Keith Kaneko
03-05-2009, 04:04 PM
(Tackle notes and pictures are at the end of the writeup)
On February 18th, our 7 group members traveled from various cities and met up in Miami. We planned our overnight at the Miami International Airport Hotel, conveniently located within the airport at terminal E. The following morning we departed at 7:00AM for Manaus, Brazil on TAM Brazilian Airlines.
Upon arriving Manaus, we were shuttled to the Hotel Tropical in Manaus for a one night stay before departing for camp the next morning. The hotel stay is included in the fishing package and offers very nice and comfortable accommodations. After a good nights rest, we headed to the CTA terminal to board our 8 passenger Cessna Caravan float plane. We lifted off and enjoyed a very scenic flight to the Upper Itapera River. The flight took about 1 ˝ hours and gave us a wonderful bird’s-eye view of the Amazon Basin and its diverse environ.
After doing a fly-by on our camp, we gently touched down on the Itapera River. The camp staff met us on river with their boats to shuttle the group and our gear to camp. The rest of the staff greeted us on the beach with warm hearted smiles and their version of a Brazilian margarita! We were shown to our cabins where we settled in and quickly rigged tackle for a “day zero” of fishing. Yes, we were fortunate to take the first float plane out from Manaus and this allowed us to arrive camp with ample time to get a bonus half day of fishing in. And, day zero proved to be a snapshot of the rest of this wonderful week of fishing… massive Peacock Bass would be hooked and landed this week.
During our week of fishing, a remarkable 51 “double-digit” Peacock Bass would be landed. The largest Peacocks (by species) landed include an impressive Azul Peacock of 20 pounds landed by Jim Christensen, a 15 pound Paca Peacock landed by Shizuo Nakawatase, and an 11 pound Butterfly Peacock landed by me. This was an incredible week for size of fish landed… 20, 19, 18.5, 17s, 16s, 15s, 14s, and numerous 10s – 13s.
The water levels did impact the average numbers of Peacock Bass landed. During our week, the average was between 20 – 30 Peacock Bass per day. During years that the water levels are normal in the Amazon Basin, averages much higher are achieved. But again, our group was very pleased with the fishing because of the trophy sizes that were being hooked. Even the guides were amazed at the much larger than average size of Peacocks being landed. During the week a number of group members raised the bar on some of the guide’s personal best on the fly. It was such a joy to see how the guides would often get more excited than the anglers about a trophy fish landed or lost! Our skilled guides’ names were Caju, Carlos, Ronaldo, and Sydney.
After each day of fishing, it was not the “landed” fish that dominated story time,… it was the dozens of mystery sized Peacock Bass that broke 40 pound and even 50 pound test leader material The immense torque and power of Peacock Bass resulted in battle wounds of line-burned fingers, ripped stripping guards, and even melted fly lines. With the higher river levels, anglers had to make an instant decision whether to “try” to stop these beasts from powering into the submerged trees and structure, or to just let them go and hope that our guides could swim them out of the entanglement. Sometimes, we made the wrong decision only to have our flies broken off and left in wonderment if it was a “20 plus’r”…
On occasion, the Peacock Bass were too powerful for us to stop and they would end up fleeing into deep cover and structure. It was at that time that the guides would, without hesitation, jump over the side of the boat, swim and follow the entangled fly line, and retrieve the trophy fish from the snags. It was amazing to witness this event, as guides seemed to be equally at-home in the water just like the fish they were in pursuit of. They would pop back up to the surface with the recovered trophy Peacock and a big smile of success and accomplishment. These guides are truly committed and hard working.
The pre and post fishing hours at camp are easy going and relaxed. The group always round tabled on the beach and shared stories from the day’s adventures. Our camp host was Bibi Kahn, a wonderful host that was a wealth of knowledge about region’s culture, flora, and fauna. The rest of the staff spoke very little English, so Bibi dutifully acted as translator when we wanted to ask questions of the staff and guides. The guides do, however, speak adequate “fishing English”, which enabled them to communicate the fishing strategy and even entertain us with some very comical fishing humor.
