Peacock bass fishing TESTIMONIALS

(Editor Note: Ever wondered what fishing the Amazon basin is really like? Well, subscriber Christopher Gill has filed a report that captures the experience of a remote jungle trip so vividly, you can almost hear the howler monkeys overhead. We're putting Gill on our subscriber Honor Roll and sending him an Angling Report cap for sharing his experience. Thanks, Christopher Gil! Why don't you try to get on our subscriber Honor Roll? See page 2 of the Angling Report newsletter for details.)

I recently enjoyed a family reunion in Brazil, fly fishing for peacock bass with River Plate Outfitters. Seventeen guests fished from three of River Plate's four camps at the end of the season. My family began its expedition with a flight from the United States to Manaus, where we were met by River Plate staff members, who took us to their river yacht, the Amazon Angel. We spent three nights and two days aboard this ship making our way up the Rio Negro, fishing during the day out of flats boats. There were two anglers and one guide per outboard powered boat. We would fish upstream, ahead of the yacht, which would work its way upriver throughout the day.
The Amazon Angel is a modernized, 50-year-old Amazonian river transport, an unusual craft, with a high superstructure on a long, narrow displacement hull. The interior is done in tropical hardwoods and reminded us of a Victorian saloon. The lower deck stores the fishing boats and is where the crew quarters, galley and dining cabin are located. The middle deck contains airconditioned cabins, baths and a saloon. And the upper deck has a master cabin and spacious outdoor lounging areas, forward and aft. This boat functions as a self-contained fishing camp during the regular season, and it's hard to imagine a more beautiful experience than moving up this incredible river in such a craft.

On the third morning of our trip we awoke in a channel that was too narrow for the boat to proceed or even turn around in, but we continued our travel up the river in a fleet of fishing boats. We fished our way up to the second of River Plate's four floating fish camps. These camps are actually groupings of fiberglass barges. For accommodations, individual barges are each equipped with a two-person Weatherport™ canvas shelter that is much like a small canvas, bungalow. These were custom-built structures, each featuring a private bath, shower and toilet. The toilets are chemical toilets, which function very well. The showers use battery-powered pumps and the very clean river water. Showering in Amazonian water is a great treat, and for some reason it makes the ladies' hair look and feel great. The interiors of the canvas structures are stylishly decorated, and there are comfortable beds with fresh daily linens, electric fans and mosquito netting.

For the next several days our routine was the same. We left the camp in the morning, and fished until we broke for a shore lunch.
The guides set up hammocks in the jungle for a mid-day siesta. In the afternoons, we fished as long as we liked, normally quitting by 5:30 pm and then going back downriver to a new beach where the barge camp had been towed. We enjoyed a fresh beach area every day. Fishing was followed by a refreshing swim in the river or by water-skiing. The staff also served us delicious drinks and an elaborate meal prepared on the barge that served as a kitchen. The Weatherport(TM) building that served as the kitchen features industrial stoves, refrigerators and all the necessities of any restaurant kitchen. Meals were served in another canvas building that functioned as the dining room.

We caught lots of fish during our trip. Sight-fishing to peacock bass is both exciting and tiring. One morning my wife and I caught and released 50 fish before lunch. We then took a long lunch and siesta, resumed fishing and quit at 4 pm with 75 fish caught and released for the day. The biggest fish taken during the week was 16 pounds, but we were there during the last week of the season, and the river was rising, causing the fish to spread out. Bigger fish are regularly taken earlier in the season when the river is low and the fish are concentrated in pools.

In addition to a great fishing trip, the Amazon also makes for a remarkable nature visit. It's hard to imagine a better way to see the jungle environment than from a river aboard a floating camp that moves every day. Imagine being awakened at 6 am in the morning by a chorus of howler monkeys, seeing jaguar prints on the beach where you're camped, finding tapir droppings on the shore and spotting caimans by the dozens. There were also toucans flying overhead along with river eagles, parrots and macaws.
The food is hardy and delicious. We enjoyed caipirinhas, the Brazilian version of a margarita, which washed down our deep fried piranha, beef, beans and rice. There were also excellent Brazilian wines, lots of local fresh fruit and fresh bread. We explored the jungle, visited villages and fished until we were tired of it.
At the end of the trip, the owner of River Plate Outfitters, Luis Brown, flew us back to Manaus aboard his company plane, a turbo Cessna Caravan. Brown is an interesting guy. His grandfather was a Texas industrialist who moved his businesses to South America. Brown was born in Uruguay but is a Brazilian citizen. He graduated from the Wharton School and speaks perfect Portuguese, Spanish and English. He has a 23-million-acre concession here and has set his business up in a series of partnerships with locals who are, in general, Baptist Amazonian Brazilians. A harder working, more honest, accommodatinggroup of people would be hard to find anywhere. Brown knows how to put on a good party. This was a great trip, a great fishing value and a wonderful experience for my entire family.
While this is a great fly fishing trip, anglers can also bait cast and troll, which is an effective way to fish here and probably a better way to get the very big fish. For less enthusiastic fishermen, there are jungle exploration trips and village visits in this incredible, untouched wilderness. Manaus is easy to get in and out of and is a major city with interesting sites.
Shots, including yellow fever, are recommended, although I found the exceptionally high tannin levels in the river all but eliminated mosquito hatches. During our visit, we were unmolested by mosquitoes or other biting insects. You can book this trip through Rod & Gun Resources in Kerrville, Texas
Postscript: In a follow up call to David Gregory at Rod & Gun Resources, we learned that Gill's trip was a customized affair that combined their fishing yacht package with their barge camp fishing package. This trip usually involves clients being flown directly to the fishing yacht or the barge camps. The regular package does not include the ride up the Rio Negro aboard the yacht to reach the remote fishing camps. The cost of a seven-day trip is $2,650 per person from September through December and $3,650 during prime time, which runs from January to March.