Two Giant Peacock Bass Caught by First Timer Jake Lambert

Every so often it just happens...a "newbie" gets into the zone real quick and is willing to put forth the intense effort that goes with the territory...that is, the passionate pursuit of the explosive Peacock bass. On his first trip to the Amazon's Rio Negro earlier this month Jake Lambert caught the drift...got in the zone and hammered out TWO GIANT PEACOCK'S of 20# each.

Here's what Jake had to say about his first trip to the Amazon with Amazon Fishing Expeditions aboard the Belle Amazon in early October 2010.

"David,
I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful experience that the trip on the Rio Negro was. I knew that it would be a fun and exciting time, but expectations were exceeded by a huge margin!

The terrain was absolutely beautiful and completely remote. I was astonished at the vastness of the area that we were fishing, and the immense variety of wildlife that we saw.

The boat staff and guides were fantastic, and really were there to serve, but at the same time, to ensure our comfort and safety. I couldnt belive what good fisherman that the guides were, and that they knew the territory so well (we covered over 100 miles of the Rio Negro Basin!).

The accommodations and equipment were first rate! From the Belle Amazon to the bass boats, from the tackle to the toilets!
Everything was nice!

The fishing experience was the most intense and physically demanding fishing that i have ever done. And you know where i am from and all of the crazy things that we do! Ha! We caught "numbers" and "size".

Lastly, as with any experience, it is about the "people" that make a trip like this so special. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the other fishermen on the boat, and developing friendships that will last.

My only regret of the whole trip is that i didnt commandeer the kitchen one night and cook up a good old cajun feast for the whole boat!

Anyhow, the trip was a total success that exceeded my wildest expectations. I definately will be back. Hopefully soon!

Let me know when you come down south, and we will make a fishing trip to the marsh!"

Thanks again!
Jake Lambert
St. Amant, LA

Give me a call soon to book your "Fishing Adventure of a Lifetime" to the Amazon's Rio Negro. I'll take care of the details...while you take care of the fishin'!

David Fields International Outfitter david@fishinexpeditions.com

877.755.4950

Amazon Fishing Expeditions Oct Group Fishing Report

Let's keep it simple... 10 anglers fishing 6.5 days on the Rio Negro from the Belle Amazon mother ship caught 1440 Peacock Bass up to a 23.5# Monster landed by first time Amazon angler Kent Standerfer on the first day! Now that's an initiation! A total of 71 fish over 10# including 21 "teeners" and 7 over 20# produced the top 5% for the week.

Guide Meeting

Fishing conditions varied over the week due to localized weather conditions and rising water the last three days. The first three days of the week were certainly the most productive. Fish were positioned near main river sandbars as well as sandbars developing around the entrances to the lagoons and in river bends. Secondary location patterns found fish located along lagoon edges often relating to isolated wood features. Minimal early fry balls were observed but a few were productive for larger fish.

Gary Clark w/ Guide JoJo and Beautiful 20# Peacock

Productive Lures for the week included HighRoller Riprollers in Fire Tiger and Halloween; KLures "Grande Ripper" and "Chico Ripper" in Clown and Jacunda; Jigs in Red and White or Yellow and Red.

My 18 pounder "pounded" a KLure Grande Clown Ripper!

A Five Star Rating goes out to David McCarthy and his Belle Amazon operation, staff and guides for this trip! The accommodations, food and service were top shelf. The trip went smoothly with direction from the Manaus representative Paula; the boat manager Naldo; the head guide CoCo to the legendary "Harry the waiter." Stateside, I want to extend a special thank you to Pamelah Howard for coordinating logistics with the Brazil operation and staff.

It's not too late...to schedule your "Fishing Adventure of a Lifetime" to the tributaries and "Lost lagoons' of the Amazon for the explosive Peacock bass. We have spots open for many dates during the remaining 2010-11 season. So don't hesitate, give me a call and I'll take care of the details while you take care of the fishin'.

Amazon Fishing Expeditions Belle Amazon Group October 2010

David Fields
International Outfitter
AmazonFishingExpeditions.com
877.755.4950
david@fishinexpeditions.com

Belle Amazon Week One Fishing Report - Rio Negro

Well, we’ve kicked off our 2010/2011 season on the Rio Negro with a GOOD FISHING REPORT!

