Rumble in the jungle, 2025, Day One

Past performance does NOT guarantee future results.

We're here!  I am hosting a trip through Yellow Dog Fly Fishing to Agua Boa Lodge, on the Agua Boa River.  I have a group of fourteen this year!  8 from Oklahoma, 4 Michigan guys, and myself and my boat partner Steve Austin from here in Iowa.  As a group, we have overcome mechanical issues on the plane, flight delays and cancellations due to weather, the necessary stay in Manaus on Friday, and a few  people who are already a bit under the weather.  But at 6:00 a.m. this morning, we hopped in two small planes and made the short (two hours) flight to Agua Boa Lodge.

This is my sixth trip here.  But to look out the window of the plane as we descend, seeing the river, its exposed sandbars and clear water, and to imagine what is lurking there, always gives me the chills.  The plane finally taxied down the runaway, slowed to stop, and there were all the guides, kitchen staff, and of course, Carlos, the long time lodge manager gathered to greet us.  Hot breakfast was available, and as the rest of my group headed to eat, I did what I always do, and and made my way to dock, to look at fish.  I remain fascinated by fish.  And this year, I got a show.  The water is low.  The fish are concentrated, and around the dock was a school of pacus that comprised thousands and thousands of fish.  The school passing by the dock was wide, deep, and fifty feet long.  I can't begin to guess how many fish.  I bypassed breakfast, ran to my room, and threw my three weight together.  

The dock session had to be short.  I knew that I needed to get back to my group.  I felt a little irresponsible.  And yet...   A couple of quick casts, and I landed a banded leporinus.  This fish is fairly common on the river, but not a common fly catch, in my previous five weeks I have only landed a few.  It was apparent many things about this year would be different!  Leoprinus actually are a strong fish on the three weight, lots of bending and twisting and powerful short runs back under the dock.  But here he is, not a giant peacock, but a lovely first fish of the week.

The next fish would be different story.  The first powerful run towards the middle of the river told me that I had probably hooked a large pacu.  The biggest worry here is that they will bite through the twelve pound tippet, their jaws are extremely sharp.  I was fortunate the fish was hooked in a way that the leader didn't rub over the teeth, and soon enough I had landed a true prize, I've only managed also to land a few of these in the past.  But it appears this year is going to be different.

A quick visit to the peeps in the dining area, packed my lunch, and headed to my room to quickly assemble my tackle.  I usually bring an eight and a nine for the larger peacocks, a six with a Chernoybl ant, in case we encounter arawana, and a three weight for fishing the smaller fish at lunch.  We headed down to the dock and got in our assigned boat for the day.  Agua Boa has seven fishing guides and seven beats.   You switch guides and beats each day, so you get to see the entire river.  On arrival day, since the day isn't as long, the guides stick a bit closer to the lodge, and beats/assignments are a little different.  Today, our guide was Renato, a guide in training, filling in for guide Booyo, who was in the hospital.  

We turned up a small creek barely out of sight of the lodge.  I knew we were on our way to a lagoon, which I had fished many times.  And I knew the drill.  I told Steve that we were going to see lots of fish, great variety, but most likely no big ones.  I was confident about this.  On my very first day, of my first trip, my wife and I had a 140 fish day, much of it in this same lagoon, but no fish over six pounds.  But as we poled our way up the small creek, we saw numerous fish blowing up along the banks, pushed by the boat.  They were not small.  Most appeared to be in the 5-8 pound range, some of them larger.  Anticipation grew!

Finally, the creek widened into a true lagoon.  Steve fished from the bow, and was shortly into his very first Amazonian fish, the beautiful butterfly peacock.  I snapped a pic,(you have to snap a pic of someones first fish) and I was shortly into a butterfly peacock as well.  

Soon Steve hooked a fish that was a bit more substantial, and after a battle, landed his first three bar peacock (tenmensis) which although he didn't weigh it, was probably around nine pounds.  He followed that with two more, which he did weigh on a certified boga, that were both around 10.5 pounds!  Here at Agua Boa, although they are fairly common, ten pounds is the mark where peacocks are considered "big", or worth weighing.  I don't love hanging fish from Boga grips and after fishing here quite a bit, have become fairly accurate at guessing weights, so unless it's truly a giant, we will weigh less and less fish through the week.  I'll look at the guide, hold up a fish, say 11?, they will nod, or disagree, and say ten, or 12, and the fish goes right back in.  But to the original point, I expected all small fish and Steve was already into two double figure fish.

And then it happened!  As I was lifting my fly from the water to cast again, a fish came from under the boat and smoked it!  It was very apparent that this was a different class of fish, and then, so we could be sure, it gave us a sweet end over end cartwheel about 20 feet from the boat.  For the first minute, peacocks feel like the most powerful fish on the planet, if you win that minute, they turn into just another big fish. I won the first minute, and soon we had a very stocky, perfectly conditioned tank next to the boat.  This fish was weighed, and came in at slightly over fifteen pounds!  I think it couldn't be more lovely!

After some more action, Renato pulled the boat up under some trees, and out came the lunch.  But when he threw a little bread in water, we were surrounded by fish.  A new one for me, bright silver scaled fish with pink tails, about 12-15 inches long.  Out came the three weight.  Soon I had fish on that was leaping like crazy, and landed the Pink tail Chalceus, a new species for me.  In fact, I landed a bunch.  Bringing the three weight to the jungle is something not many people do, but it always provides memorable moments for me.  

I don't want to say the afternoon was uneventful.  We were in a beautiful place.  Things slowed after we exited "there are only small fish here" lagoon, but we battled numerous, hard fighting butterfly peacocks, some of them quite large, up to six pounds or so.  Then back to the lodge, for drinks, appetizers some dry fly pacu chasing off the dock (successful), a leporinus double,  a delicious meal, and bed.

Day one in the books, can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!