GUYANA CATFISH HEAVEN IN SEARCH OF RIVER MONSTERS ………………… Amazon-Angler.com is proud to introduce our ‘Catfish Heaven’ trips in Guyana in search of some of the biggest Catfish in the World. We have everything here that a true ‘Catmaster’ would want to catch, from small Squeakers right up to the biggest Top Cat of the jungle. All can be caught on cutbait, livebait or whole dead fish and all give a great fight.. The rivers that we will be fishing are surrounded by primary forest and beautiful scenery, and wend their way through miles of deep stretches, cascades, waterfalls, rapids and huge boulders and rock ‘gardens’. Our mobile camp will be set up on a sandy beach and under tree canopy to keep cool with a view over the spectacular river. We will move every few days to fresh water. It will be totally self-sufficient in every way. In our 9 day packages, we will also fish areas that are rarely if ever fished except sustenance fishing by local Amerindians with bow and arrow. We have individual tents with cots, handling a maximum of only 8 anglers at any one time. A separate area will be screened off for bathroom facilities and our anglers can either bathe in the river or in our propane heated jungle shower. With a generator and big freezers, our ‘safari’ kitchen will supply the most delicious breakfasts, with cereal, eggs, bacon, sausages, fruits and homemade breads, and dinners with South African style ‘Braais’ with meats and veg served with ice cold beer and beverages all day long. Laundry will be done daily.
REDTAIL CATS (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus) The Banana Cats or Redtail Cats must be rated as the hardest-fighting Cats in the whole Amazon for their size. Built like a giant, multi-coloured tadpole, and growing to over 150lbs, this big ol’ beast will swallow any size of bait that can fit in its mouth.
Any Redtail will normally scream off like an express train, and if you don’t try and turn him, he’ll head off to his favourite haunt and snags and tie you up! After a scrap with a Redtail, you’ll feel an ache in every muscle and joint. These guys are tough adversaries.
JAU/GILDED CAT (Zungaro zungaro) These heavy bruisers are more like Japanese Sumo wrestlers in that they don’t give big runs, but their sheer power and strength make up for it. Once a Jau is hooked, if an angler doesn’t stop him, he’ll dive for his cave or hole in the rocks and boulders and stay put. Then it’s just a waiting game. Any brute force to try and hoist him out will result in a cut line and a lost fish. Slowly, slowly, he’ll make his way out and then the wrestling match starts all over again! One of the Amazon’s Big Three, it reaches over 140lbs.
LAU LAU/PIRAIBA/FRESHWATER SHARK (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum) These enormous, monster Cats are the KINGS of the Amazon jungle aquatic world! Looking like Freshwater Sharks with long thin whiskers, they can be seen smashing baitfish on the surface in the early hours just before dawn. They sound like bombs going off, literally exploding on fish of over 25lbs! This ‘dawn chorus’ is so exciting to the angler and shows the sheer size of these Giants and how many there are in the pools!
Many of our anglers have hooked small Cats, Payara, Manduba etc. only to have them taken by huge Lau on the way up. A big Lau will rip line off so fast that it can easily spool an angler and will not stop until it’s nearly ready to give up. We chase after them in boats and have often been taken over 2kms away from where we first hooked up.
SURUBIM/SHOVEL-NOSE/TIGER CAT (Pseudoplatysoma fasciatum) The Surubim or Tiger Cat is a sleek, fast and extremely hard fighter. The hieroglyphic markings along its body make it virtually invisible to baitfish. It can be caught in shallow, sandy areas as well as in deep holes. Wehave also caught them on minnow lures and deep divers and even jigs. They have extremely sharp spikes on their dorsal and pectoral fins and great care must be given when handling these fish. Growing to a max. 50lbs in these areas, this muscular hunter par excellence will any angler the fight to remember. Big bucket mouths and long bodies allows them to eat fish nearly half their size.
JUNDIA/LEOPARD CAT (Leiarius marmoratus) It’s difficult to find anotherCatfish that fights harder pound for pound as the Jundia. This mighty midget of the Cat world has beautiful honeycombed markings all along its body. It grows to 6approx. 30lbs and averages 10-15lbs.
