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A GOOD PRESCRIPTION TO START WITH Forget about saltwater records. They are very difficult to break, because sea fish are almost evenly distributed around the world, and the competition is fierce. Concentrate on freshwater fish. But forget the most common ones like salmon, pike, bass and trout, because they are intensely fished in the USA and Canada. Same as the European fish. Find a remote place, with strange fish. Through the Internet there is a list of the local, more common fish. Check with the IGFA book. See the ones that already has its records established but are small for their species, and the ones still missing in the book.
Make a lot of xerox copies of the record application forms. Go to the chosen place and start to work. THE CHOSEN PLACE
I arranged an airlift with the Brazilian Air Force to the Xingu National Park, right in the center of Brazil's interland, a 3 hour flight from Brasilia. There I met Orlando Villas Boas, the National Park Superintendent. After 2 days of watching me catch an incredible quantity of all kinds of fish, he made a proposition to myself. "Would you like to join an expedition with my brother Claudio, and I? We're planning to go up river, almost to the border of the Pará State. It will be a 300 mile canoe trip there and back. We need your help to hunt and fish for feeding the expedition of twelve people."
When I think back, the most incredible fact about the whole thing is how I didn't even consider the real risks that I was taking! Also, how I had the great honor to take part in an expedition of such importance, led by two of the most eminent world specialists on indigenous affairs, many times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. But all this is past. Let's see what we did there in the last two years. FIRST WEEK (October, 16 to 21 - 1999) In the early morning of the 16th, I was thinking about the above subjects, seated in a confortable 8 seat twin engine Cessena, piloted by Mr. Ataualpa Catalan, owner of a Fishing lodge, http://www.ranchoxingu.com.br/. This is very near the border of the Xingu National Park, just in front of the Rivers Kuluene and 7 de Setembro, where they join to form the Xingu River.
The reason for my invitation was to develop a master plan,
limiting the over fishing in the area. It was a very
complicated matter, because it would involve the locals,
authorities, farmers, and two other fishing lodge owners of
the area. The big problem is that the Brazilian legislation
allows each fisherman to take 30 Kilos (66 pounds) of fish
per day, plus The local owners of the 3 fishing lodges are the mainly the ones interested in this control. Since the opening of the lodges 3 years ago, they are noticing that the overkill is diminishing the numbers of fish available. So they're worried with the possibility of losing their clients in the next years. So they were the first ones to accept my initial proposition of not allowing their guests to take home more than one fish per day. I am still working in the overall master plan, which will include a municipal law which will not allow fish to be removed from the area, and nominating the lodge owners as game keepers to curb the law. By the way, they were doing this informally but very successfully in the last years regarding the wild animals. At almost every beach you can see capybaras, tapirs, otters, and alligators. Not to mention birds of all sizes.some of the Amazonian wildlife
Three hours later we were fishing. It was not in the right season for big catfish. I did, however, immediately catch a 7 kilo (15.5 pound) payara, a great fighting fish, with very sharp teeth. Their teeth grow so big they cut through the roof of the fish's mouth. Half an hour later a very nice pike cerracin hit my spoon, and jumped like a sailfish. My Colombian friend got a nice piranha, and a 19 pound barred sorubin on 2 pound line. But the biggest fish were the pre historic looking catfish, the armal and abotoado. SECOND WEEK (April 20 to 26 - 2000) This time my main purpose was to fill all the vacancies in the barred surubrim category that just opened in the IGFA record book. The categories of the 2,4,6,8,12.16,20,30,50,80,130 pound line class records were open and waiting for me. But due to some misinterpretations of the rules, I only got the two all tackle records, plus a tie, and the 16 and 20 pound line class records. Besides the barred sorubin records, I also got the duckbill catfish and manduba records. My number of records amounted to 12 in 14 days. THIRD WEEK (August 4 to 10 - 2000) This time I knew all rules by the heart. An IGFA representative previously tested the lines, and there was no possibility of making the same mistakes as last time.Even so the result was poor compared with the other two weeks: I broke only the 130, 30, and 2 pound categories. Matter of fact, I was a little uncomfortable when filling out my record application for the 130 pound line for a fish of only 7 pounds. But what could I do? Rules are rules. Anyway, there was a small consolation for being able to catch a 6 pound fish with only two-pound line. It was not an easy task, considering the force of the river current. I came back to Rio, feeling terrible. Only 15 records in 21 days.
My mood did not improve on the way back to Rio. We flew very low over the country. It was terrible to see the earth burned. During the first 50 kilometers the jungle was intact. But after that a scenario of desolation came to my eyes. The burnt areas looked as a movie of the Vietnam War. Darkened fields, full of lumps of trees that weeks ago could reach 100 feet high. Terrible sigh. I felt very sad, thinking in the burnt animals and birds. But my feelings were lifted a few miles away, when I started to see the fields of the last years queimadas, turning into a beautiful view. Hundred of miles of well-groomed fields of Soya beans, maize, green fodder, and all kind of plantations. We landed in the small city of Canarana, to change planes. There I saw a teeming little city, with good roads, hospitals, churches, schools, and even a small university. People were well dressed, and looking happy. If the queimadas are the price that we must pay for creating jobs and small cities like that, I vote for them. Of course, the government is doing all they can to stop the Queimadas at least 10 kilometers from the rivers, to keep the ciliar vegetation on the banks safe.