Surely, the guides were excellent in every aspect of their job as a fishing guide, from finding fish, fly selection, boat handling and positioning, fishing strategy, to overall attentiveness to the anglers needs. But what most impressed me with the guides was their willingness and interest in sharing more than just the fishing experience. The keen eyes of the guides were always on the lookout to show us something interesting about their natural environment. Throughout the week, our group saw otters, dolphin, “mutim” birds, yellow rump taningers (“Japim”) and their nests, Morpheus Butterflies, Howler Monkeys, McCaws, Caiman and their nests, snapping turtles and nests, Tapir, and many other fascinating creatures of the Amazon Basin.
In addition to the variety of wildlife in the jungle, it was also amazing to see the many different fish species that share the river with Peacock Bass. Our group landed a variety of species including Jacunda, dog fish, mud fish (“Traira”), Red Tail Catfish, freshwater cudas, and of course, the infamous Piranha. The most apparent feature on some of the fish in the Amazon is a voracious set of teeth. On occasion, we would get a missed grab while retrieving our fly and soon discover that the back half of our fly had been a meal for a Piranha or some other toothy creature. Bring lots of flies if you fish the Amazon!
For the Peacock Bass and other species, it is truly an underwater world of predator-prey, and even cannibalism. One of the most memorable scenes was to witness 3 pound Peacock Bass skipping across the surface in a meager attempt to flee from a behemoth Peacock Bass waking the surface close behind. Often, the finale was a bowling ball sized explosion of water that signaled a meal was had. This aggression, power, and speed are what make Peacock Bass an incredible gamefish on the fly.
By the end of the week, all of the group members posted incredible personal bests and countless fish stories of behemoth Peacock Bass lost. Our only regret during the trip was having to leave this amazing fishery and return to civilization. For me, this trip is at the top of my lifetime list of angling highlights and memories… I will return next year for sure! Fish On!
Keith Kaneko
Tackle Notes for this trip:
Rod: 8 – 10 weight
Reel: DD reel with a strong drag
Fly Lines: RIO Deep Sea 300 – 400 grain; SA Mastery Tropic Express 300 – 400 grain; RIO Tropical Outbound Short with clear intermediate tip
Leader: RIO Flouroflex 44# and 52#; Seagar 50#; Maxima UltraGreen 40#
Flies: Fuch’s Agitator and Deception, Reynold’s Gen-X Bunny (red/chartreuse or red/yellow), Flashtail Clousers (yellow over white or baby blue over white; on Gamakatsu jig hook), Blanton’s FT Whistler (orange/yellow or red/white), Burk’s Punk Bait, and home-tied creations of Fox Fur / Craft Fur in red/yellow/blue combinations.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMGP2346.jpg
Birds-eye view of the camp below (Itapera River)
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMG_1839.jpg
8 passenger float plane was our transportation to camp...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMGP0016-1.jpg
Jim's personal-best 20 pounder on "day zero"...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMG_1699.jpg
Shiz's personal-best 17 pounder...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000206-1.jpg
... and incredible encounters with Amazon wildlife (sloth - "priguica")
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000215.jpg
Bring lots of flies!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMG_1718-1.jpg
My personal-best 19 pounder taken on Fuch's Deception fly (guide "Caju")
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000276.jpg
Guides Carlos, Bibi (host), Caju, Sydney, and Ronaldo...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000299-1.jpg
Caju retrieved this trophy Paca Peacock from the snags... all smiles from Shiz!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000357.jpg
Shore lunch break...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMGP0165.jpg
Jerry's 16 pounder!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/GenX-16.jpg
BIG flies for BIG Peacock Bass!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000300.jpg
Battle scars from fighting Peacock Bass
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000407-1.jpg
On the run on the Itapera River...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMGP2415.jpg
Trophy Peacock for Wade!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMG_1738-1.jpg
A surprise catch... 26 pound Red Tail Catfish!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMG_1788.jpg
Happy campers on the Itapera River!