BARBADO/BLINKER/FLAT WHISKERED CAT (Pirinampus pirinampueiarius) The Flat Whiskered Cat is one of the many oddball Amazonian species. It has a curled-down top jaw and with long flat whiskers like ribbons. This Cat gets to over 30lbs and is a bullish fighter. Great to catch on lighter tackle.
PIRAPATANGA/VULTURE CAT (Calophysus macropterus) The Vulture Cat is the true scavenger of the Amazon. Often with a red/pink tail and with a smooth silver body with black spots, this crazy fish hunts in packs and hundreds of them can be found around a dead fish or wild pig etc.
RIP SAW/SAW SIDE CAT (Pseudodoras niger) This Thorny Cat is rarer than most but another oddball of the Amazon. With thorns all along its body it is a hard Cat to hook. Also known as “Talking Cats”, they are omnivorous detrivores, consuming anything edible they find sifting through the bottom of the pool.
DUCK-BILLED CAT (Sorubim lima) This weird-looking Cat with a mouth like a duck is another weird member of the oddballs! It feeds on anything that it can hoover into its rough mouth. It’s a small fish, but interesting to say the least.
PORTHOLE SHOVEL NOSE/SPOTTED SHOVEL NOSE CAT (Hemisorubim platyrhynochos) This little Surubim Cat doesn’t get much more than 5lbs but is one of the prettiest Cats of the Amazon. Not caught much by anglers, its eyes are often bigger than its belly!
OTHER SPECIES OF SPORTFISH TO CATCH We have so many other great sportfish for our anglers to target apart from Catfish, on lures, flies, baits, even fruits and nuts ‌‌.
YELLOW PEACOCK BASS (Cichla sp.) For great surface action, topwater explosions and arm-wrenching subsurface strikes, there is no other Amazon sport fish than will fight as hard as a big Peacock Bass. In the watersheds here in Guyana they live in and around rocks and boulders and are easy to target.
PAYARA/VAMPIRE FISH (Hydrolycus scomberoides) The teeth on this fish says it all. A slash and grab predator, it will smash topwater and sub-surface lures with abandon. Great adversaries that resemble Silver Salmon with teeth!
WOLF FISH/AIMARA (Hoplias aimara) The Wolf Fish is a heavily built predator with a body like a fat submarine. It attacks topwater and sub-surface lures like lighting, yet so subtle when hitting a bait, sometimes just chewing on it without moving.
BICUDA/SWORD FISH (Boulengerella maculate) A very fast and acrobatic species, this golden missile loves small topwaters and minnowbaits. It is a fast-water species and will leap and summersault all over the river trying to dislodge the hooks.
AROWANA/MONKEY FISH (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) Prehistoric-looking, Arowanas love sandy stretches and can be caught mainly by sightcasting. They slam topwater lures, flies and jigs and are very acrobatic but can also swim backwards like an Eel.
COBIE/SILVER DRUM ((Plagioscion squamosissimus)) Big silver blue Drums feed in the deep holes and can be caught on jigs, fish baits, deep diving lures and spoons. Reaching 15lbs, they are hard fighters and their white flaky meat is delicious to eat.
BLACK PIRANHA (Serrasalmus rhombeus) Big black Piranhas attain a weight of over 9lbs and are very hard, dogged fighters. They can be caught on nearly any lure in the box and on cutbaits, livebaits and more. They can also be caught while Cat fishing!
RED PACU (Myletes pacu) Big Red Pacu are predominatly vegetarians, eating weeds of the rocks, fruits and nuts, but they will eat small fish and insects if the water levels are low and away from the fruiting trees. We often catch them on potatoes and small jungle fruits. Growing to more than 15lbs, these great fish fight well in the current.
COUTIE/SILVERFISH (Brychon sp.) These beautiful little Silver fish growing to 5-6lbs can be a lot of fun to catch on small fruits, flies and spinners and spoons. Excellent bait for big Cats and very acrobatic when hooked.
STINGRAY (Potamotrygon motoro) Stingrays are one fish that you don’t want to step on If you do, you’ll realize why the Amerindians here call them the “Man will cry for many days” fish! Sometimes caught while fishing for Cats, they stick like Limpets on the river floor and it takes considerable effort to ‘force’ them out of their suction. And they get BIG like giant carpets!
