PRINCESA ALICIA EXPEDITION/ RIO NEGRO/ BRAZIL AMAZON, NOV 2 TO 9, 2024

Fishing in the Amazon jungle for peacock bass was my passion.  I travelled to Lake Guri, Venezuela about 35 years ago before practically anyone heard of these brutes.  The topwater strikes were impressive and I became hooked.  I travelled to Venezuela and Brazil for over 20 years seeking these jungle bass in a truly beautiful setting.  The sights, sounds, and smells of the Amazon are something one never forgets.  

Toward the end of my expeditions, the jungles became full of fishermen.  The fishing was nothing like it used to be and the peacocks became weary of the sounds of the woodchoppers.  So, it was time to move on!

In September 2023, friend Javi Koller who owns Zona Pesca tackle shop in Buenos Aires, asked if I would be interested in joining his group to the Brazilian Amazon.  The price was exceptional, so I was all in.  I figured if the fishing was off, just visiting the Amazon would be worth my time.

The fishing far exceeded my expectations.  My largest peacock was a monster pushing the boga grip to 22.5 lbs.  I used only 1 woodchopper the entire trip.  It is now void of paint!

Most everyone in the group of 16 landed a trophy peacock.  The water on the Rio Negro was very low with white sand beaches appearing everywhere.  The weather was "hot" with little wind or rain.

The trip was run very smoothly.  I highly recommend booking a trip with Javi Koller and going on Expedition with Pricesa Alicia.  The staff and guides are superb.  The meals were outstanding.  My guide knew the Rio very well.  It far exceeded my expectations, so I am going back in 2025.  Looks like I am again hooked on the jungle bass!  

JURASSIC LAKE LODGE/ PATAGONIA SEPTEMBER 21 TO 28, 2024

 

Had the opportunity to fish for monster rainbow trout at Jurassic Lake Lodge during September 21 to 28, 2024.  We were greeted by strong winds and frigid air temperatures.  However, the fishing was outstanding.  The top fly was again the white mop.  The rainbows were concentrated on the far right of the river mouth as the flow as changed in recent years.  The water is exceptionally low.  Then was some snow during the week and wind gusts up to 80 mph.   

The rainbows were not concentrated as much as past years most likely to the frigid air temperature.  Our rod guides constantly froze.  The largest rainbow of the week was 20+lbs weighed.  There were numerous in the 17 to 19 lbs range.  

The meals were the best I experienced at Jurassic Lake Lodge.  The road heading into the lodge from the paved highway was recently grated so easy to drive.  Rumor has it a charter will be available soon from Calafate.  

If your to do list is to catch a monster sized rainbow trout, give Jurassic Lake Lodge a try on Lago Strobel in the Patagonia region of Argentina.  I guarantee you will not be disappointed.  

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

 

Many of us, me included, were greatly influenced by their dad.  My dad and mother were great influences on my fishing desire.  My dad jumped from job to job before landing a spot on the Whiting Police Department.  My mom's job was raising my brother and me.  During my young years my mom would take the neighborhood kids fishing to Wolf Lake.  Later when I got a tad older, my dad took me out in his boat for coho salmon out in Lake Michigan.  With limited funds, they still managed to have yearly fishing vacations to places such as Blackduck, MN, Bemidji, MN, Cadillac, MI, and finally to Yellow Lake in Webster, WI.  When my dad reached 20 years of service, he retired and moved to Yellow Lake where we would fish for walleyes.    When I started to work and gather in some funds, I repaid my dad with trips to Great Bear Lake, in the Canadian Far North and a trip to Painter Creek Lodge on the Alaska Peninsula.  The memories were endless.  My mom was the champ of the family with walleye catches of 12, 11, and 10 lbs out of Yellow Lake.  

The importance of bonding with family members, such as your dad goes a long way in life.  Even though time is short, memories are forever.  God took my dad a few years ago.  I still think of him every day especially when I am fishing.  I could never thank him and my mom enough for introducing me to nature.  

So, spend time with your dad before he is called by God.  For young dads, take your kids fishing as goes a long way in life. 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY,    DAD!!!!

PAPUA NEW GUINEA BASS

 

Luke Wyrsta, of Rock Expeditions, has announced that he will be operating 3 expeditions in the remote jungle of Papua New Guinea in search of PNG bass and barramundi.  The expeditions are August 3-12, August 18-27, and in early September.  All the expeditions are centered around moon phases which the locals say the best time for bass is.  All expeditions start in the town of Daru, which is accessible by taking a flight from Port Moresby on Air Niugini.  

