Two days on The Amazon

I had the fishing adventure of a lifetime. The adventure consisted of two days fishing on Peru's Amazon River while camping out by a river side. Day one involved heading to different spots on the river via boat and fishing along the way. On day one, myself, my dad, and my brother got up around 7:00am to get ready because our boat was going to depart our lodge dock at eight o'clock. We would be traveling with two guides and they were absolutely amazing, some of the best and most professional guides I've ever had. We traveled in a local style fishing boat but made of metal (which is way more fancy than any of the other boats there, the other boats were made of painted wood and a sun tarp on top). We got on and our captain drove for about thirty minutes or so to our first stop, we were still on the main river (which is called Madre De Dios or Mother of Gods) when we stopped to fish. They got all of our rods set up which were all heavy duty but our rigs were pretty simple. It consisted of a slide weight on a fluorocarbon litre and a steel litre attached to that with a big hook on the end. For bait, we used one to two foot worms. We tied the boat up to a tree while in the current. Catfish love to hide in structures like trees so we casted into the current and let it drift our baits down close the tree. It did not take long for the Catfish to start biting. First it was my brother who hooked up to a huge Ribsaw Catfish (which you cannot even find on any fishing app). We checked it's size and it was about two feet and about eighteen pounds which is a good size. Next, myself and my dad hooked the same Ribsaw Catfish, it was about 2 feet and 17 lbs. We continued on our way to camp, stopping a few more times to try new spots but there were only smaller catfish (around two or three pounds). Although, I caught a cool catfish that looked like a leopard and it was about one foot and around 14 pounds. After that, we made our way to a lake called Lago Valencia. This lake is only accessible by a strong boat because there were many obstacles like fallen trees which blocked the way. From there, we went to new spots aiming to catch Piranha, Pacu, Lisa's, and Piau's. To catch these fish, we did not use our rods and chose to use a local fishing technique which involved a bamboo rod with a line tied to the tip. With the bait on the line, we instructed to slap the bait on the water's surface about three times to get the Piranhas' attention and then drop the line to the botton with no reeling. When you would feel a bite, you yank your bamboo rod up and and into the boat. We did this for an hour or two catching multiple types of Piranhas and all of the other species I mentioned.

Finally we arrived at our camp which was along the river. It was an old shack where we set up our tents on the inside. The moquitos were the worst I have ever and will ever experience. Setting up camp was relatively easy and while my brother and I was setting up our tents, our guides and my dad started making dinner. On the menu was catfish, Pacu, Piranha, homemade sausages from Brazil, steak, and white rice. While they where cooking, I went down to river to fish off the boat. My brother and one of our guides threw out some catfish rods. I was casting a small white minnow lure and then I saw it! A HUGE Arapaima! (Arapiama is one of the largest freshwater fish on the entire planet). I casted right at the Arapiama which was about nine feet and around two hundred and fifty pounds. At the same time, the water suddenly exploded and another fish was thrashing around. Our guide exclaimed that it was a Corbina (sea trout) but he was wrong. I quickly reeled it in and onto the boat but all of a sudden our guide said it was a Vampire fish, it was about twenty one inches and three pounds. After I caught this incredible fish, it was time for dinner which tasted amazing but the bugs and mosquitos were overwhelming so I ate in my tent. Initially, we were going to go fishing later that night but the bugs were so bad we decided to just wake up extra early the next morning to fish.

Day two, we woke up early at 5:30am and packed up all of our stuff to head back to our lodge. Our guides prepared breakfast sandwiches, black coffee, and tons of exotic fruits. It was an amazing meal which gave us energy for another day of fishing. While breakfast were still being prepared, I thought I would throw the same lure to see if I could get another Vampire fish. I was casting and not paying attention to my lure and all of a sudden, I felt something powerful struggling with my line. I thought it was a Pacu (so I took my time reeling it in) but when I finally I saw it, oh man! It was another Vampire fish! This one was even bigger than the first at came in at twenty five inches and about four or five pounds. I was super lucky because this fish is so rare to catch at this time of the year. We continued our journey back to our lodge, catching Piranhas and Pacu. From then on and at multiple spots we tried to catch more fish but was unsuccessful and decided to set up under a tree and lunch, which was fried fish that we caught and rice.

We wrapped up our adventure with one last fishing spot and still no fish. After arriving at our lodge, we met up with my mom to show her our prized catches. We said our thank you's and goodbyes to our guides. Although this experience was short, it was one of the greatest trips of my life (so far). I have had a lot of adventures and those do not even compare to this one. I would SO do this again! PS I would like to thank my mom for weeks of research to find the perfect tour company and experience.