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Rio Negro - The Land of Twenty First class
accommodations and monster peacock bass action can be found at the Rio Negro Lodge!by Larry Larsen
I am a "morning" person, but peacock bass are not. Giants of this fishy clan seldom feed or strike lures before the morning dew meets the bright sun, as it climbs from the horizon. The
early morning Amazon air is thick with moisture and the waters in the huge archipelago of the Rio Negro are usually still. The fishing senses are peaked by the intriguing
environment of the rain forest. But peacock bass sleep at night, as we do.The peacock bass are not like many other fish that feed at night; they are totally dormant all night long. In fact, they
probably get a better night's sleep than do many of the avid peacock bass anglers that fly from points all over the U.S. to the middle of the Amazon jungle to do battle with the "ultimate"
freshwater fish. Motoring to the first encounter of the day, though, is enjoyable for most of the pescadores. Morning mist that washes the angler's faces on their boat ride
out to the lagoons wakes them up, but the sun is needed for giant peacock. Life in the lagoon begins to rouse long before the monster peacocks even think about
their next meal. Papagayo or green parrots take off from their roosts screaming at each other and any boat motoring through their quarters. Other water birds cackle or squawk their disapproval of visitors
trespassing in their sanctuary. The gray light of dawn is a distant memory when the bass boat comes off a plane and settles into the
mouth of a small lagoon. Anglers grab their favorite heavy duty rod and prepare for war. Giant Woodchopper topwater plugs are lofted and crash down on the mirror-like surface. Then the plowing
begins. The plugs are fished with a jerk, a pause, and then another jerk. The cadence continues until one of the smaller peacocks finds the courage to slam the big lure or until the monster we seek wakes up.
Smaller peacocks, those under 10 pounds, are brought to the boat quickly and released, but not without a respectable fight. Most of the "little guys" fight about 3 or 4 times their "size." When a
"teener" strikes though, the angler knows it. Peacock bass over 13 pounds just seem to have additional power that tests all facets of your equipment. Either you eventually land the fish, or
something within your tackle or technique will fail. Regardless, you'll have the experience of a lifetime. In the Rio Negro area, you might have that experience many times.
 Another experience that many visiting anglers have is that of battling a 20 plus
pound peacock. And there is no better place in the Amazon than the Rio Negro to find such monsters. The river is the largest of the dozen major tributaries of the mighty Amazon River. Encompassing
an archipelago of hundreds of large islands, backwater sloughs, lagoons, creeks and low-water lakes, the Rio Negro spreads 15 miles wide in places and is full of 20-pounders. Each year
several hundred giants over 20 pounds are caught and released from these waters. On my most recent trip to the luxurious Rio Negro Lodge on the banks of the waterway, it was
mid-day when I found my "trip maker." I was fishing one of the small lagoons about 45 minutes south of the lodge with friend Steve Tagami, a tackle rep, and guide Alcindo. We have moved into the back
of the lagoon where a small 30-foot wide pocket was surrounded by tall bushes. The water had 4 to 6 foot of depth so it was suitable for harboring a big fish.
My 50 foot cast splashed down and I jerked the bait once and paused only long enough for all the spray from the chopper's tail spinner to hit the surface of the water. I jerked it again and paused
momentarily when the eruption went off. A giant peacock madder than hell tried to destroy the 7-inch long lure at first. Then it tried to tear my arms out of their sockets as it smoked out of the pocket and
skirted a 40 foot long row of flooded bushes.
Any right turn and the fish would have been buried in entanglements. I was hanging onto the "freight
train" as it powered for some more substantial laydowns. I pressured the fish and fortunately, it turned just outside of the fallen tree. Then it headed back the opposite direction and again skirted the line of
partially submerged bushes. I again held my breath and exerted just enough pressure on my rod to keep the monster from turning into the trouble.
I finally worked the big fish to the boat where Alcindo netted it. The fish was massive, and the thickness extended from its broad back all the way to the tail fin. We put it on our bogagrip scale
which confirmed a 22.5 pound weight. After a few photos, we watched it strongly swim off. Just 15 minutes later, Steve and I were throwing to a brushy point off the main Rio Negro channel
when another giant showed up. Steve's cast just beyond the vegetation and about 10 feet off of it landed with a splat. One jerk later, an explosion occurred and my partner was into his big fish of the
week. In fact, since he was on his first trip to the Amazon, this fish turned out to be his largest ever. He battled the monster to the waiting net and our guide checked out the weight on our scales. The
fish, a couple of inches shorter than mine, weighed 19 pounds even. Steve, who had a 14 pounder earlier in the week, was elated.
During the week, we fished some lagoons and lakes off the river and also many of the points and sandbars around the islands in the main channels. In all, 44 lodge guests caught 18 peacocks over 20
pounds during our visit. My 20 pounder and several of the other behemoths were taken on giant Luhr-Jensen topwater plugs, specifically the Magnum Woodchopper. The "clown-pattern" (painted
yellow with red and black dots), "fire tiger", "peacock bass", "red and white" and "black with orange
belly" versions all produced big peacocks. Yozuri minnowbaits and other large jerkbaits sporting heavy-duty hardware also produced giants for many of the first time peacock anglers.
