Sportfishing Adventures - Issue 17 | Q1 2022

ISSUE #17 | Q1 2022

MAURITANIA THE BANC D’ARGUIN

IRELAND FIRST SALMON ON THE FLY

BRAZIL

MONSTER ARAPAIMA RESERVE

MONGOLIA TAIMEN TURMOIL

+ NEW TACKLE, LATEST IGFA RECORDS, SEEN ON THE WEB & MORE...

CONTENTS

ISSUE#17 Q1 2022

6 Editorial

54 Ireland

8 IGFA

74 What’s new

The rising use of single hooks

Latest records and news

12 Maurita nia The Banc d’Arguin

32 Mongolia Taimen Turmoil

First salmon on the fly

Our selection of recent tackle & gear

78 Brazil

Monster arapaima reserve

106 Seen on the web Entertaining fishing videos we liked

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12 54

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74 78

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WHERE ARE WE TAKI

BRAZIL

MAURITANIA

ING YOU THIS TIME ?

IRELAND

MONGOLIA

EDITORIAL Dylan Smith Editor in Chief

The rising use of single hooks Fishing tackle and especially lures have tremendously evolved over the years. What started with simple handcrafted wooden lures and makeshift spoons is now a huge worldwide industry with cutting-edge technology involved. One thing took a bit longer to change, but is now rightfully gaining popularity: the use of single hooks on lures. For decades, treble hooks were the standard for lure companies. Until some anglers realized they didn’t loose significantly more fish when they were using singles. More importantly, the fish were less likely to suffer injuries from the lure hooking multiple times on their body during the fight.

It is great to see that nowadays, a growing number of lure companies are equipping their products with single hooks. If you’re feeling skeptical, try some inline singles on one of your favorite lures, you’ll be surprised! And once again your next catch will thank you for using them!

Dylan Smith COVER SHOT: Contributor Alfonso Rey and his guides with a trophy wild arapaima, article page 78.

SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES T H E

W O R L D ' S

B E S T

F I S H I N G

D E S T I N A T I O N S

Editor in chief Dylan Smith

Contributors Rudy Van Duijnhoven Michael Caranci Alfonso Rey Adrian Vidal

Special thanks IGFA Iskander Mermet

Sportfishing Adventures magazine, published quarterly, is independently owned and operated by DMS Editions.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher.

No part of this magazine can be reproduced without prior permission.

For inquiries, contact the editor: editor@sportfishing-adventures.com

IGFA NEW RECORDS

IGFA

NEW RECORDS Walker’s Grey Snapper

Silva’s Speckled Peacock On January 30, 2022, Marcio Cerri e Silva landed this beautiful 91-centimeter speckled peacock to tie the IAll-Tackle Length World Record for the species. Silva was fishing the Mataven River in Colombia when this colorful peacock struck his jig. After a short battle, Marcio landed the beautiful peacock and quickly photographed the proper measurements on his official IGFA measuring device and released the peacock safely back into the river. Congratulations Marcio on a beautiful fish and a new record!

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Captain Ed Walker has set yet another IGFA World Record, this time landing this impressive 53-centimeter grey snapper (mangrove snapper) to set the IGFA All-Tackle Length Fly World Record for the species. He was fishing aboard his boat “Long Gone” out of Tarpon Springs, Florida, and landed this snapper on a hand-tied fly.

After recording the proper measurements on his official IGFA measuring device, he released the fish safely. Congratulations, Captain Ed on continuing to produce impressive records from the Gulf of Mexico!

NEW RECORDS IGFA

Weston’s Dorado Art Weston recently returned from a New Year’s trip to Argentina with several impressive record applications including this beautiful 21.09-kilogram (46-pound, 8-ounce) dorado. On January 3, 2022, Art was casting a topwater plug in the Uruguay River when this massive dorado struck. After a 10-minute fight he was able to land this beautiful dorado to set the IGFA Men’s 24-kg (50 lb) Line Class World Record for the species. After recording the proper documentation, Art released the dorado safely back into the river. Congratulations, Art on a beautiful fish and an amazing record.

Gallagher’s Cutthroat Trout Kesley Gallagher recently submitted this 5.33-kilogram (11-pound, 12-ounce) cutthroat trout she caught while fishing on Pyramid Lake, Nevada on March 2, 2022, which earned her the new IGFA Women’s 6-kg (12-lb) Tippet Class World Record for the species. Kesley landed this beautiful cutthroat after a five-minute fight and safely released the fish after weighing it and taking the proper documentation.

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IGFA LATEST NEWS

IGFA LATEST NEWS

The IGFA Expands World Record Categories

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Fishing for Taimen in Siberia’s Far East

by Jan Forszpaniak

Extraordinarily difficult to reach lands and waters that are subject to some of the most extreme weather on the planet, Siberia in Russia’s Far East is a wild, hauntingly beautiful, bountiful and nearly untouched sport fishing destination. The pioneers who have managed to explore parts of it have reported enviable catches of taimen, or Siberian giant trout--the largest members of the Salmonids family which average 33 to 66 pounds at maturity.

The IGFA has expanded its record categories, specifically through the addition of eligible species for the All-Tackle Length World Record category and the addition of three new species for the Line Class, Tippet Class, and Junior categories.

The current IGFA All-Tackle World Record for the species is a 52.39-kilogram (115-pound, 8-ounce) fish that was recently caught in the Tugur River, and there is a report of a 231-pounder caught in Russia’s Kotui River in 1943.

Read more

Read more

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LATEST NEWS IGFA

IGFA Addresses Tail Snares in New Rule Language The IGFA recently announced a clarification to the International Angling Rules, specifically pertaining to the use of tail snares which are considered legal and are included in the rules regarding gaffs and nets. Tail snares, which have been considered as IGFA-compliant were not specifically addressed in this language. The IGFA’s policy has been that tail snares are IGFA-compliant provided they have an overall length (from the beginning of the handle to the apex of the snare when loaded) of no more than 2.44 meters (8 feet) in length, which is consistent with the total length that we allow for gaffs and nets.

Read more

How-to Tie the PR Knot with Braided Line and Leader Using a Bobbin Watch Jorge Polo from @jygprofishing, demonstrate how to tie the PR knot with a bobbin. The PR knot is one of the strongest braided line to leader connections out there and commonly used for jigging and popping style fishing.

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MAURITANIA

THE BANC D’ARGUIN Text and photos by Adrián Vidal

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MAURITANIA TRAVEL

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The odd-looking pompano will always put on a great fight!

