Ham

Kevin’s arapaima

So, at Agus Boa as I have said, there are seven boats that each have two anglers UNLESS you at a glutton for punishment and have NBA money and want to pay for two spots. “Normally”, a pair of guys sign up together and you live and fish with a buddy for the week. I signed up solo. A few other people did as well. Randy made the assignments and I was paired with Kevin. Kevin is a retired entomologist. He worked in academics and academia. Birth had their pluses and minuses. I immediately started referring to him as “Bug Man” and he started calling me “Drug Man”. Kevin told me straight off the hop that he wasn’t particularly goal focused when fishing. He fished to relax and catch a few fish. The fact that I had fish species I wanted to catch and numbers I wanted to catch was hard to understand. Kevin did not get up early to fish the doc nor hustle to flip back to dock mode after the day in The boat was done. Kevin is realistically not an elite angler. He fished spinning and bait casting as well as fly. He’s better at tying flys than he is at throwing them. I reserved judgement and was as helpful as I could be on the boat helping him with targeting location of fish and landing and releasing him fish. Taking photos for him etc. We had that feral Gen X stuff in common and got along famously. I was very comfortable around him in the boat and in the room. Kevin with his first peacock. Kevin was a little unsteady on the bow, but he never fell in. he got the biggest Arowana The biggest Black Piranha and the most White Piranha. he got the largest Arapaima that we landed and the only Redtail Catfish. This is Kevin’s fish. He ended up catching 14 species and a Big Pile of fish. Hopefully, I planted a LifeLister seed in his mind. Hopefully, we will get to fish together again soon.

As I have said before, this entire operation is set up for Peacock Bass fishing. That is normally the entire focus of the anglers and is almost always the focus of the guides. And why not? Beautiful fish that are willing to give you showy eats. They pull Hard. Even the Fun size 2-3 lbers really pull. Shots at fish > 15 lbs. and there are so many and different situations to fish them. I think you just have to experience it to have a true understanding of how fast these fish are when they decide to attack. I realize that my reflexes are only cat like if that cat is sound asleep, but they come out of now where and blow up you fly before you can react. It’s astonishing. It never quit being a surprise when one would appear out of nothing and smash your fly. as far as I know, there are three species of Peacock Bass there. I caught all three. They have multiple common names which doesn’t help. I ended up not taking a picture of every one I caught. They were all so pretty. I even quit taking pictures of all the Big ones. We quickly stopped weighing them unless the guide thought they were over 10 lbs. size was down this year and no one quite knew why, but it does vary. Butterfly Temensis. I called them 3 bars or Sarge or Sargent Rock. Tough customers. Red Belly Pacca which is basically their word for Spotted. Juvi Temensis. They were so pretty. I have no excuse for why I didn’t take more pics of the Super colorful fun sized ones. Bantam weight MMA fighters. You catch a lot that are transitioning to Adults. We caught em and caught em and caught em. I caught them until my arms ached.I caught them until I kinda didn’t want to catch more and yet I did. We caught em until I didn’t care if it was a long distance release and I didn’t get a click. We didn’t catch them until I quit caring about failed hook sets though. I think the large hook on a six weight didn’t help. I think defensive strikes from fishing guarding beds doesn’t help. I did better on hook sets early in the week. Fatigue may have been part of it as well. Peacock Bass. I love em, but I probably can’t be as excited about the ones in Florida any more.

