peacock bass in brazil

[surfgeod200]

hi - i just stumbled upon this forum and saw a thread that mentioned peacock bass near Fortaleza. i am going there for 4 days in late july/early august and know nothing about the area. i want to catch some peacock bass, but cant afford the $$ or time for a 7 day guided amazon trip. i would like to just be able to go and fish myself, maybe pay for a guide for one day. i dont have to catch a monster trophy, i can have plenty of fun with some light tackle (popping rod and 12 lb test) with 10 lbs and under, and can take some heavier gear as well. (I saw that Jer is knowlegable about this area and pm'ed him, but i wanted to post here also to increase my odds)

i am also a photographer and also want to take pictures of birds and scenery. using google earth i like the looks of the river near Paracuru, between there and Trairi; are there peacock bass there? is it permissible for a tourist to hike along the river and the inland lagoons there and fish?? is a brazillian fishing license needed? in my mind i picture myself easing along the rivers and lagoons catching peacocks with my camera bag over my shoulder for those Nikon moments, but i could be dreaming.

for the record, i am travelling alone on business, am very well-travelled in cental america and mexico and indonesia as a surfer, speak near-fluent spanish but no portuguese. i love the back roads of a 3rd world country and carry myself confidently, so any out of the way locales are cetainly an option. My work is for just one day in Sobral (acarau river), so that area is game as well.

thanks for any help you can provide!

(oh yeah - tips on any other species easily found in this area would also be welcomed)



David
www.dcgphotography.com

[Jer]

Hello David, welcome aboard!

I'm from Fortaleza and I've yet to catch my first peacock bass. I don't have a car so it's hard to reach the lakes/rivers. I know about two fishing guides but I'm not sure if they are still in business (probably), they don't have websites anymore. I could try to find their phone numbers, call them and ask for info/rates. Here you won't find monster peacock bass, but I've seen pictures of some nice fish. Visit the link below for some pics:
http://www.arpia.com.br/noticias_200...anoceara.shtml
The pictures were taken by some guys from the south of Brazil, they hired one of the fishing guides I was talking about and went to a lake in Trairi called "Açude Água Boa".

A fishing license is needed but I've never seen gov people asking for the licenses. It costs about $10 (R$20).

There are a few rivers with peacock bass, but I think you will have greater success fishing the lakes for them. My wife's cousin told me there is peacock bass in the Acarau River.

Another freshwater fish common here is the trahira. I've also heard people talking about the "piau", I think they're referring to "piau-três-pintas"

Snook is found in some rivers near the beach... I've yet to fish for it.

I've only caught catfish from the surf so far

I don't know about the Rio Curu (the river between Trairi and Paracuru)

I think you can hike along the rivers, I just don't know if it's safe (especially since you will carry your Nikon)

[surfgeod200]

Jer:

thanks for your reply, but alas i am still lost. have you not caught your first peacock bass because you have not tried to catch one? or are they just that scarce there?

the link you gave did not work for me, i just got html code....can you provide a phone number for a guide? or can i just ask at a local bar?

so it would not be safe to walk around the rivers with a camera? perhaps i should rethink this whole trip.

Hello David, welcome aboard!

I'm from Fortaleza and I've yet to catch my first peacock bass. I don't have a car so it's hard to reach the lakes/rivers. I know about two fishing guides but I'm not sure if they are still in business (probably), they don't have websites anymore. I could try to find their phone numbers, call them and ask for info/rates. Here you won't find monster peacock bass, but I've seen pictures of some nice fish. Visit the link below for some pics:
http://www.arpia.com.br/noticias_200...anoceara.shtml
The pictures were taken by some guys from the south of Brazil, they hired one of the fishing guides I was talking about and went to a lake in Trairi called "Açude Água Boa".

A fishing license is needed but I've never seen gov people asking for the licenses. It costs about $10 (R$20).

There are a few rivers with peacock bass, but I think you will have greater success fishing the lakes for them. My wife's cousin told me there is peacock bass in the Acarau River.

Another freshwater fish common here is the trahira. I've also heard people talking about the "piau", I think they're referring to "piau-três-pintas"

Snook is found in some rivers near the beach... I've yet to fish for it.

I've only caught catfish from the surf so far

I don't know about the Rio Curu (the river between Trairi and Paracuru)

I think you can hike along the rivers, I just don't know if it's safe (especially since you will carry your Nikon)

[Jer]

Yes, I have not caught my first peacock bass because I haven't tried to catch one yet. Once I went to a lake to take a look to come back later and fish, but it was kinda desert there and I don't know if it's safe.

I will try to get the phone numbers of the fishing guides for you.

Try this link instead:
http://www.arpia.com.br/noticias_2006/pesca_ceara.swf

[Jer]

I don't know if it's not safe or if I'm too scared

[surfgeod200]

Yes, I have not caught my first peacock bass because I haven't tried to catch one yet. Once I went to a lake to take a look to come back later and fish, but it was kinda desert there and I don't know if it's safe.

I will try to get the phone numbers of the fishing guides for you.

Try this link instead:
http://www.arpia.com.br/noticias_2006/pesca_ceara.swf

ooooooo perfect, where is that lake? that looks great, just wade out and fish beyond the grass line, perfect size for light tackle, especially the way i hear those fish fight!

what about taxidermy services in the area? can they do a good mount and ship to the US?

and what are you afraid of? being brazilian i would hope you feel confident to fish in the isolated areas. i am a pretty big and muscular guy, but i have a shiney neon sign that flashs "GRINGO" in latin american counties!

[Jer]

That lake is located in Trairi, the name is "Açude Água Boa"

I don't know about any local taxidermists


I go fishing with my wife and her parents so I prefer to go to places where I can see some people around... so I'm going surf fishing.

[surfgeod200]

i see several large lakes near trairi and just to the west, however i googled Açude Água Boa and it shows a reservoir much closer to Fortaleza. will any lake around there have these fish?

That lake is located in Trairi, the name is "Açude Água Boa"

I don't know about any local taxidermists


I go fishing with my wife and her parents so I prefer to go to places where I can see some people around... so I'm going surf fishing.

[Jer]

i see several large lakes near trairi and just to the west, however i googled Açude Água Boa and it shows a reservoir much closer to Fortaleza. will any lake around there have these fish?

I don't know this lake, I only read the name and location in that link. It says it's located in Trairi (about 124km from Fortaleza), so it's not the lake close to Fortaleza that you see when you Google

The lakes closer to Fortaleza that I know about that have peacock bass are in Cascavel (Açude Catú and the other one I don't remember the name... I'm not sure if it's the Açude Águas Belas or not). I only know about these lakes because I read on the website of the fishing guide that they did peacock bass fishing trips there

[Jer]

Oh, I also know about a private place closer to Fortaleza that has peacock bass. I've never been there also, but saw in a flyer.
I don't know if you would be interested in this kind of fishing... usually places like this charge an entry fee or for the weight of the fish you keep or both.

I will look for this flyer, I don't know if I still have it