O

nce again, we fly to one of our favorite destinations, without a doubt, destination No. 1 for those who travel from Europe and want to fish from the coast. It is an unexploited destination in which little experience is required

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to catch fish, there is no need to be an expert. A paradise inhabited by various species that can grow huge in these waters. Welcome to the Banc d’Arguin!

Mauritania is becoming one of the best destinations to fish from the coast, a magical country on the African SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

Mauritania is becoming one of the best destinations to fish from the coast.

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coast where you can do spinning, popping, surf-casting, fly fishing, you name it! The waters of the Banc d’Arguin are home to a large variety of species, any fishing technique will catch fish here!

We have been visiting this beautiful place for many years and year after year it is becoming the most popular destination due to its comfort, proximity (few

hours of flight) and lastly because of the reasonable cost of the trip.

licenses that locals receive to fish from sail boats without motors.

The Banc d’Arguin is a protected natural park, and a world heritage UNESCO site. A place where professional fishing, spearfishing and motor boats are prohibited.

The variety of species is endless and during each trip we always catch new fish species that we had not caught before. This can reach over 20 species in a single trip.

Some of them are: leerfish, jack trevally, african pompano, senegalensis corvina, common corvina, bor-

All that is allowed is angling from shore and a few fishing

Sleeping in the Mauritanian wilderness, only minutes away from the first fishing spots.

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Triple hookups are common on the Banc d’Arguin. The place being well protected, it only allows rod fishing from the shore, resulting in a vivid ecosystem.

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There are incredible moments such as catching 30-40 corvinas in 2 hours.

riquete, different species of groupper, red bass, guitarfish, cobia, spanish mackerel, elops, needlefish and much more!

Mauritania provides us with fishing all year round, with different species being caught in abundance on certain periods. The drastic changes in temperature in the Sahara means a great variety of species migrate throughout the year. For

A popper in a jack frenzy will never last very long!

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those who want to tempt caranx species like jack trevally, leerfish or african pompano, it is recommended to travel from October to March. For those looking for other pelagic species such as cobia and Spanish mackerel should come when the temperature is warmer in summer season. Likewise, we can find both species in both seasons.

There are incredible mo-

MAURITANIA TRAVEL

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A nice specimen of Senegalensis corvina, a prized gamefish of the West African coast

The surubi catfish not only have amazing patterns, they also put on a great fight!

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With a rod of up to 2.70m long and a 4500 reel we can fish all kinds of species and enjoy a large number of bites.

ments such as catching 3040 corvinas in 2 hours of fishing, giant leerifshes in a group chasing your lures, jack frenzies on the surface where you see the water boil and your lure can’t last 1 second without being attacked! Or even spectacular attacks on lures from rock species such as groupers or African cuberas!

Here comes the best part ...

Most trips require a serious

investment in fishing equipment in addition to the trip itself, but not this destination. This is because standard gear that we use on a day-to-day basis for lure fishing at home will be strong enough to handle most fish.

With a rod of up to 2.70 meters long and a 4500 reel we can fish all kinds of species and enjoy a large number of bites. The ideal equipment to fish in the Banc d’Arguin

Monster alert! Mauritania is one of the best destinations on earth if you dream of a big leerfish.

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A wide variety of groupers and rockfish can be caught using soft plastics. The ending of the fight is always uncertain, as many fish manage to escape, but this grouper proves it’s worth losing a couple lures!

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would be a 3 meter long rod, with a reel size 5000 with 300YDS of 0.20 mm braidedv line and leader from 0.60 to 0.80mm fluorocarbon.

But as we said, with lighter equipment, fish will still be caught constantly! Regarding lures, softbaits with jigheads up to 60 grams are very good for all types of species as well as surface lures such as stickbaits,

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sinking stickbaits and poppers.

Traveling to the Banc d’Arguin is very easy. You have to land at Nouakchott airport, where at the airport exit the Green Flake team is waiting for you with the 4x4 to drive you directly to the Banc d’Arguin.

This trip in a comfortable 4x4 takes about 4 hours: 3

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Regarding lures, softbaits with jigheads up to 60 grams are very good for all types of species.

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Big or small, jacks always provide explosive strikes and strong fights. Even the tiny ones are already quite agressive!

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hours of road crossing the Sahara and 1 hour of pure Sahara, with no roads, just sand, a memorable experience!

You can reach Nouakchott with a stopover in Morocco or Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which is usually cheap and convenient.

Once at the camp, we are housed in tents on the seafront where the first fi-

shing spots can be reached with just a 15-minute walk.

As for the food at the camp, it is very diverse, with meat, fish, vegetables, freshly baked bread, yogurts etc...

TRIP CONTACT info@greenflakefishing.com www.greenflakefishing.com

There you will stay with your guides and enjoy the 4x4 truck 24 hours a day to move around the area and access all the fishing spots that the Banc d‘Arguin has to offer you

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MONGOLIA

TAIMEN TURMOIL Text and photos by Michael Caranci

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A healthy taimen with the typical reddish tail, a work of art of a fish!

I

’ve often found that the more challenging the journey, the more rewarding the destination can be. I found this to be proven in full on my first venture to the remote wilds of Mongolia. We came in search of the legendary taimen, the largest member of the trout family. What we discovered was an adventure that far surpassed our expectations.

Several days into this mystical odyssey to the forgotten lands of Genghis Khan – including a trans-Pacific flight

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from the US to Seoul, South Korea; a short 3 hour hop over to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia; an overnight in a classy, communist-era hotel in the city center; and another short domestic flight to a tiny town in the Mongolian frontier – our group of intrepid anglers found ourselves on a dirt track winding through the endless green grasses of the Mongolian steppe.

Gradually the “road” became rough and rocky as it wound its way up into the Altai Mountains. We stopped briefly at a military SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

Gradually the “road” became rough and rocky as it wound its way up into the Altai Mountains.

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checkpoint not far from the Russian border, where the guards cordially explained that they take their duty to protect the border zone, and the Taimen Sanctuary, very seriously. They checked our fishing permits, provided by Fish Mongolia, and even insisted on making sure we only had artificial flies with single, barbless hooks in our bags.

About 40 minutes later, we descended through a narrow ravine and came in sight of a string of the iconic circular white gers (often called yurts in other parts of the world) that are typical of nomadic culture in Mongolia.

Fish Mongolia establishes a

string of these idyllic camps along the river each season, and they would be our home for the next week while we floated and fished our way down over a hundred miles of what may be the world’s most pristine taimen habitat.

