Day - 6 Big Peacocks in the Amazon

February 14, 2013

I got some serious sleep last night.  There was no messing around.  And the end result of course is that I feel better than yesterday, in fact I feel like I’m alive again.  I fished with longtime friend and absolute incredible angler, Mike Dawes.  Dawes has put several big fish in the boat this week and I suspected today we’d rack up a few between us.

It was raining again.  But feeling better meant more than sunshine and off we went.  On the way up the Xeurini we had a ceremonial morning beer.  Not only because Dawes and I rarely get to fish together but more importantly because of where we physically were on earth.  That tree behind us marks latitude zero.  We are drinking the beers exactly on the Equator!

From there we went to a lagoon and shared it with Eaton and Coz.  These guys took the left side with Hymundo and Dawes and I were with guide nicknamed Edgee.  In a half hour, Coz landed a 12lber and Dawes and I each caught 14lbers.  What an incredible start!

We lucked out and the rain subsided.  Dawes and I never managed another fish over 10lb but we hoisted in numerous 6 to 8lbers.  The most significant of those was this hybrid of a butterfly peacock bass and the speckled.  The colors and pattern on him are truly remarkable!

At around 3 we could see an incredible storm brewing.  It intensified so fast that at 4:30, a half hour sooner than we normally go in for the day, Edgee suggested we run for camp.  The storm was a serious threat.  Dawes and I were satisfied and agreed to bolt. 

Let’s just say we didn’t quite beat the storm.  With less than three turns of river left to camp the storm caught us.  It rained so hard that rain jackets were useless.  When we got to camp we tossed our stuff in our cabins and entered the Amazon.  We sat in our chairs submerged to the chin and drank caiparinhas for two hours in the tremendous storm.  The rain came down so hard I think we were drier in the river rather than out!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing