By Erik Argotti
This is part II of my two-week Colombia trip where I got to see two new destinations operated by the outfitter, Afloat. Part I was Akuani River Lodge on the Vichada River, which was a great peacock bass/payara combo trip. The second week was Akuani Floating Camp on the Tomo River. The Floating Camp was Afloat’s first destination and they have been operating this camp since 2016.
The camp – which they take out at the end of every season – holds 10 people in five double occupancy floating cabins on a sandy beach. There were 6 of us from The Fly Shop® (Steve, Fred, Allan, Neal, Alex and myself), Arturo and Dario from Italy, and Scott and Bryan from Wyoming and Georgia, respectively. Although mobile, they put the cabins on the beach for the season and only move them once the season is over. Although not deluxe, they have everything you need to be comfortable for the week. Two beds with nets over them, a fan for each bed, a vanity sink, toilet and cold water shower. The open-air design allows for lots of ventilation in the night. Dinners are taken in the open-air dining tent, and the ladies preparing the food do an amazing job. Full buffet breakfasts, dinners and lunches with lots of local beef, fish, and veggies. The river is in an area of Colombia that is mostly savanna grasslands, with a jungle riparian habitat along the river. This is the land of large finkas (ranches) – with cattle and cowboys that stretch all the way into Venezuela. There are plenty of birds and critters located along the river corridor.
Just as at the River Lodge, you can catch three species of peacock bass. Cichla Temensis is the biggest peacock bass in both the non-breeding spotted form (pintalapa) and the more colorful spawning version. These fish get to 20+ pounds with the biggest one in camp weighing 26 pounds. There are also plenty of butterfly peacock bass (C. orinocensis), and there are a few Cichla Intermedia also known as the royal peacock bass, called electrica by the locals.
January 17
I was up at 7:00 AM, walking down for breakfast with Fred and Allan. I organized the items I was leaving behind at the hotel and was ready for the 9:00 AM departure. The driver was a little late. We left the Hilton Garden Inn around 9:30 for the charter flight. There was no real worry about being too late as it was a private charter. We picked up Jacob, the camp host, and went to the FBO located just on the edge of the main airport. We went through a little security, they weighed us, and we waited a little for the plane to be ready. There were quite a few overweight bags and nobody got charged. We took off around 10:45 AM and landed around 11:45 AM in Primavera. It is a quiet dusty little town. We left town in 4 trucks/SUVs at 12:30 PM and our driver was good at the gas/brake combo. Speed up and slam on the brakes. The roads were pretty bad and there was no relaxing. I felt a little sick but Alex switched me for the front seat and I felt much better. We arrived at 5:00 PM on the Gavilan River just upstream from camp and were loaded up in boats for the 10 – 15 minute drive to camp.
January 18
Steve and I had Oscar for our guide. You stay with the same guide all week. The boats are 14’ aluminum boats with 30 hp Suzuki motors. A big casting deck up front and one smaller one in the middle. A little tighter than the long bongos. One guide per boat and he uses a trolling motor to control the boat – it’s a pretty good set up. Same gear, 8 or 9 wt rods. Either an intermediate and a faster sinking line, or a floating – all lines should be specialty jungle fly lines. I used a floating line the first day, then switched to an intermediate and the custom cut sink tip line by Scientific Anglers with about 7’ cut off of it. All 5 boats were headed down the river. We were told the river was rising because of lots of rain upriver. We started just below camp where a lagoon is still connected to the Tomo. We had action right away. We had a double and landed a half dozen fish between us. Once in the lagoon, it was intermittent. We had a couple big fish follow. At one spot I caught 6 – 8 fish. In total I got a dozen in the morning, the biggest being a 7 – 8 pound pintalapa. We had an amazing lunch right on shore – smoked beef, delicious and tender, with lots of sides. We joked for the week that we ate dinner for both lunch and dinner. Hammocks were set up for after lunch and some of us took naps. It was mostly overcast all day. After lunch it was slow for us. We had a few big fish follow, but didn’t connect. I did get one about 9 pounds. Everyone else got into some pods in the afternoon but overall it was slower than the morning. Dinner is buffet style. We had pork loin, rice, salad and potatoes. It was really tasty. They made a fire and we hung out for a little bit. Everyone was in bed early. I slept great.