Our adventure continued the next morning as we started organizing our gear and preparing for the fishing. I rigged up three rods, an 8 weight Scott T3H with a 600 grain Skagit head, 10 foot floating MOW, and a 7.5 foot 20# leader with a large fly designed to imitate a large mouse; and a Scott Meridian 8 weight with a 9 foot 20# leader and a white Pole Dancer; and a 6 weight for trout and gray-

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ling with a 9’ 2X leader and a Chubby Chernobyl.

The river was so clear you could count pebbles at the bottom. But that was only if you could take your eyes off the reflection mirrored on the water’s surface, describing one of the most spectacular landscapes I’ve ever seen. Granite and limestone cliffs plunged down to the river’s edge, the early morning light reflecting off their rugged face. Opposite the dramatic rock walls the river valley opened up to a rolling green hillside forest of larch.

Pulled up along the shore were several NRS inflatable drift boats, and a small flotilla of

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The iconic Mongolian gers is a round hut that can quickly be assembled and disassembled to be carried according to the needs of nomads.

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colorful rafts for the support team. These rafts were later referred to as the “Mongolian Navy” as the staff made their daily downriver float to the next camp hauling all of the luggage and camp gear.

I was fortunate enough to be fishing with Mark Johnstad, who started Mongolia River Outfitters / Fish Mongolia with Mongolian partners in the early 2000s as a way to help conserve and protect taimen. Together, Mongolia River Outfitters and Fish Mongolia protect over 1,000

kilometers of pristine taimen habitat, in partnership with the Government of Mongolia and a handful on international NGOs. Mongolia River Outfitters operates in eastern Mongolia from September through October, while Fish Mongolia is in western Mongolia and operates from the legal start of fishing season on June 15 through the end of August.

This first day, Mark and I would fish with a young Mongolian guide named Zolboo (pronounced Zol-boh). Zol-

A juvenile but still beautiful specimen!

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Zolboo spotted our first taimen of the trip, about a 3 foot long shape shimmering in the glassy current.

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Wild horses having a sip. Once nearly extinct, the population of the iconic Przewalski’s wild horses has rebounded in recent years thanks to a campaign of reintroduction.

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boo was once caught “poaching”, fishing illegally for taimen. Then recruited to become a fly fishing guide, and now he’s one of the most well-respected figures in the burgeoning Mongolian fly fishing community.

Zolboo pulled the boat out 42

into the current and started floating down the broad shallow flat. As I began to strip line off my reel to make a first searching cast, Zolboo spotted our first taimen of the trip, about a 3 foot long shape shimmering in the glassy current, with a vibrant red tail. I tried to throw an SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

I fished hard, casting long with the eight weight and large flies.

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upstream cast at it but we’d already passed it and the moment was gone. Still, it was exciting to know that the fish are here!

I fished hard, casting long with the eight weight and large flies, starting with the Pole Dancer then moving to large natural colored grey/ tan streamer that Zolboo had tied up the night before.

Halfway through a retrieve, using long, medium strips, a taimen rolled on the fly, but missed. I quickly re-cast and the fish turned and followed a second time before disappearing like a ghost.

We continued down to a spot where we all met for a delicious shore lunch of chicken kebabs with rice, salad, and wine. We made a long affair of it, enjoying the incredible scenery of this remarkable place. All around were jagged rocky mountains permeated by green pine trees, under the visage of which this crystal clear river meandered and turned and wound through an area filled with sheer beauty. It was reminiscent of fishing in Yosemite National Park...except there’s no one else here.

Just a few hundred feet below the lunch spot one of the

other guests, Bob, eased a beautiful 37» taimen into the net, its slate grey body punctuated by dark spots and the telltale brilliant deep red tail.

We continued fishing through the afternoon, changing flies occasionally between a large white tube fly and various topwater flies. I had another large taimen roll on a white Puglisi popper, but again it missed and we couldn’t raise it again. Late in the afternoon, I did manage to hook a smaller taimen, the fish crushing a white streamer right in front of a giant boulder. The fish shook his head

Author Michael Caranci with a nice specimen.

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A mature taimen can be well over 50 inches long and 40-50 years old. So the presence of fish ranging from 20 inches to over 50 inches indicates a very healthy ecosystem with fish in all different age classes.

and rolled on the surface, and about 4 seconds later the hook came out. A short while later Mark did land a «small» taimen, about 30», which ate a fly of his own creation with a long purple body and a giant yellow popper head, upon which Mark had drawn a smiley face and therefore is affectionately referred to as the “Happy Meal”.

We finally made it into camp at around 9:00 pm, floating on cloud nine from so many close encounters with these amazing fish. The evening was so wonderful that we dined outside in the fresh Mongolian mountain air, enjoyed stories around the campfire, and settled in for a wellearned solid night’s sleep.

Day two started off much like the first day, with the

first taimen spotted hunting a shallow flat within sight of the camp. Again we threw a mixed bag of poppers, streamers, and rodent imitations, consistently moving fish throughout the day. In one run alone I would guess we spotted 8 or 9 fish of all different sizes.

It is quite apparent that the Taimen Sanctuary model is working, and this river has an incredible population of taimen. A mature taimen can be well over 50 inches long and 40-50 years old.

So the presence of fish ranging from 20 inches to over 50 inches indicates a very healthy ecosystem with fish in all different age classes.

But taimen fishing is never easy and the fish can be moody. While we were seeing a

The ovoo is a traditional monument on top of hills and mountains, celebrating the mountains and the sky.

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Closeup shot of the taimen’s beautiful head.

lot of fish, they did not seem to be particularly aggressive this morning. I did finally get a grab just before lunch, but once again the bony mouth prevented a solid hookset and after several heart-stopping head shakes the fish was gone.

The lunch spot was a rocky knoll set under the shade of a small grove of larch trees overlooking a classic emerald-colored pool that would make any summer steelhead fisherman start drooling. I rigged up the two-handed rod, and stepped in to swing through the run with a Bisha-Rat. Mark spotted a huge fish in the pool below me.

That really got my blood

pumping as I skated the large rat fly across the run. At the end of the swing, as the fly skittered into the shallows in the riffle at the head of the deeper pool, a very large taimen rolled and ate my Bisha-Rat with a giant explosion of water. It was like someone threw a grenade into the river. I set the hook hard and instantly felt connected to something solid and heavy.

The fish shook his head hard while frothing at the surface in the shallow water, and in an instant the fly line went limp. The fish had shattered the 20# leader. And I was left shaking, in awe of the power of that river monster.

I remained numb for much of the remainder of the day, in SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

shock at the size and strength of the fish I’d lost that morning. But after some tasty Mongolian vodka tonics later that night and a few hours of shuteye, I was ready to redeem myself the next morning.

