JUGLE PREDATORS: Amazon Eden – Para, Brazil
Outfit: Angling Frontiers
There is a part of you for which you are completely unaware if you haven’t spent a day in the jungle. Deeply rooted in your brain, it’s a protocol of the primal world from which you came, made dormant by comfort and modernity but, one I invite you to awaken by journeying deep into the Amazon Rainforest with me.
I have partnered with Patrick Taendler and his exceptional crew at Angling Frontiers to develop a program to hunt and target herculean warmwater predators on the fly, and in cooperation with the professional staff and luxury accommodations of Eden Amazon Lodge, our theater on the Dos Sonhos River serves to provide a private, untouched sport fishery for the serious angler.
The Wildscape
This remote venue rests in the Xingu River basin, in the state of Para, and these small crystalline waters feed the larger main stems many miles downriver. This affords us favorable conditions to develop our program with an emphasis on sight-fishing. The vast majority of our sport here involves hunting for and deliberately targeting predacious fish while they are actively feeding.
Meanwhile, an angler is perpetually reminded just how deep he or she has immersed themselves into the truly wild world by the cacophonous sounds of the jungle around them. Monkeys, Capybara, Jaguars, Caman, and abundant birdlife are regularly sighted.
This can be attributed to the protections surrounding the theater. This region has been designated a conservation unit for nearly thirty years and, until recently, it has been closed to human presence entirely. The governing body who manages this resource granted our program exclusive permitting to conduct guided fishing operations here and set in place a strict limit to how many anglers we are permitted to bring here annually.
In respect of these conditions and the untamed wild of this place, we practice stringent safe handling and conservation models for operating and we maintain a minimalistic presence within the theater.
The Program
We travel by river boat to cover water and employ tactics from either the casting platforms of the craft or from an advantageous perch accessed by wading to locate and engage unsuspecting trophy specimens. Both streamers and dry fly opportunities regularly present themselves throughout the day. This fishery provides an extensive myriad of species and to catch them all would be quite the feat! Here’s a short list of just a few of the pipehitters we target:
Surubi (Tiger Striped Catfish)
Sometimes referred to as “Tiger Cats” or “Tigers,” Surubi are the fastest moving aquatic predator in the Amazon and are widespread. Their populations reach as far south as Argentina and Uruguay. Typically ranging in weight between 15-50lbs, these monsters are known for a fast paced fishing and aggressive fights. In the headwaters we’ll be fishing, these critters will be easily seen from the shallow banks. Steel leaders and big streamers required!
Payara (Vampire Fish)
Imagine a piranha on steroids. This member of the the dogtooth tetra family primarily feeds on smaller fish and regularly consumes prey in quantities up to 50% of it’s body weight. They can grow to be as heavy as 20lbs! We expect to find these fish in the faster rapids and back-eddy pools. Definitely going to need steel leader for these devils!
Trairão (Giant Wolf Fish)
This prehistoric, dinosaur-like predator can get as large as 30-35bls and resembles everything wild and dangerous about the jungle. A truly vicious megalith, the Wolf Fish is hunts it’s prey by tucking against large boulders and remaining unwaveringly still until unsuspecting passing-by baitfish can be ambushed. These critter aren’t partial to any one particular food source, they’ll eat anything that moves.
Tucanaré (Peacock Bass)
This distinctive species of Peacock Bass is unique to the Xingu River Basin and they are particularly partial to structured areas, unless they are hunting in typically shallow or pocket water, where they wait in wooded or boulder ridden corners to ambush prey. These brutes generally weigh 5-8lbs but, can grow as large as 14lbs. True to their reputation, they will eat surface poppers or streamers.
Pirarara (Redtail Catfish)
Known in Venezuelan Spanish as “Caharo”, known in Guyana as the “Banana Catfish,” and fondly referred to by our local guides as “Pirarara,” the Redtail Catfish serves to feed elation-fueled reminiscent stories from across the Eden dining table. These elephantine, long whiskered critters will test every spline crafted into your 10wt rod, if you’re lucky enough to encounter one. They aren’t common and therefore, they are so coveted.
Pira-Pucu (Bicuda)
Appropriately referred to as the “Amazon Torpedo,” these titanium textured, Starship shaped, cylindrical masses of lean muscle are generally simple enough to trick but very difficult to land. In my experience, they’re the hardest fighting fish in the watershed. Bicuda certainly earns his place in the hierarchy. On the 10-weight, the smaller ones are manageable; however, as you start pushing beyond the 30″ mark, you’ll find that these critters will choose death before defeat almost every time. Subsurface darting, submarining under the boat, aerial acrobatics… These enforcers employ every tool at their disposal to bend your rod in half and make a fool of you. At that, I’ve found them to be rather effective.
The Experience
“Some places can be good. A few are even great… but every once in a while, we discover something that upends our understanding of wild.” Rhett Cutrell spoke those words in his incredible production titled “Depth” – a film documenting his experience at Amazon Eden. As hard as I try, I fail to find words that better describe this arena. By teaming up with the Angling Frontiers crew, and with the experts in remote theater hospitality at Amazon Eden Lodge, I am able to share an experience that will change the way you perceive the wild world.
