‘Cabaçeiras’ Floating Fishing Camp

At the beginning of the 2010 season, Steve Townson and our associate Marlon Otero sat down and threw around a few ideas on how we could reach out to even more remote fishing areas where no-one has ever been before.

Even with a shallow-drafted yacht or ‘motherboat’, there are still limits to where we can travel. We wanted more but what could we do to achieve this mission? We needed something pretty special. So a plan was born. We would build a floating fishing camp with an even shallower draft, which could be put on the move at a minute’s notice, through even the hardest-to-reach and far-flung areas of the Amazon and with adventure fishing in mind.

Over the following months, Steve set the guidelines and designed the camp to exactly the right specifications. This camp had to be comfortable, have spacious staterooms with en-suite bathrooms. It had to have a good-sized dining room and lounge area, a kitchen, bar, the works. It had to be just right for our clients.

Marlon started construction on our floating camp over the winter and Steve oversaw each stage. We are proud to say that the end result is fantastic. We now have the perfect mobile fishing camp for the Amazon jungle. It can be towed along by a small support boat to the upper reaches or it can move up further through the shallower reaches by its own steam with its outboard motor, navigating through otherwise un-passable waters and sand banks.

We can now take guests fishing in literally virgin waters, where monster Peacocks are lurking and have never seen a lure before. Imagine a secluded lagoon that is untouched in every way. Peacocks busting up on baitfish everywhere, wildlife wherever you look, white sandy beaches along the edges and surrounded by beautiful jungle. This is our quest for this coming season.

Our floating bungalow camp is ‘one-of-a-kind’ and has been set out to very high standards in every sense. The whole structure has been built on a double-pontoon system 15m long x 6.25m wide with a draft of less than 30cm, even when loaded with anglers and gear.

Each stateroom of 2.8m x 2.7m accommodates two anglers comfortably, with large bunk beds, individual air conditioning and en-suite bathroom, with a shower, sink and toilet. There is ample storage and hanging space for clothes, luggage and private items.

The four guests’ staterooms are situated in the front half of the camp, two on either side and separated by a corridor, allowing for a total of eight anglers per week only. We wanted to keep these groups small and cosy.

Top deck used as a lounging area and sundowners, dining room, bar, fully equipped kitchen and a furthersmaller single cabin for the camp manager are located in the back half of the camp. There is a fully-stocked bar and fridges at the far end of the dining room. A generator supplies 110v power to all rooms and an ice machine provide a 24/7 supply for the ice chests and all drinks.

Our camp will moor up to a white sandy beach and in the evenings, guests can sit out on it with a few ‘sundowners’ (night caps) and bragging before dinner is served or even afterwards, under the stars.
 

We have just bought five 16-foot American Tracker boats for our new fishing camp, with carpeted casting decks back and front (with American-style swivel seats if needed), front electric trolling motors and brand new 60hp Yamaha 4-stroke outboards.

Each boat is equipped with radio for constant contact between the camp and the other fishing boats. Two anglers per boat will be taken fishing by an experienced and local native guide. We will fish the numerous lagoons (some land-locked and hidden), smaller rivers and streams.

Peacock Bass anglers will tell you that once you have a big Peacock blow up on their surface lure, you’ll be hooked for life! There is nothing more exciting than seeing that big fish explode on your Woodchopper, Spook or other surface bait. The strike is nothing less than awe-inspiring. It is loud, aggressive, fast, furious and shocking all in one.
 
Peacock Bass are structure loving fish, although spawning fish are often seen with their young dimpling the flat mirror glass surface of a quiet lagoon. Anything passing in its territory is enemy No1 and they will attack it with ferocity like no other fish. If they don’t want to eat it, they want to kill it and that is NO exaggeration. Baits have to be worked fast here in the Amazon. Nothing slow swims in the Amazon and stays alive for long.

In the rainy season, the waters rise incredibly. A river that is only 100m wide within its banks in the dry season, may be 20 or more kilometres wide in the rainy season, spread way out into the flooded ‘Varzea’. Fishing during that time is like finding a needle in a haystack as the predators have followed the baitfish far back into the jungle. Once the rains stop and the levels recede back out of the jungle and into the river banks, this is prime time to catch this magnificent adversary.

Key structures that Peacock Bass love to inhabit are entrances to lagoons, points of beaches and trees, shoulders between a bank and an island, blow-downs and lay-downs, stands of trees and individual trees, sandy beach troughs made by the current, rocks etc.

