The Hunt For Big Fish with Larry Dahlberg

Trying to plan my 50th Bday trip for summer of 2016. I live in Massachusetts, and have fished fresh and salt water all my life. This is one of those "bucket-list" adventures, as I think I will get to Alaska and Canada some day in retirement. A perfect trip would be to South America, possibly on a house boat, and fishing backwaters and rivers for Peacock Bass and other species. I am not sure though if the summer time is the right time to be down there, or what service to look into for help in planning this. If this is not a good idea, what suggestions would you give for the trip of a lifetime?

I have been to the Amazon basin many times and the key factors are fishing pressure and water levels. You will want to target Peacocks and several outfitters are now focusing on flyfishing if that is your thing. Water levels are higher in the March through September months in the frequently targeted areas. You cannot control high water during the fishing months(nov. Thru Mar.) and ask if the outfitter has a " high water" policy meaning they will cancel and reschedule you if fishing conditions sour. Purchase trip insurance and be flexible. Do not go if high water is present because fishing will suck. Muddy water and fish moving into jungle mean poor fishing. I recommend avoiding the larger house boats that travel out of Barcelos. You must travel farther to get away from people and that means less fishing time. I know many guys have had great trips from there but just think about it. River Plate Anglers has the floating cabins and you can use bait casters and fly fish on " protected waters". Agua Boa is flyfishing only but first-class. Talk to others who have been there. absolutely awesome when you hit it right.

Agree regarding the Aqua Boa as fished there numerous times years ago when baitcasting was allowed . Back then it was operated by Dr. Jon Wilt. Itapara is another great destination off of the Branco. However, after over 20 years of peacocks, the traffic, rain season change, and the woodchopper topwater bite drastically dropped off, so I switched to golden dorado, tigerfish, cats, Nile Perch and others. You might also consider these before the crowds enter.

Forgot to mention in my previous reply that you might consider for your "Trip of a Lifetime" a visit to Papua New Guinea for black bass and barramundi. I fished the Kumimaipa Rivera few years ago and was in camp when Jason Yip landed the IGFA all tackle record. Great place and perhaps the remostest on earth. Am sure Larry can vouch for the fighting ability of the PNG bass. Recently a houseboat option became available which can get you into rivers that have never seen a lure.

That's a great question. Everything is relative, but it's hard to go wrong with a South American pcock trip. Fall and early winter are usually best. I like to use local Brazilian operators, and they do change from year to year. The super far off stuff is great, but I would not suggest it as a first trip.
I'm off for a combo run taking me thru suriname for wolf fish then to Manaus for pcocks , and maybe a few cats in both places, in a week or so. It's a good combination of fish and of environments. Plus, not too long on the airplane!
I will try and get you contact numbers as your plans get closer to fruition!
best
L

BJK Bass,

I think a peacock bass trip is a good one, but like Puckfisher said, the water level of the river can't be "too high" because the peacocks will disperse into the jungle to feed. Definitely need a reputable outfitter for a trip down there. I too would avoid the larger houseboats on the Rio Negro because they can only access areas that get heavy fishing pressure. You want to be able to get "off the beaten path" a bit, so the floating camps are good, as are the smaller boats that have low drafts. If you want specific outfitter recommendations, feel free to private message me.