The Fly Shop

GPS Coordinates: 2°16’22.54″S 65°17’37.27″W

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General Travel Information

Most US guests will reserve flights to Manaus (airport code MAO) out of either Miami (American Airlines) or Panama City (Copa Airlines). There are also connecting flights into Manaus from Sao Paolo for anglers coming from other parts of South America or Europe. We recommend working with Alicia Regueiro at Holdy Tours (1-800-446-1111 or alicia@holdytours.com) for the schedule that will best suit your trip and to book your flights.

Upon arrival in Manaus, you will pass through immigrations and customs. Do not lose your entrance card to Brazil. This is a small white piece of paper. You will need it for your return.

Saturday (the day before scheduled arrival at camp):
Arrive at Manaus International Airport. Guests will be greeted by our English speaking representative/transfer driver. They will arrange for transfers to the Juma Opera Hotel (included in the trip package). The transfer staff will let you know when they will pick you up at the hotel the next morning, to take you to the charter airport. They will also collect the Native Community Fee of ($530) from you at this time.

Juma Opera Hotel
Address: Rua 10 De Julho, 481 – Centro – Manaus
District: Manaus – Federation: Amazonas – Brazil
Amazonas – CEP: 69010-060
Name: Debora Motta (Untamed Angling Transfer Agent)
Phone: +5592994034631 | https://jumaopera.com.br/en/

We often recommend arriving in Manaus a day earlier (on Friday) rather than late on Saturday night – this helps buffer you against possible airline delays or lost luggage into Manaus, and will give you a day to enjoy what Manaus has to offer. This is important as there is only one charter flight a week to Kendjam. Booking your arrival to Manaus too close to this charter flight time could prove highly problematic – if you arrive too late for it, getting your own private charter flight would be enormously expensive, if not impossible. Quite a few people opt to come in a day early as this virtually eliminates this potential problem. It costs an additional hotel night, but for many it is worth it, for the peace of mind.

Manaus:
Manaus is a modern, rapidly growing city (1.4 million habitants). It is one of the busiest ports in the Amazon where cargo ships distribute their goods throughout the Amazon basin. There are many interesting places to visit: The Amazonas Theater, The Palace “Río Negro”, the Floating Port, the Municipal Market Adolpho Lisboa, the Forest of Science, the Museum of Natural Science, as well as the Aboriginal Fair, where you can buy items made by the Indians. We strongly recommend you consider visiting the Fish Market, no one that visits regrets it and most say it is the highlight of cultural experiences in Manaus.

SPECIAL VISA UPDATE:
Starting June 17, 2019 United States Citizens can stay in Brazil up to 90 days without a visa, making travel to Brazil a much more affordable and accessible option. This also applies to citizens of Canada, Australia, and Japan.

Restaurant Recommendations

Resturante Banziero
R. Libertador, 102 – Nossa Sra. das Gracas, Manaus – AM, 69057-070, Brazil
+55 (92) 3234-1621 | http://www.restaurantebanzeiro.com.br

Churrascaria Bufalo
Churrascaria Bufalo, Para 490, Vieiralves, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
+55 (92) 3131 9000

Pirarucu Itinerary

Full Days of Fishing:
Each day individual teams (2 anglers) will head out for the day and fish one of the beats in the Pirarucú area, its tributaries and or lagoons. Each two anglers will share a fly fishing guide along with a local native guide in specifically designed fly fishing boats with two large casting platforms. Both anglers are constantly fishing, all day long from these perfectly designed boats.

Typical Day:

5:30 am – Coffee is hot
6:30 am – Breakfast
7:30 am – Head to fishing grounds
12:00 pm – Anglers will have a short ride back to the lodge for lunch.
2:30 pm – After lunch, fishing will resume until late afternoon when the guides will deliver anglers back to the lodge around 6:00 pm.
6:30 pm – Cocktails and appetizers
7:30 pm – Dinners will be served inside the dining room area

Day of Departure:
After breakfast, you will take the fast boat ride back to Tefe, then transfer to Tefe Airport in time to board the commercial flight from Tefe back to Manaus on Azul Airlines, departing midday and arriving back to Manaus early afternoon.