Again, it didn’t take long to get things started. As we drifted through some riffly water just below camp, I almost had the rod pulled out of my hand by what turned out to be a small taimen, about 24 inches. This one stayed connected, and soon I was releasing my first taimen.

A few runs later, we came upon a stretch of river with a large rock in the middle run45

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Drifting along the unspoilt wilderness of Mongolia. The taimen population on this river is amazingly healthy, but that doesn’t mean catching one is easy at all!

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Splashy release for this one!

ning parallel with the river, creating two deep channels on either side. I cast to the far shore, and as my fly was skittering across the far channel a taimen came up from the depths and swatted at it but did not connect. I let the fly keep swinging across, and when it went over the submerged rock face I could see the fish was following. But as soon as it started chugging across the near channel, a second taimen, this one larger, came up and charged at it again but also missed. We stopped and made a series of casts towards both fish but 48

could never get another interested look from either fish.

The rest of the day continued much the same, with multiple sightings, follows, takes, hooksets, resulting in several snapped leaders, and more fish seen than landed. By the time the day was done we’d moved at least 10 fish to the fly today, and seen well over a dozen more.

While we’d had plenty of follows and takes on the streamers, it seemed the more aggressive hits from larger fish tended to come SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

By lunchtime I had 9 fish come to the fly, all of them hooked and lost.

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on top-water patterns. So the next morning, I tied on a black Pole Dancer, and committed to fishing it all day, while Mark would stick to his trusty “Happy Meal”.

Today we would fish with a young American guide named Mark Portman, who’d been guiding in Mongolia for several seasons. It would be a day none of the three of us would ever forget.

I wandered downstream below camp with my two-hander, and in the first run rose two fish to the Bish-a-Rat. Both were smaller fish, both hooked briefly then gone.

The sun came out as Portman came down in the boat to pick me up, and we continued fishing. As we floated down river, casting and stripping, we rose fish after fish. By lunchtime I had 9 fish come

to the fly, all of them hooked and lost.

We caught up with the rest of the group, and everyone was having a good day. For whatever reason the fish were more aggressive today than they had been, and almost everyone except us had landed a taimen by lunch, some more than one.

The wind picked up in the afternoon, howling upriver and making casting a challenge.

Still, we fished hard, determined to break our slump.

Mark had two different really large fish that seemed wellhooked, on for long periods of time and putting on impressive displays of acrobatics before spitting the hook. As the sun began to drop over the canyon, I chugged the Pole Dancer across

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a deep pool and a massive fish came up out of nowhere and hammered it. He was on, line tight and fish screaming towards the far side of the river. Then nothing. Another slipped hook.

Finally we turned the corner and could see the camp below us. It was 9:00, a 12 hour fishing day. But it wasn’t over yet. Downstream from the boat about 30 feet away I had yet another large taimen hit my fly. I stripped hard and felt it connect. The fish shook his head and I set the hook hard again, and again.

The fish was still tight and I thought, «this is the one!,» Then the line went limp. Gone again.

Less than a minute later, Mark was hooked up. A solid head shake, taking out

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Taimen are known for spitting hooks easily. Even with a strong hookset, you keep your fingers crossed during every headshake or jump!

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The smile says it all! Landing a taimen is always a special moment for any angler.

line, then nothing. Camp was creeping closer and closer, and we kept casting. Again, another big fish, this one perhaps the biggest of the day, attacked Mark’s Happy Meal.

He set hard, and was hooked up. This fish was on. Jumping, rolling on the surface, tearing off line downstream.

Then nothing. Insane.

We drifted the final 100 feet into camp with an odd feeling mixed with both euphoria and dejection. We had just experienced one of the best days of fishing without landing a single fish one could almost imagine: all told 17 fish hooked, several of them really large with 52

at least two visibly confirmed at well over 40 inches, but nothing brought to hand.

Mark Johnstad, who’s been doing this since the mid-90s, has never seen so many fish come un-buttoned. Portman exclaimed that in his years guiding on this river he figures a normal catch rate is about one in every three fish landed.

The next morning I was determined to get retribution.

I hiked upstream a quarter mile to fish back through that last run that we’d hooked those fish in the night before.

Swinging the large rat fly on my spey rod I covered the water quickly, watching as SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

the other boats each slowly pulled out and started drifting downstream. Almost back to camp, a huge fish, probably the same one Mark had hooked the night before, rolled on the fly, but missed.

I kept the fly swinging and the fish went after it again, but when I went to set the hook there was nothing there. By the size of the tail and head, I’d say the fish was easily over 40 inches. A big one. I took a couple of steps upstream and swung back through. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. One more time, and there he was again, hammering at the fly as it swung across the current. I felt him on for a second this time, then once again the

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curse continued and the fish was gone.

I took a few more steps upstream and kept casting.

As I worked back downriver through the run and neared the boat, at the end of the swing I had a hard take and set the hook, hard. The fish was still there, shaking its head, so I hit it again, and the fish slowly started moving right towards me. I stumbled backwards up the rocks to keep the line tight. It pulled and tossed and turned, and Zolboo ran in with the net and netted it.

It wasn’t the big fish, but a different one and still a nice specimen. We taped it out at 30», took a quick photo and released it into the water. The curse had lifted!

The last few days were a blur, interspersed with the tranquility of the remote and rugged river canyon and pu-

nctuated by periodic – and often chaotic – encounters with the taimen who call this place home. The fish are as awe-inspiring as the landscape, their sometimes ephemeral presence appearing when you aren’t ready and often leaving you shaking in shock and wondering, “what the hell just happened.”

The end of a trip is always a bittersweet moment. On our last morning on the river, I sat on a grassy bank and watched a small herd of young black and white goats playfully bouncing their way along the bank. I reminisced on the past few days. The people I’d met. The majestic scenery surrounding us.

And of course the emotional rollercoaster of taimen fishing. I knew instantly that I would be returning as soon as possible

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TRIP CONTACT mongoliarivers.com fishmongolia.com info@mongoliarivers.com

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IRELAND

FIRST SALMON ON THE FLY Text and photos by Rudy Van Duijnhoven

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The famous Ridge Pool in Ballina.

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he salmon rivers in Norway and Scotland are suffering of the professional fishing in the fjords and in front of the coast, but also of the many salmon farms that have been built here. Iceland is not exactly cheap as a destination to fish for salmon, the catches of salmon in Spain and France can differ a lot from one year to

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another and the east coast of the United States might well be a bit too far away. This leaves many fly-fishers with only one country where they will have a large chance to land their first salmon on the fly.

Next to this, there is another big advantage of fishing for salmon in Ireland.

