Jeff Currier's Fly Fishing Adventures
"2009 Fly Fishing in Brazil"
 In
January 2009 Jeff was fishing Brazil’s Amazon River Basin with River
Plate
Outfitters. River Plate has been guiding anglers to this remote
region since 1992. This was mainly a trip for peacock bass but as usual
Jeff was in search of at least a few new species to add to his list.
Though its basic anatomy closely resembles that of the largemouth bass,
the peacock bass is actually not a member of the bass family. It belongs
to a family of fish known as cichlids. Like largemouths, the peacock
prefers to ambush unsuspecting prey from a stealthy vantagepoint and
demonstrates a gluttonous appetite.
The similarity ends there, however. The peacock bass is much more
eye-appealing than its North American counterpart, colorfully adorned in
varying shades of green, blue, orange and gold.
Peacocks are far more aggressive than largemouths, often pursuing lures
or prey larger than themselves. They routinely break lines, shatter rods
and destroy tackle that would subdue the toughest largemouth. The
peacock has evolved as a world-class gamefish, flourishing in an
environment filled vicious piranhas, Volkswagen-size catfish, 12-foot
long armor scaled piraracus, alligators and an assortment of other
unsavory characters possessing fangs, stingers, toxins and never-ending
appetites.”
Peacock bass are bass are known as pavon in Venezuela and Colombia or
tucunare in Brazil and Peru. While four distinct species are generally
recognized, some fish biologists suggest that a dozen or more varieties
might actually exist throughout South America.
Brazil is a country in South America and is the fifth largest country by
geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America and the fourth
most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on
the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7,491 kilometers (4,655 miles).
Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral
in 1500 until its independence in 1822. Initially independent as the
Brazilian Empire, the country has been a republic since 1889.
As you can imagine, the remote rivers, tributaries and lagoons they fish
are surrounded by the extraordinary diversity of plant and animal life
that defines the Amazon jungle. Here, in nature's premier botanical
garden, you can find 200 ft. tall hardwood trees and tiny miniature
orchids, flocks of fluorescent butterflies and 15 ft. caiman alligators,
slow moving sloths and swift pink and gray porpoises, monkeys, manatees,
ibis, macaws, parrots, parakeets, ducks and countless other marvelous
creatures.
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