Orinoco Peacocks 2

Orinoco Peacocks Continued

Immature pet macaw
in camp.

Circular hut on knoll
was author's home
for 3 months.

Week after week I saw eight or ten fishermen go after peacock bass and a half dozen other species. Their collective experiences, backgrounds and my own experiences are now a part of my fishing history memory. It was definitely different and fun. That's the reason peacock bass lodges in South America are becoming so popular. American bass fishermen are looking for something different.

Small peacocks in the Orinoco averaged two to four pounds. Average fish ran six to 12 pounds and 15 to 18 pound peacock bass were not uncommon.

Were there bigger fish to be had? Yes. Definitely. Every night, during the cocktail hour and dinner, fishing buddies would tell stories to each other. Many of these fishermen had been fishing together for years, and they had traveled widely. All were impressed with peacock bass.

Almost daily, there were horror stories of how fish had stripped treble hooks from lures, popped connecting metal O-rings, demolished leaders and straightened connecting metal clasps or swivels. The peacock bass in the Orinoco and the nearby Ventuari River were really rough on tackle.

Tough as they were, there were two other fish species that ripped up tackle even worse; piranhas and payara. The piranhas everyone has heard about, and they can bite right through a lure. But at Manaka Lodge, approximately 1,000 miles upstream from the mouth of the Orinoco on the northeastern shore of that continent, piranhas don't feed on cattle or people. However, steel leaders and needle nose pliers are necessary, to get your hooks back.

One look at a payara is enough to let any fishermen know that steel leaders are a good idea. They have teeth on their bottom jaw that gives them the appearance of saber toothed tigers. The teeth mesh smoothly through holes in the top of their mouths and heads. Another set of fangs lay flat in their lower jaws, instantly ready to replace the currently working set, should they get damaged.

The most notorious things I saw payara do was puncture air-chambered casting lures. The chambers would fill with water and make the lures sink, which sort of defeated the purpose for building the air chambers in those lures in the first place.

Surprisingly, fly fishermen didn't have too many problems loosing flies to these toothy critters. That's because they didn't have as many strikes per day, generally, and not as many hook ups per strike. Piranha and payara were especially hard to hook securely using flies. But peacock bass were the exception to the rule. They'd hit flies with abandon because they were chasing minnows all day anyway. Any good hefty streamer pattern would attract them (I preferred Lefty's Deceivers) and the real bonus was that big peacocks liked little flies. For purposes of clarification, big peacocks would mean eight pounds or more and small Deceivers would be 00 and 02's.

Especially satisfying for a trout fisherman was the method used to take these peacock bass. You'd fish the middle of a mile wide river from large rock islands. The currents moving around these islands produced currents remarkably like trout streams. An average trout fisherman could do fairly well with peacock bass.

Lure fishermen had the options of walking the islands or fishing from boats with outboard engines. They could fish the main rivers or any of several lagoons and feeder streams off the main rivers. Manaka guests have a lot to choose from.

A South American rain forest is not all roses however, there are some discomforts to be endured. First of all, it's hot. Day time temperatures were often over 100 degrees, and the humidity was usually above 90 per cent. Just a few degrees north of the Equator, the sun's rays are especially strong, and sun burn was a legitimate danger, not just an inconvenience. Bug dope is another necessity.

Getting to the jungle is the biggest problem, and expense, but it's not hard. Frontiers does the booking for Manaka (1-800-245-19850) and other peacock bass destinations. Basically, fishermen fly from their home towns to Miami and then to Caracas. Some spend a night before catching a commuter flight to the jungle lodge(s). At Manaka, owner Otto Winkelman provides air connections in his own twin engine Cessnas. It takes two or three of hours to fly to the lodge, but the scenery is fantastic and entertaining.

Writer Paul Quinnett
with small peacock.

Author casts on Orinoco
River at sunset.

Big dugouts are only means of transportation on Orinoco River. Commercial boats must fly nation's flag.

Many of the fishermen fishing for peacock bass in South America right now come from the southern part of the United States. Most of them are experienced bass fishermen. But fly fishermen from all over the world are getting interested in peacocks, because the reports of their terrific strikes to surface lures are becoming more and more well known.

The critical test of any such fishing trip is "Would you go if you had to pay for it?" I would, if I was in that income group that routinely takes such a trip. It's especially good for a group of fishing buddies who have experienced a great deal together and want one "ultimate" trip that they can talk about for years. A lot of fathers and sons make the trip to establish special memories.

Women have visited Manaka Lodge and enjoyed themselves, whether they fished or not. The bird watching possibilities are fantastic. Early in the season, there are orchids in the jungle. Later on, there are other flowers to discover. And, a full week with no TV, no telephone, no beepers --and a gentle hammock in the shade-- provides all the time needed to polish off that unread "special" book.

People with serious medical conditions shouldn't go on a remote jungle trip. The turn around time in case of an emergency is too long. Other than that, there are no real restrictions to such a trip, except the absolute cost. If you can handle that, you should go fishing for peacock bass and payara.

Those who routinely take such trips say that the relative cost is not excessive. Your travel is the most expensive item. The lodge fees, keeping in mind that they provide meals, beverage, guides, boats, lodging, laundry, and other daily amenities, deep in the jungle, are quite reasonable.

It's a unique, memorable experience. I wouldn't trade my memories for anything.

DENNIS BITTON is a freelance writer in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He's a former editor of FlyFishing News, Views & Reviews, and has spent some time as a guide in Idaho and Montana, and at peacock bass lodges in Venezuela and Colombia.