Peacock bass fishing TESTIMONIALS

Thursday, January 10, 2002 My fishing partner, Greg, and I arrived in Manaus, Brazil, at 3:45 am and were met by our outfitter’s representative, Brahma. We waited for other fisherman to arrive. Then, Brahma dropped us off at the Tropical Hotel around 5 am before taking the others on to catch a floatplane. We were going to take a day to see Manaus. We enjoyed a buffet breakfast and then went to sleep around 6 am (we paid extra to check in early). At 10 am we awoke. Brahma met us a little after 11 am for our tour. We started at the floating docks, named so because the water level of the Rio Negro varies by as much as 40 feet annually. Next, we went to the Mercado Publico, built in 1882. The architect was the same one who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The market and adjoining fish market had something for everyone - food, grains, medicinal plants, souvenirs and more. Then, we headed for the Opera House built in 1896 at the height of the rubber boom. Made of imported materials from Italy, France and England, it is a work of art. We had a delightful tour guide who spoke very formal English. Finally, with some difficulty we went to the Museum of Natural History. The problem we faced was that the river had washed out the main bridge. There was a temporary foot bridge, but no way to get the car across. Brahma called the museum, and a worker came down and picked us up in a pickup truck. It was raining hard. At the museum, we saw an extensive collection of fish, reptiles and insects. Some of the fish were in aquariums, including huge tarpon and a wide variety of piranha. The butterfly collection was particularly beautiful. With our tour complete, we returned to the Tropical Hotel for lunch and a tour of the zoo. There was a wide variety of animals including jaguars, ocelots, spider monkeys and more.

Brahma then dropped us off downtown to take in some local sites before having dinner at the Buffalo. There were no menus here. Servants just kept bringing out food on platters and skewers until we could eat no more. We were joined by a group of Texans who had just come out of the jungle and reported that fishing was good. Their largest was 21 pounds, and they caught 20 to 40 fish per boat per day. With a full stomach, we caught a cab back to the Tropical and watched an extravaganza musical focusing on the Brazilian native culture…very professional and entertaining. We were in bed by 10 am. Friday, January 11, 2001 We were up at 2:30 am so Brahma could pick us up at 3 am to go to the airport. Instead, his wife, Meg, picked us up at 4 am. At the airport we met the remainder of our party. Ray, Glen, Bill, Jeff and Robert … all from Florida. We boarded our floatplane around 5 am and flew 350 miles to camp #7 on the Urubaxi River. The guides picked us up at the plane in aluminum boats and took us to our quarters on the river boat, Amazon Angel.

We got our gear ready and headed out to fish. It was close to 100 degrees. By the end of the day it was clear that we were properly equipped with lures, 60- to 80-pound braided line, scissors and pliers for changing hooks. The rest of the party complained about lost lures, broken 40-pound monofilament line, etc. Everyone else was frustrated for most of the week. It was great to experience the “no mosquito environment.” Results: Boat caught 19 fish. Me 10, Greg 9. Greg caught the first fish. I caught a 14-, 16-, 17-, 18- and 20-pounder. Saturday, January 12, 2002 Out at 7 am. Beautiful day…hot, hot, hot. No rain. We saw several river dolphins. Lost a couple of big ones. Results: Boat caught 28 fish. Me 13, Greg 15. I caught a 14-, 16- and 18-pounder. Greg caught a 10-, 13-, 15- and 17-pounder. Sunday, January 13, 2002 Out at 7 am. Best day so far for me. I caught a 23-pound fish that looked like a world record when it jumped out of the water. The boat’s biggest fish so far, beating out Greg’s 20-pound fish. Lots of parrots and macaws…very colorful birds always flying in pairs. Our guide, Altomar, ended up cutting down a 7-inch tree to save my lure. Results: Boat caught 17 fish. me 11. Greg six. I caught two 11-pounders, a 13-pounder, two 14-pounders, a 22-pounder and a 23-pounder. Monday, January 14, 2002 Out at 6:30 am. It rained most of the day. Late in the day during a downpour with lighting striking all around, Greg caught a 23.5-pound fish to take the lead for biggest fish, then he caught a 17-pounder. With the lighting still flashing, we decided to head for the boat. It was about a 30-minute ride. We set on our plastic seats and held our feet off the aluminum bottom in case lighting struck close by. Results: Boat caught seven. Me one and Greg six. Greg caught a 16-pounder, 17-pounder and 23.5-pounder. Tuesday, January 15, 2002 Out at 6:30 am. Today was like an all-day ride on the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland. We only caught small ones, while missing some opportunities for bigger fish.

The butterflies were beautiful. We saw two natives catching cardinal fish. Our guide, Altomar, offered them a couple of beers, and we were given an opportunity to inspect their camp…very primitive. They had a blue tarp over bamboo poles. Their only staple was rice, which they combined with fish. At the end of the day, we ran out of gas. Fortunately, the big boat was moving upriver, and we were saved. Results: Boat caught eight fish. Wednesday, January 16, 2002 A beautiful day. I caught a 22-pound fish, and then Greg caught a 24-pounder to extend his lead for the biggest fish. After a fight early on, the fish coasted into the boat. We lost some other big ones. Results: Boat caught 30 fish. Me 13, Greg 17. I caught a 22-pounder, and Greg caught at 24-pounder and an 11-pounder. Thursday, January 17, 2002 Beautiful day. I caught a 24-pound fish to tie Greg for biggest fish. It put up a good fight and was wrapped up in the line. Greg encouraged me to get it in the boat before I strangled it. We ran into more natives. We saw one family chugging along in an old boat with several canoes pulled behind. All of the kids worked by gathering tropical fish. Later we saw two adults and a young boy who appeared to have just chiseled out logs to make three canoes. Our last day… Greg won for most fish. We tied for largest; it was an exhausting day. We thought we were tied (or up one and down one) for most fish all day. When I recalculated at the big boat, I found Greg had won by nine fish. We spent more time on the top deck observing the brilliance of the stars. Results: Boat caught 15 fish - Me 6, Greg 9. I caught a 24-pounder and a 15-pounder. Greg caught a 17-pounder, 14-pounder and 11-pounder. Friday, January 18, 2002 We showered, packed, had breakfast and waited for the floatplane. The plane came at 7:45 am. We boarded the boat for the ride to the plane, and celebrated with a cervesa. The flight was smooth, and it was fascinating to look down on the thick jungle with streaks representing the rivers. Once we got to the Rio Negro there was a lot more water. The Rio Negro is several miles wide at times. The floatplane landed (to our surprise) at Barcelos, about one third of the way to Manaus. We changed planes to a land-based plane for the flight to Manaus so the floatplane could be used to ferry more fishermen to the river camps. We made it to Manaus, Miami and eventually back to Chicago. It was about 17 hours from the time we left on the floatplane until we touched down in Chicago. Results for the week: Boat caught 125 fish. Me 58 and Greg 67. I caught 11 fish of 15 pounds or more, including four of 20 pounds or more. Greg caught 11 fish of 15 pounds or more, including 3 of 20 pounds or more. Combined, we caught 31 fish weighing over 10 pounds. Our boat caught the biggest fish every day, a tribute to our guide, our equipment and our stellar fishing skill. The rest of the fishermen were amazed at our success. Other fishermen we met at the airport were also impressed by the size of fish we caught. The food was good, the help was attentive and the accommodations were excellent (particularly the air conditioning). The trip lived up to every expectation we had. It was truly an adventure.