On February 18th, our 7 group members traveled from various cities and met up in Miami. We planned our overnight at the Miami International Airport Hotel, conveniently located within the airport at terminal E. The following morning we departed at 7:00AM for Manaus, Brazil on TAM Brazilian Airlines.
Upon arriving Manaus, we were shuttled to the Hotel Tropical in Manaus for a one night stay before departing for camp the next morning. The hotel stay is included in the fishing package and offers very nice and comfortable accommodations. After a good nights rest, we headed to the CTA terminal to board our 8 passenger Cessna Caravan float plane. We lifted off and enjoyed a very scenic flight to the Upper Itapera River. The flight took about 1 ˝ hours and gave us a wonderful bird’s-eye view of the Amazon Basin and its diverse environ.
After doing a fly-by on our camp, we gently touched down on the Itapera River. The camp staff met us on river with their boats to shuttle the group and our gear to camp. The rest of the staff greeted us on the beach with warm hearted smiles and their version of a Brazilian margarita! We were shown to our cabins where we settled in and quickly rigged tackle for a “day zero” of fishing. Yes, we were fortunate to take the first float plane out from Manaus and this allowed us to arrive camp with ample time to get a bonus half day of fishing in. And, day zero proved to be a snapshot of the rest of this wonderful week of fishing… massive Peacock Bass would be hooked and landed this week.
During our week of fishing, a remarkable 51 “double-digit” Peacock Bass would be landed. The largest Peacocks (by species) landed include an impressive Azul Peacock of 20 pounds landed by Jim Christensen, a 15 pound Paca Peacock landed by Shizuo Nakawatase, and an 11 pound Butterfly Peacock landed by me. This was an incredible week for size of fish landed… 20, 19, 18.5, 17s, 16s, 15s, 14s, and numerous 10s – 13s.
The water levels did impact the average numbers of Peacock Bass landed. During our week, the average was between 20 – 30 Peacock Bass per day. During years that the water levels are normal in the Amazon Basin, averages much higher are achieved. But again, our group was very pleased with the fishing because of the trophy sizes that were being hooked. Even the guides were amazed at the much larger than average size of Peacocks being landed. During the week a number of group members raised the bar on some of the guide’s personal best on the fly. It was such a joy to see how the guides would often get more excited than the anglers about a trophy fish landed or lost! Our skilled guides’ names were Caju, Carlos, Ronaldo, and Sydney.
After each day of fishing, it was not the “landed” fish that dominated story time,… it was the dozens of mystery sized Peacock Bass that broke 40 pound and even 50 pound test leader material The immense torque and power of Peacock Bass resulted in battle wounds of line-burned fingers, ripped stripping guards, and even melted fly lines. With the higher river levels, anglers had to make an instant decision whether to “try” to stop these beasts from powering into the submerged trees and structure, or to just let them go and hope that our guides could swim them out of the entanglement. Sometimes, we made the wrong decision only to have our flies broken off and left in wonderment if it was a “20 plus’r”…
On occasion, the Peacock Bass were too powerful for us to stop and they would end up fleeing into deep cover and structure. It was at that time that the guides would, without hesitation, jump over the side of the boat, swim and follow the entangled fly line, and retrieve the trophy fish from the snags. It was amazing to witness this event, as guides seemed to be equally at-home in the water just like the fish they were in pursuit of. They would pop back up to the surface with the recovered trophy Peacock and a big smile of success and accomplishment. These guides are truly committed and hard working.
The pre and post fishing hours at camp are easy going and relaxed. The group always round tabled on the beach and shared stories from the day’s adventures. Our camp host was Bibi Kahn, a wonderful host that was a wealth of knowledge about region’s culture, flora, and fauna. The rest of the staff spoke very little English, so Bibi dutifully acted as translator when we wanted to ask questions of the staff and guides. The guides do, however, speak adequate “fishing English”, which enabled them to communicate the fishing strategy and even entertain us with some very comical fishing humor.
