The Fly Shop800·669·3474

GPS Coordinates: 0°48’0.59″N   61°39’35.07″W

Trip Questionnaire: Please click on the link below. This will take you an electronic questionnaire form that we ask you to complete and submit to The Fly Shop®. Please be sure to click the “Submit” button at the end of the form. The information provided will help us — and the outfitter best coordinate your trip.

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Please read all of the pre-trip carefully and let us know if you have any questions. Thank you. We look forward to a safe season.

Booking Travel to Manaus:
You will need to arrive into Manaus, Brazil on Thursday or Friday. After your week of fishing, you’ll need to depart Manaus Saturday after 3:00 p.m.  The lodge will arrange all of your Manaus transfers.

Travel to Brazil & Logistics to Manaus:
The week at Agua Boa is from Saturday to Saturday. For the best flights, we recommend working with Alicia Regueiro at Holdy Tours, for the schedule that will best suit your trip.
(800) 446-1111 | alicia@holdytours.com

Agua Boa Amazon Lodge Itinerary

Friday (The day before scheduled arrival at lodge):
Arrive at Manaus international airport. Guests will be greeted by their English-speaking Agua Boa representative. He will meet you after you pass through immigrations, with a sign with your name and Agua Boa Lodge on it. He will arrange for transfers to the hotel that you will have pre-booked in Manaus.

Manaus Hotel:
The Blue Tree Hotel is located close to the airport & charter flight, and is the preferred hotel by their ground’s coordinator in Manaus.  The hotel is very clean, includes a delicious complimentary breakfast buffet, a fully stocked mini-fridge in each room, a bar and restaurant, and has high speed internet.  Most importantly, the hotel is located in a very safe area of Manaus, and the hotel staff is very courteous and trustworthy. They prefer that all guests stay at the Blue Tree Hotel, making it efficient for coordinating all guests heading into the lodge. Please make your reservations to stay at this hotel.

City Tour:
If you decide to arrive Manaus on Thursday, we’d be happy to arrange a city tour for you on Friday.  The cost is approximately $100 – $150 USD cash per person.

Arrival at The Lodge (Saturday):
Guests will be met at their hotel about 5.00 AM and transferred to Manaus airport (the driver who picked you up the day before will tell you exactly when to be ready the next morning at your hotel). There, guests will board the private charter for a 1.5-hour flight to the lodge. We strongly suggest that you pack 50 pounds or less for your luggage.

On arrival guests will be greeted with a champagne reception by the lodge manager Carlos Azevedo. A full breakfast will be served followed by an orientation and introduction to the lodge and its surroundings, while guest’s luggage is transferred to their accommodations.

Guests can then choose to unpack and relax for the morning, or immediately commence their fishing experience on the Agua Boa. Lunch is taken on the river, followed by an afternoon of fishing. All guests will return to the lodge by 6:00, when you’ll be greeted with a relaxing glass of Caipirinha, and have the opportunity to relax in the swimming pool prior to the evening meal, served at 7:30 PM.

Sunday to Friday:
Breakfast is available from 6:00 AM every morning, and the guides will be ready and waiting to take guests for their days fishing by 7:00 AM. Lunch is taken on the river, followed by an afternoon’s fishing and return to the lodge by 6:00 PM. Guests will be greeted with a relaxing glass of Caipirinha and have the opportunity to relax in the swimming pool prior to the evening meal which is served at approximately 7:30 PM.

Departure From Lodge (Saturday):
Breakfast is serves from 6:00AM. The return charter flight to Manaus will leave the lodge at approximately 9:00 AM, with an estimated arrival time in Manaus of 11:00 AM. You can depart Manaus on the same day, or later in the evening. Please schedule your departure out of Manaus after 3:00 PM.

Note About Flights:
Please be advised that flight schedules do change; plane connections can be missed resulting in a missed charter to the Agua Boa Amazon Lodge. Please keep in mind that these things are beyond our control. Neither The Fly Shop®, the Agua Boa Amazon Lodge, nor any of its affiliated agents will be responsible for any additional costs incurred. We highly recommend travel insurance for situations out of our control.

Charter Into The Lodge:
The guests will depart Manaus for the lodge on a private charter at 6:00 AM Saturday morning.  Breakfast and coffee available at the Blue Tree Hotel prior to the charter flight. Transfer agents will pick everyone up from the hotel and take them to the charter flight.   If for some reason an international flight gets delayed or canceled, and someone misses the charter flight, they will have to return to their home city, or pay for a private charter into the lodge.  They can’t hold the charter flight for a delayed guest. Travel insurance is highly recommended for this trip.