Most anglers will be departing on the late-night flight, technically the next morning, departing Manaus for Sao Paulo at around midnight, or to Panama City at 3:40 am also on Friday morning. *Please remember, when purchasing your flights, that the flight date will be at 12:40 am the day after your departure date*.

Your staff driver will deliver you to the International Airport after a nice Brazilian BBQ dinner (we highly recommend the Bufalo or Restaurante Banzeiro) or to the Juma Opera Hotel Hotel for a quick shower if you choose to rent a day room. If you do not feel like taking the red eye out of Manaus that night, another night’s stay at the Juma Opera Hotel Hotel (or another hotel) can be arranged; this would not be included in the package, and we will need to know as far in advance as possible if you will need this extra hotel night. Should this be the case, the transfer driver will pick you up the following day, according to your flight departure time, and deliver you to the International Airport.

Extra Night or Day Use Rooms:
If you would like an extra night accommodation in Manaus at the Juma Opera Hotel Hotel on arrival or departure or would like a day room on your departure day, please let us know. All extra nights and day use bookings will be paid direct to the hotel.

Overnight Rates & Day Use Rates:
Extra Accommodations: $200 – $220 per night (subject to change without notice)

Manaus Extra Costs (all optional):

Restaurant Shuttle: Round Trip from Hotel to Dinner – $20 p.p. minimum of 6 persons – 5 persons or less $120 to share between anglers (does not include dinner – subject to change without notice)
Full Day City Tour: 8-hour tour – $120 per person; Half Day City Tour: 4-hour tour – $60 per person

Combo Package with The Rio Marié:
Pirarucu has the same season as Marié and makes a perfcet combo trip. The Rio Marié program ends every Thursday so after your fishing week in Marié you will stay the Thursday night at the Juma Opera Hotel Hotel (included as part of your Pirarucú package) and join the rest of the group heading in to Pirarucú on Friday Morning.

Native Community Fee:
This Project was based as a long-term social project which supports the preservation of the Indian Culture by improving their quality of life. The project has a significant user fee on all visiting anglers. The funds from the fee will primarily be used for social projects, infrastructure development, transportation, and medical and education projects.

The fee will be $590 per person for the trip. The tax will be payable in (Cash $USD or Brazilian Reals) to our representative at your arrival in Manaus and goes directly to the Indian Association account and anglers will receive a receipt from the association. This fee represents an important step in the continuing effort to protect our ability to continue to share this amazing and unique part of the world.

Contact Numbers

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

Can book your air, and any additional hotel rooms you may request.

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

Untamed Angling Brazil Office
Rodrigo Salles
Nilton Lins, 2274 -610
Manaus Brazil
Office: +55 11 98181-8703 | Mobile Argentina: +54 9 11 5041.7924 / 4415-4404
Rodrigo M. Salles: rodrigo@untamedangling.com | Skype: rodrigo.salles.untamed
Sandra Spina: sandra.daniela.spina@gmail.com | sandra@uangling.com

MOST IMPORTANT CONTACT
Manaus Hostess and Transfer Agents:
Debora Motta: Whatsapp and Skype contact: +55 92 9403-4631
Email: debora@uangling.com

Allan Pereira: Whatsapp and Skype contact: +55 14 99106-2625
Email: allan@uangling.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

Fishing & Fish Species

In the fall of 2015, The Fly Shop® and Untamed Angling explored a brand new destination deep in the heart of the Amazon: Pirarucú! Untamed Angling, the same angling pioneers that introduced the world to the exciting golden dorado fishing at Tsimane in Bolivia and the river of peacock bass giants at Rio Marie’ in Brazil, have once again organized a collaboration with the indigenous Indian communities and the Brazilian government to protect a unique jungle fishery through eco-tourism and catch-and-release fly fishing. Pirarucú follows the example set by both Marie’ and Tsimane, a partnership between fly fishermen, the local Indian Community, and the Brazilian government to form the largest protected reserve on earth for yet another unique and special species, the arapaima.