Oops, I forgot to post some of these photos. I had caught Oscars in Florida. I still wanted to catch them in Brazil. The guides don’t care about them at all. I might have had a fleeting glimpse of them a couple of times earlier, but no real chances at them. On Friday, as we worked along a shoreline in a lagoon, I saw a group of smaller olive fish that were roughly panfish shaped scooting alone close to shore. I pointed the rod and asked what they were. Lucas deadpanned “oscars”. We got a little closer and I took my shot. A smaller group broke away and checked out my fly. I had started the day with a EP fly. “Perfect Minnow”. It was like 2 1/2 inches long with a #2 hook instead of a 5 inch fly with a 3/0 hook. I wanted a smaller fly in case I got this shot. It makes a difference how you work your flys for the different species of fish. Lucas talked me through it. Strip, strip, strip STOP let it settle. The Oscars moved really close. Strip and one zoomed in and crushed it. I had been told they ran larger in Florida than Brazil. Pshaw. My Dude was a tank. Fought well. I was still on the bow. We poled a little further and saw another group of those guys. I didn’t need coaching this time. I knew the routine. Cast ahead, get their attention, kill it, strip it away when they get close. Bang. a very worthy catch on a 6 weight. I ended up catching another one that snuck in while I was arapaima fishing. Timing is everything. That was kinda disappointing because I thought I had come tight to an arapaima.my fish it had a first name, it’s O S C A R

What are some of the upgrades?

So, a few years ago I read about an isopod parasite that attacks fish and makes them its permanent host. The female cuts off blood flow to the tongue and grows in its place actions as a prosthetic tongue of sorts. The males stay much smaller and eventually migrate into the gills, but they stay close to female to breed when she is ready. That is a crazy crazy form of evolution. I Never expected to see any, but I had a painful run in with one when it gripped my finger as I was throwing it overboard while fishing in British Columbia. Stomp them suckers. Well, fast forward to Brazil and a lot of the peopcock bass had them. I was told they are heavy numbers of them early in the fishing season, but they thin out as time goes on #idoubtitThats nasty but fascinating.

I had told a few people that the dish I wanted the most on this trip was a Wolf Fish. I was going to be disappointed if I did not manage one. The problems facing me were two fold. I didn’t really get to control the search for them and I did not have a great understanding of how to fly fish for them. so, I mentioned to my guides each morning how important a wolf fish was to me and I watched for bowfin like fish near bottom. On Day 2 our guide for the day was Prey Tou called out Wolf fish. There was a quartet of wolf fish swimming slowly left to right at two o clock 30 feet away. I actually made a good cat with the first cast and one of the wolf fish powered over there and ate the fly. I was using a Flashtail Whistler fly about 5 inches long and lightly weighed. I did a good job fighting the fish. I’m always overly concerned the first time I hook a species wanting to make sure I catch it. So, I get it boatside and my partner Kevin grabs the leader (40 lb fluro) 18 inches above the fish and just freezes. The wolf fish is very displeased to be halfway out of the water and thrashes wildly. Kevin holds fast. I’m expecting him to yeet it into the boat. well, the wolf fish cut thru the loop knot 40 lb fluro and was gone. I was not Happy. I got pretty butthurt about it. I am mostly over it now, but I was not Happy. I had a couple fleeting shorts at other wolf fish that were spooking away, but I did not convert those. The good news is that Bacaba put us on a pile of them a few days later and I was able to catch several and get pics. I would catch them every day I was down there if possible. A very fun visual eat. Decent pull. Scary teeth. there was one Wolf fish that was sitting out there on the Mud flat. I threw the fly in there to the right and bumped it across his bow. No reaction. I threw to the left and bumped it across his bow again. Nothing. I threw right over the top of him and dropped 3 inches in front of his nose. Nothing. The guide said, “ I think it’s dead”. Lol

As far as the wagers, I had 26 species so I hope y’all took the over. my biggest peacock landed was a 12 lber so that’s a push. I lost one that I will always believe was larger to piranha chopping the fly line. I lost another really big one boatside right before he was caught. I relaxed just a little bit and he shook the hook with a late Big head shake. I wouldn’t swear he was over 12 lbs, but he was a Big Knotheaded Male that I would have wanted weighed None of my flyrods were broken, but other people broke them. One unfortunate guy broke two. I was Super careful not to high stick fish and I was exceedingly careful about which fish I lifted with the rod. so, by my count, I used up or lost 45 flys. That would be well under, but I gave a couple dozen flys away so I’m out 65 or so. That’s y’all’s call on that one. I should have picked a line on fish caught. I likely would have set the line at 225, but I just had no idea what to expect. I ended up well over 225 and honestly species hunting hurt my numbers. Thursday was our hardest day. We were BIG fish hunting and the heavy rain seemed to put them in a real funk. I cast 15 foot of a trio of plus sized Temensis Peacock Bass. I waited until they got within about 7 foot and gave my fly a pull to get their attention. They freaking Bolted away from the area. we caught a lot of fish the other days.

