Included / Not Included: –
Included: Accommodations and meals at the lodge, guided fishing, beer, wine, and in-country transfers between Manaus and the lodge, fishing license, 8 day Global Rescue membership.
Not Included: Airfare, Brazilian visa, staff & guide gratuities, satellite telephone calls, flies, alcohol, airport taxes.
Arrival Information: To get to Agua Boa Amazon Lodge you need to make flight arrangements to Manaus, Brazil. The lodge itinerary is Saturday to Saturday. Guests have two options: Arrive in Manaus on Friday and overnight (hotel not included in package); Arrive very early Saturday morning (Delta flight only).
Getting to the Lodge: Saturday morning you will take an early morning charter flight from Manaus to the lodge. (Flight reservations will be made for you and are included.) The flight to the lodge takes approximately one and one-half hours.
Departure Information: On your departure day (Saturday) you will take a morning flight back to Manaus and continue home.
Approximate Flying Times to Manaus, Brazil: Los Angeles: 10 hours • Dallas: 7 hours • Miami: 5 hours • New York: 7 hours.
Documentation Requirements:
You need a valid passport to enter Brazil and it must be valid for six months after the last day of your trip. A visa is also required for travel to Brazil and you must enter Brazil within 90 days of the issue date on your visa. We recommend using G3 (www.g3visas.com or call 888.883.8472) to expedite the visa process or you may choose to use the local consulate for Brazil. Do not lose your entrance card to Brazil!!! This is a small white piece of paper. You will need it for your return.
To participate in the activities at Agua Boa Amazon Lodge, guests will be required to sign a waiver form.
Inoculations:
While there are no mandatory inoculations for the trip it is always a good idea to be current with tetanus and hepatitis. For a conservative opinion please check out www.cdc.gov. Note: Malaria has not been an issue in this specific region of Brazil.
Currency:
US dollars are all that are needed.
Travel Cash:
As a guideline we recommend that each guest travel with approximately $600-$1,000 for staff & guide gratuities, satellite phone calls, airport taxes, alcohol, flies, etc. Checks and credit cards are NOT accepted at the lodge.
Gratuities:
We recommend guide and staff gratuities of approximately $300-$500 per person per week.
Tips are pooled and can be given to the lodge manager at the end of your stay.
Fishing Licenses:
Fishing licenses are included and the lodge will issue your license when you arrive.
Climate:
Temperatures range from the mid 80’ to the mid 90’s. Humidity varies and can be high especially after rain showers which can and do occur throughout the season. Insects are not a big issue and repellent is not often needed but white socks can be annoying during the last 45 minutes of light in the evening around the pool. We recommend fishing in long sleeve shirts and long pants each day to protect you from the sun and bugs in the jungle.
Medical Facilities:
The closest medical facility is in Manaus, approximately one and one-half hours away by charter flight. Guests have the responsibility to disclose any special medical, physical, or dietary needs to the lodge ahead of time.
Note: Agua Boa Amazon Lodge is offering a complimentary 8 day Global Rescue membership to cover the lodge dates. If you would like this coverage, you will need to complete the Global Rescue form so that the policy can be registered. Once registered you will receive an email from Global Rescue confirming the membership, and will also receive details of the coverage you are entitled to from Global Rescue.
Power and Communications:
The rooms have 110 outlets and the lodge has 220 outlets. Wireless internet is provided at no extra charge. There is also a computer at the lodge that guests can use to check emails etc, if they don’t bring their own laptop. The lodge has a satellite phone for outgoing calls only that will be charged at a rate of $4 per minute.
Water:
Each room has a refrigerator well stocked with bottled water, soda and beer. The filtered tap water is fine for showering and tooth brushing but we recommend that that clients stick to the bottle water for drinking.
Clothing:
Dress at the lodge is neat but casual. Quick dry pants and shorts, long sleeved quick dry shirts, casual cotton pants and t-shirts, shorts and shirts, sandals, bandana, “Buff” facial sun protector (www.planetbuff.com), hat with wide brim, sun gloves, light rain coat, and swimsuit are recommended. Wet wading with flats boots (Simms, Patagonia) is the norm. Supportive sturdy flats boots are best, as many flats have tough marl bottoms. Boat fishing footwear: Non- scuff - white soled deck shoes or sandals: Crocs work well and are comfortable.
Laundry:
Laundry is included as a courtesy for guests and there is no additional charge.
