Hey Gang,
Just returned from a loooong trip to the Rio Trombetas river (Brazil). It was a bit of an exploratory trip, fishing waters on an Indian Reservation, not sport fished with any frequency.

The travel was horrendous, Phoenix, Miami, Brasilia, Belem, Santarem. By boat it was Santsarem overnight on a ferry, to Oriximinia. Oriximinia to Porto Trombetas, 3 more hours. hour truck ride, then 3 more hours on the fishing boats to camp.

Camp was extraordinarily poorly run. We were told, "Camp has A/C, and Wifi". Well, it does. But the generator was broken. Outfitter had very little attention to detail and let stuff go. I insisted the generator be fixed.

We left the lodge to go camping up-river for a week. The camping trip was rad, camped on a beach that required us to portage' everything up and over a waterfall. Boats, motors, small generator, everything.

The Peacock fishing below the falls was pretty good. But above the falls, my God it was fantastic. These Peacocks (Cichla Thyrorus) are fast water fish, they stay in the slack water behind rocks, trees, islands. Everywhere that looked like it should hold fish, did.

Current WR for this species is 14.00. I caught three over that. 2 @ 15 and one @ 16. Average fish was right at 10 pounds.

Catfish were not cooperating. We focused on Peacocks and Bicuda, which were also plentiful and large.

After a week, we went back down to the lodge. Generator was fixed but the A/C still didn't work, neither did the WiFi.

Back down by the lodge, the Piraiba bite had started. I caught three in three days, which isn't bad. They were smallish (70-80#)

We fished for 13 days I think?

Trip home took 4 days. Trip over, 4.5. I would not return unless there was an option to land the float plane above the falls and not even fool with that lame camp.

Simply outstanding, Steve!

Nice peacocks but 8.5 days of travel for 13 days of fishing is a bit much. And no AC in that environment would really suck

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
Nice peacocks but 8.5 days of travel for 13 days of fishing is a bit much. And no AC in that environment would really suck

There were lots of challenges and very poorly organized. Food safety issues, running out of water, food..etc

The travel sucked and the float plane would fix all that. Problem is, it’s 12k now.

Just saw this. Nice report Steve. Did Ralph go with you?

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
Just saw this. Nice report Steve. Did Ralph go with you?

Yes, Ralph, Myself and 7 rude French people

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
Just saw this. Nice report Steve. Did Ralph go with you?

Yes, Ralph, Myself and 7 rude French people

Oh jeez, I didn’t know you shared camp and travel with a bunch of frogs.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
Just saw this. Nice report Steve. Did Ralph go with you?

Yes, Ralph, Myself and 7 rude French people

Oh jeez, I didn’t know you shared camp and travel with a bunch of frogs.

The absolute worst cultural experience of my life. Rude bastards all or them.

There were two French women there as well. They were nice. The 5 French guys paraded around in their underwear all the time, sometimes nude. I threw an absolute fit over general decency in front of women.

One of the "men" pushed me out of the way in the chow line. I grabbed him by his collar and tossed him out of line.

They seem to have some inferiority complex with Americans.

The fishing being good was the ONLY redeeming factor of the trip. I hated every minute of being in camp.

It was in the sand on an island. We got absolutely chewed by sand fleas. I told him he's nuts, we need to be on soil, not sand. He disagreed. I told him to go look at where the Indians build their villages. Hard, brown dirt.

Ran out of water. I don't drink alcohol and the camp staff drank all the soft drinks. However there was plenty of warm beer and rum. I always carry a sawyer squeeze water filter, wherever I travel. I use it for adventure bicycle racing.

Ever sleep on a ferry with 600 Brazilians in hammocks, 10" apart?

What a complete shit show, goat rope.

The problem is, this fishery has SO MUCH potential.

SMH...

That was a lot of ordeal in return for some great fishing. Those peacocks are just gorgeous.
Sand fleas, but not flies, correct?
I read "The Lost City of the Monkey God" a while back and the author and several of the archaeologists contracted leishmaniasis from sand fly bites; it is now apparently becoming endemic in parts of Texas.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
That was a lot of ordeal in return for some great fishing. Those peacocks are just gorgeous.
Sand fleas, but not flies, correct?
I read "The Lost City of the Monkey God" a while back and the author and several of the archaeologists contracted leishmaniasis from sand fly bites; it is now apparently becoming endemic in parts of Texas.

Bill -

Not sure if it's fleas or flies but they're a real pain in the ass.

Has anyone fished the Rio Canuma (out of Manaus)?

I have no experience in that drainage. Most of my fishing has been in the Guyana Shield waters, north of the Amazon and Manaus. I have settled in the high gradient waters that offer a wider variety of species to include all the giant Catfishes of the Amazon.

Just by looking where it is, I'd guess its mostly Cichla Temensis, Peacocks.

I've gotten hooked on Cichla Thyrorus and Vazzoleri. They are both fast water fish and their being there, means the real giants are around (most cases)

Is there an outfitter question about the Canuma?

There's lots of dodgy outfitters in Brazil. I fished with one on the trip this thread was about.

Steve, check your Private Messages.