Arapaima are the largest scaled freshwater fish in the world, reaching lengths of up to 9 feet long and weighting up to 440 pounds. They are an air-breathing fish, resembling tarpon in both size and shape, though with more coloration and distinctly prehistoric fins. They have a wide, scaly, gray-hued body and a tapered head, often with deep red coloration along their fins. Arapaima have lungs instead of gills, and can actually stay underwater for long periods of time (up to 20 minutes), and can remain out of the wáter for as long as 45 minutes. When hooked, they are acrobatic fighters, leaping repeatedly out of the water and making long, reel-busting runs well into the backing.

While fishing for a true river monster is appealing for a lot of adventure anglers, Pirarucú has much more to offer than just big fish. Each season we do land giant arapaima of up to 150 kilos (330 pounds!), though we also enjoy spectacular fishing for several other remarkable, unique, and exhilarating fish species in the Mamirauá Reserve. In addition to the large fish, there are vibrant populations of “juvenile” arapaima from 20-60 pounds, which readily take large streamers on floating fly lines in the shallow lagoons of the reserve. There are also many arowana, a fish popular in aquariums in the US but that average 2-8 pounds in the wild and attack poppers and terrestrials with reckless abandon, instantly leaping acrobatically high into the air once hooked. And one can’t pass by the schools, singles, and pairs of cruising tambaqui often sighted along the banks, fish that resemble freshwater permit in size, shape, and their hard-pulling nature on the end of a fly line. Throw in potential for yellow peacock bass, piripitinga, red-bellied piranhas, and oscars, and you have the recipe for an incredibly diverse fishery that will not disappoint any jungle angler.

The unique fishery at Pirarucú is certainly the primary draw to the region; once settled into your floating cabin at the Pousada Uacari, however, you’ll quickly be amazed at the incredible nature of the place itself. The floating lodge is perched in a bend of the channel that connects the series of lakes and lagoons to the junction of the Solimões (Upper Amazon) and Japura Rivers. You’ll be immersed in jungle, surrounded by the sights and sounds of massive arapaima rolling and splashing in all directions (and at times literally right beneath the floor of your cabin!) As a bonus, the Mamirauá Reserve is one of the top birdwatching destinations in the world, and every day you’ll see countless species of birds along the banks and within the dense jungle.

Pirarucú is located within the Mamirauá Reserve, about 600 km west of Manaus. Mamirauá is a complex of lakes, lagoons and channels between the Solimões River and Japura River. Mamirauá was the first Sustainable Development Reserve in Brazil, legislated by the Government of Amazonas in 1996, and remains the largest Arapaima reserve in the world. The purpose of a Sustainable Development Reserve is to find a balance between biodiversity conservation and the sustainable development of an area inhabited by human populations. Mamirauá covers an area of 1,124,000 hectares. Because it is protected, it has a healthy and remarkable population of wildlife, especially birds. In fact, it is one of the top birdwatching destinations in the world. Located in the heart of the protected ecological zone is the Uacari Lodge, named for the Uacari monkeys that the ecological reserve was originally designed to protect. Many other monkeys including several types of howler monkeys and spider monkeys also live in the reserve, along with plenty of jaguars. And lots of large black caimen.

In the high water season the waters from these two rivers flood the jungle of the reserve. In the low water season, which corresponds to the fishing season from mid-September through November, these inland lakes and lagoons are connected by a series of naturally occurring canals and channels, creating ideal habitat for a variety of aquatic species including arapaima, arowana, tambaqui, yellow peacock bass, piripatinga, piranha, oscars, payara, and many small varieties of baitfish.

