I recently took a trip to the Amazon Jungle, traveling through parts of Colombia, Brazil and Peru on the mighty Amazon River with friends and family.
We stayed one night at a more remote location, and also did some piranha fishing, which was a ton of fun. It was basically like sunny fishing -- as many as you wanted ... except these fish can take a chunk out of your finger. It was a very simple approach, using cane poles and chicken and cut fish for bait. I was kicking myself for not packing a small travel rod to throw some lures.
I saw one guy with a peacock bass at one area, and when I asked where he got it, he said he bought it from another fisherman, LOL. I definitely look forward to visiting the Amazon again and targeting more species.
A crazy part was also going out with our guides to catch caiman (crocodiles) at night. One guy would ride on the bow and spot them with his headlamp, while another guy ran the motor. When they’d spot one, they’d sneak up and guy would jump out into the river barefoot and grab it barehanded. What a nut. Pretty wild to be a part of.
I also visited other parts of Colombia, including the city of Bogota and the rural part of Villavicencio. We saw & experienced a lot of cool things. I definitely encourage anyone to travel and visit other parts of the world. It will give you new perspective on the life we live in the U.S.A.
I took a TON of pics. I’ll share a few here. Also, below are a few vids to give you an idea of the many sights along the river while coming in and out of port. It’s very different from the banks of the main part of the river, which is just miles of jungle with occasional settlements.
Heading out of port in Leticia, Colombia.
Very simple cane rods.
Our trusty captain for two days and one night in the jungle. Guy did a great job with boat handling the whole time.
We fished in pockets of slower water, along the banks of the main river. It was as many fish as you wanted to catch. Kids and everyone had a blast. We got piranha and one or two other species (forget the exact names).
The teeth on these fish are no joke. The guides cautioned us. I almost got my one daughter bit in the leg when I was walking by her with one in my hand and it grabbed a hold of her shorts.
In addition to the fishing from the boat, I did a little from the dock we stayed at. Fish are everywhere in this river.
Sunrise from where we stayed for one night.
Not the most luxurious of accommodations, but it was a great experience. Honestly, the spring black flies in Maine are 10x worse than any bug situations I encountered in the Amazon.
Sunset along the Amazon River.
I thought these guys were nuts for jumping in the Amazon barefoot to grab the crocs. They thought I was crazy when we described ice-fishing to them.
Of course, there was plenty of great Colombian beer consumed throughout our travels.
Along the bank of the mighty Amazon.
Stopping for some fresh melons on our way back after a night in the jungle.
We got to see some cool wild life, up close and personal ...
Giant pads, begging for a topwater bait.
A few more random pics ...
An Amazon tackle shop.
Various fish for sale on the street.
The city of Bogota.
Camping in the Colombian mountains before our Amazon trip.
Climbing up to get ready for zip lining over the top of the Amazon canopy.
I was the biggest wimp when it came to the zip lining. Not a fan of heights at all. And the climb up to start the zip lining was no joke. It was work, and it was high. I honestly felt some of the kids in our crew wouldn't be able to do it. I almost bailed half-way up the climb, but I sucked it up and kept going. I was proud of all the kids and everyone in our group for completing the climb, zip lining and walking over a crazy rickety narrow bridge.
Kids swimming in a mountain stream.
We finished out our trip in Villavicencio, where a friend's family has a beautiful house in the country with a pool. It was a great place to relax and close out the trip.
Lots of cool sights and things to explore within walking distance.
Looking down on the main part of the city at night from a rocky point, called the Love Rock.
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Great pictures and report. Thanks for sharing. For trips like that a pack rod and small spinning reel are a must. I have one I take to the Caribbean Islands. Let me know next time you go off on another one of these fabulous trips. An interesting side advantage to having a mosquito net over you even if it is not buggy is the fact it also keeps the rats and snakes out of your bed. Trust me, in Vietnam we all had them in our bunkers even when it wasn't bug season.
Hah hah, they did mention not to go down to water at night where we were staying because of the snakes. That was the only thing that had me worried. There were totally open walls and cracks everywhere a snake could get in while we slept.
Yep, my mistake. Won't make it again. We had a ton of activities packed into this trip, and wasn't sure the fishing was going to happen. Already talking about another trip to a different part of the Amazon for the future.
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