Though this trip will take you deep into the jungle, beyond the point of remote wilderness for which most anglers will ever know, it lacks nothing in regard to luxury accommodations. Amazon Eden Lodge is accessed by a three hour charter flight from Manaus, which lands on a private airstrip, and is located on an extremely rural portion of the headwaters that eventually feed the Iriri River. The lodge itself is a “treehouse” style complex where comfortable, double-bed rooms with air conditioning and private bathrooms connect to the dining hall and lounge by way of open boardwalks, all situated within the tree canopy; elevated on stilts. Eden’s chefs prepare multi-course meals and the staff there ensures your glass is never empty. The lodge is built, designed and operated in a manner that ensures comfortability and relaxation which an angler might find timely at the end of the day, after hunting the unfathomably powerful warmwater predators that lurk in the vitreous waters just outside the door.
Our program here is one for the lionhearts among my fellow anglers. It’s full of adventure and requires a level of gallantry. Passports, visas, international flights, and rural regional airway travel are only the beginning. The destination is riddled with wildlife and culture. All this is made simple by the support of an incredible staff and reliable team members who assist me in delivering to you, a stress free agenda with logistics and accommodations included, in which I can help you in every step of the process. Our adventure starts by departing Miami on Saturday to land in Manaus. There, members of the Angling Frontiers team will meet us at the airport and transport us to a local hotel to stay the night.
On Sunday, the team will pick us up from the hotel and transport us to the regional airport, where we will board a small commercial flight that will take us to the lodge, deep into the jungle, in the state of Para. Once we arrive, the remainder of the day will be spent settling in, checking gear and flies, and the guide staff there will cover tactics and casting techniques. On Monday, the hunt begins. Breakfast is served every morning before heading out by boat or quad-bike on groomed trails.
Groups of two will be assigned a guide and will venture off to different areas throughout the watershed. Lunch will be packed for the day prior to leaving; however, the option to cook what we’ve caught is also available. At the end of the day, we’ll return to the lodge for dinner and relaxation. We’ll stick to this routine through Saturday. On Sunday morning, we’ll depart for Manaus and one last hotel stay. On Monday, we’ll return to Miami.
Logistics & Equipment
As with the greater majority of international angling destinations, equipment is the responsibility of the angler to provide. This can be somewhat of a culture shock to dudes who have fished our local regions where guides provide everything. It’s something to be aware of but, it’s truly not the daunting undertaking it might seem. I can help you to acquire everything you need and, in regard to flies, I can help you with both tying patterns and purchasing. I tie much of what is needed in the year prior to the trip with certainty that a surplus is available for sale to those who wish to entrust their angling fate to my marginal level of craftsmanship.
The lodge is equipped with Starlink internet access & WiFi so, your ability to communicate with the outside world is intact when not on the water. The Brazilian standard for electrical receptacles is quite different from what we’re used to here in the states so, I recommend you bring along a couple of adapters for chargers and cables.
Travel insurance and a Global Rescue membership is highly recommended and, they shouldn’t be confused as the same thing. One is primarily designed to cover the cost of your trip, should something happen to force a cancellation. The other is to provide coverage in the event of emergencies, crisis or, in other situations where medivac or evacuations services are required. Angling Frontiers partners with Global Rescue to offer a package for all our coverage needs. In my line of work, I can’t recommend them enough however, considering my line of work is also a popular hobby – I’d state that this outfit and the coverages they offer are an essential piece of any travel puzzle. Upon request, I can provide the link to purchase coverage with the aid of Angling Frontiers’ affiliation, for special pricing and benefits.
For those of you who fish with me in Wyoming in the summer months, you can expect my clothing and outward appearance to seem familiar when we hit the jungle waters. I wet wade with a pair of neoprene wading socks and my trusty Orvis Pro wading boots. In my humble opinion, they are the best boots for trekking and fishing on the market. I wear the same quick-dry material clothing there as I do on my home waters, where light pants and a UPF hoodie offer all the protection I need. Of course, you’ll want to pair all of this with a good set of sunglasses (preferably polarized) and whatever your preference of hat might be. All who know me, know I’m typically rockin’ a Whiskey Goats cap. To tie this all together, as always, my trusty Leathermen will be holstered on my belt. Lastly, I’m a firm believer in two accessories; casting gloves with integrated finger/line mitigations and a raincoat. I often say, if you DON’T bring a raincoat, it most definitely will rain.
As far as things to remember in your luggage, be sure not to forget phone charges and required cables for other electronics. You’ll want to bring your own toiletries and any prescriptions required. We’ll be moving around a lot on this trip so Aspirin and Ibuprofen are always in plentiful supply in my bag. Be sure to bring your physical medical insurance card (just in case) and all other personal documents required to make your identification seamless.
Much of what I’ve listed here can be found in this handy travel planner provided by Angling Frontiers. Browse through it and, give me a holler if you have any questions.