When the level of the waSPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

When fishing for Atlantic salmon you depend a great deal on the circumstances.

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Shrimp patterns are often successful in Ireland. Every fly fisherman should have a few in their box.

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ter in the rivers is too high or on the other hand much too low, than there are still a large number of lakes on the green island where you can fish for salmon and seatrout. When fishing for Atlantic salmon you depend a great deal on the circumstances, you will have your best chances when a river returns to its normal level after a short period during which the level had clearly risen quite a bit (preferably without turning dirty). During a ‘spate’ the salmon in a river will travel further upstream and new salmon enter the river from the sea.

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All of these salmon need to conquer a place in one of the pools, they will need to show some aggression against other salmon in the same pool in order to get some space and thankfully they will often intercept a well presented salmon fly during those periods.

Very productive The River Moy is without doubt the river that year after year produces the most salmon. The average catch of salmon landed by anglers was around 9000 fish per year in the years from

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The Ridge Pool and the Cathedral Beat are the two best known sections on the river.

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Ireland offers you an excellent stay in hotels, holiday homes and B & B’s.

2007 up to and including 2012. The river is in the area around Ballina (called ‘the salmon capitol of Ireland’) around forty meters wide. The Moy has a total length of nearly one hundred kilometres, from the Ox Mountains in the east until the Killala Bay north of Ballina. The loughs Conn and Cullin belong to the same watershed, as well as rivers like the Deel, Manulla, Clydagh, Gweestion, Glore and Pollagh.

Upstream of Foxford there are less wide sections that

can be fished just as well with a single handed fly-rod.

The transport of water from Conn and Cullin has a large influence on the water-level of the Moy below the point where the river runs out of Lough Cullin. Especially when quite a bit of rain has fallen in the weeks before your arrival on the river, the level of the water can be too high to fish it with a remote chance of success. At such moments the river can have a perfect level above the point where the water from the loughs enters the river.

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The Ridge Pool and the Cathedral Beat are the two best known sections on the river, both are to be found in the centre of Ballina. The two beats form the top of the section that is still under influence from tidal water.

During high water the river almost comes to a standstill up to the weir above the Ridge Pool and it is best to take a brake from fishing for a few hours at least. With every high water new salmon enter the river, at least until the before mentioned stretches. Only when the 61

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Edward is over the moon with his first salmon on the fly!

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On other sections of the river you will also stand a good chance to land a fine salmon.

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level of the Moy above the weir is high enough, will they take a chance and travel onwards. During some periods there can be a lot of salmon lying in these stretches, it will come as no surprise that you need to reserve a license to fish these stretches often well in advance, sometimes more than a year before you intend to fish it.

But on other sections of the river you will also stand a good chance to land a fine salmon, especially when the grilse have started to appear in good numbers. Between Ballina and Foxford there

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are only a few sections that are worth fishing with the fly, most of this water runs deep and slow. Above Foxford the speed of the flow increases and here you will find a lot of interesting fly-water.

Catch and Release In 2014 one had to fish according to the catch and release principle on the River Owenmore near Bangor Erris, with salmon flies that were tied on single, barbless hooks. All salmon caught had to be returned after perhaps a few pictures were taken. This is a system that is

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The first drift of the day brings Edward a firm take and a strong fight.

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A dark salmon for Miro, one that has been in freshwater for some time already.

not too popular among Irish fishermen (they think they have the right to take along a salmon they have caught on the river), which meant that the fishing pressure was not all that high on the river. The Owenmore is a true spate river with water levels that can differ quite sharply from one day to another, it transports the water from a huge area of bog land and moors between Crossmolina and Bangor.

During the season it is pos68

sible to get a small number of day tickets for a section of 6,5 kilometres that belongs to the Bangor Angling Club. This river has many different faces, with glides, runs, fast stretches and deeper holding pools; for the most part it can easily be fished with a light two-handed fly-rod from the shore or by wading a short distance from the shoreline.

The most beautiful sections can be found upstream of Bangor, in the place itself SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

the river has been ‘rebuild’ to make it more accessible; to me it seems this has not done the river much good.

The river gets a small run of spring salmon in springtime, but she is best known for the run of grilse that move upstream from the middle of July onwards. There are also a good many seatrout that move upstream, but in general these are quite small, up to about a pound in weight.

Some good patterns for this water are the Orange & Yellow Flamethrower, Magen-

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ta Shrimp, Ally’s Shrimp, Ally’s Cascade and Shadow Shrimp.

Shallow lake

The lake is around 6,5 by 5 kilometres in size and also hosts a good head of brown trout.

Carrowmore Lake is situated some three kilometres to the north-west of Bangor, through the Owenmore River and the Munhin River this lake gets a nice run of salmon and seatrout every year as well. The lake is around 6,5 by 5 kilometres in size and also hosts a good head of brown trout, with weights of up to three pounds at times. Carrowmore Lake is especially known for its fishing for spring salmon

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in the period from the end of February until the first part of June, the lake also gets a run of grilse during the summer months however, so it can be worth fishing during that time as well.

Carrowmore is sensitive to periods with a lot of wind.

However, in a good breeze the waves plough through the bottom along the shoreline and the colour changes from light brown and clear to coffee with a lot of milk.

You will have to be patient at such times and wait until the lake has gone clear again.

Boats with an engine can be

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Drifting and casting with a team of wet flies on Lough Furnace.

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rented for this relatively shallow lake through The West End Bar in Bangor Erris.

this is a water that I should keep in mind.

Some good fly patterns for the lake are the Clan Chief, Claret & Black Dabbler, Bibio, Claret Bumble and Green Peter. Carrowmore Lake has often saved our salmon fishing holidays during periods when the rivers were not fishable. When you do not have a problem with catching salmon which can be rather dark at times, than

The Burrishoole Fishery, which is situated to the north-west of Newport in County Mayo, consists of two lakes: the 130 hectare Lough Furnace and the 320 hectare Lough Feeagh. Lough Feeagh has been closed for many years for sport-fishing, but since 2011 it can be fished on a catch and release base

Tidal influence

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again. Lough Furnace is under influence of the tides, also do not be too surprised when a seal pops up its head not too far from your drifting boat…

On the lake one can catch both wild salmon and grilse as well as salmon that originate from the Marine Institute. All wild fish have to be returned immediately, the salmon that have hatched in the farm have no adipose fin and need to be brought

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TRIP CONTACT The West End Bar E-mail: bangorerris@gmail. com or info@bangorerrisangling. com Website: www.bangorerrisangling.com (salmon fishing licenses, boats on Carrowmore Lake) Burrishoole Fishery Furnace, Newport County Mayo, Ireland Website: www.marine.ie Email: pat.hughes@marine.ie

A 79 cm salmon, caught and released before breakfast!

to the institute for scientific research.