January 19
All 5 boats went up river. Two boats up the Gavilan (tributary to the Tomo) and 3 up the Tomo. We went up the Gavilan. We got into the fish right away, probably 6 or so. All pintalapas. Two of them were really nice fish in the 8 – 10 pound range. We had a big one come under one of the bigger pintalapas I had on, but Steve wasn’t ready and we never saw him again. Around the bend, we got into another pod of pintalapas. We moved again and got into yet another school of fish – and then hooked another 6 or so right where a clear tributary connected to the Gavilan. We had lunch (chicken thighs, rice, lentils and a salad) on the river in the shade with the Italian guys (Arturo and Dario) and all took siestas in the hammocks. It was like that all day. Long stretches of nothing followed by a school of fish. In the end we probably landed 25 or so fish. It was a good day. For dinner we had little steaks, mashed potatoes, green beans with mushrooms. The steaks were delicious.
January 20
We switched. The guys that went up the Tomo went up the Gavilan. We went up the Tomo. We bushwhacked through a small channel to get back into another lagoon. The guide had to remove the cooler and seats and we had to lay down to get through some spots. It was a beautiful lagoon. We fished the whole thing, probably three hours. We got into a few butterflies in the back and a couple small pintalapas. It was tough. We hit one more spot on the way back. Nothing. We went back to camp for lunch – pork belly, rice and soup. We took a siesta in the cabins and were back out by 2:30 PM. It was hot. We ran back up the Tomo to another lagoon. In the first spot we got into a hungry pack of fish right away. I hooked a half dozen and gave Steve my rod while I tied another Bisharat’s Spot-on Baitfish on his rod as the fly was moving and hooking fish. He landed a half dozen as well. We got a couple more. We made our way deeper into the lagoon to a narrow spot where it got small before opening up into another laguna. I took a cast and landed a butterfly. The next cast was a freight train hit and it went directly into the sticks. I tried to pull it but it happened so fast I broke it off in 3 seconds. My line was frayed to bits. I guess I should have just let him run. It was a big fish. I was really bummed. Back to the camp. Another great dinner.
January 21
We were heading down the river with 2 other boats. 2 boats went just below camp and hiked into another lagoon. They had smaller boats stashed in the lagoon with trolling motors. Everyone had a great day. The river was dropping. We went into a lagoon, way in the back and got into them right away. Lots of butterflies and pintalapas. If you got your fly into the shade, you got a fish. I got one nice one, 10+ in that first lagoon. We must have caught 30+ fish. The next lagoon was slower but I hooked a few better quality fish and landed another 10+ pounder. We had lunch with the Italians, and Fred and Allan. Pork with rice, salad. After lunch we went to Herredura, where we fished the first day. We picked up a few butterflies at first but heard lots of fish feeding inside the trees. We worked our way back to where we started and around the corner and I got a 5-pound pintalapa. Then an 8 – 9 pounder. I got 5 – 6 more then put Steve up there. He continued to land a dozen plus fish, all Temensis, some spotted, some mature, all nice. A few 5 – 6 pounders and a few 8 – 9 pounders and some smaller. I got back up there and landed a few more. It was an incredible day. I even landed the last one trying to reel in my line. Amazing day. Beef with vegetables and rice for dinner. Everyone did well. Allan, Arturo and Neal all got big mature fish.
January 22
A couple of the guys wanted to get up earlier so we had breakfast at 5:30 AM and left for fishing at 6:00. We headed to the Gavilan and Jacob came with us. The river was really dropping, and the Gavilan looked clearer. We started off pretty good in a small lagoon. Steve got three or four fish, and got his biggest, about a 10-pounder. I got a few in there, as well. After that, we moved into a small creek that was connected to a lagoon and we picked up a few here and there. We finished on a deeper bank on the main river with a lot of logs and sticks but only got one pintalapa. I’ve never done that before. It was a lot of fun, but I could tell you needed people who had good line control because you had so much to get snagged on and it was difficult for the guide to maneuver the boat in the current to get snagged flies out. We had lunch back at camp, probably one of our warmest days. We took a long siesta and went for a little swim just before heading out. After lunch, we fished a big inlet close to camp. I caught three or four right off the bat, then a dolphin appeared out of nowhere right on the bank and we think it ate a fish we just released. Time to move. We picked up one or two more working our way down the shoreline close to the trees. Oscar decided he wanted to get into a particular lagoon, and he cut his way back into it with a machete – pretty impressive. It wasn’t big and we fished the whole thing – towards the end I flicked a cast way back in the sticks and had a monster fish flash and grab my fly. I had him on for about 10 seconds and then he got loose. It was a bummer. Probably the biggest fish I saw all week. We picked up a couple more out in the main lagoon and headed in.
