It was a bit more of a struggle getting to Manaus, Brazil the last three days than I could have ever imagined thanks to a lousy performance by Delta. Its extraordinary that no matter how good a customer you are, airline greed and their lack of caring about our schedules and lives is unreal. But I’m not one to dwell on the miserable times. No one got hurt. No one died. Just a ton of frustration due to senseless delays and a day missed of enjoyable foreign experiences. My best travel tip is “Give yourself a buffer travel day on all great trips”. It saved my fishing trip on this one.
As you would expect, I’m here to fish the Amazon. To be more specific, I’m a guest of my friend Rodrigo Salles, Partner/Owner of Untamed Angling. Untamed has several fly fishing operations throughout Brazil and Bolivia. This week we will fish their Xingu River Lodge in the southern region of the Brazilian Amazon. (Photo is Meeting of the Waters, Manaus)
Also along on this adventure are friends Joe Wolthuis of Scientific Anglers and Ross Purnell, editor of Fly Fishermen Magazine. Tomorrow morning we’ll fly 590 miles southeast on an 8 passenger Grand Caravan for the Kayapo village of Pukararãnkre on the banks of the Xingu. The flight takes about four hours including a stop. Upon arrival Rodrigo will be there to greet us.
The Xingu River is located in the spectacular rainforest wilderness territory of the Kayapo Indigenous people. It flows south to north for 1,600 miles before reaching the true Amazon River. While many rivers of the Amazon flow high and silty and are difficult for fly fishing, the Xingu flows crystal clear because it drains through Brazilian shield granite. The river is home to more than 700 species of fish. SEVEN HUNDRED! While most species are minnow size and you find them at pet shops around the world, there are many species to fly fish for. Our main target this week is the toothy payara.
I’m gonna leave it at that. Its been a long few days and I’m going to enjoy a few beers wearing shorts and flip flops then grab some dinner with my buds. It will be an early one tomorrow and we’ll be on that Xingu River charter before we know it!
If this is a trip you want to do (and you are crazy if you don’t!) you can Contact me, Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures or Untamed Angling.
For more pics from trips check out my Instagram page @jeffcurrier65
In the meantime, please visit my webstore for “Christmas Gifts for the Angler that has Everything” and stuff those stockings with my fish decals from “Pescador on the Fly”.
And be sure to keep track of my upcoming travels at the 2025 fly fishing shows and fishing around the world!
I’ll be posting cool fish on Instagram – jeffcurrier65
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What an exciting opportunity to add to your species list! Can’t wait for the blog updates!
Jeff,
Hoping the rest of the adventure is free of problems.
Tad
Jeff, myself and others will be looking forward to your trip report 🤞
Thanks everyone. So glad for the buffer day!