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AGUA BOA AMAZON LODGE REPORT - JERRY SALTZGABER
AQUA BOA AMAZON LODGE
( FORMERLY THE ROYAL AMAZON LODGE )
THE AMAZON JUNGLE & FLY FISHING FOR PEACOCK BASS--
SOMETHING I HAD READ & DREAMED ABOUT FOR A LONG
TIME. AND NOW I WAS ON MY WAY—ONLY FIVE HOURS FROM
SAN FRANCISCO TO MIAMI, 5 HOURS FROM MIAMI TO
MANAUS, BRAZIL, 2 HOURS BY BUSH PLANE TO THE LODGE
AND FOUR HOURS UPRIVER BY JETBOAT TO THE HOUSEBOAT.
OH, YEAH, ADD THAT IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF CARNIVAL
IN MANAUS & WE COULD NOT GET TO OUR HOTEL—CAN YOU
SAY “OVERNIGHT IN THE AIRPORT”.
THE HOUSEBOAT IS THE PLACE TO STAY. PLACED IN A
DIFFERENT SECTION OF THE RIVER EACH YEAR, IT
PROVIDES THE BIGGEST FISH AND NO FISHING PRESSURE AT
ALL. THERE WERE FIVE FISHERMEN, THREE GUIDES, TWO
COOKS/HOUSEKEEPERS, AND A HELPER. EACH OF US HAD OUR
OWN ROOM WITH BATH, THE ROOMS AND DINING ROOM WERE
AIRCONDITIONED. FREE LAUNDRY SERVICE DAILY AND THE
FOOD/DRINKS WERE GREAT. WE NEVER SAW ANOTHER PERSON
THE WHOLE TIME AT THE HOUSEBOAT. IT IS A PROTECTED
RIVER.
WE WERE FISHING PRIMARILY FOR PEACOCK BASS (THREE
TYPES:BUTTERFLY, SPOTTED AND TEMENSIS ). THE
TEMENSIS ARE THE LARGEST (5-25#) AND THE BUTTERFLY
ARE THE SMALLEST, MOST NUMEROUS (2-8# ). INADDITION,
WE CAUGHT AROWANA ( 5-15# ), PIRANHA ( 1-5# ) AND
SEVERAL OTHER JUNGLE SPECIES.
THE RIVER IS VERY CLEAR, WITH A COPPER TINT. IN SOME
PLACES THE AQUA BOA IS BIG, BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT
BRAIDS INTO MANY SMALL BRANCHES. IT IS SLIGHTLY
ACIDIC & THEREFORE “NO BUGS “. THE JUNGLE GROWS
THICKLY DOWN & INTO THE RIVER. JANUARY IS PART OF
THE DRY SEASON, SO THE RIVER IS VERY LOW & THE
JUNGLE IS QUITE DRY IN MOST SPOTS. THERE ARE MANY
LAGOONS/LAKES THAT ARE ISOLATED BY THE LOW RIVER.
BRIGHT “BEACH TYPE” SAND IS EVERYWHERE. LOTS OF SAND
BARS IN /ALONG THE RIVER. IT WAS 90-95 DEGREES
DURING THE DAY AND THE 70’S AT NIGHT. THE HUMIDITY
WAS SURPRISINGLY LOW/PLEASANT.
LET’S TALK “FISH”. THEY HIT HARD, NO NIBBLES HERE,
AND RUN HARD. THE
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM IS DON’T TRY TO STOP THE FIRST
RUN. I HAD A NUMBER OF FISH INTO MY BACKING ON THE
FIRST RUN. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS THAT THERE IS A
LOT OF TREE ROOTS, ETC., AND THE FISH RUN DIRECTLY
THERE FOR THE COVER. MOST OF THE TIME I LOST THE BIG
ONES AFTER THEY WRAPPED THE LINE AROUND SOMETHING &
BROKE OFF. IF YOU HOOK ONE FISH, MANY OTHERS COME &
BEGIN A FEEDING FRENZY.
WE FISHED WITH 8-10 WT RODS (I RECOMMEND 9 OR 10
WT), BOTH FLOATING AND SINKING LINES AND STRIPPING
BIG STREAMER FLIES. POPPERS WORKED, NOT AS WELL AS
STREAMERS, BUT IT WAS REALLY COOL TO SEE THE
AGGRESSIVE FISH COME OUT OF THE WATER AFTER THE
POPPER. WE USED 4 FOOT 20-30 POUND TEST LEADERS.MOST
OF THE FISHING WAS OUT OF BOATS, BUT I DID GET SOME
WADING EACH DAY.
