Peacock Bass Fishing in Colombia
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Virgin and unexplored, the Tomo River is home to the largest concentration of Giant Peacock Bass you've probably ever seen. FRIDAY -
Arrive to Medellin, Colombia at Jose Maria Cordoba International Airport. Here one of our representatives will pick you up and take you to the Hotel in Medellin (40 min drive) SATURDAY - 7:45 a. m. - A representative will pick you up at the Hotel to take you to the Olaya Herrera airport where you will take the Flight (10 min drive) 9:00 a. m. - Scheduled Charter flight departure from Medellin to La Primavera 11:00 a. m. - representatives will pick you up at the Primavera airport and take you for last minute purchases and also to enjoy lunch before heading to the camp 1:30 p. m. - The vehicles leave to the camp (3.5-hour drive). Duration may change depending on current camp location 5:00 p. m. - Arrival at the riverside, the hosts will get on their fishing boats and will be taken to the camp (15 min ride). Duration may change depending on current camp location SUNDAY-FRIDAY 6:00 a. m.- Breakfast at camp 6:30 a. m.- Fishing Day – Recommended start time 1:00 p. m.- Lunch, which can be either by the riverside or at the camp depending on river conditions 5:00 p. m. - Fishing Day – Mandatory return to camp time SATURDAY 6:00 a. m. - Scheduled departure time from the camp to meet vehicle transportation, boat ride (15:00 min) 6:30 a. m. - Scheduled departure to La Primavera, ground transportation (3.5 hours) 11:00 a. m. - Scheduled Flight Departure to Airport in Medellin 1:30 p. m. - Arrival at Medellin, airport pick up and shuttle to The Rio Verde Hotel (45 min drive). You need to talk to the Rio Verde counter to schedule shuttle transfer to the airport SUNDAY Shuttle transfer to the airport SEASON IS JANUARY TO MARCH For 2021 the fishing package price is $4000 USD/angler + 200 USD for communities. For 2022 the fishing package price is $4200 USD/angler + 200 USD for communities. 
FLY FISHING RECOMMENDATIONS
In order for you to have the best experience here is some advice on the right equipment for this fishing experience. RODS: Number 8 to number 10 rods, 8” to 9” feet long with fast actions or progressive fast actions with a strong back bone and lifting power are a must, Peacocks are very strong and generally you will have to tug or fight them before they reach snags or any other structure where they can hide. Turning their heads to force them into open waters is the way to go. REELS: Today’s large arbor reels offer great line speed retrieval and nice drags. Best drags are those with a progressive start, you don’t need the reel to stop a train in 1 second you need the reel’s drag to start smoothly whenever a fish makes a strong run and line reaches the reel. Big peacocks can make long powerful runs, especially in lagoons so be prepared. 150 yards of backing are more than enough. Balance your reels to the rods you will use. FLY LINES: Specialty lines are available from a lot of brands; they have to be tropical and feature wide short tappers. Saltwater lines for tropical weathers will also work in this situation. FLOATING LINE: Perfect for poppers along shore lines and structure and also perfect to fish the flats in the afternoon either with a popper or a large streamer. SINKING TIP LINES: Surface action is not always present, a sinking tip line between 250 gr and 350 gr is the searching engine you need almost all day long. Difference between higher grains will be how fast the tip descends and how easy it would be to avoid snagging the fly to the bottom or any other structure. INTERMEDIATE TIP LINES: This may be a fly line you can use if you don’t want to have a large selection. Won’t be good with poppers but certainly will help with large streamers along shorelines and flats. Descending speed varies depending on brands, but they are all slow sinkers. LEADERS: Leaders are basically short, 2” feet long for floating lines and 1.5” to 2” for the sinking tip lines. You can buy them or make them yourself. Shock tippets will also help as peacock bass mouths feature small teeth that are like sandpaper and are very abrasive. A 40 to 60-pound monofilament or fluoro carbon. Wire shocks are not necessary. If you are after an IGFA record then class tippet can’t exceed 20 pounds, distance between knots have to be reglementary and all tied in accordance to IGFA rules. FLIES: A very important part of the equipment! Flies for peacock bass may be short or huge in size, this is a strong predator that has to be searched for in different parts of the water column. Flies may be weighted or not, but they have to be well tied, be light in weight and materials can’t hold on to water. As you blind cast most of the time a well-designed fly with the characteristics described above is a must. Just imagine, casting all day long with those temperatures for a whole week, with a heavy water absorbing fly... not good. Please don’t doubt on asking us for our fly selections tied by our experienced Fly fishing partners. TIPS: - Avoid too much false casting to reach the spots, it may be exhausting. - Work on your loops, tight loops will deliver the fly into difficult places. - Work on your long casts. - Overload your rod with the next fly line number. - Use a stripping finger or glove. - Strip fast. - Bring back up rods and fly lines. - Bring light weight equipment, there are several species in this river that will also be fun to fish on smaller flies. - Prepare to have an awesome time in the jungle! |