Surely, the guides were excellent in every aspect of their job as a fishing guide, from finding fish, fly selection, boat handling and positioning, fishing strategy, to overall attentiveness to the anglers needs. But what most impressed me with the guides was their willingness and interest in sharing more than just the fishing experience. The keen eyes of the guides were always on the lookout to show us something interesting about their natural environment. Throughout the week, our group saw otters, dolphin, “mutim” birds, yellow rump taningers (“Japim”) and their nests, Morpheus Butterflies, Howler Monkeys, McCaws, Caiman and their nests, snapping turtles and nests, Tapir, and many other fascinating creatures of the Amazon Basin.
In addition to the variety of wildlife in the jungle, it was also amazing to see the many different fish species that share the river with Peacock Bass. Our group landed a variety of species including Jacunda, dog fish, mud fish (“Traira”), Red Tail Catfish, freshwater cudas, and of course, the infamous Piranha. The most apparent feature on some of the fish in the Amazon is a voracious set of teeth. On occasion, we would get a missed grab while retrieving our fly and soon discover that the back half of our fly had been a meal for a Piranha or some other toothy creature. Bring lots of flies if you fish the Amazon!
For the Peacock Bass and other species, it is truly an underwater world of predator-prey, and even cannibalism. One of the most memorable scenes was to witness 3 pound Peacock Bass skipping across the surface in a meager attempt to flee from a behemoth Peacock Bass waking the surface close behind. Often, the finale was a bowling ball sized explosion of water that signaled a meal was had. This aggression, power, and speed are what make Peacock Bass an incredible gamefish on the fly.
By the end of the week, all of the group members posted incredible personal bests and countless fish stories of behemoth Peacock Bass lost. Our only regret during the trip was having to leave this amazing fishery and return to civilization. For me, this trip is at the top of my lifetime list of angling highlights and memories… I will return next year for sure! Fish On!
Keith Kaneko
Tackle Notes for this trip:
Rod: 8 – 10 weight
Reel: DD reel with a strong drag
Fly Lines: RIO Deep Sea 300 – 400 grain; SA Mastery Tropic Express 300 – 400 grain; RIO Tropical Outbound Short with clear intermediate tip
Leader: RIO Flouroflex 44# and 52#; Seagar 50#; Maxima UltraGreen 40#
Flies: Fuch’s Agitator and Deception, Reynold’s Gen-X Bunny (red/chartreuse or red/yellow), Flashtail Clousers (yellow over white or baby blue over white; on Gamakatsu jig hook), Blanton’s FT Whistler (orange/yellow or red/white), Burk’s Punk Bait, and home-tied creations of Fox Fur / Craft Fur in red/yellow/blue combinations.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMGP2346.jpg
Birds-eye view of the camp below (Itapera River)
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMG_1839.jpg
8 passenger float plane was our transportation to camp...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMGP0016-1.jpg
Jim's personal-best 20 pounder on "day zero"...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMG_1699.jpg
Shiz's personal-best 17 pounder...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000206-1.jpg
... and incredible encounters with Amazon wildlife (sloth - "priguica")
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000215.jpg
Bring lots of flies!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMG_1718-1.jpg
My personal-best 19 pounder taken on Fuch's Deception fly (guide "Caju")
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000276.jpg
Guides Carlos, Bibi (host), Caju, Sydney, and Ronaldo...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000299-1.jpg
Caju retrieved this trophy Paca Peacock from the snags... all smiles from Shiz!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000357.jpg
Shore lunch break...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMGP0165.jpg
Jerry's 16 pounder!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/GenX-16.jpg
BIG flies for BIG Peacock Bass!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000300.jpg
Battle scars from fighting Peacock Bass
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/P1000407-1.jpg
On the run on the Itapera River...
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMGP2415.jpg
Trophy Peacock for Wade!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMG_1738-1.jpg
A surprise catch... 26 pound Red Tail Catfish!
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/Anglingonthefly/IMG_1788.jpg
Happy campers on the Itapera River!