Anglers exploring Pirarucú will fish both the inland lakes system – formed in the rainy season from January through June when high water floods the inland jungle areas, then drop during the dry season – and the system of channels that remain to connect them all to the main waterways.

This region has unbelievable potential for the adventure angler. It is one of the most amazing fly fishing experiences in the entire Amazon Basin!

There are four “unique” fish species at Pirarucú:

Big Arapaima:
You will see fish in the 100, 200, 300, even 400 pound range on a daily basis at Pirarucú, as they roll and splash on the surface. We find these bigger fish in the lagoons at times, while they are more concentrated in the deeper channels and near the lagoon mouths. A 12 wt rod is the best tool for these river monsters, with a heavy-sinking (450-500 grain) line.

“Small” Arapaima:
These fish range from 20-100 pounds and are found in good numbers in shallow lagoons, inland lakes, and along the edges of the lake and channels. These fish hit a fly hard and, once hooked, they frequently explode in acrobatic aerial displays. Floating or Intermediate lines are best, on either a 10 or 12 weight rod. When these “small” arapaima are actively feeding in shallow water, they offer consistent action with multiple hookups.

Arowana:
Arowana reside here in vast numbers, range from 2-10 pounds and swim just below the surface, presenting excellent sight-casting opportunities. And they love topwater flies. They are a finicky fish, at times hyper-aggressive (they’ll even take the same giant streamers used for arapaima) and at times very spooky, making them great light-tackle quary, a fun diversion from casting the bigger rods for the bigger fish. A 7 wt rod is perfect for them, while an 8 wt also works great. Floating line is all you need, with a few poppers and terrestrials.

Tambaqui:
The tambaqui is the “freshwater permit” of the Amazon. A part of the pacu family, these fish range from 5-30 pounds and are very strong and fast. They are omnivorous and will eat fruit, seeds, nuts, or baitfish. You will see large fish in singles cruising along the edges, and at times schools of small/medium sized fish where you can actually spot nervous water as they cruise and feed on pollen and small bugs on the surface, just like permit on the flats! Fruit or seed fly imitations or large beetles work when they are cruising. 8 wt rods are good, while a 7 works too.

The Mamirauá Slam! Many dedicated saltwater anglers vie for a “Grand Slam”, landing a bonefish, permit, and tarpon all in the same day. At Pirarucú, we have the greatest Grand Slam challenge discovered to date in jungle fishing: The Mamirauá Slam consists of landing an arapaima, arowana, and tambaqui all in the same day! Make it a “Super Slam” by including a yellow peacock bass, piranha, or Oscar, too!

General Information

Season:
The season runs from the middle of September to the end of November. The dry season in this part of the Amazon runs from July through January, so this season focuses on the middle of the dry season when water should be low and fish congregating in the lakes and channels. Nov. 31^st marks the end of fishing due to special regulations from the Environmental Authorities in Brazil who close any kind of fishing for Arapaima anywhere in the Amazon to protect juvenile fish.

Lodging:
The Uacari Lodge is a floating lodge, constructed of local woods. It is simple, comfortable, and spectacular. It is utilized during other times of year as a ecotourism lodge primarily for birdwatching and wildlife viewing, and is fact noted as one of the top five birdwatching areas in the Amazon. All of the buildings are supported by a type of very large tree that floats in the water and is found in the jungles around the lodge. In the center is a dock for boats to pull up, with a covered “palapa” and a large table and some chairs to relax out on the front deck. Beyond that is the main lodge building, a two-story structure housing the kitchen, dining room, bar, and a few couches for lounging. The lodge and all of the cabins are connected by a series of wooden walkways.

To either side of the main dock and deck wooden walkways run to both directions connecting to the guest rooms. There are a total of 5 floating cabins, two on one side and three on the other, all connected with these floating wooden gangways. Each building has two rooms, for a total of 10 rooms. All rooms have en suite full bathrooms with flush toilets and good hot-water showers.