Contact Numbers

South America Travel Agent:
Holdy Tours
Alicia Regueiro
(800) 446-1111 | (925) 927-6617 | alicia@holdytours.com

The Fly Shop®
4140 Churn Creek Road
Redding, CA 96002
(800) 669-3474 | (530) 222-3555 | travel@theflyshop.com

U.S. Embassy in Brazil (In Case of Emergency):
Emergencies include: death, arrest, stolen or lost passports. Emergency services do not require an appointment.

Brasilia:
24 hour emergency assistance:
(61) 3312-7000 during Embassy’s working hours (8:00 AM to 5:00 PM)
(61) 3312-7400 after hours

Brazilian Contact:
Lucio Rodrigues, in Manaus
To contact Lucio in Manaus
Dial: +55 92 9.8133-8528 | Email: lucio_rodriguesmao@hotmail.com
To contact Lucio from inside the U.S.A. Dial: 011 +55 92 9.8133-8528

• Ground service coordinator responsible for airport pickup/drop offs, and the hotel shuttles for Agua Boa Amazon Lodge.

U.S. Emergency Contact:
Sweetwater Travel Company
Dan Vermillion – dan@sweetwatertravel.com
Christina Grabowski – christina@sweetwatertravel.com
(888) 347-4286 | Office: (406) 222-0624 | Cell: (406) 223-0066

Blue Tree Premium Manaus, Brazil
Av. Jorn. Umberto Calderaro Filho, 817
Adrianópolis, Manaus – AM, 69057-021, Brazil
Phone: +55 92 3303-2000 | http://blue-tree-premium.manaus-hotels.com/en/

General Travel Information

Agua Boa Amazon Lodge is located in one of the Amazon rain forest’s last remaining tracts of uncut and uninhabited rainforest on a clear water peacock bass fishery. The lodge provides fishermen with a level of comfort, friendly service, and sense of privacy in the rainforest that will make anybody feel at home. White sand beaches and clear water makes for some of the best swimming in the Amazon.

Along with the incredible jungle fishing are the spectacular birds and wildlife in the area, most active during early morning and late evening hours. Several species of monkeys, tapir, peccary and agouti are common sights, and macaws, toucans, cotingas, and parrots are just a few of the birds you may encounter.

Recommended Vaccinations:
No vaccinations are required if you are traveling directly from the United States. However, a Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate is required if you have visited in the past 90 days or if you will visit one of the following countries before entering Brazil: Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, French Guyana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Peru, Sierre Leone, Sudan and Venezuela.

Please check with the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta for up-to-date recommendations on vaccinations and medicines needed for the Brazilian Amazon.

• Please note the CDC website does suggest Malaria pills when traveling to the Amazon. In our many years on the Agua Boa, we have not had any guests get Malaria. There is a risk of exposure in more populated areas like Manaus. Please consult your physician for further guidance.

Center for Disease Control
1600 Clifton Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: (404) 639-3311 | Website: www.cdc.gov

Medical Evacuation Insurance:
All guests are required to purchase Medical Evacuation Insurance prior to departure.

General Information

Electricity:
The lodge runs on a diesel generator supplying standard 110 volt electricity from 5 pm to 9 am daily. Both 2 and 3 prong work similar to the American system. It is fine to charge your electronic devices without an adapter. You will need an adapter for the hotels in Manaus, but you can usually borrow one at the front desk.

Communications:
The camp has a satellite phone. The cost is $5.00 per minute. Renting a satellite phone might be the best option if you need to be in touch. The lodge is also equipped with wireless internet.

Daily Laundry Service:
Laundry is picked up in the evenings during dinner and is done by your return the next day at no charge. Pack reasonably and your laundry will be done for you.

Alcohol:
Beer and wine are provided as part of the package price. If you would like any alcohol other than wine and beer, please tuck it away in your personal belongings and bring it with you from Manaus or home. There are some spirits available at the lodge for purchase.

Gratuities:
Agua Boa pools their tips so that everyone works as a team and gets their fair share. Please bring US dollars in cash for tips. We suggest a tip of $750 USD – $900 USD for the lodge staff. Tips are split evenly among the guides and support staff. You do not need to leave any additional tips. Tips are left to the discretion of the angler. This is only a rough guideline for planning purposes. The lodge manager will collect the tips.

Weather:
Please visit www.weatherunderground.com for updates on the weather in Boa Vista. Please enter Boa Vista, Brazil when performing your search.