Having previously caught 40+ lbs bass, in my opinion they are the strongest freshwater fish on earth!  They are the only fish either freshwater or saltwater which has pulled me to my knees.  The runs strip reels as I had my Shimano 500 TranX destroyed.  They snap rods and break line like pretzels.  Either immediately turn the bass after hookup or game over!  

In February, Luke, three friends, and myself did an exploratory trip into this area to look for potential.  This time period is the high-water season, so we knew chances of catching bass and barras was remote. However, we all agreed the potential is here.   We talked with local tribe chiefs and asked about the best times which they all said August when the waters are low and clear.  We obtained permission to fish numerous rivers.  Boats and gasoline were setup for the upcoming expeditions.  Luke has purchased new expedition tents for housing inside wooden structures built by the local natives.  The expeditions will be more or less roughing it.  We will have a generator and freezer to keep drinks cold.  Meals will be of fish, lobsters, crabs and other caught seafood.  

Papua New Guinea is perhaps the last frontier on earth.  These rivers we will fish have never seen a lure except for our February trip.  Being so remote, there are limited chances of catching these brutes.  

If trophy Papua New Guinea bass is on your hit list, give either Luke or me a shout on Facebook.  Or you can email me at doradokiller@hotmail.com and I will put you in contact with Luke.  

Javi Koller Fishing Travel

 

Friend, Javi Koller, lives in Buenos Aires.  He owns the Zona Pesca tackle store and operates the Javi Koller Fishing Travel Company.  His store is stocked with local lures, quality rods, reels, and fishing clothing.  He also runs a Fishing Travel Company.  He oversees fishing trips to top destinations in South America and Central America.  He has run trips to Robinson Crusoe Island in Chile for giant yellowtail kingfish, Brazil Amazonas for monster peacock bass, Columbia for tuna and other saltwater species, Costa Rica for tarpon.  He is also putting together a group to Bolivia for giant arapaima.  

Javi works directly with the lodge owners to get the best price which is far below the cost Americans can get by booking themselves or through an American Outfitter.  He has been to these destinations so can provide the tackle needed. 

So, why pay thousands more!  Give Javi a text at 11-6491-6174

Jurassic Lake Lodge, Argentina Patagonia May 4 to 11, 2024

 

Jurassic Lake, aka Lago Strobel, has become one of my favorite places to wet a line.  Jurassic Lake Lodge is owned by friend, Carlos Casanello whom I have known for many years.  Jurassic Lake Lodge sits next to the Barrancoso River which is the only Rio feeding the lake.  The fishing outside the river mouth is normally redhot.  Prior to leaving for the lodge, I spent about a week in El Calafate visiting El Chaltin and the Moreno Glacier.  Chaltin had lots of snow, so hiking was impossible.  The Moreno Glacier is a must to see site.  I have visited both places numerous times and never get tired of the beauty.  In Calafate, I stayed at Bla! Lodge which is located about a mile out of town.  The lodge is small, about 10 rooms, and has a great view of the snowcapped mountains.

  The breakfast is superb, and the cost is very reasonable.  A few days I walked to the Bay of Lago Argentino to view the pink flamingos.

A day before I was set to go to Jurassic Lake Lodge, I was informed that there was over a few feet of snow which made the 5 hour drive impossible as one drives to the end of the paved highway in a lodge van, then transfers into 

4x4 pickup trucks.  The lodge worked around the clock for three days with snowplows to clear the road.  Once arriving at Jurassic, there was about a foot of snow on the ground and the river was frozen.  We set up our gear after breakfast and the fishing for rainbows was amazing.  We had tough conditions with little to no wind which is not good at Jurassic as the rainbows prefer howling winds. I was teamed with long time guide friend, Jose Escalda.  Jose said the fishing was really good with lots of "chromers" being landed.  On my first cast to the right of the river mouth I had a huge strike which resulted in trophy rainbow.  The fishing continued to be good the entire three days we were at the lodge.  My largest pushed the scales to 20.0 lbs. while another in camp caught a trophy weighing 20.2lbs.

In my opinion, the end of April and the beginning of May is the best time at Jurassic Lake to catch huge chromers weighing over 20 lbs.  These "chromers" put on a great fight and often jump.  If you can put up with some snow and wind, book this timeframe ASAP before the word gets out!!

