LAND OF THE GIANT KINGS/ EL CHALTEN ARGENTINA

With the decline of the giant sized chinook salmon in Alaska, Argentina is now hands down the best opportunity for a 70+ lbs giant.  These salmon appeared in Argentina around 20 years ago.  They enter the rivers in September and travel hundreds of miles to spawn in late March.  I recently had the opportunity to fish for these brutes for 5 days, February 23 to 27.  I booked the trip with Tomas Aquino who can be contacted on whatsapp (+54 9 2966 38-9623).  On February 22, I took a bus from the town of El Calafate to El Chalten which took about 3 hours.  El Chalten is often referred to as "the trekking capital of Argentina" located in Los Glacieres National Park with access to iconic peaks like Mount Fitz Roy.  We fished numerous pools on the Rio de las Vueltas which originates in Lago del Desierto and flows into Lake Viedma.

  I was guided by Ezequiel Rivera who is studying to be a vetinarian.  Ezequiel would pick me up at my hotel around 7am and we drove about 30 minutes to a pool on the river which he chose.  Tomas has a staff of 2 other guides plus guides himself. 

He provides everything (rods, reels, waders, boots, spoons, lunch, soft drinks, and transportation back and forth from your hotel. Chinook fishing is not easy as the fish do not eat in freshwater they hit lures out of instinct.

  I was hoping to catch 1 good size chinook for the stay and Tomas said the odds were good.  I brought my own equipment.  I used a Daiwa Saltiga travel casting rod, a Daiwa Lexa 300 spooled with 60 lbs Diamond hollow core braid filled with a 60lbs fluorocarbon leader.  Spoons were the ticket.  Tomas makes some great spoons which weigh about 1 1/2 ounces in gold and silver.  I landed both of my huge chinooks on the 1 1/4 oz little cleo in gold and silver/orange stripe.  The fishing far exceeded my expectations.  I landed 6 chinooks in the in 5 days with 2 giants.  I had numerous follows with kings exceeding 60 lbs only to turn at my feet.  Numerous salmon could be seen surfacing each day.  The pools are deep holes which can fish 2 anglers comfortably.  All of my strikes were on the swing as the spoon changed direction. 

The scenery in this area is breath taking. I cannot express my thanks to Tomas and Ezequiel as I cannot wait until next February to return to the Land of the Giant Kings!  Contact Tomas Aquino now to get onto this trip of a lifetime as he books extremely fast.  

TRAVEL RODS FOR PAPUA NEW GUINEA BASS

Multi piece fishing rods, travel rods, are sometimes a necessity for International Fishing trips.  Often, airlines will charge a large sum to carry long, 1 piece rods.  In recent years quality travel rods have become available here in the USA and Internationally.  On my recent trip to West Papua I used the Daiwa Saltiga Travel Casting Rods. 

I used the SATRJ663MB, SATR743MB, and the SATR703MHFB models.  All three models handled the bass and barramundi without issue. 

The SATRJ663MB is a jigging casting rod.  The foregrip is very small so this was the least favorite of the 3.  All models are 3 piece, lightweight, and constructed of super strong nano carbon.  I highly recommend these rods for any jungle species.  BTW, my friend used very expensive 5 piece rods made in Japan and the PNG bass destroyed a few of them.  

BEST LURES FOR PAPUA NEW GUINEA BLACK BASS

 

Papuan black snapper, aka Papua New Guinea black bass are large, powerful snapper species found in the rivers and estuaries of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Malaysia.  They are known for being a very challenging game fish with unmatched strength.  They inhabit freshwater and brackish environments.  Little is known on this species such as spawning whereabouts.  The current IGFA all tackle record stands at 47 lbs 8 oz caught on the Tauri River in Papua New Guinea's Gulf Province. 

Only the strongest lures have a chance of landing these brutes.  They inhabit wood structures leading to numerous snags.  Once a bite is detected, the angler has a split second of stopping these bass from getting into their structure.  Heavy duty hooks and split rings are a must.  

