are they are prone to mistakes. This was an example where we all got lucky and need to take home some lessons learned from this situation. Thus, here is my list of lessons and suggestions to make sure I am never shipped home in a box due to stupidity:
| 1. | If something does not seem right or safe. Speak up! Do not be passive when it comes to safety. We are often too concerned to start fishing and often look beyond safety to get going. This was certainly the reason that this boat was capsized in the first place. The guides were in a big hurry! |
| 2. | Make a list of the bare essentials that should be in the boat. This includes: rope, first aid kit, whistle, floatation devices, paddle, and a full tank of gas. (I am sure there are a few other things that could be added to this list.) I once was in the middle of Great Bear Lake when the guide realized he had forgotten the gas at about the time the motor died. Thank god the wind was not blowing and that we were both young. We rowed all the way back, to camp, which was about 25 miles. If a windstorm had come up, we were dead! Last, a satellite phone should be considered. This could get you out of a bad situation faster than any other means. |
| 3. | When fishing in a country that does not have a good grasp of English, make the effort to learn the couple dozen key words. Stop or "détente" was one word that did work and got the guides attention that the boat capsized. It will also help make your experience with the guide be more effective and memorable. |
| 4. | Be in good physical condition. Make sure you can swim at least a couple hundred yards or tread water for at least 20 minutes. After this event at Royal Amazon, I have thought about if since. If this had been two physically challenged or panic-stricken anglers, the results could have been very different! |
| 5. | While we usually and always have a good time, always be on your wits about something going wrong. As they say, prevention is more precious that many pounds of cure. |
In short, this was hand down the best fishing trip I had ever experience. This was in lieu of losing my luggage (I only went in with my camera, laptop computer, one pair of sun-glasses and a hat). The one thing that I will always remember was how giving and helpful the other anglers at this lodge were to make a great experience. Without these people, my trip would have been significantly different or might not have happened at all. As the week went on, we shared stories from the day and it was simple and pleasant company. Though I have always traveled for the fishing, this trip really makes me appreciate how great fellow guests and the lodge staff was to make this a trip of the lifetime.
I hope to return here someday, sooner than later. This place was something WILD! I want to bring my girls and wife here some day, but they need to know it is not necessarily a picnic as the heat is oppressive and trying on a person. In reality, the risk of serious injury or death is very low with a little common sense and therefore, it is a risk worth taking! This is one place on earth that every fly-fisherperson should encounter at least once in her lives.
| My Guides for the Week |
Boro |
Pedro |
Cucia |
Mario |
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| The Angling Report Copyright © 2008 |
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