Tsunami Hits the Amazon

My eyes strayed away from the surface plug to watch a group of blue and gold macaws fly overhead. The sound of a large peacock bass feeding at the surface brought my attention back to fishing. As my head turned back to the river my Tsunami plug dropped back into the center of a boil a yard across. A fish had knocked the plug at least two feet in the air. I continued the retrieve without a second strike. My fishing partner, Brett, fired his big surface plug just beyond the action. On the second or third rip a huge splash sent his lure sailing. My turn again, I cast to the same submerged trees and was rewarded with another explosive strike, half way to the boat. This time he ate it.

The fish made a powerful run toward the submerged trees along the shoreline. I gingerly thumbed the spool, putting as much pressure as I dared on the 30 lb. braided line. Suddenly the line sliced through the water in the opposite direction. He had changed course. He was now headed toward open water. My odds of landing this fish just got better. After a few short runs, a few surface boils, and a few words of joking encouragement from Brett, the fish was in the net.

Our guide, Branco, lifted the fish from the net and passed it to me with a smile. "Grande", I said holding the fish up for a couple of photos. I looked at the Boga Grip and realized this was my biggest peacock of the day, fourteen pounds of muscle wrapped in a technicolor skin. What better way to end the day. It was getting late, time to head back to the Amazon Angel, this week’s riverboat home.

We relived this drama on a daily basis. Sometimes we won; sometimes the fish won. During our week on the Rio Caures, a tributary of Brazil’s Rio Negro, we caught 20 to 40 fish per day. The majority were between three and nine pounds, and not to be taken lightly, but we caught enough "Grandes" to really test our skills.



Methods for success.

Our most successful lures were hair jigs and large noisy topwater lures like the Tsunami. The best system seemed to be one angler working the big topwater and the other angler following up with the more subtle jig. As you may expect the jig averaged more fish, but the topwater caught bigger fish and provided more exciting strikes.

Topwater action.

Most anglers will agree topwater fishing is the most exciting method of fishing. Unless you have fished for big peacocks you don’t know how true this is. The strike of a peacock bass is nothing short of explosive. The bigger the fish the bigger the explosion. A five gallon pail of cement being dropped into deep water from six feet in the air is a fair approximation of the sound of a surface feeding peacock bass. Multiple strikes are common. Often a fish will bat the plug several feet in the air on the first presentation, then totally engulf it on the next cast. FishTek, Inc. designed the Tsunami to evoke savage attacks from peacock bass. The Tsunami is worked with hard steady pulls about two to three feet long while steadily reeling so there is little or no pause in the motion of the bait. Worked in this fashion the lure’s prop makes a loud purring sound, the rattle chamber clicks enticingly, and the slanted head spits water to the front and sides. If you fish with one of the more common wooden propeller baits for peacocks you will have to soften your stroke a bit. You don’t have to pull the FishTek lure so hard; in fact it works better if you don’t. The Tsunami is less tiring to work. You will appreciate this at the end of the day.

The energy that these fish put out during the fight is incredible. They demand flawless tackle. Any weak link will break, whether it be the line, the rod or the lure. FishTek, Inc. makes its plugs with this in mind. Only premium extra strong hooks are used on these wire through framed, high impact plastic lures.

Jigging up peacocks.



We interchangeably used extended body bucktail jigs and prototypes for FishTek's new AfterShock Tail Spinner. Both ½ ounce baits performed equally and cast nicely with medium action spinning equipment. The same technique was used with both baits. Try to imitate a fleeing baitfish. Use a fast retrieve. Pump the rod to change the speed and impart more action in the lure. I was comfortable using a hard wrist snap while reeling steadily. This moves the rod tip about two feet with each snap. Focus most of your casts toward cover but don’t be afraid to make a long cast into open water. I was rewarded more than once by a cast to the middle of a lagoon.

The average size of peacocks that we caught on the jig was smaller than the topwater fish, but plenty of big guys have fallen for a jig. Our biggest jig fish was nine pounds. We also had more action from bonus species while casting jigs. We caught plenty of one to two pound pike cichlids called jancunda, dozens of toothy peixe cachorra which jump like baby tarpon when hooked, and we also had a shot at a pair of prehistoric looking aruana that veered away when they neared the boat. Peacock bass are like no other fish. They must be experienced to be believed. If you have the opportunity fish for them don’t pass it up. Book a trip to the Amazon and don’t forget to pack your AfterShocks and Tsunami’s.