The fishing on Lough Furnace starts in the first weeks of June, boats can be rented through the Fishery Manager of the Marine Institute.

Unfortunately the boats are not available every day. I fished this water in the second week of August with some fishing buddies of mine and I know no other water where you will see so many salmon swirl, make head-and-tails and jump. Ireland keeps its promises: Edward van der Heul managed to catch his

first salmon on the fly here in August. He had caught salmon before on the spinning rod, but despite a number of trips to Denmark, Norway and Iceland he had not succeeded at that moment to catch an Atlantic salmon on the fly. According to his wife he looks more happy on the pictures with his salmon than on his wedding pictures…

When salmon is still on your wish list, why not travel to Ireland this year and give it a more than fair chance to land one on the fly there SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

Ennisdrum House - Desmond & Eileen O’Rourke Tel. +353 (0)97 – 830 39 Bangor Erris, County Mayo Ireland Hillcrest House B & B - Evelyn Cosgrove Main Street, Bangor Co. Mayo, Ireland E-mail: hillcresthousemayo@gmail.com P & O Ferries Website: www.poferries. com Irish Ferries Website: www.irishferries. com Inland Fisheries Ireland Email: markus.muller@fisheriesireland.ie Website: www.fisheriesireland.ie

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TACKLE NEW GEAR

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Designed to handle any tippet-busting, finger-cutting, hard-charging fish one may encounter. With the stopping power to keep a Giant Trevally out of the reef and the smoothness and endurance to outlast a blue marlin, the THERMO’s robust heat dissipating SCS drag, rigid frame, and burly feature set will have you covered like never before. The new leader in big game reel performance and reliability.

$700 | farbank.com

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DAIWA STEEZ CT SV At the core, the Daiwa Steez CT SV Casting Reels are powered by a G1 Duralumin drive gear and a 30mm SV Spool (G1) that allows for a smaller overall design, while creating seamless casting with virtually no backlashing, even with tiny lures. Finely tuned right out of the factory, the spool on the Daiwa Steez CT SV Casting Reels require less braking force than standard reels, allowing for the use of a smaller magnet, resulting in a lighter, more rigid construction.

Precisely engineered from top to bottom, the Daiwa Steez CT SV Casting Reels are fitted with an 80mm swept handle and a Hi-Grip I-Shape knob that provides a contoured grip. Backed by a range of signature Daiwa technologies, the Daiwa Steez CT SV Casting Reels deliver lightweight performance that raises the bar for all other finesse reels.

$599.99 | daiwa.com

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SAKURA SK CRANK RAPALA BKJ BUCKTAIL The oval-shaped head design of our BKJ Bucktail Jig provides added control and balance for a variety of techniques, while the bucktail hair of the lure maintains its shape offering a larger profile presentation. Equipped with premium Hi Carbon Steel chemically sharpened Needle Point hook, tinsel fibers to enhance visual attraction and 3D Holographic eyes.

$4.49 | rapala.com

The SK Crank is a squarebill crankbait, that means its short lip is not round but angular, square in shape. This feature gives the SK Crank the ability to fish congested areas with minimal risk of snags.Like a real bumper, the square flap makes it bounce over obstacles in an astonishing way when it is brought back continuously. The SK Crank is therefore the ultimate crankbait for prospecting quickly and with precision, shallow areas lined with dead wood, riprap or seagrass.

17,90€ | sakura-fishing.com

SPIDERWIRE DURABRAID Engineered to be the toughest braided line on the market today, the Spiderwire DuraBraid Braided Line Moss Green ups the ante with a high-performance design that is proven to be 25% stronger than conventional braided lines made using gel-spun polyethylene. Ideal for fishing around rocks, docks, boat hoists, heavy vegetation, and timber, Spiderwire Durabraid provides maximum abrasion resistance so anglers can gain access to fish sheltering in the heaviest forms of cover. In addition to incredible abrasion resistance, this heavy-duty braid is made thin and strong while still maintaining the same easy management and castability that hallmarks the Spiderwire brand.

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TACKLE NEW GEAR

RAPALA BX BRAT PIKE The BX® Big Brat Pike Limited is an addition to our BX® Brat series, redesigned for pike. This squarebill crankbait stirs up a lot of water, lifts sand and pushes obstacles away easily thanks to its angular lip. The swimming action is completed by the presence of a ventral VMC® 7548 «Bladed Hybrid» paddle hook generating an additional flash signal to attract predators from afar. The BX® Big Brat Pike Limited features a balsa body covered with an ultra-resistant copolymer shell.

17,95€ | rapala.com

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$39.99 | hotshotgear.com

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GAMAKATSU G-BAG The G-Bag EWM 100 is the perfect bag to hold a variety of plastic packs. The Extra Wide Mouth (EWM) provides easy access to the interior, and the internal wire frame keeps the top open while finding the right bait. The 8 x 4 x 6-inch size stows easily in other bags, and anglers can take as many as needed while remaining organized. Pick up a few and keep all smaller items organized and ready.

$15.53 | gamakatsu.com

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$1050.00 | farbank.com

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$39.99 | snakeheadjawbreaker.com

$12.99 | jygprofishing.com

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BRAZIL

THE ARAPAIMA RESERVE Text and photos by Alfonso Rey & Thiago Cruz

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T

he arapaima reserve was the first Sustainable Development Reserve in Brazil, legislated by the Government of Amazonas in 1996, and remains the largest arapaima reserve in the world. It’s the biggest protected flooded forest in the world. Only 4% of Brazilian Amazon consists of freshwater swamp forest and the Arapaima Reserve plays an important role to protect this ecosystem. This incredible expedition was created thanks to the collaboration 80

between Untamed Angling, the Brazilian Government and the natives of the area. A critical factor, which played a key role in the conservation of this reserve, was to sell the idea to the natives that arapaima were much more valuable alive than dead, in order to stop the consumption of this fish by the local population. The kg of this fish is worth a few reais (local currency) and yet overfishing of this species generates thousands of dollars and is also a great source of income and employment SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

The place is literally idyllic, isolated from all civilization and the only thing you can see are the arowanas surrounding the facilities.

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for the local population.

Finally we arrive at the floating lodge, an incredible complex energy self-sufficient with solar panels formed by a central building with common areas and restaurant connected with apartments.

