After my fishing days for Tarpon in the Northeast Brazil, my next planned stop was in the fresh waters of the Amazon jungle. So, I landed in Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazon. Truth is that fishing is getting rougher everywhere in the world and the Amazon is no different. During the fishing season, when the river level is low, the fish get kind of trapped. As a result, anglers from all over the world come to get them. While Brazil is not the only place to fish for peacock bass, it is the place where you can find the biggest of its species, called the Açu or Temensis.
To get away from all these anglers and find a premium fishing location, one needs to find some exclusive waters where the number of anglers is limited and the peacock bass, Açu, is protected. That's the reason I selected the Xeurini River as my destination.
Our local operation has an agreement with the local communities and have exclusive access to over 60 miles of the lower Xeurini, which is an excellent stretch of the river. Our group departed on Saturday morning on board a yacht with a capacity for 14 anglers. The yacht navigated to our destination for about 24 hours (around 200 miles inside the rainforest). The yacht was simple, yet comfortable. The skiffs that took us out fishing every day were simple, but efficient for these waters. In my first day I was very excited about being able to find the right flies and catch so many yellow peacock bass. They keep you thrilled and allow you to practice your casting and hook setting.
On my second day, I caught several "Pacas" peacock bass (actually the same as the Açu, ask me and I will explain the difference) which was an improvement. The "Pacas" are, in my opinion, the hardest fighting peacock bass of them all. Even a small one can get you tangled under water if you are not paying attention.
On my third day I caught the "trophy", a beautiful Açu peacock bass. It blessed my day! Truth is everyone in the group was having a blast! Some were catching more, others less, some smaller, some bigger. But, everyone was having fun, and every day was getting better.
Some people wanted to have fun catching a variety of Brazilian catfish, like the "Red Tail Catfish", others were able to catch Aruanãs and even Arapaimas. Fishing was really fantastic! But, to be so far away from everything in such an immense forest with great people (enjoying great food and beverages), was like that Mastercard commercial - it's just priceless. After five (5) days of fishing, we navigated back to Manaus and back to our regular lives, but with great memories, pictures, and videos.
If you want to know more or are interested in this trip, contact us at peachfaa@gmail.com or via this website.
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