I have fished for bass a few times in Papua New Guinea and recently returned from West Papua, Indonesia.  The best results on our recent trip came from DUO Realis Fangbait 140DR SW and the 140DR model.  These lures were built to tackle even the largest of the beasts.  They are constructed with a 1.2 mm diameter thick wire running through the whole body.  The wire is secured by 3 different sized stainless-steel pins.  They have a moving weight system which enables the lure to cast long distances, which produce a rattle noise.  Both models can get down deep to around 3.5 meters on a fast retrieve using 100 lbs braid.  

All of our bass exceeding 40 lbs on my recent trip were landed on mega prawns rigged with a Gamakatsu weighted superline EWG hook.  These mega prawns were around 8 inches in length.  They are not available in the USA but can be bought from Australia.  The best prawns were the ATTOM and those made by Irukandji Tackle.  We casted these mega prawns directly into wooden structure and let sink to the bottom while jigging with an extremely slow retrieve. 

 

So, before you head out on your dream trip in search of the strongest freshwater fish on earth, it pays to have the best tackle available!  

WEST PAPUA, INDONESIA/ PAPUA NEW GUINEA BASS

 

Had the opportunity to once again fish for the strongest freshwater fish on earth, the Papuan Black Snapper aka the Papua New Guinea bass.  On January 14, 2026 I flew out of Chicago to Taiwan then to Bali, Indonesia on EVA Airlines.  I stayed in Bali for 2 nights at the Angkul Angkul Segara Beach Kuta which was very comfortable, cheap, near shopping malls, and close to the beach.  After enjoying Bali for 2 nights, I then flew to Sorong on Garuda Indonesia Airlines and stayed at the Swiss-Bel Hotel which was 5 star.  There is a great restaurant/ bar down by the marina.  Sorong is a very popular attraction for scuba diving.  I then flew to Kaimana on Lion Air where I met Luke and Ver Di of Rock Expeditions and friend Ross from Texas.  We would travel the night on Luke's newly purchased houseboat to various rivers where we would try to catch the elusive Papuan Black Snapper.

  The world record currently stands at 47 lbs 8 oz.  On a previous trip to the Gulf region in Papua New Guinea our group landed 5 bass over 40 lbs including a 46 lbs which stood as the all tackle record for a few years.  Bass are super strong and zoom back into wooden structure so the strongest of tackle is required.  We would fish for 10 days hitting numerous rivers.  The best fishing was near the river mouth where 3 bass over 40 lbs were landed. 

Down river casting into structure with either DUO Fangbait 14- or 8-inch plastic prawns the action was consistent.  For the 4 of us the results were as follows

72 bass up to 45 lbs

23 barramundi up to 22 lbs

8 Giant Trevally up to 35 lbs

Numerous Mangrove Jacks and Groupers

5 broken rods and countless snapped leaders

Best lures DUO Fangbait 140

8 inch plastic prawns available in Australia

Reel Shimano Curado 300 spooled with 100 lbs hollowcore Diamond Braid spliced with 40 yards of 130 lbs hollow core

Rod Daiwa Saltiga Travel Casting Rod in medium heavy action ( 3 piece) 7 ft

Leaders, 100 to 130 lbs Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon

In all the trip exceeded my expectations on the number of bass landed.  We developed a pattern on the last day where the 3 bass exceeding 40 lbs were landed.  I am sure bass reaching 60 lbs are present in these waters.  Catching them is story of another day!  However, I will be back again in October in search of these monsters.  The houseboat exceeded expectations. We fished 2 rods per native boat.  The wooden boats were about 28 ft long and had a casting platform.  Dual outboards powered the boats.  The guides were outstanding and knew the waters well.   The sleeping room consisted of 4 beds and A/C.  There is a shared bathroom with shower on board.  The meals were outstanding.  We dined on lobster, stone crabs, deer, and chicken during the stay.  I cannot wait to return to this land where time forgot.  The potential in endless and the majority of these rivers have never seen a lure.  Plus, the locals have a lucrative wooden plank business, so we did not see hardly any netting in the area and never saw another fisherman.  I highly recommend contacting Rock Expeditions for that "trip of a Lifetime". 

