Brazil Fishing Vacation

After 18 years of planning fishing vacations throughout Central America, we are now very excited to be able to offer peacock bass fishing in Brazil. We’ve partnered with the most established and reputable operator in the Amazon, which boasts nearly three decades of experience fishing and navigating these waters, to ensure that your Brazil fishing vacation is unforgettable. Whether you are trying to catch 100+ fish in a day, collect a variety of Amazonian exotics, or trying to catch a trophy peacock bass, we can put you in the right spot at the right time to make it happen. All of our Brazil fishing vacations are fully all-inclusive, so anglers will enjoy private fishing boats, air-conditioned accommodations, amazing food including a three-course dinner each night, and a full open bar.

With over 3,000 species of fish found in the Amazon River system, we don’t need to spend a lot of time explaining why we are so excited to offer fishing trips to Brazil. The list includes thunderous arapaima, giant piraiba catfish that can reach up to 300 lbs, payara with teeth so intimidating they’ve earned the nickname ‘vampire fish’, and of course the piranha of Hollywood lore (twenty different species of them, to be exact). At the top of the list for almost every angler however is the Cichla Temenisis, the famous giant peacock bass.

The Amazon River and its tributaries create one of the most magnificent ecosystems in the world. In addition to 1,300 species of birds and 430 species of mammals, the Amazon River is home to an estimated 3,000 different species of fish. There are few destinations in the world that offer the sheer quantity of fish that the Amazon can, and fewer still that are freshwater fisheries. The allure of traveling deep into the world’s most exotic rainforest and fishing the world’s biggest river, never knowing what is around the next corner or what will attack your latest cast, is what makes the Amazon the best freshwater fishery in the world.

Where We Fish

The Amazon River is the second longest river in the world at 3,970 miles, but the largest river in terms of sheer volume. Fed by over 1,000 tributaries, the river spans six different countries across South America. Of course we don’t fish every inch of the river, instead our local operation has identified the most productive waters in the vast Amazon River Basin so that our anglers are always fishing the most productive waters. As the dry season moves from south to north, so do our fishing operations to maintain the best fishing conditions for our anglers. In any given season it’s possible that our motherships will travel over 1,200 miles to put you on the fish.

All of our trips originate from Manaus, which is located 900 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. From here we have access to the best tributaries, hidden lagoons, countless miles of creeks, and even private indigenous reserves in the area. With that said, the vast majority of our time will be spent fishing on the Rio Negro, which is the largest tributary of the Amazon River at over 1,400 miles long. To give you an idea of the incredible size of this fishery, the Rio Negro on it’s own is one of the Top 20 longest rivers in the world and one of the Top 10 in terms of volume – and it’s merely a tributary of the mighty Amazon River.

While Manaus serves as the starting and ending point to all of our fishing vacations in Brazil, it is merely a staging site for our actual Amazon fishing operations. Far too busy with shipping freighters and commercial fishing, the fishing is better the farther away we get from the major population center. Many of our trips will start with a private charter flight to the town of Barcelos, which is 250 miles northwest of Manaus. Depending on water levels and the time of year, some of our fishing trips start at Santa Isabel, which is nearly 400 miles northwest of Manaus. Both of these towns feature a population of around 25,000 people and offer paved airstrips to fly in and out of. Of course if we find a great fishing spot and don’t want to move, we don’t have to – that’s one of the many benefits to our floating fishing lodges. When this happens, it’s possible to take a float plane from Manaus and land right on the river itself where our mothership is anchored. Wherever you fish across the globe, it’s hard to find a more efficient way to put you on the fish than that!

The map below shows the state of Amazonas in Brazil, then in a close up the various sections of the Rio Negro and other tributaries that we most commonly fish in the Brazilian Amazon.

Recommended Fishing Tackle for the Amazon

With all of these exotic species to catch, including several IGFA world record fish, the suggested tackle for peacock bass fishing in Brazil is surprisingly simple. Our standard set up is to send anglers out with just two rods: a medium/light rod with a spinning reel and a medium/heavy rod with a baitcaster reel. Reels are spooled with 65 lb braid, as anything else can easily get snapped by the aggressive strikes of large peacock bass. These outfits have been tried and tested for over 20 years, and are not only dialed into the most productive lures, but also the fish we catch.

Our Brazil fishing operation also includes the most productive lures as part of your Amazon fishing package. The lure that is going to catch the most amount of peacock bass, week after week, is a simple bass rattle jig that you cast and speed retrieve with your spinning rod. A ½ ounce lead head and a 6/0 hook do the heavy lifting, while the feathers make the headlines. It seems that every trip, the most effective color combo is yellow with red. It’s entirely possible that a trophy peacock bass will inhale the jig if it sees it, casting this lure all day with your spinning rod tends to lead to more quantity than size of fish. For better or worse, piranha, bicuda, and aruana will also strike the jig throughout your week.

While larger peacocks will happily take the jig if they see it, if you are specifically targeting a trophy 15-20 lb peacock bass the best way to elicit a bite from a giant is the famous wood chopper. A simple buzz bait, few lures will get struck harder than a wood chopper that is ripping apart an otherwise glass-calm water surface. You’ll catch fewer fish this way versus the bass rattle jig, but the trade off is that most that do try to eat a six inch surface plus will be 8 lbs or bigger. A collection of these are also included in your all inclusive package.

Of course with six full days to fish the Amazon, you’ll have ample time to try any lure you wish. While you do not need to bring down any of your own tackle or lures, few places can serve as better testing grounds than the mighty Amazon River. Feel free to bring a collection of your own poppers, swim baits, stick baits, and jigs and see how they perform in the ultimate freshwater fishery.