January 23
The last day. We decided to do the earlier breakfast again and took off a little after six. We were all heading down the river. Jacob said this is the day where the guide’s do whatever they want, no set plan. A couple of boats really wanted to focus on bigger fish. We hit some familiar spots and ended up getting about a dozen fish for the morning. At lunch back at camp we took a long siesta. After lunch we drove a half an hour up the Tomo and fished this beautiful lagoon full of trees and clearer water. We mostly popper-fished. I had 5 – 6 eat my NYAP Popper, but they were smaller fish, and I didn’t stick any but we did see/hear a few big ones eating as the light got low. A half hour boat ride back. The final night they had local musicians come to camp and perform around the campfire. It was a Ilanero music group that performed Joropo, the traditional music of the Colombian plains. Joropo is closely tied to cowboy and ranch life. The songs talk about daily life on the plains – cattle work, long days and nights, nature, love, heartbreak and personal stories passed down through generations (just like our country music). One of the main instruments is the llanero harp which gives Joropo its distinctive sound along with small guitars and vocals. It was a nice touch.
January 24
I was up at 5:00 AM for breakfast at 5:30 and we were heading up the river just before six. 15 minutes up the river and we loaded up the trucks and were off. It took under 4 hours to get back to Primavera. Less stops and better roads. We stopped at a little cafe in town to get snacks and beers, then headed to the airport. We took off from Primavera around noon and landed in Bogota around 1:15 PM. We got to the hotel at 2:00 PM, but couldn’t check in until 3:00 PM. Fred, Allan, Steve and I got lunch in the hotel and got checked in right after. Dinner at Panzotti’s, a block from the hotel.
January 25
Allan, Fred, Steve and I got picked up from the hotel at 5:30 AM and driven to the airport. All pretty smooth checking in and clearing security. We took off at 9:00 AM with a 4.5 hour flight to Houston. Steve and Fred had separate flights so we went our separate ways. 3 hour flight from Houston to LAX. Allan and I had dinner at the LAX airport. We landed at the Redding airport around 9:00 PM. Allan’s wife picked him up and they gave me a ride home.
Insights on the Akuani Floating Camp
The Floating Camp was a great all-around experience. This is the ultimate trip for someone that wants to experience peacock bass fishing in South America. The fishing program is varied. 2 rivers to fish, a lot of lagoons and more river fishing than anywhere else I have been. Fishing sandbars and even logs in the deepwater current. A very healthy system with lots of spotted Temensis, butterflies, and some Intermedia mixed in. Of course there is always a chance for a big fish. They catch 20- pounders throughout the season, usually weekly. I think all the big fish were lost during our week. The fish seem stronger than most places I have fished them in. Oscar, our guide was newer but he was great. He was very enthusiastic, really wanted us to catch fish and never let down on the pursuit. There were times he could have just fished something easy, but he would instead beat the bushes to another lagoon. Guides seemed a little more dialed in than at the River Lodge. You keep your guide for the week, which allows them to fine-tune the week, but it would have been nice to fish with the other guides. The food was great, buffet and more homestyle, but very tasty. The Camp was comfortable, nothing fancy but everything you needed. Boats were smaller but still had enough room for both anglers to fish out of. No real boat problems or motor issues. The Ilanero singers on the last night were such a nice touch, a highlight for many of us. Everyone had a great time and I hope to send many people there to experience the culture and fishing.
Again, the trip ran really smoothly. Airport drivers, commercial flights, charter flights, transfers, hotel reservations, fuel, food, gear. There is a lot involved in the execution of these trips. The only issue we had was the hotel kept trying to charge everybody when so many nights were included. Yeferson, who is in charge of logistics, was there to take care of it while we were at the desk. This is an amazing experience for under $5K for a 9 night / 6 fishing day trip. Amazing value in the lodge/fishing world.
My Gear
Rods
Winston Air 2 Max 8 and 9 wts. – 8’6” and 9’
Scott Sector – 8’4” 8wt
Lines
Scientific Anglers Sonar Tropical Custom Sink Tip
Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured Tropical Titan Floating Fly Line
Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan Jungle Clear Tip Fly Line
Reels
Bauer SLT
Hardy Fortuna
E r i k A r g o t t i
Destination Specialist
T h e F l y S h o p , I n c.
4140 Churn Creek Road
Redding, California 96002
(800) 669-3474 / (530) 222-3555 / argotti@theflyshop.com / www.theflyshop.com