ISLA PACIFICO ECO LODGE/ ROBINSON CRUSOE ISLAND CHILE APRIL 2024

 

On April 12, I along with 5 friends from Argentina and 1 friend from the USA fished with waters outside Isla Pacifico Eco Lodge which is located on the Juan Fernandez Archipelago in Valparaiso, Chile.  This was my first trip to Chile. Robinson Crusoe Island is famous for producing some of the largest yellowfin kingfish on earth.  We flew into Santiago and spent the night before boarding a charter flight for our 3-hour excursion to the Island.  Once landing, we noticed thousands of seals sunning on the beach.

We were picked up by a boat taxi service for our 45-minute drive to the lodge.  The lodge has 4 rooms.  They provide all rods including popping, speed jigging and slow pitch jigging.  The lodge has 2 boats for hire.  Our first day was a day of jigging.  Some chose speed jigging while other tried slow pitch jigging.  Fishing was good for most of the day.  Lots of silver trevally would be landed throughout the day and a few yellowtail kingfish.  Javi's brother landed the first trophy and kingfish probably pushing the scales around 60 lbs.

He was on fire for most of the trip and landed many trophies.  On the 2nd day, I l hooked into something big.  After a few drag burning runs a huge grouper was landed.  The guides were extremely excited as this type of grouper was exceptionally large.  It was great sushi!  

Fishing continued to be excellent throughout the trip.  I came down with some virus and missed the last three days of fishing of which I was extremely disappointed.  Javi landed the largest kingfish of the trip with a monster weighing around 70 lbs.  The largest few afternoons, the guides set up trolling gear in hopes of landing some striped marlin which are abundant in these waters.  A few marlins were landed with the largest caught by friend Cornell which pushed the scales to around 200 lbs.

  The total experience was outstanding.  The meals and accommodations are 5 stars.  The guides, boats, and gear are top notch.  Since I missed a few days, I hope to return next year. If interested in battling monster yellowfin kingfish on Robinson Crusoe, get in touch with Javi Kollar who is on Facebook or reach out to me.  Javi runs a fishing booking agency to destinations in South America at extremely discounted rates!  

LA ZONA DORADO APRIL 1-4, 2024

 

April is my favorite month to fish for dorado in the area known as "La Zona" in Argentina on the Rio Uruguay.  Normally, April has water levels from 3 meters to 6 meters so a variety of lures and techniques can be used.  In the past few years, the water levels at La Zona have been very low to very high, nothing in between.  I arrived in Buenos Aires a few days early to meet up with some old friends and visit some local tackle stores.  This year I stayed the majority of my time at the Gran Hotel Argentino.  The hotel is a great bargain!!  Always make sure to exchange for some "blue dolars" while in Argentina.  On March 31, the lodge taxis picked our group of four up for the 5 1/2-hour drive to Concordia where La Zona sits. Lodge owner, and great friend, Giuliana Bradanini greeted us upon arrival with a few bottles of cold Quilmes.  Giuliana would later in the week get married where I was honored to walk her down the aisle.  Each of us were given a room and spent the evening getting our tackle ready for our fishing Monday through Thursday.  The water levels were high around 8 meters while the coloration was slight chocolate which is usually a bad sign!  After discussing the fishing techniques with guides Alejandro and Elbio we decided to toss Kermett Adams doradokiller spinnerbaits. 

Friend, Cole, landed the first trophy dorado, a monster pushing the scales to 48 lbs.  Kermett's spinnerbaits with dual gold blades teamed with gold skirts was the ticket as fishing was good throughout the day.  Both boats landed a few dorado pushing the boga grip over the 40 lbs mark.  The key factor on Kermett's spinnerbaits is the rotating hook.  The huge dorado jumped often and get leverage on the hook thus bending it.  Since the spinnerbaits hook rotates, no leverage can be applied.  

During our stay we missed a few sessions due to thunderstorms.  It is extremely dangerous to be on the water during lightning storms with all the electrical wires near the Salto Grande dam.  The largest dorado caught during the stay was a trophy 50 lbs dorado caught by Greg.  The totals for our group of 4 was 11 weighing between 30-39 lbs, 10 weighing between 40-49 lbs, and 1 weighing 50 lbs.  In the past few years, the dorado have been getting larger most likely due to spinnerbaits being used.  In all. another great trip.  Congratulations to Giuliana!  Cannot wait to get back next April!