I miss him a lot and I barely got to know him. I’m Sure it was heartbreaking to lose him. He had his flaws as we all do, but I wish I had gotten to take more trips with him.

So my days at Agua Boa Lodge went like this 0525 alarm goes off. Take Morning meds. Some of the time I would apply sunscreen to my face first thing, but if we had a long boat run coming, I did that during the boat ride. Throw on long pants, long sleeve shirt, buff, fishing gloves, socks and shoes, and spray some Skin So Soft. All this was to keep the no see ema at bay. The bite didn’t hurt, but I was warned the itching could last for days. I think I avoided getting bitten. Ideally, I got down to the dock by 0545, but often I was a few minutes after that. There was a Good bite by the larger Pacu on foam beetles. Size 10 was best. My 12’s sank and they didn’t like that. 8’s are too large. They get hit, but their mouths are too small. I used up or gave away all my foam beetles. If I visit again, I’ll start with 2 dozen. The other hoppers got ignored with was surprising and aggravating. by 0615 that bite was winding down and I would have to run to put stuff away before getting my breakfast. Breakfast was great. I’d start with fresh fruit and finished with eggs and bacon. You make your lunch from a buffet line. You can make sandwiches which I did a couple of times, but then I switched to hard boiled eggs, cheese, and cold cuts. I think Richard Button would have been proud of me, but sadly no Pecan Sandiea to take along. You could pack fruit as well, but I mostly didn’t. I would take a couple of Hogie rolls every day. I chummed at lunch with them to create a feeding frenzy. Meet the guides at the boats at 0700. The guides would grab your rods and have them in the boats. Fish hard. Try to remember to force fluids. Pull on Peacock freight trains all day. The guides know their beats and know when it is time to head in. The boats would be back at the dock at 1700 usually within a minute or two either way. Like clockwork. I was impressed. I would run to the room and shower and grab a fresh shirt and long pants again. Hustle back to the dock to fish from 1730 until 1815. Back to the room to do a little tackle prep and then to Supper at 1900. Supper was Great. Started with a soup. Then a buffet line. Always had some version of rice and beans. Usually had chicken, fish, and with beef/pork/ lamb options. Veggies and fruit options. after everyone was done, they would come offer you dessert at the table. The table was a long table set for 16. Lots of after fishing action reports and opinion sharing. I usually was needing to rest by 2030 and would go back to the room. I would do a little tackle prep and Internet accessing IF the WiFi was functioning. At some point, I would pass out. Now, having forced fluids all day and having a Liquid IV before bed as well as a big supper I was up and down all night getting rid of water. Unfortunately, a couple of nights I still had Leg cramps. I will bring Liquid Magnesium next time. A teaspoon of that in a pint of water relived leg cramps for me quickly. I couldn’t figure out how to bring it, But I will find a way next time

So, I won’t Sugar coat it, this trip was hella expensive. The Lodge is very nice and it’s in the middle of the jungle. Kinda expensive to get nice stuff there. A lot of staff probably more than one employee for every guest that is there at any given time. My cabin was center of frame. They are numbered and have a local fish image as well. There are hangers on the wall facing the camera for you to hang your rods on at the end of the day. So, you rig them once and forget about it. if you can zoom in, I was in the Redtail Cat bungalow. The river is really beautiful and so FULL of Life. There is NO garbage. None. I did not see a single piece of garbage the entire week at the lodge. Manaus is a different story. People ruin everything. The travel to and from has been brutal. It would be better if I had a travel buddy like @FishnDave. Going solo has been not great. Long and arduous. And not cheap. Everybody wants their pound of flesh. I thought originally this was a one and done deal, but …… now I am not sure. I did a lot of heavy lifting with species caught, but there are so many more that taunted me. I’ll have to see how it goes. I probably should not go back until after my wife retires.