WILDLIFE With a large diversity of flora and fauna around every corner, this river is a professional and amateur photographer’s dream. Around every corner there is something new to discover. Most terrestrial dwellers like Jaguars, Tapirs, Peccaries, Wild Boars, Agoutis are nocturnal but are sometimes seen crossing the river. Monkeys are plentiful in this region and Howler Monkeys are always somewhere in the background high up in the canopies growling and howling like banshees. Giant Amazonian Otters group together and will fiercely protect their territory. They bark and snort at any intruder in their ‘space’ and are prolific hunters. Birds of every shape, color and size can be seen everywhere throughout these watersheds and many species of Parrots are heard all day long fighting over space. Toucans call to each other from the treetops like yipping puppies and Herons, Egrets, Bee-eaters, Kingfishers, Terns and Ospreys frequent these river banks in search of fish, snakes, lizards and insects to catch. And of course, this beautiful Amazon Rainforest river would be complete with its fair share of resident Caimen Alligators........
TACKLE TALK We suggest the following gear for our fishing trips:
CATFISH RIGS 2 x 50-60lb class Cat rods 7’6” – 8’6” are more suitable for fishing from boats and off rocks. 2 x large capacity bait runner reels 12000 series (or big boat reels) each with min. 200m of 100-120lb braided line. Mixed 4-6oz egg or running sinkers. Stiff 120-130lbs Malin or AFW wire leader (thick braid like Suffix or Kraken can be used in deeper holes where Piranhas are not present). Strong swivels. 8/0 - 10/0 circle or ‘J’ hooks. *We also advise to use at least 10m of 100lb mono leader for protection against rocks.
RODS AND REELS for lures 2 x Medium-M/Heavy 6’6”-7’6” baitcasting or spinning rods with bait casting or spinning reels with capacity of min. 120m of 30-50lb braid. These outfits will handle casting and using medium surface lures like Spooks and subsurface lures like minnowbaits, jerk baits and also for deep-jigging and deep-diving lures in the pools. For fly fishermen, 7-8 wt fly rods should be matched with good, smooth drag system reels and loaded with a tropical, fast-sinking 200-250 grain, a tropical intermediate and a tropical floating fly lines, all with at least 100m of 30lb backing. 1.5m-2m of 20-30lb straight nylon tied straight to the fly line can be used for leaders. We advise a good pair of stripping gloves unless you want another lifeline burnt into your palm!! *Always bring spare line and a multi-tool.
LURES 5-6 x small prop baits like the 3-4” Rapala Skitterprop, 4.25” K Lures Props and 4” Highroller Riprollers than can be ripped across the surface in a steady cadence, ‘rip, pause, rip, pause’, all the way back to the boat. 5-6 x medium and saltwater Super Spooks and other small-medium cigarshaped stick baits are used with a walk-the-dog, side to side, swishing action that ‘sways’ the lure like a snake across the water. This is a more subtle, quieter lure used when Peacocks and Bicuda are being less aggressive 2-3 x small Poppers can also work well and if used properly, they catch a good number of big fish. They should spit and gurgle and spray water in front, rather than ‘bloob’ or ‘pop’ and the best we have found is the Skitter Pop or the Chug Bug skimmed along the surface or quickly popped. 6-8 x small-medium Minnow baits and crank baits will always work well in most situations. Our choices are shallow running 4-6” Rapala X Raps, X Rap Sub Walk, Rattle Traps, Yozuri Crystal minnows and Tobimarus and deep X Raps and CD 11-14s. 2-3 x Spoons in silver and gold. These work well in the rapids and deeper holes. 2-3 Spinnerbaits for Wolf Fish and Peacocks in rocks and creek entrances. 5-10 x Stevie Stinger or similar bucktail jigs with extended tails. Our 5 best producing colours are Red and Yellow, Red and White, Black and White, Firetiger, Green and White. They are cast and stripped back to the boat (not jigged on the bottom) and they can also be trolled on the way back out of a long lagoon. Great lures for Peacocks, Payara, Bicudas etc.