Beverages/Alcohol:
The lodge provides beer and wine. Guests may bring in their own alcohol.
Tackle/Equipment List:
Note: The lodge does have a small fly shop onsite with a limited amount of flies, lines, rods, and reels for sale. We strongly encourage you to bring your flies and the recommended gear below as the shop has been known to sell out of flies during the season.
Rods: 8-10 weight rods are the norm with a 9’ 9wt. being the most practical all around rod. Note: this trip has a well earned reputation for breaking rods so have a spare!
Reels: Any quality reel with a good drag system and at least 100 yards of 30 pound backing.
Lines: Most fishing is done with floating lines formulated for warm weather/saltwater fishing such as the Mastery Saltwater or Bonefish taper. Lines like the Rio Saltwater Versi-Tip or a 300 grain saltwater sinking head are handy as well and allow anglers to get down deep when needed. Floating Saltwater lines with built in intermediate tips, sometimes referred to as Permit lines, also fish extremely well. While not mandatory, it can be nice to have two rods rigged, one with a floater and one with a sinking tip.
Leaders/Tippet: 9 ft. leaders with 25-30 pound tippet is the norm. Bring along spools of 25 and 30 pound tippet. With these three diameters we typically fashion our own simple leaders out of materials like Maxima.
Flies: The lodge sells a reasonable assortment of flies specifically designed for the Agua Boa so you will be able to purchase or restock flies on-site. With that said we consider it best to be prepaid with your own flies upon arrival. Bring roughly 4 dozen total flies, one dozen should be topwater flies like the banger, 1 dozen of the big baitfish patterns similar to the Puglisi Mackerel or Keliher Herring, and 2 dozen should be of standard less expensive saltwater baitfish patterns. While peacocks are not that selective, bring a number of the well tied larger patterns such as the Puglisi patterns as they are relatively easy to cast for their size and they seem to take more than their share of big fish.
Deceivers 2/0, 3/0(on another similar baitfish pattern 4 & 6 inches in length. Colors: Tan/white, Red/white, Red/yellow, Orange/white
Conehead the Barbarian 3/0 (brown/white, chartreuse/white, red/yellow/white)
Peacock bass deceivers 1/0 and 3/0 (yellow/white, brown/white)
Mega prism diver 3/0
Puglisi Tinker Mackerel 3/0
Keliher Herring 3/0
Popovic’s Banger 4/0 (Silver, Orange, Chartreuse)
Fishing Tips:
Peacock bass fishing is a complicated affair that requires some patience initially to catch and land the larger fish. Smaller fish are not nearly as difficult and will provide solace for those that seem to be losing their big fish. Below are a few fishing tips that we think will help you on your trip.
To understand peacock bass, you need to first consider their habitat. Most everything in the Amazon is being eaten, or is in the process of eating something else. As a general rule fish are built tough with razor sharp teeth or brutal strength. This makes for interesting fishing as some fish will cut you off and others will pull you straight into the structure and tangle you up.
Peacock bass habits vary to a large degree. Small to mid-size peacocks tend to congregate around structure for both food and protection. Large peacocks tend to feel a little more comfortable in not getting eaten. They roam in packs and are a pursuit predator. They will keep after their prey until it is either in their belly or on the shore. It is not uncommon to have large peacocks drive shoals of baitfish onto the shore. In other case we have seen peacocks fly out of the water in unsuccessful attempts to get small birds. Certainly it sounds ridiculous. After your trip, our guess is that you will believe it.
Fish everything…structure, shoreline, middle of the lagoon etc. Don’t get keyed into just casting at the bank. Also if your partner gets a strike, throw in the same area. Remember these fish are attracted to commotion. The most important tip we can give you is trust your guide’s instincts. The guides are experienced on the rivers we fish and will do their best to get you into fish. If you order them around, your fishing will probably suffer. That is not to say that if you are curious about an area, that suggestions aren’t welcome.
A good deal of the fishing on the Agua Boa is sight fishing. Stay alert and be ready to throw at likely targets. In the river in some cases you will be able to see the fish from a good distance. Remember that this is not dry fly fishing…just get it in there and get the fly moving. River fish can be spooky and certainly will see you if you false cast too much. If they are feeding, it is a different story. Peacocks on the feed are a sight to behold. They will run up onto shore and even bump into the boat in their pursuit of baitfish.