I still have lots of photos to come, but I got this one in.

So, Kevin has an appropriate fly on a 9 wt and I am getting ready to try for a bigger Arapaima, but the guide is poking us out. Time gentlemen. We took running shots at stuff on the way out and caught a few. I think I had a 4 or 5 lber which was a beatdown and some Fun Size ones. The walk back to the big boat was tough. Hot and humid and a Big Lizard startled me badly. We ran down river and stopped for Lunch beside Renando and his guys for the day. It did bit seem to be a good fishing spot, but it was shady and had a breeze. I was in no way prepared for how windy it is at Aguaboa. I assumed very little wind. I was very wrong. I could see clouds building so I ate my lunch quickly and made sure my gear was in the dry bag before the downpour hit. It did not rain as hard or for as long as it did at lunch on Thursday. On Thursday, out guide Cloboco out a massive garbage bag over his entire body. Just his feet stuck out. It didn’t seem healthy, but he smokes sooooo anywho, when the rain quit I tied on the last of my mini craft fur Clousers. First cast got me a small peacock bass. The other boat pushed off and said their goodbyes. I kept working the immediate area. Watching for stingrays. So many stingrays. I got a take and a set. This fish went crazy. Up down and all around. I got a look and it was a Big Leporonis species. I wanted this fish! He went around wood and I would get him back and he would jump 2 ft out of the water. He got me back in the wood and wrapped. I got to him and had him in my hand. I was taking him to land but my land was still wrapped in the tree which I was unaware of and when I ran out of slack, it yanked the fish out of my hand and he threw the hook. Many f bombs later I finally get squared away. My mini Clouser is toast. The guide wants to pick the fly. He saw the struggle and spotted more behind the boat. I bushwhacked around the boat and got a better casting lane. A size 16 pink beadhead scud was his choice. First fish was a big matrinxa. It went crazy, but I caught it. Second fish was a big Pinktail Chalceus (or whatever they really are).This fish fought like crazy! I was standing up to my knees and it jumped to my head height twice. I just had to laugh out loud and be amazed. It took a while, but I caught him. Finally, I got the hook into another Leporonis. It took fought like hell. In wood, back and forth, jumping, rapid runs in random directions. But I got him in the end. All good things came to an end. I had to get back in the boat and go back to catching peacock bass. We caught a few more and some of them were nice ones. Kevin got an 8 lber that kicked his butt. He was sure it was gonna be over 10. We made a run back up river for one more kick at the can. i made a routine cast and a couple of strips in I cane tight to this. I have no idea what that is, but ai knew I couldn’t do better. So, I sat down. I was done. Kevin took the bow and like two minutes later the guide told him where to cast and told him to let it sink. Short strip. Wait. Short strip. Wait. Bang Kevin sets into a determined fish. Lucas says “Red Tail”. Kevin fought it well and landed a Red Tail Catfish. Amazing! He sat down and we headed up river. The fishing part of our trip was finished. I could have fished the dock last night and this morning and maybe added a species, but ai decided to take the time to pack and relax rather than be rushed. What a trip. there will be extra posts about some of the details. Thanks!

