The lodge is located on the banks of the Rio Negro River, 50 miles up stream from the town of Barcelos.

Miami international airport (MIA)

Manaus (MAO) Eduardo Gomes International Airport

Depart Miami on TAM Airlines. Check in at the TAM ticket counter with your E-Ticket as early as possible but no later than two hours prior to departure. Which will be roughly 6:30 am, This Typically requires you to arrive in Miami a Day early to make that early flight to Manaus.

After clearing Immigration and Customs in Manaus, you will be met by an Amazon Tours representative who will transfer you to the charter terminal for your flight to Barcelos.

Once you arrive in Barcelos you will be transferred by lodge staff in a comfortable air conditioned van to the dock. And begin your 2 hour boat ride up the Rio Negro River in our new 40 passenger river bus. With snacks as well as beverages of your choice.

You will be fishing Daily out of Nitro Bass boats. These are the most comfortable bass boats in the area and have very skilled and talented guides operating them. These guides as well as the best equipment in the region will insure you the best opportunity to catch the fish of a life time!

Peacock Bass anglers who choose to use the our Lodge as a home base depart each morning by Nitro boat or floatplane and return each night for rest and relaxation. Completed in 1998, the lodge was designed to epitomize luxury for up to 36 guests.

Spacious and air conditioned, the main lodge spans 5,000 square feet beneath a verdant jungle canopy. The lodge serves as a hub for fine dining and fellowship while the private cabins form spokes for solitude.

Located on paths winding through the lush rain forest grounds of the Lodge, the cabins feature air conditioning, queen-sized beds, and private baths with hot water, walk-in showers, a sitting area and a covered porch. Beautiful views. Absolute comfort.

The property incorporates handcrafted woods, slate floors and thatched roofs, creating dramatic beauty against the exotic jungle backdrop. And our guests will enjoy resort-level amenities like daily laundry service, a private beach and fine dining.

The lodge is equipped with a state-of-the-art satellite phone and internet connection. Guests may leave the lodge phone number for home or business use. Please note, however, that this phone costs $4.00/minute for incoming and outgoing calls.

In 1992, we pioneered peacock bass fishing in Brazil with the introduction of the cruise adventures. The objective was to provide our guests with the ultimate combination of luxury and adventure. This being said, we soon became famous among international fishermen and has become the standard against which all other fishing trips are judged. Guests of our adventure tour have included such fishing greats as Jimmy Houston, Roland Martin, Johnny Morris along with 2,853 other fishermen during our 12 year reign.

Our 103-foot, three story, floating hotel offers comfort, convenience and privacy for up to 20 passengers while accommodating a crew of 30. The ship’s air- conditioned staterooms feature private baths (with hot & cold water) and bunk style beds (55” wide by 86” long on the bottom and 47” wide by 86” long on the top). The spacious air conditioned dining room is 33’ long by 25’ wide and includes seating for 24 guests along with a spacious bar area. The top deck lounge/observation area is perfect to gather with other adventurers to talk about the days fishing or just watch the jungle glide by. The office/gift shop is stocked with local artifacts and gift ideas for those left behind. One other important factor is that our ship was built specifically with the American traveler in mind. All ceilings are 7’ high insuring that even our tallest guests can walk around the decks in comfort.

The kitchen area is fully stocked and our chefs are waiting to provide you with some of the best meals you’ll find anywhere - let alone on a luxurious boat cruising through the remote and exotic waters of the Amazon basin. Our boat is equipped with state of the art Furuno navigation equipment along with satellite communications. The boats electrical system has been laid out with the international traveler in mind (120 volts/60 cycles) with U.S. style outlets.
Come join us in Brazil and sail the Rio Negro River in style!

Here at the lodge our 5 star meals are served buffet style, we serve a different course every morning with coffee, tea, and fresh squeezed juice. There will always be a meat dish as well as eggs, pancakes and other traditional breakfast dishes.

Lunches will be made by you daily and consist of a sandwich and fruit. Unless you would like a hot lunch and then you can come back to the lodge and they will make you a variety of meals for lunch. Also a (must do) shore lunch is available at which time your guide will take the bass as well as the piranha that are caught in the morning and grill them over a wood fire on a wood Grill. Best Fish I’ve ever had and very impressive to see how the locals eat these fish.

Dinner at the lodge is very entertaining and always impressive. The Lodge has everything from chicken to fresh catfish, steak, spaghetti, and many more local favorites. Accompanied with a fresh salad and to finish it all off incredible dessert.

The best part about the meals at the lodge is the atmosphere. The dinning room is a series of circular tables close together which makes for a lot of fish stories from the days outing!

Below, we’ve included a few tactics for catching trophy peacock bass. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Our guides and staff are experts and know boatloads of tricks that’ll make your outings very successful. The most important advise I can give you to catching trophy peacock bass is to listen to you guide 100%. In the meantime, below should satisfy your curiosity!

