AMAZON
Luxury Yacht Fishing Expedition
ART IC LE BY LARRY LARSEN
RIO NEGRO
Few travelers have heard
of the Rio Negro, which
flows southeast a short
distance along the
Venezuela and Colombia
border and then winds its
way through the Brazilian
state of Amazonas; it
meets up with the also
little-know Rio Solimoes
to form the mighty and
renown Amazon River.
What many people don’t
realize is that both rivers
are larger than the
Mississippi. Their
conjunction is near
Manaus, the gateway city
to the Amazon Basin,
about the same size as
Houston, the fourth
largest city in the U.S.
Despite the size of the
rivers, the basin has 11
rivers larger than our
Mississippi River. The river
city of Manus, and its
surrounding jungle is little
populated. Most tributaries
are more than 50 miles
upstream from confluence
with the Amazon are
isolated. The Rio Negro,
for example, has numerous
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MARCH 2014 •LUXE BEAT MAGAZINE
waterways where few
transport barges or villages
exist. Local Indians
paddling dugout canoes are
rare, on many waters. The
Amazon jungle does have
an abundance of small
waters teeming with exotic
fish that are hundreds of
miles from a paved road or
other vestige of civilization.
That’s why discovering a
luxurious fishing and ecotour operation far from any
crowds is unique and
attractive to this angler. I’ve
fished all over the world,
and no fish is as exciting as
the peacock bass which is
endemic to the Amazon
River Basin. The Rio Negro
and its tributaries are prime
waters for the fish and the
encompassing beauty of the
Amazon flora and fauna.
Cruising the waterway is
special and seductive,
particularly when doing it in
style.
I have spent more than 75
weeks cruising the remote
and isolated Amazon waters
of Brazil and seeing a variety
of wildlife. The beautiful
environment along the
equator can be harsh, and
that’s why I prefer to enjoy
the accommodations of a
luxury yacht operation like
Captain Peacock Yachts &
Expeditions. I’ve traveled
with numerous other
outfitters/operations in the
jungles of Brazil and no
one offers more.
After a night in a 4-star
business hotel in Manaus, a
42 seat Bombardier ATR42
twin engine turbo prop
charter plane whisks up to
20 guests to the Rio
Negro’s primary town of
Barcelos, also known as the
Tropical Fish Capital of the
World. Laying eyes on the