2025, A YEAR IN REVIEW

 

First, I hope everyone and their families had a Merry Christmas.  May God bless each of you in 2026.

2025 didn't begin well for me.  My mom passed away at the end of January.  I had a difficult time dealing with this.  I miss her so much. But, with the help of God, life goes on.

Toward the end of March, I went ice fishing for trophy sheefish in Kotzebue, Alaska under the guidance of Lew Pagel of www.arcticfishingadventures.com. 

It was a dream trip with many trophies landed.  This is a must trip for avid anglers.  

In April, I returned to Argentina, my home away from home.  I fished at Jurassic Lake Lodge on Lago Strobel in Patagonia for trophy rainbow trout.  Jurassic is second to none for giant rainbows.

In May, I fished for yellowfin tuna and other saltwater species out of Bahia Solano, Columbia.  The fishing was outstanding.

In August, I caught huge arapaima in the jungles of Bolivia with many friends from Argentina.

September had me return to Jurassic Lake Lodge.  Fishing is always outstanding.

November had me return to the Amazon jungle, casting woodchoppers for huge peacock bass.

2026 will be  another exciting year.  I am blessed to continue my dream and am extremely fortune to have great friends.

MAY GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU!

BARCELOS BRAZIL NOV 14 TO 21, 2025

 I had the opportunity to once again fish for peacock bass in the Brazil Amazon.  I had fished the Amazon for 20 straight years beginning in 1988.  Due to high fishing pressure, I switched to golden dorado and Papua New Guinea bass, the true heavyweights of freshwater fishing.  I booked a trip with Argentina friend, Javi Koller, to fish in the Rio Negro around Barcelos.  I would be joined with 17 Argentina anglers. 

We fished with the Amazon Branquinho boat.  After a comfortable night's stay in Manaus we took 14 hour transfer boat ride to Barcelos.  The boat was comfortable with good meals and video. 

Upon arrive we were greeted by the Amazon Branquinho team and taken to our houseboat for 6 days of fishing.  The water levels we ideal with many white sand breaches observed. The houseboat was adequate along with good meals and good guides.  The fishing was off as only a few peacocks exceeding 10 lbs were landed.

  I released a 13 lbs peacock which was the 2nd largest for the week ( the largest was 13.5 lbs). I only cast woodchoppers for peacocks as enjoy the topwater explosions. I used 1 lure for the trip!   The Argentina anglers casted small minnow lures and landed many small butterfly peacocks. Despite the poor fishing, I still had an enjoyable trip especially again observing the sights and sounds of the Amazon.  I saw lots of pink dolphins and macaws. Plus, I was fortune to wet a line with some old friends and with new friends. However, in my opinion, the "Good Ole days" of peacock bass fishing have gone and went.  Back when I started in the late 1980s other anglers were not present.  50 to 100 peacocks with many exceeding 15 lbs were landed each session on topwater. Now, fishing pressure has drastic put a damper on numbers and size especially in easily accessible areas of Barcelos.  

DAIWA 2025 SALTIGA TRAVEL JIGGING RODS

 

Quality travel fishing rods are a must for the International angler. Long 1 piece rods often are not allowed on International flights or small domestic charter flights.  Or, airlines charge a small fortune for oversize baggage.   However, these are often very difficult to come by.  In 2025, Daiwa has introduced the Saltiga Travel jigging rods.  These are 3 piece rods in either spinning or casting.  Both come in either medium or medium heavy action.  These rods are constructed of HVF nanoplus graphite blanks which are extremely light in weight yet packing incredible power.  I recently purchased the 6ft 6in casting model in medium heavy.  The rod is extremely light.  It reminds me of a slow pitch jigging rod.  I plan on using the rod in my upcoming trip to West Papua/ Indonesia casting for Papua New Guinea bass and barramundi.