Work Top to Bottom
When fishing peacock bass it’s best to try a top water approach first. Use bigger lures like top water plugs and be ready for multiple casts. It sets them off because they think it’s an interloper.

For smaller surface baits, try propeller plugs, poppers or walking spook baits. Only after working this method for a while should you switch to subsurface tactics, using jerk baits (like Peacock Minnow, Crystal Minnow or Red Fin) and buck-tail jig rigs.
Remember-work top to bottom. Keep this basic tactic in mind and you’ll significantly improve your odds of catching trophy tucunare.

Aggressive and Nosey
Peacock bass move to strike when they see other tucunare feeding on baitfish or trying to shake off lures. To take advantage of this aggressive behavior, cast quickly and accurately to the area where the fish are feeding.

Fish as a team. It’ll help you take advantage of peacock’s that get riled up when other fish fight lures. When your partner hooks one, be ready for double hookup opportunities. Do a short sub-surface cast to catch one of the peacocks aroused by all the activity.

Don’t Stop
Peacock bass often hit surface bait hard, causing explosions that can leave you stunned. Don’t just stand there, though. Work the bait in a rapid retrieve across the surface. This’ll keep the peacock interested. If it’s interested enough to give you several surface strikes, but can’t seem to get a hold of the bait, grab a jerk bait or buck tail jig-rigged rod and cast to the last place you saw the monster. Work the area for at least five minutes trying different baits. Tucunare are persistent; you should be, too.

Change the Menu
Experiment with bait. Most of our anglers have trophy level success with big top water plugs. If these draw strikes but no hookups, move down to a smaller propeller plug, popper or walking spook baits. If the surface approach just isn’t working, go under with jerk bait.

Trolling
Try slow trolling along banks and through deeper lagoons with your bait dragging about 25-40 yards behind the boat. Make sure to rip the lure forward every few seconds.

Keep Moving
Don’t spend too much time in water without hits. Peacock aren’t shy. If nothing’s biting, nothing’s there. So try about 50 casts in the same area. If this activity doesn’t attract tucunare to you (especially big ones that get sick of all the noise), move on.

Pattern Tactics and Terrain
Lagoons can isolate thousands of fish. Cast to visible shoreline cover and the deeper waters at the center. Fish a lagoon thoroughly for 45 minutes. If there are no strikes, baitfish or activity, move on. Rocks of all sizes-especially boulders- concentrate butterfly and royal peacock bass. At rock structure, try up to a dozen casts with a top water plug for big peacocks. Then, try a jerk bait and fan cast the area. In running water, hit eddy pockets with a white 1Ž2-ounce buck-tail jig-make it hop sharply. Rapid vertical presentation is essential, so use spinning gear whenever you can.

At sandbars, begin with big top water baits before trying the subsurface approach. Peacocks like the deep-water drop-offs at lagoon mouths, sandbars, rocky shoals and pockets at tributaries, so target them. Try crisscrossing the surface first. Focus on rocks, submerged timber, brush or other isolated cover. When on the Rio Negro, cast upstream, retrieving with the current across the point. Make sure to hit the calmer water on the points’ down-current side, as well as the points themselves.

When working timber, the hotspots are trees three to 10 feet off the bank, submerged two to six feet deep. Cast to the bank and retrieve as close to the trees.

Remember, your guide will know how to put you on some of the best spots!

Called “tucunare” in Portuguese, the peacock bass is a born ambusher and one of the most ferocious freshwater fish you’ll find anywhere. Interestingly enough, the “bass” portion of the fish’s name is a bit incorrect. Peacocks are actually members of the cichlid family (like Oscar).

Peacocks come in several varieties, including speckled, black-barred, butterfly and royal. In our area of the Amazon, we see all of them except royal. The world record peacock (a 27-pounder caught by one our anglers) is speckled. These varieties range in color and size, but the behavior is pretty much the same. Mean. Aggressive. Territorial.

Acrobatic brawlers on a line, they snap 30-lb. monofilament like thread, straighten saltwater hooks, mangle lures and send rods home in more pieces than you came with. They are almost exclusively diurnal and aren’t the least bit sun-shy, hitting most lures at the surface with explosive force. They’re not too choosey about baits, but landing them is guaranteed to be one of the toughest freshwater fights you’ll ever get in. You’ll love every second of it.

Types of Peacock Bass

Black Barred Peacock Bass



Butterfly Peacock Bass



Speckled Peacock Bass

Other Types of Amazon Fish

Aruana




Jacunda




Piranha

The Season on the Rio Negro runs from the beginning of Oct to the end of March. With the best time being when you can get down there. Of course the water levels affect the fishing and if they are to high the fishing will be tough because all the bait fish move into the flooded timber. Typically you will be safe booking during the operational months

Fishing equipment is furnished at no additional cost as a service to our anglers. We furnish three quality rods and bait casting reels (Shimano and Curado), 80-lb. Spectra line and all the lures that are needed for the week’s fishing. Still, you may bring your favorite gear and lures if you wish. This aggressive jungle species is well suited to fly-fishing, leaving many fly-fishing world records to be set. An 8/9 or 9/10 weight fly rod is recommended. Reels should have a good drag, hold at least 150 yards of backing and be spooled with weight forward bass taper floating and intermediate sinking lines. For leader: we suggest 6-8 feet of 17-25-lb. monofilament.