Best surface baits to use are Woodchoppers and other propbaits, walk-the-dog style lures like Spooks and other cigar-shaped baits and Poppers. Best sub-surface lures are lead-head jigs, minnow-style baits like Rapala X raps, Yozuri Crystal Minnows, Cotton Cordell or similar. Jigs can catch you over 150 fish a day, although many will be smaller than when using the larger baits. Fly fishing is a great way to fish in the right conditions, off sandy beaches, in lagoons and in the many river systems. You can catch over 200 Peacocks a day with large, flashy streamer flies.

We will be literally hundreds of kilometres away from any modern civilization and yet we can still produce excellent meals from our fully-equipped kitchen. If you have any special requests, please ask away and we will try and accommodate you.

For breakfast there will be an assortment of fresh fruit, juice, cereal, home-baked bread, toast, eggs, bacon, sausage and meat, pastries, cakes, pancakes, jam, hot coffee and tea and any beverage we have onboard.

Lunch will either be with sandwiches, fruit and cakes in a packed lunch box before setting off fishing in the morning, or a shore lunch with freshly-caught Peacock Bass on a home-made green sapling BBQ.

Dinner will be served once all anglers are back from their day’s fishing and have washed and showered and are ready to eat. Dinner includes soup, hot meat dishes, fresh fish, vegetables, salads, desserts and fruit, coffee… and the bar is always open!

Drinks are available 24/7 including all soft drinks, bottled water and ice cold beer. A cool-box with your choice of drinks and filled with ice will be taken along each day while fishing. We advise anyone wishing to drink hard liquor to bring their own along with them.

On one of the evenings we will have a Luão or beach BBQ dinner with all the staff, guides and guests joining in. This is a great way to get to know everyone involved in our team effort. Table and chairs are laid out on the beach and a big BBQ pit is made in the sand. Fish, sausage, chicken, pork and steak are all cooked and served while you enjoy your drinks under the stars.

See our Kit Page for a PACKING LIST advice & suggested FISHING KIT

Our ‘Cabaçeiras’ Floating Camp package pricing (based on double occupancy) for a duration of 11 days with travel days, 8 nights and 6+ days fishing.

Included in our ‘Cabaçeiras’ floating bungalow camp packages:
Airport transfers, one night on arrival in hotel room in Manaus (based on double occupancy), return floatplane flight Manaus/Cabaçeiras with 6+ days fishing, fishing licenses, all accommodation aboard the Cabaçeiras floating camp, all meals, drinks, laundry service etc.

Not included in our ‘Cabaçeiras’ floating bungalow camp packages:
International airfares into Brazil and National airfares to Manaus, Brazil; meals away from the Cabaçeiras camp, tips to hotel porters, staff and guides; costs associated with passports and visas (Citizens of the EEC do NOT need visas for Brazil); costs associated with medical advice and medications for your trip; hotel stays (if necessary) elsewhere, insurance.

$4,500 / £2,810 / €3,370 Per angler *

A 50% deposit is required to reserve places when booking. The remaining payment is due 90 days before actual trip starts.

* Prices are stated as a guide and may be subject to currency and seasonal variations. Please enquire for exact prices for the dates you are interested in.

** Flights to Brazil and onto Manaus are not included, but we can help you arrange them.

***A strict 20kg weight allowance will be enforced on each trip for smaller charter flights.

Day 1: Flying from Europe, You will fly to Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia or similar, clear customs and check into a national flight to Manaus. Flying from the States, you will arrive either via Atlanta or Miami directly to Manaus.
 
Day 2: Arrival in Manaus. You will be met by Steve or our English-speaking representative and from the airport taken to a nearby hotel to relax. You may want to go and see the sights of Manaus and we can have our representative organise this for you.
 
Day 3: Early the next morning, you will be transferred to a small airport and put on our Cessna floatplane. The plane will fly you directly to the river where it will land in the water next to the ‘Cabaçeiras’ Floating Camp. On arrival, a welcome drink and some food will be given to you and Steve or the camp manager will give you a chat on what to expect and how things are to be over the next seven days. You will be allocated a cabin where we will take all your clothes and personal items. All fishing gear will be set up on the beach and rod stands will be supplied to lean your rods against once ready. Depending on the floatplane arrival time at the river and the areas to be fished, we will hopefully send you straight out on your first sortie of the week.
 
Day 4-9: Six full fishing days. Enjoy!
 
Day 10: You will fly back to Manaus arriving at about 11am. You will be met and transferred to Eduardo Gomes Manaus International Airport for your flight back home.
 
Day 11: You will arrive from Brazil and make the onward journey home.

Through our travel agent partners we are able to secure excellent rates for all your international and domestic flights and travel insurance that are not included in our packages.
Please ask for Details

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