By the time you read this, I’ll be in the Amazon rainforest enjoying what I’m sure will be the most amazing fishing trip of my life.
I’m joining one of my sponsors, Dustin Stromsness of ZEUS Logistics, and one of his customers for an eight-day adventure. We’ll be living on a house boat that tows fishing skiffs into the remote tributaries where giant peacock bass live.
This has been on my bucket list for a long time, and even though I have very little idea of what to expect, I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with Dustin. Last year was very productive for us, so when he told me we should take a trip to celebrate, I was all in.
Dustin gave me the option of doing a hunting trip or a fishing trip. I told him I already had a lot of hunting scheduled for the fall, so I thought a unique fishing trip would be a great idea.
Not long after that, Dustin told me he had us booked for this Amazon trip, and I gotta tell you, I was stoked.
I got all my family and business priorities handled, packed what I needed, got all my medical requirements handled and left town with some pretty big expectations. I talked to several of my friends who fished down there, and they all said the same thing: “You’re going to have an amazing time.”
Guiding on Lake Fork, I’ve definitely caught some really big fish, but from everything I hear, the giant peacock bass are the main reason everyone fishes the Amazon. I love throwing topwater baits for largemouth bass, so I can’t wait to throw those big prop baits they call Wood Choppers.
Everyone tells me that these aggressive baits will attract the most explosive bites you’ve ever seen. You may not get a lot of bites — there’s probably other ways to get numbers — but they tell me that when you catch one on the Wood Chopper, it’s a good one.
My goal is to catch a 20-pound peacock. I don’t know if that’s possible, but I’m going to throw that big bait to try and meet that goal. I might wear myself out throwing the Wood Chopper and working it as hard as you need to work it, but it’ll be worth it when a giant peacock smokes that bait.
I’m also looking forward to catching some other Amazon species like piranhas. I love catfishing at home, so maybe I’ll have an opportunity to catch one of the beautiful South American species like the red tail catfish.
I’ll be filming all of this for my YouTube channel, so I’ll be able to share the experience with everyone when I return.
Also, Dustin and his church are working with some missions in the Amazon region, so we’re going to visit several missions along the way. It will be cool helping some of the missions down there between our fishing trips.
I think this trip will be very rewarding, but it’s also a necessary break that relaxes me and gets my mind off the business. It’s been 24/7 with boat rigging, sponsor obligations and all the important things I have to attend to before we start the new Elite season.
I’m sure I’ll stay on the go while I’m in this amazing part of the world, but I think I’m gonna come back relaxed, ready to start fishing and win some more blue trophies.