The place is literally idyllic, isolated from all civilization and the only thing you can see are the arowanas surrounding the facilities and the giant arapaima that cause a brutal noise every time they come out to breathe. On the way to leave the things in the apartment I realize that around the floating structure we have a guest that despite not making any noise are silent death: the Jacaré Açu

(means big in native language) which is the largest caiman in the Amazon.

I leave my luggage and after a well-deserved rest and lunch we meet with the team of guides to prepare the equipment. On one side we got the guides Costa and Guilherme, great guides with an incredible experience as fishing guides in different parts of the Amazon. On the other side, our native guide, Nei, who knows perfectly the location and behavior of the fish.

Chasing a real Trophy Fish The Arapaima is one of the most valued trophies, and

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this is due to a lot of factors.

First of all, it is a fish that is generally distributed throughout much of the Amazon basin, and it can be found anywhere, but it does not have a large population concentration in general terms except a couple of places on earth.

Second, and very important, it is a very large fish and it has a modus operandi of simulating a structure and waiting for some prey to swim across from its mouth to suck it and not waste energy. That’s the reason why its a fish that does not usually chase lures, it is rare that it follows them even 3 or 5

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Waiting for the big strike! Patience is the key as you have to locate, approach and present to the fish in a seemingly infinite lagoon labyrinth.

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feet. So the lure has to pass very close to it, and in the right way.

tions, which I will list in order according to the size of their arapaima:

Finally, it is a very difficult fish to hook properly. This is due to its extremely bony head, which only has two holes in the jaw (the equivalent of our rails) where there are real possibilities of being able to hook them with some guarantees. So many fish end up go away. Although it is true, that well hooked it is quite difficult for us to lose this beast.

First, we have the end of the small lagoons which were heavily populated by schools of arowanas. The arowanas did not populate precisely these arms of water, as they were a place clearly populated by small arapaima.

From 10 to 40 pounds was the most common.

Location of the arapaima in this reserve Guilherme explains to me that the arapaima in this large reserve were in 3 clear loca-

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Secondly, we have the main river canals of the river.

Here we will mainly find medium-sized specimens, between 50 and 180 pounds.

Here the fish are grouped in schools of 4 to 10 fish and usually come up coordinated to breathe atmospheric air.

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Large specimens can also be found in these channels at the beginning of the dry season, but as the season progresses they will concentrate in the main lagoons.

If we want to get a real trophy here, a visit to the central lagoons is a must. Here every time we cast the lure we have a great chance of hooking the fish of our life, I’m talking about arapaima ranging from 150 to 500 pounds in weight. Without fear of exaggeration, I can affirm that every minute that passed, more than 10 fish came out to breathe within 100 meters around the boat, most of them did not go below 1.5 meters. Here the arapaima, being larger, usual-

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The trophy of the trip. Hooking and landing such a fish is an achievement to be forever remembered for the angler.

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ly go to breathe in smaller groups of 2 to 4 specimens or even alone. The bigger the fish, the more time elapses between breaths.

In the canals we generally have medium-big sized fish.

This means that they are not so big fish that concentrate in schools of many specimens and therefore are less experienced with anglers and also compete with each other for food. The most recommended lures are Jigs.

is to follow them and approach them with the boat.

Once we are close we will wait for them to come out to breathe, many times they do it at the same time. It will be that moment that we will take advantage of to throw the lure a few feet behind and let it fall 6 or 10 feet deep and we will give it some very energetic tugs to trigger the attack by reaction thanks to the competitiveness that exists between them. Then, if we do not get a bite, we will let it go down and continue working the lure in mid-water or even near the bottom.

As they are concentrated in shoals, the first thing to do

I remember perfectly my first bite of an arapaima. A

How are these dinosaurs fished?

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group of medium-sized arapaima came out to breathe and then I threw my lure from behind, I let it fall for 2 or 3 seconds to present it in front of those arapaima that were returning to the bottom, there I got a clear bite. The rest, an intense fight where the drag was punished and where I could enjoy the incredible jumps of these prehistoric fish, after 10 minutes of fight, we could take pictures.

In search of the giants.

Now we are going to talk about fishing for the monster arapaima in the big lagoons.

A very important factor is

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You’d be suprised by the strength of juveniles.

Hooking and losing a few before going after giants is always a good options!

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that we are in a more open place, where the specimens are bigger, the groups of fish are smaller and farther away, which means that we are talking about fish with more experience with fishing pressure, in groups where there is less competitiveness and farther away from the boat. On the other hand, larger arapaima have longer breathing periods and are usually close to the bottom.

This means that although it is advisable to cast whenever we see specimens come out to breathe, the most effective way is to make as many casts as possible and

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for the lure to spend as much time as possible close to the bottom. To do this we will cast as far as possible to the chosen spot (depth changes are very good) and let the lure reach the bottom and move it slightly above the bottom with strong and short jerks if they are very active and with gentle swings if they are less active, then let it fall to the bottom and start the process again. If they are very difficult we can drop it to the bottom more frequently.

I don’t recommend working the lure too much once it is almost under the boat, as my

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After a few moments this submarine unleashed its incredible power.

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A cosy place to retreat after a long day’s fishing!

experience tells me that the fish didn’t usually come out to breathe near us, which means that they easily located our presence and tend to move away from us.

Click here to see what it feels like to chase these monsters !

I still remember the first bite I had from one of these monsters. After seeing a big fish come out to breathe, I decided to cast after it, after letting the lure down to the bottom I noticed a very strong suction and it was

the moment when I nailed it a couple of times energetically because we are talking about a fish with a bony mouth that is like a big armor. After a not very intense fight, the first bubbles rise to the surface. Guilherme knows it is a very big fish, as he explains to me that you can tell the size of these incredible fish by analyzing the size of the bubbles they expel during the fight. After a few moments this submarine unleashed its incredible power and the drag on the reel started to burn so much that I am forced to ask for SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

the engine to be turned on before I run out of line on the reel. Unfortunately moments later, what could have been the fish of my life went away. Believe me, when you have a fish like that on the other end of the line it is really heartbreaking to see how suddenly you lose contact with the fish. However, something told me that it wasn’t going to be the last chance I was going to get.

The attack and the fight of these giants.

The attack or bite of the ara93

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Properly locating the fish is the key here, as arapaimas don’t chase their prey. Your lure or imitation has to come right to their face, with the right angle.

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Nice fish spotted!

paima is generally not a very sharp bite. This is due to the way these fish prey. The arapaima, as I said before, is not a fish that chases its prey. So they usually take the lure when it passes in front of them. That’s why we will mainly feel a great suction.