Water Levels in Brazil:
In a ten-year cycle, most years the lowest water of the year coincides with January, February, March and April. It should be noted though that in a normal ten-year cycle there will be weeks, months or even seasons where the water levels don’t drop to the point where sight fishing is possible. During these times the fishing can still be good with catches ranging from 6 fish a day per boat to over 100.

When the water is dropping, despite its level, the fishing can be great. And even at a low level when the water level raises rapidly the fishing can shut off completely. It is difficult to predict and is one of the risks associated with fishing the Amazon. If you are not comfortable with the risk of the river levels being high or too low during your trip, then it is probably not the trip for you. You will not be issued a refund for water conditions that may not meet your expectations. In the event the water is too high to fish on any given week, the Agua Boa Amazon Lodge will reschedule your week to a later time but will not refund your trip payment.

Regulations & Conservation:
The Agua Boa River is the only fly-fishing only, single hook, barbless river in the Amazon. This unprecedented level of protection ensures that the fish in the river are not subject to excessive wear and tear from multiple sets of treble hooks, but also ensures that the fishing on the Agua Boa remains solid throughout the season. Fishing for peacock bass is all catch and release with single, barbless hooks. From time to time, we will harvest some fish on the river for dinner. We ask that you do not harvest any large fish, as we would like to keep those in the river for the guests who follow.

The Agua Boa is a great place to learn how to fly fish. The hosts and guides are great instructors. Anglers who are physically unable to fly-cast should let us know ahead of time, so that accommodations can be made. For those anglers, we use a bobber, weight, and flies. Plugs and conventional tackle cannot be used by law.

The Trail System:
They have an extensive trail system at the Agua Boa Amazon Lodge. The trails wind through savannah and flood forest. They are well maintained and are well marked so that guests can wander without worry of getting lost.

The bird and wildlife viewing are absolutely spectacular if you take your time. The best hours to walk the trails are in the early morning and late evening. In the middle of the day, most jungle animals rest. That said, in a normal year we have had up to 25 jaguar sightings. During the prime hours, jacamars, parrots, macaws, parakeets, toucans, aracarisant birds, cotingas, flickers, manakins, woodpeckers and hummingbirds are among some of the birds you might expect to see on the trails. Tapir, nutria, agouti, peccary, bands of squirrel, howler monkeys and collared peccary are also a common sight on the trails of the Agua Boa.

Beaches:
With normal water levels, the beaches on the Agua Boa are spectacular. White sand and clear water make for some of the best swimming in the Amazon. At any point in the day, your guide will be happy to hang a hammock on a nice beach to let you enjoy a swim. There is not a problem with either fish or animals.

Insects:
There are relatively few insects on the Agua Boa due to its acidic waters, but there are a few hours in the day when you will want to make sure you are extra cautious. In the evening and early morning, the no see ums will be a problem. You won’t feel them bite, but you may feel them itch. Some people are allergic to no-see-ums so please take caution your first few days. With repellent and long pants, you will hardly notice them. If you take care during these hours of the day, you should not have problems.

Fish at Agua Boa

Peacock Bass:
There are three species of peacock bass present on the Agua Boa: the butterfly, spotted and temensis. They are all great fish for the fly rodder.

The butterfly peacock is the most numerous in the system. Butterflies are aggressive takers on poppers and 3-4 inch streamers. They are great fighters and jump often. They range between 2 and 8 pounds with approximately a 3 pound average in the system. Butterfly peacocks provide plenty of action between shots at larger fish.

The spotted and temensis peacock bass are both a totally different beast. These two species are the largest of the peacocks and can attain weights of 25 pounds. These peacocks are some of the most aggressive game fish on the planet. They wander in schools of up to 40 fish and feed together working bait like bluefish.

It is difficult to describe a school of these large peacocks in full feeding frenzy. Needless to say, baitfish are flying everywhere in a desperate attempt to escape. In many cases the baitfish will jump onto land to escape. If you can get your fly into the action, the results are spectacular: a ferocious take, a blistering run, a jump and or a run into structure are just a few of the possible obstacles you might be confronted with.

The Arowana:
The other jungle species are also well worth pursuing. The arowana look and act a lot like a tarpon. They have huge scales, are air breathers, spooky and wander through the river in schools in search of baitfish. Arowana are a surface-oriented fish. They are very visible and provide exciting sight casting when conditions are right.