Another controversial subject are the Amazonian damns that are being planned by the Brazilian government. In the Xingu River, near Altamira, in the Estate of Para, there will be a new dam built. It will probably bring serious ecological problems. The peacock bass will take it over in detriment of other local specimens. Many of the others fish will be extinct when unable to move freely in the river to spawn. The government promises that all wild animals will be moved from the area to be flooded. Personally I think that less than 50% will be saved, because it is a very large area to survey. Regarding the local inhabitants they are so scarce, and the area has so low a demographical occupancy, that the damn will not be problem for them. But even if it was, what can we do? Small cities like Canarana are growing everywhere in Central Brazil. Jobs are being created, and people that some years ago were working in the old farms almost starving, in a half state of slavery, now are citizens wanting electrical energy. What should we give them? Atomic plants? Fossil fuel plants? Alternative uses of energy that they will not have money to pay? The damns are the only solution available to us. The ecological price we will be paying for them are less than the benefit derived to our people. FOURTH WEEK (September 4 to 17 - 2000)
They are not very big around there. Two to three pounds. Not like the ones at Rio Negro up in the north of Amazon River, where they reach 20 to 24 pounds. But if you use light tackle you can have fun. Another fighting fish is the matrincham. per pound, I think it is a better opponent than a blue marlin. We had a lot of fun. We camped in the small lakes, and fished all day long. There was a tributary of the 7 de Setembro River, the Cel. Vanick River. It is full of rapids and game fish. One night my local guide invited me to fish for the Piau. I was a little tired, so I declined the invitation, and watched him fish with a small bamboo pole and 6 pound line. It was a lot of fun. He caught 4 half-pounders, all of which gave him a lot of fight. We had them for supper. Delicious fish. After the meal, I decided to give a try. I caught one that weighed 4.5 pounds. To my surprise, a world record. It was the first, and probably the last, piau I will ever catch. No way to get one bigger. Of all of my records I am sure this one will be the only to stay forever.
Not a bad day. I left for Rio the next day. I had caught 26 records in 27 days. Next first of June I am going back there. This time things will not be so easy. My targets are the "poraque" (electric fish) the red piranha, and the "rebeca" catfish. Not easy targets.
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Copyright ©2004, by PESCARTE/SP, Brasil
Checking the IGFA book, see which fish has a line class
newly open, with plenty of vacancies.Read the IGFA rules carefully about record breaking. Know it
by heart. I lost 8 probable records by not doing it.
Buy an IGFA certified scale and a measurement tape.
Take with you two good cameras, and a video tape recorder.
Take double photos of the fish, just in case one of the
cameras does not work properly.
The place I
chose was the Xingu River area. Mainly because of the
attachment I have with this river since my boyhood.The first time I went to the River Xingu was in 1964, when I
was a youngster only interested in surfing and diving, in a
corner of Ipanema Beach, and crazy about spearfishing, sea
basses, groupers, and yellowtails. One day I decided to try
a different place and chose the Xingu River. My aim was to
be the first Brazilian ever to spearfish a piranha.
The aim of the trip was to try the first contact with an
unknown tribe of 6-foot tall Indians. They were the fierce
Kren Akrore who had ambushed an expedition of the Royal
Geographic Society in 1961, killing amongst others its
leader Richard Mason.
one of any weight. It is very complicated to
explain to the local people and the paying guests that they
should restrain their right to catch and carry so many fish,
in benefit of something so vague as to "keep the local
fishing population stable." But as I always said,
"Ecology subjects are understood only when they hit
your pocket."
I went to
the pilot cabin, and he told me that his GPS went crazy, and
he could not see very well because of the
"Queimadas." "Queimadas" are the
Brazilian name for the forest fires done purposefully by the
farmers to clear areas for crops or cattle grazing. I
suggested he find the nearest landing strip, land, and take
my luggage out, where I had an extra GPS unit. Coming back
to my seat, I mentioned it to fisherman friend from Colombia,
who got very excited and said; Are you crazy? In my country
if we land in an airstrip, in the middle of the jungle,
without radio permission, we probably would be shot down by
the owners. Luckily we were in Brazil. We landed in a farm
nearby, fixed the GPS, and half an hour later we were flying
over the Kalapalo Tribe, and then landed at Rancho Xingu.
This time I
stayed two weeks. I was really determined to fill all
vacancies in the barred sorubin category. If you want to get
a big sorubin you do not need to go further away from the
ranch. Matter of fact, all my sorubin records were taken
within a five mile radius from it. Between the 4th and the
9th I broke seven more sorubin records. Plus the croaker
silver, piranha
manuelis, and the payara. The last 3 caught on two-pound
line. I am very proud to be the first Brazilian to break the
monopoly of Americans and Venezuelans in the payara records.
To this day I had 22 records in 19 days of fishing. Not a
bad average. But I also wanted to have some fun. I was
looking forward to some bait casting in whitewater. So I
started to get bored of spending so much time bottom
fishing. But in this part of the Kuluene River there are no
rapids. So I decided to devote some time to record chasing
and have some fast action. Instead of staying in the
confortable Ranch and nearby fishing holes, I decided to go
well up in the rivers that form the Kuluene. To have some
fun, to catch peacock bass and matrinchaes, the best sport
fishes in the river. So I packed my gear, and went into the
wilderness. I left the Kuluene River and went 30 miles up to
the 7 de Setembro River.
In this time of the year, the water level is down, and there
are a lot of lakes that border the river. Perfect for
peacocks.
It was my
23rd record in 23 days. Noticing that my average was getting
down, I left the camp and went back to the Kuluene River. It
looked as my luck was running down. During the next four
days, no more records. But on the 17th, lady luck came back.
I caught a 28 pound sorubin. This fish gave me 3 records.
The all tackle and 20 pound line class sorubin, and the all
tackle in the class "cachara."
