The History of Peacock Bass Fishing in the Amazon

Peacock Bass fishing trips in Brazil’s Amazon have done a lot of evolving in the last 25 years.  I can remember boarding the 85’ Amazon Queen mother boat upon my arrival in Manaus and traveling nearly 30 hours up the Rio Negro to reach the fishing ground just upriver from Barcelos on my first trip Peacock Bass fishing in 1997.  Then on the way back it took us about 22 hours traveling down river on the Queen to arrive back to Manaus for the flight home.  We killed two days of fishing running up and down the river.  My next trip in 1998 we flew from Manaus to Barcelos, in a twin engine charter plane where we boarded the Queen.  Once again with a half day of traveling upriver to get away from the heavily fished areas around Barcelos we lost another day of prime fishing.  By day 2 were getting far enough away from Barcelos that in the late 1990’s we were getting into good fishing areas as about the only fishing competition was the local Indian subsistence fishermen.  By the early 2000’s the interest in Peacock Bass fishing exploded and in 1999 the Rio Negro Lodge opened for business about 40 miles upriver form Barcelos and was soon able to accommodate 40 fishermen per week from their fixed lodge and the number of mother boats handling from 8 to 24 guests per week each went from 10 on the river to 20, to 30 and keeps increasing all operating our of Barcelos.  Soon it came to a situation that after landing in Barcelos it took a full 2 days to get away from the crowds of Peacock Bass fishermen and into lightly fished areas that produced good fishing.  Then you spent the last 2 days of the trip working your way back thru the heavily fished areas to get to Barcleos for you departure back to Manaus.  With this advent of heavy fishing pressure the Peacock Bass became reluctant to hit the myriad of top water lures they were seeing, which was long the thrill of this game, watching the aggressive Peacock Bass smash a top water lure.  The new norm became trolling jigs and flies so you could cover large swaths of water and present you lure to as many fish as possible.  Not a bad way to fish, it was just not what I considered the classic Peacock Bass fishing experience many fishermen had come to Brazil’s Amazon for.

Then in 2010 I was invited down to Brazil by River Plate Anglers to see a “new to me” Peacock Bass fishing experience, flying into remote black water tributaries to the Rio Negro where you saw no other fishermen and where you were in prime fishing waters the first morning of your fishing trip.  Many of the rivers they fished were above low water sand bars and obstructions that inhibited entry by the myriad of mother boats working the main Rio Negro and many were within land locked areas River Plate had lease exclusive trespass rights from the indigenous Indians of the area.  It was a pleasant surprise to be able to fly from Manaus early the first morning of the 7 day trip by Caravan wheel or float plane and land in close proximity to your floating mobile Safari Camp located on a beautiful white sandbar and be fishing prime Peacock Bass fishing waters the first morning of your trip.  The cabins were 250 sq ft, fully air-conditioned with two single beds side by side complete with a private bathroom and shower with camps handling small groups of nly 8 to 12 guests per week.  The key to this operation was that the floating cabins only drew 4 inches of water and were moved up or down the tributaries several times a week in most any water conditions.    Another thing that surprised me was the big numbers of Peacock Bass these lightly fished tributaries produced and I loved spending the evenings on the secluded sand bard the camps were on in the middle of the rain forest watching the birds and listening the monkeys rather than on deck of a mother boat watching the river traffic on the Rio Negro. 

 
The next five years I spent managing the American office for a different mother boat Peacock Bass fishing operation in Brazil making a living and managing a premium fly-in lodge in southwest Alaska.   Managing the lodge in Alaska and being able to fly to remote destinations every day, which is the premium fishing trip in Alaska, really made me want to pursue this idea again in Brazil’s Amazon.  Upon retiring as General Manager of the lodge in Alaska in 2015, I began to discuss my idea of offering a remote fly-in fishing operation in the Amazon with River Plate’s floating camps being able to offer single occupancy cabins in the heart of several prime Peacock Bass fishing tributaries for all 7 days of a client’s trip.  We have this operation together and are have trips offering 6 ½ or 4 ½ days of fishing , utilizing Caravan wheel and float planes to flying directly from Manaus to your Safari Camp you in primo unpressured black water tributaries with small groups of 6 fishermen per week from October thru March.  You will enjoy  250 sq ft air-conditioned private cabins each with a queen bed plus private bathroom & shower.  We also offer upscale food & beverage service, all adult beverages, daily maid and laundry service, custom gully equipped 21 bass boats and guides plus the use of all rods, reels & LURES as part of the trip package.  We even offer single occupancy hotel rooms in Manaus the first night of your trip!

Come enjoy the premium fly-in Peacock Bass fishing experience with little to no competition on the water with small personal groups for the real Amazon Peacock Bass fishing experience you have always dreamed of.  Did I mention that River Plate is the most experienced Peacock Bass outfitter in Brazil’s Amazon being one of the original pioneers of Peacock Bass fishing since 1992.  We don’t say were the “World’s Best Peacock Bass Operator” we let our clients tell you that!
 
“Absolutely a first class trip for big dog fisherman. Excellent amenities for being in the middle of nowhere. You better be ready to fish a lot, or just stay on the porch with the small dogs. I've fished Brazil 4 times since 1998, with the last one on this venue In 2015. It was the best for serious peacock bass fishing. Jim Kern will take care of you”.  James Gernentz   Bay Town, Texas  18 May 2016
 
Visit our website www.peacock-bass-fishing.com for complete information and booking information.  FISH WITH THE BEST AWAY FOR THE REST!