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Are you a novice peacock bass angler deliberating over which operation to select for your first trek to the South American rainforest? Are you a veteran traveler to Amazon looking for something different for your next adventure?
Are you looking for an unforgettable fishing adventure to
the vast Amazon watershed of northern Brazil? Welcome aboard the Amazon
Voyager, an operation featuring two of the finest houseboats
in the Amazon. The Amazon Voyager boats have catered to avid Brazilian, European and South American anglers for several years now. Although the operation is new to American anglers, the quality of the Mother-ships, experience of the manager - Marcos Lima - (who has handled hundreds of American anglers from his days with another popular operation) and guides will quickly make this the gold standard by which other Amazon-based operations are judged. Rather than operate out of a fixed based camp, the Voyager and her experienced crew and guides spend six fishing days probing the Rio Negro, Rio Madeira and their tributaries with you in search of the most productive fishing locations.
Our guides average 4 years experience with American anglers. The Amazon Voyager operation offers custom-built, immaculately clean houseboats that were designed by the well-respected Oliveira family of Manaus, Brazil. They have been fishing the Brazilian Amazon for a combined 45 years and are intimately familiar with the very sensitive factors that govern success or failure of a fishing trip to this region of Brazil. When the Oliveira family decided to offer their operation to American anglers, they immediately were inundated with job requests from many of the most seasoned peacock bass guides. The Amazon Voyager possesses a crew of 12-16 (depending on which boat is used for the charter), all desiring to insure your maximum comfort and enjoyment. With a captain possessing more than 15 years experience piloting the many rivers of the Amazon watershed and veteran peacock bass fishing guides, the Amazon Voyager will explore this vast fishery with you for six plus days in search of trophy peacock bass. No tributary will be out of reach, as we will utilize both
standard and amphibious planes to access the best fishing locations
of northern Brazil. The Voyager and crew will determine
the locations on a weekly basis based solely on optimal water, weather
and fishing conditions.
Whether you call them by their South American names of tucunare or pavon, or the name most American anglers are familiar with - peacock bass - this exciting sportfish has developed an ever-increasing following of anglers since the mid-80’s. Few gamefish species evoke the kind of passion and almost obsessive following that peacock bass. Although referred to as a bass, the peacock is actually not a member of the bass family at all. It is just one of the 1,600 plus members of the family of tropical fish called cichlids.
There are several similarities to the popular North American largemouth bass, however, such as basic body profile, enormous mouth, ravenous appetite and a strong propensity for attacking prey and artificial lures with a ferocity that is more reminiscent of much larger gamefish. One striking difference, immediately apparent to the first-time peacock bass angler, is that this fish is much more vividly colored than the largemouth bass. Depending on the watershed and the subspecies of peacock bass, you will find them adorned in varying shades of green, blue, orange and gold. Their fiery red eyes have almost been described as demonic. A circular black spot, dramatically rimmed in gold, on the tail fin is similar to that found on the land-dwelling peacock.
"Don't let this ‘Fancy Dan’ appearance fool you," says author, writer and National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame angler Spence Petros, a leading authority on peacock bass fishing. "The peacock bass is much more aggressive than its North American counterpart, often pursuing lures or prey larger than itself. Peacocks routinely break lines, shatter rods and destroy tackle that would subdue the toughest largemouth. The peacock bass has evolved as a world class gamefish, one that has learned to flourish in an environment that possesses vast schools of vicious piranhas, giant Amazon catfish the size of Volkswagens, 12-foot long armor scaled pirarucus, alligators and an assortment of other unsavory characters that possess fangs, stingers, toxins and never-ending appetites."
Peacock bass exhibit three qualities that make them an ideal angling target: they are territorial; they mouth brood and they have ravenous appetites. Because they are so territorial, it is believed that a fairly high percentage of strikes will occur just because your lure or fly has violated their territory. Because peacock bass parents protect their young after birthing them for a period of time, they will assault a lure or fly because it is a threat to their offspring. The fry will actually scurry into the mouths of protective parents when a threat is present. Their ravenous appetites can best be exemplified by the vivid mental image of 12 to 14 inch long baitfish actually beaching themselves on sandbars to escape the onslaught of peacock bass on the feed. Your Amazon Voyager fishing experience will take place both on the main river - targeting prime structures such as islands, sandbars and points, as well as in hidden backwater bays and lagoons off the main river. Many of these hidden lagoons are well kept secret locations of our guides who take pride in putting their clients on fish that seldom get pressured by other anglers.
If you’re a plug caster, you’ll need stout tackle as you’ll be working medium to large size surface lures, long flashy jerkbaits, jumbo spinnerbaits and jigs around points, islands, fallen trees, rockpiles, creek mouths, sandbars and stumps. You’ll need to really work these hefty lures aggressively to tempt these fish into striking. A finesse approach will not produce as well as an aggressive cast and retrieve technique. If you desire to fly fish, you’ll need gear more appropriate for saltwater species (typically 9 to 11 weight gear), using large profiled patterns such as Dahlberg-style divers, baitfish patterns, High-Tie, Clouser minnows, Half and Halfs or variations of Lefty's Deceivers. These should be tied in a diversity of colors. In addition to peacock bass, you will also have an opportunity to catch other unique Amazon-based gamefish, such as the arawana (water monkey), pacu, piranha and giant catfish. Please talk to your on board manager and guides about the various types of fish you’d like to catch.
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