Flies for Peacock Bass

Pattern	Size	Colors
Edge Water Pencil Poppers	2/0 & 3/0	white, yellow, chartreuse
Edge Water Boiler Maker	2/0 & 3/0	white, yellow, chartreuse
Deceivers	2/0—6/0	minnow colors (blue/white, olive/white, charter, chartreuse/white, red/white)
Double Bunny	2/0—6/0	olive/white, pink/white, chartreuse/white
Mylar Minnow	2/0—6/0	chartreuse, green, red, yellow, white

Spinning or Bait Casting Tackle
We use medium to medium-heavy largemouth bass tackle. For rods we suggest six to seven-foot bait casting rods rated for 25-30 lb. line. Due to the strength of the fish and the abundance of structure, we strongly suggest Spectra 80-lb. test braided Kevlar lines (really, these fish snap Spectra 50-lb. with ease); for monofilament, the “Magnum” 14/40-lb. line (14 lb. diameter), with standard reels of at least 100-yard capacity. While fishing for peacock bass, there is no need for steel leaders, in fact, they can be a disadvantage since they take some action out of the lure. Note: Always inspect your line after a strike and after fighting a fish.

Spinning or Bait Casting Lures for Peacock Bass

Manufacturer	Style	Size	Colors
Luhr-Jensen	“Woodchopper”	big game	black/orange, green fire scale, clown
Luhr-Jensen	“Ripper”	3/4 oz.	black/orange, green fire scale, clown
High Roller	“RipRoller”	6 inch	perch, clown, black/orange
Mann’s	“Bass Agitator”	3/4 oz.	white metal flake, chartreuse
Bill Lewis	“Mag Trap”	3/4 oz.	chrome/blue, chrome/black
Bomber	“Long A” Heavy Duty	8 oz.	silver flash, fire tiger minnow
Rebel	“Jointed Minnow”	3/4 oz.	silver/black, silver/blue, fire tiger

We mainly use the following:

1. Big-game "Rippers" or "Wood Choppers"
2. "Peacock Bass Specials"
3. "Jointed Minnows" or "Long A's"
4. "Rattle Trap" type lures.
   

The rest in the above list are optional. For piranha bring several 1/2 oz "Rattle Trap" lures in silver or gold.

Special Fishing Considerations

If you plan on bringing your own gear please be advised that these fish are very powerful and you should bring a spare rod and reel!

• Two long sleeve tropical shirts
• Two short sleeve tropical shirts
• Two tropical weight shorts or pants
  
• Swimming suit
• Tennis shoes or deck shoes
• Casual travel clothes
• A long billed hat
• Polarized sunglasses ( spare pair too)
• Light weight rain coat
• Fishing gloves / sun gloves
• Diggy cushions
• Sunscreen SPF 30 +
• Lip balm or Chap Stick
• Water resistance insect repellant
• A SMALL FLASH LIGHT
• Camera and batteries
• EXTRA MEMORY CARD OR SPARE FILM
• Water proof pack or gear bag to take on the boat each day

Must not forget

Passport
Not expiring within 6 months from departure date and at least 2 black pages not including the amendment pages for the Brazilian visa.

Valid Brazilian Visa
Tourist visa stamped in your passport and you must enter the country with in 90 days after obtaining said visa.

Brazilian fishing license
Will be obtained by our lodge at no additional charge and held in our office for safe keeping.

Health recommendations

Yellow fever vaccination and malaria prescription Malarone! For the Amazon region.

You will be in the Heart of the Brazilian rain forest. It will be extremely hot as well as have the potential for severe rainstorms.

Hard!
If you are truly are looking for Aggressive trophy fish you need to put in your time. Chugging a woodchopper for 8 hours is one of the most taxing forms of fishing around! That being said if you put in your time you will be rewarded!

Medium
You can throw lures or jigs that swim below the surface and only require a quick retrieve and a small jerk from time to time. Many trophies are caught this way and infect it is good to work as a team and have one (in front) angler using a woodchopper and the other (rear) angler throwing a jig or smaller diving lure.

Easy
Trolling flies across the center of lagoons can produce some very aggressive strikes. This method of fishing is very easy and provides an excellent opportunity for tired anglers to catch that 20lb + peacock.

One thing that this lodge is very good at is feeling out the clients, and teaching the different fishing methods. If you listen to you guide and use the technique he suggests you will catch fish regardless of your experience!