Too much happened today to put in one post so Please indulge me. Lucas was our guide today. Young and soft spoken. Like all the other guides, he was very knowledgeable. I thought my Spanish knowledge would be helpful. It was not. Communicating was difficult. we had the second longest run downriver today. Bacaba has the longest run downriver. I did not get to fish with Daniel who has the longest run upriver. We started with a hike through the jungle to a lagoon. it was kinda long and had a rough uphill section. a jaguar track from that had to have happened after yesterdays rain. a pic of Kevin at the lagoon boat. I knew the clock was ticking because we didn’t bring Lunch which happens at 12:30 pm ish. Sadly, we spent a lot of that time fishing for peacock bass. I caught all three species here this morning (again). a word of explanation, my brand new Rio Outbound fly line fell apart on me Wednesday. I should have just fished it, but I tried to cut out the worse piece and then tie it back together, but the resulting knot would not go through my guides. Sucked. I swapped to my usual home fly line Wednesday night. Well, that sucked worse. I could not cast as far as I needed to cast. I struggled with it so Badly Thursday that I left the 8 wt at home on Friday. I caught a 9 lb Temensis Peacock Bass lb my 6 weight. It was a challenging struggle. An 8 Wt is the right rod. I finally spotted some Oscars and caught a couple of those little tanks. No pics on my phone. I will get them eventually. A Large Arapaima rolled by the boat and the guy never blinked. I confirmed that it was an arapaima with the guide and he said yeah. Well, he poles us the way back of a finger and I was looking for Wolf Fish. The finger had a tiny cut that ran to another lagoon. This lagoon was STUFFED WITH ARAPAIMA. All sizes. Everywhere. It was dumb. I let my partner have the first shot. It was his turn on the bow, but I would have my chances. Now normally the Rule of Thumb is you need a large, heavy dark colored fly. This water was so shallow and grassy that you actually needed a lightly weighted fly. Kevin gave it a while with a fly that was too heavy. he did hook one. My turn. The guide had suggested a popper and I went with the popper that @FishnDave caught all of fish Arkansas Snakehead on. The arapaima showed some interest, but no takes. I grabbed Kevin’s rod with a largish chartreuse fly that settled slowly. I had to yank it away to keep from catching a juvi peacock bass on the first cast. It looked good and was easy to manipulate. I worked several groups of arapaima that weaving in and out of each other. They never spooked and they would just move along if they got the ick from my fly. They muddy stuff out while they are doing their thing. I spotted one and made the right cast. Dirty water. The fish noses down and I feel a take. I set! Fish on! Butttttt it was another Big Oscar. Bummer, but I laughed it off. A few minutes later one was swimming right at us. I threw past him and stripped it back and dropped it in front of him. As he got closer, the guide said slow strip. The fish speed up and looked. Another long slow strip. Another quick little more to catch up. I’m running out of room. The fly is gonna be in some grass soon. One more long slow strip and the arapaima rushed in and eats it when it starts falling towards to bottom. Hard Strip Set! Fish On! Now, it super exciting and super stressful as I am strip setting again and again to make sure the hook is set. They are manageable for their size. The small ones don’t overpower you. They pull! But not scary hard.I have more and better pics coming. I just have to be patient. So, I’m on Cloud 9. Kevin has the guide move the boat to try for a big one. I had him use my 10 WT. I heavier darker fly because the water was deeper. Several adults were rolling. The guide poled the boat close and Kevin would cast ahead of where the fish was moving and so long slow strips after the fly reached bottom. I was busy rigging a rod with wire and a flashy fly because some piranha were around. In just a few minutes, Kevin says “ I got one” and sets into a 5 foot fish. It clears the water and bolts off. Kevin was doing Great. The fish was running and he would get line back and it would run again, But Kevin is gaining on him. Then - slack line -. Bummer. Kevin pulls the line in and the fly line has been cut by a piranha. Sucked. Kevin started rigging another Bug rod for me to try. I went to the bow to cast for piranha to get some payback and maybe a new species of piranha. I tossed the fly in by hand and stepped into the bow. I started to make a cast and felt a hit. I set and expected a piranha, but it was another arapaima! I fought it carefully since I had it on like a #4 hook that I was worried about using on piranha. I prevailed. End of part one.

Yes! We saw both pink and grey ones. One angler in the group lost a peacock bass to one. we got a pretty good scolding from a family of Giant River otters.