The eco-friendly lodge is run on solar electricity. The rooms are spacious with lots of screened in windows for air flow, and there are fans by the bed and ceiling fans to help with additional airflow at night. There are no plugs in the rooms, but a couple of multiple plug outlets are available in the main lodge for charging electronics. There is fairly reliable, albeit slow, wifi that is best in the lodge but does also reach to the rooms. The sounds of arapaima (and the large ever-present black caimen that frequent the area) are constant.

Catch & Release:
All fish caught should be released without exception and please avoid unnecessary handling of the fish. Barbless hooks are mandatory. Handling these fish requires caution, not only to avoid hurting them but also to prevent injuries to you.

Insects:
This jungle is surprisingly friendly. Some no-see-ums and some mosquitoes may be present, but very few in our experience. As for the rest, we remind you that this is a virgin rainforest where all kind of spiders and strange insects live. We recommend guests not go deep into the jungle, pass through dense vegetation, or turn logs over, etc. We strongly recommend wearing long sleeve shirts and pants and Buff face masks during your fishing week.

Gratuities:
We suggest a single tip per person of approximately 10% of the package cost for the 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. The head guide will collect the tips. Please bring cash, $USD for the gratuities.

Water:
We strongly suggest not drinking water from the tap in any Brazilian Amazon city. Filtered, Mineral or bottled water will always be available.

Electricity at Camp:
Electricity will be available at the floating lodge and is all solar powered. The electricity is the same as in the U.S. – 110/220 volt – but with two prongs (see the image below). Considering the limited solar panel generation, there’s no eletricty plugs at rooms only at dinning room. If you want to charge laptops or camera batteries, do it at living room lounge and preferable during lunchtime.

Health & Medication:
Please notify us if you have any medical conditions. Please be sure to bring your personal medications.

All of the Brazilian Amazon is considered a Dengue Fever influenced area.

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

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

Special Dietary Requirements:
Please let us know whether you have any kind of dietary restriction or food allergies (nuts, almonds, flours, etc.) so we can prepare accordingly.

Laundry Service:
Laundry service is available at Pirarucu. Just leave your clothes that you need washed in the basket in your room in the morning and they will be cleaned and folded on your bed when you return after the days fishing.

Internet Service:
There is wifi satellite internet service at Pirarucú Lodge, available at no extra cost. The quality of the service always depends on the weather.

Recommended Equipment

Fly Rods:
A 12 weight is the best tool for landing really large arapaima, while an 8wt to 10wt is good to have rigged for Tambaqui, Arowana, and Peacock Bass. It is best to have at least two rods rigged with different lines and/or flies in the boat, one or two set up for arapaima and one or more for the other species. Plan on bringing an extra backup rod, too. Powerful rods with a strong butt section are recommended.

Fly Reels:
As with rods, reels that have been designed for saltwater fly-fishing are the best choice. Reels with strong smooth drags are recommended. Bring a trusted reel that you feel comfortable with. Weight of the reel is important also since you will be casting a lot. 30-pound backing is required.

Fly Lines:
For arapaima you should bring a heavy sinking line (Scientific Anglers Jungle Sonar Custom Tip) for fishing the deep channel. Make sure to bring a spare! Big Arapima have a special knack for breaking the line midway through the head… without a spare, you are out of the game!

You will also want either a floating line (Scientific Anglers Jungle Taper) or an Intermediate (Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan Intermediate Line is great) for fishing in the shallow lagoons and inland lakes, and for the other species. Weight forward lines designed specifically for the tropics and saltwater are what you want. Scientific Anglers Mastery Titan Jungle Floating are both ultra-aggressive, warm water fly lines that work very well. Do not bring cold water floating lines, as the hot weather makes these lines soft and gummy.