WE BROKE 5 FLY RODS—AS WELL AS LOST 7 FLY LINES AND
MANY PIECES OF SINK TIPS TO PIRANHA (THEY LOVE TO
BITE FLY LINE ).
OUR LARGEST FISH WAS 18 POUNDS. ONE DAY IN 6 CASTS,
I CAUGHT 14, 13, 12,10 AND 9 POUND PEACOCKS. ONE
OTHER AFTERNOON IN 2 ½ HOURS, I CAUGHT 3-14’S,
2-12’S AND SEVERAL 10 PLUS POUND FISH. I DID NOT
KEEP TRACK, BUT I THINK 50-75 FISH DAYS WERE
AVERAGE. IF YOU WANTED TO CATCH 3-5 POUND FISH, 100
PLUS WAS POSSIBLE.
PIRANHA WERE VERY ACTIVE IN SOME SPOTS. THEY
SHREDDED YOUR FLIES, CHOMPED YOUR LEADER AND RUINED
FLY LINES. THEY DID NOT BOTHER YOU PERSONALLY WHILE
WADING, BUT I MUST ADMIT, I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS.
WE CAUGHT AROWANA, AN UNUSUAL LOOKING FISH (SEE
PICTURE ) THAT RUN 5-15 POUNDS AND FOUGHT LIKE A
TARPON.
THERE ARE CAYMAN EVERYWHERE. ONE DAY I WAS FISHING
FROM THE BOAT & AN 8 FOOT ONE KEEP COMING CLOSER
EVERYTIME I CAUGHT A FISH. I HOOKED A PEACOCK THAT
DID A LOT OF SPLASHING. IT WAS MORE THAN THE CAYMAN
COULD STAND. HE CHARGED THE BOAT JUST AS I WAS
PULLING THE FISH OUT OF THE WATER. IT COULD NOT STOP
& ACTUALLY RAMMED INTO THE BOAT. IT SCARED THE HELL
OUT OF ME. MY GUIDE JUST LAUGHED, GRABBED MY FISH,
STILL ON THE LINE, AND TEASED THE CAYMAN WITH IT.
HAVE YOU EVER REALLY HAD YOUR BUTT KICKED BY A FISH?
WELL I DID---JUST AS I WAS AT THE END OF THE STRIP &
PREPARING TO LIFT THE FLY OUT OF THE WATER, A BIG
PEACOCK TOOK THE FLY. IT RAN DIRECTLY UNDER THE
BOAT, TOOK MY FLY ROD AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE
BOAT(MY LAST FLY ROD—I BROKE MY 9 WT THE FIRST DAY)
AND HEADED ACROSS THE BIG PART OF THE RIVER. IT TOOK
ME TOTALLY BY SURPRISE AND IT WAS A WHILE BEFORE I
GOT THE ROD AND THE LINE OUT FROM UNDER THE BOAT AND
SET UP TO FIGHT THE FISH. THE REEL SCREAMED, THE
FISH KEPT GOING RIGHT INTO THE TREES AND BROKE OFF.
I WAS COMPLETELY IN A DAZE. THE GUIDE WAS LAUGHING &
SAID THAT WAS A REALLY BIG ONE.
THE LANDSCAPE WAS VERY FLAT, BUT THERE WERE A FEW
ROLLING HILLS & A SMALL MOUNTAIN. IT WAS DRY NOW,
BUT MOSTLY UNDER WATER DURING THE RAINY SEASON. I
WAS AMAZED AT THE AMOUNT OF SAND—IT COMES FROM THE
MOUNTAINS DURING THE RAINY SEASON.
WE SAW MONKEYS, BIRDS, SMALL ANIMALS AND CAYMAN.
THERE WERE JAGUARS AND SNAKES AROUND, BUT WE NEVER
SAW ANY.
I LOVED THE TRIP AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE.
ALL OF US SAID THE HOUSEBOAT OPTION IS THE WAY TO
GO. DON MUELRATH ( FLY FISHING ADVENTURES, NAPA,
888-347-4896) SET UP THE TRIP FOR THE FIVE OF US.
JERRY SALTZGABER
TRIP REPORT
Fly Fishing Adventures
888-347-4896
flyfish@napanet.net
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