Few trips have exceeded my expectations - Pirarucú did on every level 🙌🙌🤘😎

The journey to Pirarucú is all part of the adventure!

Starting in Manaus on the banks of the Rio Negro, you fly to Tefe' in Northwest Brazil. Tefe' is a river port on the Solimoes River where you board a Longboat for approx. Two-hour run upriver to the Mamiraua Sustainable Development Reserve.

Mamiraua' is the heart of the Amazon and the largest floodplain ecosystem reserve in the Brazilian Amazon, positioned between the Solimoes, Japura' and Auati-Parana rivers.

The Amazon region is experiencing severe drought, with the main rivers falling to their lowest levels in 120 years since official measurements began!

We had to walk across a dry flood plane as the boat couldn't get into the first Lake system, and the guides had arranged a smaller boat to carry our luggage up a narrow creek full of black caiman!

Due to low water levels, all the wildlife was concentrated around the water's edge with a myriad of birds - including the prehistoric Hoatzin.

Arriving at the floating "Uakari Lodge", you feel like you're in the heart of the Amazon, with arapaima rolling directly in front of the lodge and Arowana and black caiman swimming around the lodge!

This is your home for the next week, where you'll go to sleep to the sound of the jungle, fish feeding and howler monkeys 😉

Its Portuguese name, pirarucu means "red fish", the arapaima is the largest freshwater-scaled fish in the world. Arapaima are also air-breathing fish, which means you will see them rolling on the surface, often followed by a big tail slap.

Head guide Rafael "Rafa," asked me one day, " Why do Arapaima have a tail ?." ... To which he added - "It's because they do not have a middle finger" :-)

The Mamiraua Sustainable Development Reserve is located in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. It was the first conservation area and largest protected flooded forest in Brazil, which holds possibly the largest wild population of Arapaima in the world.

I landed seven arapaimas during my week at Pirarucu measuring - 110cm, 180cm, 155cm, 195cm, and 110cm and on my last afternoon on the last day, I had beautiful prehistoric beats just over 2 metres!

I also landed the "Pirarucu Jungle Slam" which is landing an Arapaima, Arowana and Tambaqui all on the same day ;-)

Arowana ( silver Arowana ) are very similar in appearance to our Saratoga, except for the tail, and are also a "mouth-brooding" species. They are sometimes referred to as "water monkeys" or "monkey fish" because of their ability to jump out of the water when feeding and have been known to eat large insects and even small birds!

We saw them feeding in schools in open water on small baitfish - almost in a pelagic fashion, and they can even breathe air in low-oxygenated situations, just like the Arapaima.

Tambaqui are cool fruit and nut-eating critters that have human-like teeth that you can catch effectively on a fruit fly. They are curious, and our guides suggested slapping the "fruit" down hard 3-4 times first on a short cast and then letting the fly sink while watching the fly line for the bite -
They pull like a tank and can reach 30kgs!

If you want to tick off one of the beautiful prehistoric beasts on the fly - UNTAMED ANGLING and the team at Pirarucú will help you get it done 😉

BIG Shout out to the Untamed Angling team and guides who make the whole experience possible -
Rodrigo Salles , Allan Pereira, Debora Motta , Jose Ramiro ( Ciru ) , Rafael Costa ( Rafa ) and Alyane , Guilherme Manzione ( Gramps of guides ) !

Tackle notes :-

Arapaima - I fished G.Loomis NRX+ S 1290-4 ( 9ft #12 weight - 4 piece ) and Asquith ASQ 1290-4 ( 9ft #12 Weight - 4 Piece ) matched with Abel ROVE 11/12+ reels and Scientific Anglers Titan
Big Water Taper fly lines with 100lb core in 450 grain Intermediate and 500 grain sinking.

Arowana and Timbaqui - I fished G.Loomis Asquith ASQ 790-4 ( 9ft #7wht - 4 piece ) matched with Abel Super Series 7/8 reel and Scientific Anglers Amplitude Tropical Titan floating flylines.

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