Fly Fishing in the Amazon

The Amazon is also an incredible place to fly fish. Fly fishing tackle is not included in the package however, so all fly anglers must bring their own gear. A 9 wt or 10 wt rod is ideal so you can cast all day long but also have enough backbone to handle the scorching runs of an angry peacock bass. Having two large arbor reels would be ideal: one with floating line and the other with sinking tip so that you can adjust based on the various water levels and conditions you’ll see throughout the week. Large streamers, clousers, and popper flies are all great choices. If you have fly fished for tarpon before, any of those flies will likely work here too.

While there is no shortage of exotic species to catch in the Amazon, the one at the very top of the list is of course the mighty peacock bass. Peacock bass are of course not bass, but rather cichlids. Native to tropical regions of South America, Africa, and southern Asia, they are admired around the world for their beautiful colorings and sport fishing qualities. Naturally aggressive and territorial, the violent surface strikes and scorching runs make these fish a favorite gamefish for any freshwater angler.

As recently as 2006, scientists only recognized five species of peacock bass. Today there are 16 different species of peacock bass, and they are not all created equal. While some species have been able to survive being introduced to areas like Southern Florida (cichla ocellaris) and the Panama Canal (cichla pleizona), the only place to find the giant peacock bass is in its native home, deep in the Amazon rainforest. Best known as the speckled peacock bass, three-barred peacock bass, or giant peacock bass, the official name is ‘Cichla Temensis’. There is a lot of confusion regarding this particular species of peacock bass because of the drastic transformation it undergoes during its annual life cycle. When they are not busy spawning, their bodies turn brown and are covered in spots, like a fawn in the springtime. Once the water levels drop and spawning season nears, peacock bass begin to feed aggressively and gradually trade those spots for their more common look of three vertical black bars on the sides of their yellow sides. For many, many years it was believed that these were two different species of fish, but in fact they are the same. The pictures below are all of the ‘cichla temensis’ throughout it’s various life cycle changes.

The IGFA world record for the speckeled peacock bass (cichla temenisis) is a whopping 29 lbs 1 oz (13.19 kg). It was caught in 2010 right here in same Rio Negro waters that we fish, so if you are after trophy fish there is no better spot to be than the Brazilian Amazon. Our top fishing guides say that any peacock bass over 10 lbs is notable, anything over 15 lbs is considered a trophy, but catching a peacock bass over 20 lbs puts you in the hall of fame (plus it qualifies for the official IGFA trophy club).

Arapaima Fishing

Exclusive for CAF anglers, we have access to a private farm that has 14 ponds on it – all of them full of hungry arapaima. Fishing for arapaima is illegal on the Amazon River now that they are protected species, so the only place to do it legally is on private farms and indigenous reservations. Spend your day fishing a private farm with 14 private ponds and test your mettle doing battle with one of the world’s largest freshwater game fish.

Manaus City Tour

Enjoy a guided tour of Manaus with your local, bilingual guide. Your day starts by visiting the pride & joy of Manaus, the famous Opera House. Built in 1896, this stands as a symbol of the great wealth brought to the area by the rubber trade at the end of the 1800s. Stroll through downtown as you admire the city and learn about it’s history. Next stop at the famous open-air fish market, which is an eclectic mix of local commerce and some small souvenir stands.

Presidente Figueiredo Waterfalls

Venture outside of Manaus to visit the city of Presidente Figueiredo. Located just sixty miles from Manaus, this area offers visitors lush forests, rivers, and over 100 waterfalls.. The tour includes a visit to the Iracema Waterfall, which is the perfect spot for cooling off with a refreshing swim. Stop to enjoy a local lunch that will be served at the Urubuí Park. After lunch visit the Sanctuary Waterfall, which is accessible after a short walk.

The Meeting of the Waters

Take a boat ride to see the exact spot where the Rio Negro joins the mighty Amazon River. The stark contrast from the black water of the Rio Negro to the yellow-brown water of the Amazon where one of the world’s largest tributaries meets the world’s largest river.

Rubber Museum

Leave Manaus to visit Vila Paraíso (set of the movie “The Jungle”). The tour starts with a visit to the Rubber Master House, a majestic construction that shows the wealth of rubber plantations during the industry’s boom period. The tour follows with a visit to the “Large Tent”, where the tools were kept under control, the “Chapel” and the warehouse for the manioc flour. Following the trail in the jungle, we will see the rubber trees and the process involved to collect the latex. Next we visit a house where the rubber balls were brought to begin the smoking processFinally we’ll end the tour by visiting a very modest house of rubber extractions where employees are portraying the life and habits of the old rubber extraction era.

Amazonian Museum (MUSA)

Just outside of Manaus you can enjoy the open-air museum ‘Museu da Amazônia’, the Amazonian Museum commonly known as MUSA. There you will walk the paths ithrough the forest of the 100-hectare park,, see exhibitions, the nursery of orchids and bromeliads, aquariums, the lake, as well as experimental laboratories of snakes, insects and butterflies. The highlight is climbing the 140 ft (42 meter) tall observation tower for a beautiful view of the canopy of the world’s most important rainforest.

Best of the Rio Negro

The tour starts with a journey to the famous “Meeting of the Waters”, the completely natural phenomenon where the Rio Negro joins the mighty Amazon River. Next we visit the Janauari Ecological Park to enjoy a ritual with indigenous dances where visitors are invited to interact with the natives. Enjoy a local lunch on a floating restaurant and then visit the handicraft shop and Victoria Regia. We’ll end the tour visiting the pink dolphin platform where you’ll be able to view one of the Amazon’s most famous inhabitants.

Jungle Survival Tour

Enjoy a two hour jungle tour near the Tupé Village where we’ll learn all about the local flora and fauna. You’ll learn to identify local fruit trees, medicinal leaves and edible roots as well as find sources for drinkable water. We’ll conclude the tour with a short visit to the home of a local indigenous tribe.