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Big
Fish, Big Fun on the Rio Uneuxi |
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UNEUXI RIVER EXPLOSION
In mid November 2004, we had booked a week of Peacock Bass fishing
on the Unini River ----- however just prior to our planned arrival
our host booking agent, Garrett Veneklasen made an advance trip to
the river only to discover that the river was "too high"
for optimum fishing. He, along with outfitter Luis Brown, quickly
made other options as to alternate river locations. Among the offers
was to divert to a river named the Uneuxi, so, Stanley Schofield,
of Portland, Maine, my fishing partner for the week and I chose, upon
Garrett's recommendation, to give the Uneuxi a try. |
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Garrett had cautioned us that it was past "prime
time" on this river since the spawn was most likely over and
the fish would not be as active. The river has a good reputation for
large fish, but not for big numbers. With that understanding we gave
it a try.
We fished with Brazilian guide Sebastian, whom I've know for several
years, a guide as it turns out whose intuitions, along with keen eye
site, guided us to an unbelievable week of fishing. |
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As a rule we have found that fishing the river banks, along sunken
trees, rocks and other structure from which Peacocks can "ambush"
their pray pay off the best, as well as certain deep holes adjacent
to structure. For the shallow water along the banks, sandbars and
lagoons top water lures i.e. big wood choppers, high rollers and
top dogs, have always seemed to work best, while jigs and deeper
running lures do well in the "holes". Well, this year
on the Uneuxi River these conventional "tried and proven"
plans of attack just wasn't working. Strikes along the banks were
few and far apart, sandbars and other structure were equally quiet
--- even "holes" where jigs normally pay off big time
seemed to be almost fishless.
It was at this point that Stanley, Sebastian and I decided we must
do something different. We decided to cruise the river looking for
working fish. Finally Sebastian saw tiny bubbles appearing out in
the middle of the river --- not a normal place to look for Peacocks! |
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Sebastian explained that those bubbles might be Peacock Fry (new hatch
Peacock babies) which Sebastian called "Bambinos". He said
that both the male and female (mom & dad) would typically put
the school of the tiny, bubble making babies close to the surface
and they would swim under them protecting the school of babies from
would be predator fish. So the trick would be to throw a "predator
looking" lure to the front of the school making the lure look
like it was on an attack mission. The "mom and dad" would
then attack the predator lure to protect their offspring. We gave
it a try and boy did it work!!! It not only got the dad on the first
cast but the mom on the second cast. It was incredible!! Cast to the
bubbles, and be ready. The response is immediate and vicious!! |
So, for the rest of our trip we slowly cruised
the center of the rivers (that's where the mom and dad Peacocks
take their off-spring to protect them) and looked for tiny bubbles.
The results were amazing. In the next few days we caught 27 fish
over 20 pounds and many of these fish were 24, 25 and 26 pounds.
Bear in mind that these fish had spawned and were at their lightest.
I'm not sure what these fish might have weighed only a couple of
weeks before spawning. At any rate I have enclosed a few pictures
for your edification of what happens when you cast to "Bambinos"
which are being convoyed by protective Peacock parents.
Archie Adams . |
Stanley
Displays one of his trophies from Brazil |
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