TRIP RECOMMENDATIONS
WEATHER & WILDLIFE: The weather can be considerably hot. During the day, temperatures can range from 25o Celsius (68oF) to 35o Celsius (95oF). Due the hot weather and high UV levels we strongly recommend wearing long sleeve shirts, pants and face masks during your fishing week. This part of the jungle can have mosquitos and/or no-see-ums depending on weather conditions and season, additionally some bees or horse flies may be present, but very few in our experience. As for the rest, we remind you that this is a virgin rain forest home of all kind of spiders, strange insects and wildlife. We recommend guests not to go deep into the Jungle, pass through dense vegetation or turn logs over, fallen leaves, etc. CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: Clothing and accessories: Polarized glasses, waterproof jackets, sunscreen, all-purpose knife, photographic camera with extra batteries, comfortable long sleeve clothing, buff, hat, gloves and outdoor footwear, bug-spray. VACCINATIONS AND MEDICATIONS: 1. Although it’s not a requirement it is recommended to have shoots against yellow Fiver, dengue and tetanus. 2. If you want, you can also bring some pain relievers and antibiotics. 3. Important, if you are allergic to any food or insect, you have to come prepared with your medicines and let the guide know in advance. FLIGHT RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Light information needs to be provided with all the rest of the documentation on the required date. Failing to do so means that you run the risk of not being picked up at the airport upon arrival to Medellin 2. On your Flight to la Primavera the maximum allowed equipment weight for each passenger is 20kg. This includes check in bag, carry on, fishing equipment and so on. 3. If you are bringing liquor to the plane please make sure that you check it in with your bag and bring the invoice, you will be asked to present it, no more than 700ml per person are allowed as carry on. Camp Rules
Please remember to follow these rules so your experience is as exciting, unique and safe as possible. We are committed to the preservation of our species, the environment, and our communities. It is crucial that we respect the places we visit, and that we understand how our actions impact such environments. FISHING RULES: PRINCIPLE 1: We are a sustainable fishing lodge that proud ourselves of taking care of our natural resources, killing fish for food, bait, or any other reason is strictly forbidden. All fishing in the camp is catch and release. PRINCIPLE 2: Do not leave the fish out of the water for a long time, you should moisten your hands to grab the fish and take the photo, between each photo you must put the fish in the water to protect it. When taking pictures with the fish make sure to hold it horizontally with both hands and do not leave the whole weight of the fish hanging vertically from the scale, fish anatomy is made to be in the water, and these positions can cause severe strain in fish muscles and injuries that may lead to death, when weighting the fish. Make sure to use the net, do not leave it hanging with the bogagrip, it may cause serious injuries. PRINCIPLE 3: If you are not Fly fishing it is required that you use only single hooks in your lures. This is to help preserve the ecosystem and to avoid fatal injuries to the fish, this is a non- negotiable requirement from the indigenous communities and the local communities. PRINCIPLE 4: Let the guides handle and remove hooks from the fish. PRINCIPLE 5: All lines and leaders need to be at least 60pounds, this is a non-negotiable requirement from the indigenous communities and the local communities. PRINCIPLE 6: The main communication channel will be the camp leader. He will assign the guides and fishing routes for each of the guests. CAMP RULES: 1. Please DO NOT throw the toilet paper into the toilet, use the trash cans. 2. All guest should be back at the camp by no later than 5pm. 3. Each cabin (2 guests) will be assigned a guide for the week. 4. Each guide knows where you will be fishing each day of the week, please stick to the fishing plans and restrain from asking the guides to change the plans. 5. Do not jump out of the moving boats. 6. Guests are not allowed to drive boats or cars. 7. Please don’t talk to the indigenous communities, if you wish to purchase something from them please do so through the guide leader. 8. Do not OFFER or give liquor to the staff or indigenous communities. LAUNDRY: There is laundry available at the Camp. HARD LIQUOR: The camp does not carry inventory of hard liquor, if you wish to have some during your stay please coordinate with the trip organizers prior the trip. TIPS: All tips should be given to the camp leader, we will distribute them equally among all staff from the camp. Recommended tip is (10-15%) of package value. COMMUNITY FEE: A 200 USD community fee per angler is required prior your arrival to the camp. We recommend transferring this at the same time when you pay for your final deposit. |