Beware they are spooky and difficult to hook and land. Arowana have a split eye that allows them to see above and below the water. As a result, they are very sensitive to false casting and unnatural movement to the fly. Smaller patterns stripped slowly and in short increments seem to be the most successful. Remember watch the fish and try to keep your fly as close to the fish as possible when retrieving your fly. Arowana have a jaw similar to tarpon and require a hard strike. They are aerial fighters and good runners. Arowana average 6 -10 lbs., but can reach nearly 15 lbs.

The Pacu:
Pacu, also known as the silver dollar, are a fun fish and can be taken on trout patterns like Royal Wulffs, caddis and flesh flies. They are shaped like a permit and in the Agua Boa they reach weights of 5 lbs.   In front of the camp there are pods of hundreds of pacu rising nightly.

Recommended Equipment

Fly Rods:
7 to 9 weight single-handed rods are the norm, with an 8 weight being the most common.  It is best to have two rods rigged with different lines and/or flies in the boat. Please plan on bringing an extra backup rod. Powerful rods with a strong butt section are recommended. All of the saltwater series of the top rod brands are considered good choices. Your favorite bonefish or baby tarpon rod for 7 or 8 weight will do just great. We recommend rigging one rod with a floating line for top water action, and one with a clear tip intermediate sinking line for fishing with streamers. A heavier 9 weight rod is also a good idea for targeting payara in the heavier currents of the main river, rigged with a fast-sinking tip line.

Fly Reels:
As with rods, reels that have been designed for saltwater fly-fishing are the best choice. These jungle fish will test your stripping fingers more than your reel, but in the event, you can get them on the reel, reels with strong smooth drags are recommended. Bring a trusted reel that you feel comfortable with.

Fly Lines:
Most of the fishing is done close to the surface of the water. Weight forward lines designed specifically for the jungle tropics are what you want. Scientific Anglers has designed and engineered a series of lines specifically for fishing the jungle. Their Mastery Titan Jungle floating line and the Sonar Titan Jungle line with a clear intermediate tip line are the best on the market. You will also want to bring a fast sinking tip line for some specific spots, and big payara. For this we recommend Scientific Anglers Sonar Jungle Custom Cut Super sink-tip fly line. We strongly suggest you bring at least one back up fly line.

Leaders:
Most fish are not typically leader shy, but the very clear water situation can make some fish spooky. Fluorocarbon leaders are nearly invisible under water, and are a good choice in this situation. Leaders should be strong and heavy enough to turn over big wind resistant flies, so leaders with a stiff butt section are ideal. Spools of fluorocarbon should include 50, 40, 30, 20 and 15 pounds. Nylon monofilament in 20-50 pound breaking strengths can also be used in certain situations, specifically when fishing poppers and other floating flies. Maxima and Rio nylon, and Seaguar Blue Label fluorocarbon are good choices. Some fish require longer, nine foot leaders, while others require a six foot piece of fluorocarbon tippet.

Flies:
Baitfish patterns in natural and attractor colors are very effective. Baitfish streamers in white, red, yellow, chartreuse and combinations of these colors are very effective. Heavily dressed flies in lengths from 2 to 7 inches, with good action in the water, and quality barbless hooks sized from 1/0 to 4/0 are suggested. As for patterns, the most typical flies used are synthetic material streamers as they are easy to cast and durable.

• Midnight Mullet
• Pearly Popper – green
• Y.A.P. Popper 6/0
• Pacu Berry Balls 3/0
• Crease Fly – silver/white
• Cruiser Peacock
• Cruiser Sardina
• Cruiser Shad
• Teaser – chartreuse/white
• Flashfire Mushy – olive/white
• Sea Habit Bucktail – anchovy, sardine
• Flashtail Whistler – red/white, yellow/red
• Half and Half – grey, chartreuse/white
• Cuda Killer 4/0
• Cruiser Peacock
• Cruiser Black/Purple 3/0

Recommended Reading List

The Rivers Amazon, Alex Shoumatoff, Sierra Club Books, Copyright 1986
Summary: Great starter Amazon ecology book written about the Amazon Basin and its settlement and changes.

The Ecotraveller’s Wildlife Guide Brazil, Amazon and Pantanal, David Pearson and Les Beletsky
Summary: The definitive guide for Amazon bird and wildlife. This is a must for anyone traveling to the camp.

Tropical Nature, Adrian Forsyth and Ken Miyata New York: Scribners, Copyright 1984
Summary: Introduction to rain forest ecology.  Excellent read!

The River of Doubt, Candice Millard, Doubleday, Copyright 2005
Summary: Follow America’s greatest President as he explores the Amazon Basin and faces tests that challenge his formidable spirit.