Geographic Focus of Article: South America | Brazil | Amazon Basin by Garrett Veneklasen
Issue: September, 2003 | Article ID: 1570

Down in the Amazon Basin of Brazil, clients don’t know it but a war of sorts is going on between outfitters trying to lock up prime stretches of river. We don’t dare mention any names here for fear of lawsuits or worse, but trust us – the competition is fierce.

To give you some idea of what’s going on, we turned to Garrett Veneklasen of Interangler, who has spent more time in that part of the world than anyone we know. Yes, he escorts trips down that way himself and has a vested interest in the Amazon. But we think what he has to say will stand up to close scrutiny. He writes: “Fifteen years ago, when I was the manager of Manaka Jungle Lodge on the confluence of the Orinoco and Ventuari Rivers in the Venezuelan Amazon, the international angling community knew very little about jungle species such as peacock bass, payara and freshwater dorado. Only a small fraternity of spin and baitcasting enthusiasts pursued them. The Amazon back then was an immense, pristine angling frontier full of wonder and unlimited potential.

Today, fishing in the Colombian Amazon is out of the question due to safety issues. The Venezuelan Amazon is not a whole lot safer and probably won’t be until the political climate improves. Drug trafficking has increased dramatically and the kidnapping, robbery and murder that go along with it run rampant throughout the jungle regions of both countries. Suriname, the Guyanas, Peru and Bolivia all have marginal jungle fishing except for a few exceptions. This leaves us with one contender – Brazil.

Today, over a thousand anglers flock to the Brazilian Amazon each year. The majority of these individuals go in search of peacock bass. With the huge influx of potential clients, the number of outfitters has grown exponentially, from just a few to countless dozens. The once seemingly limitless frontier of the Brazilian Amazon is now caught up in a turf war among outfitters.

Of the hundreds of tributaries that flow into the Amazon River system, relatively few offer ideal conditions to hold trophy peacock bass with a large enough area within that specific fishery to maintain quality fishing for a prolonged period during each fishing season. Because of this, dozens of outfitters are often vying for exclusive control over the same fisheries. In the past few years, competition has become quite fierce. I won’t name specific individuals or specific acts, but things have become downright ugly.

Fortunately, the sabotage that some outfitters are inflicting upon one other has not jeopardized the safety or well being (to my knowledge) of any paying clients. What does often happen, though, is that two outfitters will lay claim to the same productive stretch of river and try and operate on top of one another. There are only so many productive spots on each river, so race-like situations develop between guides trying to arrive first at productive spots. This is not exactly the ‘aesthetic’ experience one looks for when he has flown thousands of miles to fish a supposedly remote, pristine and boundless jungle.

The truly savvy outfitters in the Amazon have begun to work with local communities to essentially buy exclusive fishing rights
to the particular rivers they wish to control. The bidding and squabbling and fighting is often bitter, but the end result will certainly be a positive one. Anglers will be assured exclusive stretches of productive water, and they won’t have to worry about another outfitter’s boat roaring past them to get to the best spot.…

In my view, two outfitters who are particularly worth watching are River Plate Anglers and Ecotur Tourismo (the latter works hand in hand with Sweetwater Travel out of Livingston, Montana). Both are in the process of buying up exclusive fishing rights to many of Brazil’s most productive rivers.

If you are seriously considering a trip to the Amazon, here are a few things I think you should consider:
1.) Pick an outfitter who caters to small groups (max, eight anglers/ week).
2.) Get references and read up on any reports from paying clients.
3.) Make sure your outfitter has a backup river in case the river you plan to fish has water that is too high or too low. When the water gets back in the trees, the fish become inaccessible. Water that is too low often makes it difficult to move around and War Among Amazon Outfitters reach good fishing spots.
4.) Peacock bass fishing is most productive right when the water comes out of the trees at the start of the dry season. The fish are in a pre-spawn, super-aggressive feeding mode for about five weeks at that time. Most rivers near the equator (aside from a handful of rivers such as the Unini and Cuini) are best fished in January and early February. Rivers in the southern Brazilian Amazon begin to dry out as early as August. The further north you go, the later each river begins to dry out.
5.) Fly casters should choose clearwater rivers with high fish populations such as the Marmelos, Tapera or Agua Boa.
6.) Mobility and/or inaccessibility are the keys to finding great fishing in the Amazon. Make sure your outfitter is getting you as far away from human habitation as possible, and be sure that he can then cover wide stretches of water to find the most productive places to fish.”

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