Overview

Brilliant colors, gaping jaws and an appetite matched only by its aggressive feeding style — this is the peacock bass. A legitimate South American heavyweight, this bold predator is one of the continent’s top sport-fishing attractions.

But while catching world-record peacock bass is the primary objective of this tropical fishing adventure, it’s the complete Amazon Tours experience that you will never forget. Three fishing destinations and fly-out options put visitors in the heart of Brazil's premier peacock bass fisheries. Waterways teeming with the world's greatest concentration and variety of tropical fish braid through the forests of towering palms and hardwoods. Rivers flow along white sand beaches and through jungle habitat holding more than 1,500 species of flowering plants and more than 1,000 species of butterflies, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. In and around the Amazon, one can expect to see toucans, sloths, anteaters, manatees, and friendly pink and gray porpoises, perhaps even a giant anaconda.

The chance of landing a world record peacock bass on an Amazon Tours fishing adventure is more than a daydream. One guest did just that in 1994 with his 27-pound catch. In fact, anglers fishing with Amazon Tours currently hold five world records! Each fishing season, hundreds of peacocks caught by guests come close — who knows who will be next!

From September to April, Amazon Tours offers a trio of unique peacock bass fishing adventures:

Cruising and Living Aboard the 103-foot Amazon Queen II Riverboat
The Luxurious Rio Negro Lodge
The Remote Rio Araca Lodge

Amazon Tours also offers fly-out trips via float planes to otherwise inaccessible waters.

And if fabulous fishing weren't enough, these adventures place guests in the heart of the unspoiled Amazon, where macaws swoop overhead, monkeys swing through the majestic trees, wild tapirs wander across the front lawn and the growl of the jaguar puts a haunting edge on the night.

Amazon Queen II
Though she conjures images of the 19th century, the Amazon Queen was built in 2004 - a modern ship styled after a classic jungle riverboat for transporting passengers and freight on the waterways of the Amazon rainforest. She was built with the American tourist in mind with all contemporary comforts. The Amazon Queen is literally a floating hotel - an 103-foot, three-level resort with air-conditioned staterooms, private baths, dining room, top deck lounge/observation area and even an onboard gift shop.

In the waterborne fishing lodge, visitors will be constantly on the move with a new vista and the next angling adventure around every bend. During the exciting week aboard the Amazon Queen, one can cover hundreds of miles of the most productive peacock bass habitat.

Guests live, dine and sleep on the Queen and, during the day, embark on their own fishing expeditions in Nitro bass boats piloted by experienced local fishing guides. After a long day on the water, everyone will return to a leisurely dinner, swap tales of the day's fishing, then adjourn to the top deck for a nightcap while gliding past the jungle and unwinding in the spell of the starry night and the moonrise over the water.

Rio Negro Lodge
Opened in 1998, the Rio Negro Lodge is located 50 river miles upstream from Barcelos in the heart of Brazil's premier peacock bass fishery. The Rio Negro River is more than 12 miles wide in some areas and encompasses hundreds of tributaries and lagoons that teem with world-record size peacocks.

Remote as it is, the Rio Negro Lodge brings the best of civilization into this wild environment. The resort’s design objective was to offer luxury and solitude in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest with immediate access to the very best fishing. In fact, the current IGFA All-Tackle World Record peacock bass was caught by an Amazon Tours guest just a 20-minute boat ride from the lodge.

The 5,000 square foot air-conditioned main lodge is for dining and relaxing. Guest lodging is in the secluded cabanas along winding walks on either side of the main building. Each air-conditioned cabana features two private suites each with two queen-size beds, private bath, a shared large living room and a full-length covered porch with sweeping views of the forest and river.

The resort has found a way to conserve regional authenticity with handcrafted native woods, tiled roofs, and slate floors. At the same time, the Rio Negro Lodge offers modern amenities such as a beautiful 90,000-gallon swimming pool, air-conditioning, water heaters, ice machines and state-of-the-art telecommunications.

Rio Araca Lodge
Completed in November 2002, the Rio Araca Lodge (located 70 miles NW of Barcelos on the Araca River) is reached via M-7 Maule floatplanes. Like its bigger brother on the Rio Negro, the new Rio Araca Lodge offers luxury, comfort and modern conveniences in the vastness of the untracked rainforest. The Rio Araca Lodge features deluxe accommodations with six air-conditioned bedroom suites, each with private baths and two queen-size beds.

Guests will fish the Rio Araca waterways in Bass Tracker 165 bass boats piloted by experienced local guides who’ve grown up in the area and fished these waters all of their lives. The Rio Araca Lodge dining room and lounge is where everyone will start and wrap up each day with beautifully prepared meals that feature the freshest ingredients, including local fruits and vegetables. The lounge offers an open bar, stocked with fresh Brazilian beer and favorite drinks.

Your Host
Philip Marsteller, founder of Amazon Tours and host at the Rio Negro Lodge, spent much of his youth in Brazil with his missionary parents. Fluent in Portuguese, he’s a fixed-wing and helicopter pilot, and is recognized for pioneering the creation of world-class peacock bass fishing adventures. Prior to Marsteller’s launching of Amazon Tours in 1992, such facilities and luxurious services were not available.

Today, Amazon Tours offers the finest in South American sport-fishing adventures. Once you take in the natural splendor and revel in the tremendous angling action, you'll be the one who’s hooked!