Very similar to the suction of a big bass that attacks a jig on the bottom, obviously taking in consideration that we are talking about a much larger fish and therefore has a much greater suction power.

If we talk about the fight of the biggest fish in the Amazon. The fight of the small and medium-sized speci96

mens is different from the big ones! The first ones have a very intense fight from the beginning, being able to appreciate big jumps shortly after hooking them.

However, if we talk about the giants of these waters, the fight is totally different. To understand the difference we have to take one thing into account, the arapaima have a very hard and bony mouth and do not have as many pain receptor organs in the mouth like other predatory fish. This means that when we hook up they do not feel great pain and do not react instantly with violence, beSPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

cause unlike the small ones, they do not feel so trapped by the traction of the rod because they are very heavy.

That is why, when hooked, the first minutes of the fight usually take place on the bottom without expending much energy. However, from that moment on, the fish starts to feel trapped by the traction of our tackle and it is at that moment when it makes the first lunge, which is usually incredible. This reaction is usually accompanied by a rise to the surface where it makes its first jump, I can guarantee that seeing a fish of such a size jump in the middle of the Amazon is a

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sensation that no one forgets!

A fish of more than 300lb can give us a fight from 20 minutes to almost 1 hour.

A trophy fish of a lifetime After a few days fishing in this incredible reserve and after having landed numerous arapaima between 50 and 100lb and having lost 2 arapaimas that we estimate to be over 300lb, I find myself worried and begin to lose hope of leaving with a gigantic trophy from this

place plagued by large specimens.

Without abandoning the search for the colossus that I had come to look for, we set off once again in the direction of the lagoon where I had already lost several giants. I am not afraid to say that this lagoon is possibly the place with the highest concentration of giant arapaima in the world.

After a few days of having trouble casting with my cas-

ting reel designed for European Wells catfish (30lb of drag), I decide to do something crazy and switch to a Daiwa Tatula, a 12lb drag reel designed for bigmouth bass or peacock bass fishing.

The reason I decided to do such thing was very simple, I could cast farther without backlash and I might have a better chance of being able to hook a real monster. I’m worried that the drag won’t be enough to hold back the run of such a beast and I’ll end up emptying my reel.

Aerial view of a part of the big lagoon and on the left smaller lagoons filled with arowanas!

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A lovely fish to warm-up for the day. The larger specimens will fight in a different way and are incredibly clever.

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However, I realize that I’m not going to take advantage of such a powerful drag, because overtightening the brake could mean breaking the leader, the line, the rod or opening the hooks. So having a boat with which we can follow the fish and being the end of the dry season and having practically no submerged structures, I avoid the risk of running out of line and I can work the fish calmly with time.

Then I install the Tatula on the rod with an 8x 70lb braid line and an 80lb leader with a white and yellow jig.

I start to make a few casts in the middle of the lake. Guilherme points that there is a

change in depth in front of me and I make a long cast and let it drop to the bottom.

I switch the soft twitches for energetic ones to see if I can trigger a reaction bite. After a few brief moments I notice a suction and I hook energically 3 times, this time I can’t miss, then the fight starts, the fish comes towards me and rising so I don’t notice a big weight and I say «it doesn’t look like a big fish» however when it gets under the boat the first bubbles starts to come up to the surface, it is at that moment when Guilherme realizes that it is not just any fish, but a real monster, however he doesn’t say anything to keep me calm. After having

The Daiwa Tatula was a prefect fit for the trip.

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it under the boat, it suddenly changes its behavior and runs away from the boat and my drag starts screaming, that’s when I start to think that I don’t have just any regular arapaima on the other side of the line, however what I didn’t imagine was what I was going to witness next, the line starts to rise and suddenly a monster of more than 7 feet jumps and shows its huge head out of the water, it’s an arapaima that clearly exceeds 300lb.

It is at that very moment that I start thinking that I could have hooked the fish of my life. It starts to move away and pull out more line and I realize that this fight is going

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Calm weather during the boat ride to another spot.

to be long and hard.

After 20 minutes and several jumps in which I develop a great fear of losing it, it seems that the fish is exhausted and is going to give up, however the gigantic fish rises to the surface and gives a breath of air to regain strength, giving me a beautiful image that I will never forget and that I will show you.

After many other rushes I start to get really tired, it’s hot, I’ve been fighting for 40 minutes, I start to get nervous and my legs start to tremble. In addition, every time the arapaima turns around the braid gets caught in the fish’s operculum

and when it releases it creates a feeling of distension that on several occasions makes me believe that I have lost it, the feeling of losing a trophy like this is very unpleasant and I begin to fear that there will not be a happy ending. Added to this factor is the ever closer presence of a Jacaré who is starting to take an interest in this gigantic fish. However, luckily the fish is so big that it keeps the big reptile away and I am able to bring it closer to the shore. They are very dangerous fish even after 40 minutes of fighting, as it is a gigantic mass of heavy muscle and bone that can break bones with a flip of its tail or a head butt. One of these blows SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

can be described as an NFL player tackling you, no joke.

This is why clients always stand in the middle, avoiding the tail and head when taking pictures.

Finally, after escaping a couple of times, the two guides manage to surround the monster.

The fish gives Nei a strong kick that almost knocks him over and then it is Guilherme who tries to grab it by the mouth but the fish shakes so hard that it is impossible to hold it back. However, sometimes dear friends, fishing does have a happy ending and they finally manage to catch it and take it to shallow water.

We made it, I start to take it all 101

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The fish of a lifetime. Even 3 people aren’t enough to give this beast justice. Look at the size of the scales on this fish!

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A curious caiman checking out the lures!

in. Guilherme points out that it is a fish of more than 7 feet (2.20 meters) very thick and that it must weigh between 350 and 400lb, a real dinosaur of the Amazon, I can not believe the jig hook resisted.

We start screaming from the euphoria and excitement, Guilherme comes up to me and tells me something that I was not really aware of until that moment: “congratulations, this is an incredible trophy, there are many people who spend their whole lives trying to catch a trophy like this and most of them don’t even have the chance 104

to hook it.” After a few incredible photos, we let it go quickly, leaving flicking its tail like an angry monster that has been taken out of his kingdom, the depths.

We go back to the lodge and while I celebrate with a beer and a big smile, I keep thinking: that’s fishing, a sport where Murphy’s Law dominates, where the biggest trophies mysteriously and unfortunately go away, but also a sport that can be extremely rewarding from time to time, because that arapaima my friends, was and surely will be the fish of my life SPORTFISHING ADVENTURES | Q1 2022

TRIP CONTACT fishingmonstersclub@ gmail.com

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Flyyshing Blog

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