 The largest fish of the week was taken by Nelson Burnell of Canal
Fulton, Ohio on the day after he and I fished together. It weighed 25 3/4 pounds and was the avid peacock angler's largest in 30 some weeks of fishing waters around the lodge. He's a regular at the Rio Negro Lodge,
sometimes spending 5 weeks in a row there. He knows giant peacocks and has tallied many 20-pounders in those waters. On our day together, our largest fish was only 9 pounds, but the fishing was a little slow for both of
us. Nelson's most unique catch of the week, however, was a small river otter that was swimming for its life in front of a 14 foot long caiman. The tired
mammal was almost done for, Nelson related, when they motored in and netted the baby otter. The big reptile swam off hungry, and the rescued otter was brought back to the lodge to swim in the pool
and rest up a bit. It was just one of several animals of the rainforest that is undergoing rehabilitation of one kind or another at the lodge. They include tapirs, monkeys, anteaters, macaw, and other Amazon
wildlife that were found in hardship. Not all peacock bass hook-ups were successful for me on the other days. On one day, I had a fish of
19 pounds or so explode on my clown-colored topwater bait just 10 feet out from the boat. I fought it for five minutes in relatively clear water watching it closely and playing it carefully. Then, with my
guide's net waiting, the fish thrashed a couple of feet away and the plug's rear eye screw attached to the only hook in the giant peacock sheared off. An exhausted fish swam away just out of reach of our
net. I tied on another clown-colored surface plug, and just 30 minutes later, we noticed a giant fish that was even larger chasing a 10-inch long baitfish in the back of a pocket off the main river.
I tossed my plug to the activity and had an immediate blow-up. I set the hook and my line went limp, as the big peacock bass swam off with my last Woodchopper of that color. I reeled in my line to find
my knot fully intact. For the first time ever, I had set the hook and the 80-pound test braided line had popped out of the tiny gap of the line-tie eye screw. The gap was miniscule, but the power of the fish
going away and my hook set forced the heavy line right out of the tie eye. What are the odds?
 On the following day, I saw what was perhaps the largest peacock bass
wake ever. It looked like the wake of the freshwater dolphin or "boto" that frequent the Amazon River drainage, but it was not. It chased baitfish around and knocked several up on the bank of a small island. I got into
position, made a long cast into the middle of the commotion and had an immediate explosion on my topwater. The fish knocked it 20 feet in the air toward my boat. Unfortunately, it missed the lure and didn't return to it
of my follow-up casts. I'll not forget the dolphin-like wakes of that giant which must have weighed in the mid-twenties at least!
Each season, lodge guests catch and release 200 or 300 peacocks over 20 pounds and a dozen or more that hit the scales at 25 pounds, according to Amazon Tours owner Phil Marsteller. He and wife
Ruth live at the beautiful lodge, but they also own the Amazon Queen II operation and the smaller Rio Araca Lodge which is located northeast of the Rio Negro Lodge on the smaller tributary. The IGFA
all-tackle record peacock bass of 27 pounds was caught by one of Marsteller's customers about 20 minutes from the site of the Rio Negro lodge several years ago.
I love big peacocks, and they love the Rio Negro, which has for several years yielded more giants over 20 pounds than any other watershed in the Amazonas region of Brazil. This was my third visit to the
lodge and it was the third time that I have caught one of their 20 pounders. The waters there are indeed the land of plenty ... of twenties!
Editor's Note: Larry Larsen is author of four books on peacock bass and is Executive Director of the Peacock Bass Association. For details on both, visit www.peacockbassassociation.com.
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Lodge LuxuryThe
Rio Negro Lodge, completed in 1998, lies on the southern bank of the river about 60 miles west north west of Barcelos, the "tropical fish capital of the world". Many of the pretty exotic fish at the
aquarium shop are often captured and shipped from this region of the Amazon watershed. The accommodations are among the finest offered by fishing operations in Brazil. The air conditioned, 5,000 square foot
central lodge includes a large dining area, a relaxation and recreation lounge, a bar area, an office, an internet desk, a giant aquarium full of bait and peacocks and other fish, a gift shop and adjacent, a
large swimming pool and outdoor stage for the final night's entertainment, the boi-bumba dancers. The main building has exposed-beam ceilings and large glass windows that overlook an
expansive grass area. Tucked into the rainforest are 22 large air conditioned guest rooms in double cabins. Trees in front of the cabins are thinned for guests to enjoy a partial view of the river, but are
dense enough for privacy from the passing boats. Hardwood trees climbing 200 feet into the sky are wrapped by native vines and surrounded by a variety of flowering foliage.
The operation's 17-foot Nitro bass boats with 90 hp outboards pick up the anglers each morning at the shoreside dock and whisk them off to the action. The lodge is located in
the heart of the prime fishery and the guides have lots of water to fish. Some of the better areas are the Rio Cuiuni, Rio Itu, Rio Ariraha, Rio Erere and Rio Padauari. As an option, guests can also "fly
out" to isolated, land-locked lagoons and distant tributaries on a float plane. There also, their chances of catching giants that live in relative isolation are good. Visitors with a
passport and visa fly into Manaus from Miami on LAB airlines and then take a charter flight to Barcelos where boat transfers are made to the Rio Negro Lodge. For more information on the lodge, contact Amazon
Tours at 751 Canyon Dr., Ste. 110, Coppell, TX 75019; email
brenda@peacockbassfishing.com; or phone (972) 304-1656. |
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