Leaders:
Arapaima are big, powerful, and not leader shy. The minimum you will want to fish with is 80# Fluorocarbon which is strong and abrasion resistant. Some soft mono up to 100-130# also works great too. For arowana, tambaqui, and the other crazy fish you may encounter here, bring spools of 40#, 50#, and 60# fluorocarbon (Seagar is the best). If you get into schools of piranha, it’s not a bad idea to have some 35-40# wire leader as well.

Flies:
Fishing is done using baitfish, large insect, fruit, and even algae imitations. There is a new world here to discover. For baitfish imitations, we found black (and variations of black) to be the most productive color for big arapaima, while very large streamers in white, yellow, red, chartreuse and even pink were also very effective. These are incredibly powerful fish, so hooks are perhaps the most important part of the fly. Be sure to use very sharp, heavy guage hooks such as TMC600SP, Owner Aki or Gamakatsu SL12S hooks, in either 6/0 or 8/0. Flies should be heavily dressed in lengths from 5 to 8 inches. Imagine that arapaima can eat a baitfish from 4 inches up to 10 inches!

For arowana, bring a good assortment of small poppers, in white, red, chartreuse, and black, as well as some large terrestrials such as Cantara Beetles or Chernobyl Ants. It is important that these patterns are tied on strong hooks (normal trout hooks won’t work). Tambaqui will eat a lot of these things as well, and they really love fruit and nuts so bringing patterns that could work to imitate these vegetarian options can be production. For the peacock bass and other fish, a variety of streamers in chartrues, green, orange, and white in 1/0-3/0 will work. For patterns, the most typical flies used are synthetic material streamers such as the Glimmer Minnow and the Sardina Cruiser. However, many baitfish imitations have proved to be very successful, among them Puglisi Streamers in medium to very big sizes. Whistlers or Umpqua’s Tarpon’s Snake and Decievers and Half and Half’s.

Some flies are available for sale at the camp for $10 each but be sure to show up with a good selection as well. There are many piranhas in these waters, and while you may go days without seeing one, they can also sever leaders and put a serious dent on your fly selection in a hurry if you get into a school of them. Below is an example of the pre-packaged “Ultimate Pirarucu’ Fly Box” from The Fly Shop®, which will give you a guide idea of the types of flies recommended for this trip. You can order the collection of flies listed below from The Fly Shop® (Item# 19722), which has a retail value of almost $280, offered at a reduced rate of $199.95 – a 28% Discount.

We wrote a great Blog Post on the “Essential Gear for Fly Fishing for Arapaima at Pirarucú”. This will help you get prepared for your amazing jungle holiday at Pirarucú.

Arapaima Flies:
Below is a list of flies that we think every angler heading to Pirarucú should have in their kit:

Pirarucú Fly Selection (covers all species you will find at Pirarucú)
Major Bunker – #4/0
Tarpon Snake – #4/0
Andino Deceiver – #3/0; natural & black/orange
Bad Attitude Baitfish – #6/0; black/red
Cruiser Sardina – #2/0
Girl Next Door – #6/0; black/purple

Arowana, Tambaqui, Peacock Bass Flies:

Pirarucú Fly Selection (covers all species you will find at Pirarucú)
Zonker – #4; white
GB Chilean Rubber Bugger – #4
Bar Cat – black
Rubberleg Largemouth Popper – #4; pearl
Bonefish Clouser – #6; chartreuse
Camp Counselor – purple

The Fly Shop 800·669·3474

Pirarucu Travel & Tackle Planner

800 • 669 • 3474

GPS Coordinates: 2°16’22.54″S 65°17’37.27″W

General Travel Information

Restaurant Recommendations

Pirarucu Itinerary

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Fishing & Fish Species

General Information

Recommended Equipment

Recommended Reading List

Our Recommended & Mandatory Items List

Packing and Gear Checklist

Recomended Items

Optional Travel & Tackle PDF Downloads

Travel & Tackle Planner