FLIES There are many species that can be targeted with flies including Peacock Bass, Payara, Wolf Fish and Bicuda. Also smaller flies will catch Pacu and Matrincha. Fly patterns for most Amazon predators are generally either tied in 3-6” long-profile streamer flies with lots of flash, with and without weighted eyes, or popper-type surface flies that provide plenty of noise and action. Usually a fast strip is used on streamer flies and a series of gentle, constant ‘spits’ for surface flies. Don’t waste too much time on elaborate fly patterns as Piranhas will eat plenty!! Go simple!
CLOTHES There is a strict weight limit of 15kgs (33lbs) per angler for charter planes and floatplanes + 5kg hand luggage. We recommend clients follow the list of items below to keep it simple. Laundry is done daily, so only 2-3 changes of clothes are needed at camp. Clothes for the jungle are shorts or long pants, a shirt and a hat!! One change of clothes can be used for travelling. For travelling: 1 x pair lightweight shoes, socks, underwear, light jacket, 1 x light shirt and long cargo pants with pockets for documents, money, passport etc. This outfit can also serve as fishing clothes to save on additional weight. For fishing: 1 x wide brimmed hat or fishing cap with neck cape, 2 x lightweight tropical shorts or long tropical pants (zip-offs are a good idea and can also be used as travel pants), 3 x tropical long or short-sleeved shirts with pockets (can also be used as travel shirt), 1 x pair of either CROCS, sandals or similar comfortable boat shoes, 1 x lightweight rain suit/jacket and 2 x pairs of polarised sunglasses (in case you lose one pair), 2 x neck/face buff.
OTHER RECOMMENDED GEAR It gets hot out there in the full sun, often over 90ᵒF, so come well protected with good-quality sun-block with at least 50-75 SPF. Lip cream is essential. We fish in areas that have some insect activity, so bring a high DEET content insect repellent just in case. Bring any personal medications and allow for headaches, stomach upsets, fevers, infections, allergies etc. And also personal toiletries, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, shaving gear etc. A small amount of talcum powder is a good asset in the jungle for those hidden, sweaty areas! Reading books/magazines/Kindle, pen and paper for notes. Small torch/headlight and spare batteries Lightweight digital camera. Satellite phone can be rented quite cheaply in your home country for anyone wanting to keep ‘in touch’ with family or the office while away, although there will be one for clients to use in camp at a cost of $10 per minute. Calls and messages can be received at no extra charge - the number and how-to-message details will be provided before trip commences. Multi-tool Boga Grip or similar fish holding/weighing device. Remember, they’ve all got teeth so keep your hands away from their mouths as much as possible.
TRANSFERS, SCHEDULES AND COSTS
Day 1: Arrive in Cheddi Jagan International airport in Georgetown, transfer and overnight at the Kanuku Suites Hotel. Day 2: Depart GT early morning via charter flight to airstrip. Onwards by boat to camp 1. Day 3-11: nine (9) days guided fishing, overnight at camp in tented accommodations. We will move camp every 2 days. Day 12: Depart camp early morning by boat back to airstrip and onwards flight to GT and overnight at the Kanuku Suites Hotel. Day 13: Transfer to airport for flight home.
COSTS per person for nine full days fishing trip.......... costs on inquiry *Full groups can extend their fishing trips by as many days as they would like. Costs for extra fishing and stay at camp will be charged @ $350 per person per day.
Included: 12 nights with two nights at the Kanuku Suites Hotel on 1st day of arrival and night of return from jungle, return flights GT/jungle airstrip/GT, 10 nights at camp with nine full days guided fishing, daily laundry, local transfers, all meals, water, soft drinks and ice cold beer. Not included: International airfares, tipping (suggested USD $100 per person to be divided between guides and camp staff), meals and drinks other than in camp, costs associated with medical advice and medications for your trip, lures, fishing tackle etc. (we will have a stock of lead weights at camp for guests to purchase). Terms and conditions of payments: 50% as deposit on reservation, 50% due 90 days before arrival in GT.
www.Amazon-Angler.com steve@amazon-angler.com USA toll free (9am – 5pm) ET 1 866 920 2814 Europe +351 917812328