FISHING REPORT – BELLE AMAZON - Week ending 10/1/10

Location: Rio Negro/Amazon River/Manaus Brazil

Trip Date: September 24, 2010 Week

Group Size: 18 Anglers

Total Number Fish Landed: 2361

Size: 10 lb.’ers – 21, 11 lb.’ers – 10, 12 lb.’ers – 11, 13 lb.’ers – 7,

14 lb.’ers – 6, 15 lb.’ers – 7, 16 lb.’ers – 5, 17 lb.’ers – 5,

18 lb.’ers – 6, 19 lb.’ers – 6, 20 lb.’ers – 5, 21 lb.’ers – 4,

22 lb.’ers – 2, 23 lb.’ers – 1, and 24.5 lb.’ers – 1!!!!!

(non published weights under 10#)

THAT'S 42 "TEENERS" and 13 GIANTS over 20 pounds with a 24.5 pound MONSTER!

The fishing boats are waiting just for you!

Water Level: Water levels were terrific on our first week with some awesome fishing!

Baits Used: Lures of choice for this trip were Woodchoppers, High Rollers and Jigs.

Owner/Operator, David McCarthy attended this trip. He commented on the excellent water conditions and the fish were staging themselves on the primary and secondary points leading into the lagoons and off the main channels.

I'll be on the Belle myself through 10/19 and will report in detail and with photo's on my return.

Good fishin'

David Fields

Outfitter

Amazon Fishing Expeditions

Returning to the Rio Negro, Northern Watershed of Brazil 10/8

La Querencia is a Spanish word not easily translated into English but meaning roughly, the power of place or longing to a place; the desired place or where the heart is. It comes from the verb quere, which means to desire, to want…the “wanting place”. To writers, that burning urge to write is our Querencia. To one who fishes for the ferocious peacock bass, the urge will become overwhelming to return to that “wanting place”, the Brazilian Rain Forest of South America and the Amazon River and its tributaries.

Our group of 10 departs October 8th for the ultimate destination aboard the Belle Amazon located somewhere along the Rio Negro and its tributaries. In the group are three veterans and seven newbies...that's seven more who will touch, taste and be overwhelmed by the draw of the tea colored rivers...the "wanting place." They too will soon be afflicted with the same addiction we seven others share. They too are soon destined to the power of La Querencia!

In 2005 professional video producer David Masterson and I joined on the Unini River to film some promotional material for fishin' expeditions. Much of the footage on the following video was from that trip...especially the slow motion video of the explosions on surface baits and the leaping aerobatics of the Peacocks. Enjoy! Then contact me soon to arrange your Amazon Fishing Expedition.

El Grande Lures Signs Elite Angler Fred Roumbanis

I got the word earlier in the week from Jay Schurz and couldn't wait to report it here. Fred "Boom Boom" Roumbanis has joined El Grande Lures. He also joins the El Grande team of Chad Morgenthaler and Curt Dove...another pair of outstanding anglers in the Bass Fishing Big Leagues.

What do you notice about this? Great guys...great sticks...represent the sport well. Any company would be proud to have them on their team. Sure thing...but there's something else, Jay Schurz, owner of El Grande, is a custom builder. Oh, El Grande Lures may no longer be "building" custom "hand pours" but Jay is building a custom plastic line none the less. Radically custom! I've seen it before, and that goes way back to Nick Creams "harder than a hammer" plastic worm...yep, I've been playin' with plastics a good while. There are Custom Plastics and then there are simply... plastics. In this case, the "cream" rising to the top is El Grande Lures!

Stay tuned because Jay Schurz is quietly "hand picking" and "custom building" 1) an exceptional product and 2) a Top Shelf Team that will soon be turning heads on the tournament trails with names like "Sapo"..."Hatch-Match"... "Gila Monster" and a few new members of the El Grande family soon to be released.

If you think size doesn't matter...watch out for El Grande!

October 1, 2010 at 1:09pm

FRED ROUMBANIS SIGNS WITH EL GRANDE LURES

Bixby, OK- Today, El Grande Lures of Linton, Indiana announced that Fred Roumbanis, an Elite Series pro from Bixby, Oklahoma, has joined the company's pro-staff.

The timing is perfect. With several new products on the schedule to be released in the next few months, the partnership with Roumbanis adds incredible presence to El Grande Lures.
Roumbanis joins Chad Morgenthaler and Kurt Dove on El Grande's team of pro anglers.

El Grande's line up of quality soft plastic lures, should give Roumbanis the confidence and edge he needs to be a strong contender on his rigorous schedule of bass fishing tournaments.

"As a touring professional angler, I know how important it is to catch big fish. It’s not about the number of fish… it’s all about the size of the fish. That’s why I’ve teamed up with El Grande Lures, a company dedicated to catching giant bass. " -Fred "Boom Boom" Roumbanis

El Grande's owner, Jay Schurz, said the following: " We are extremely pleased that Fred Roumbanis has chosen to partner with El Grande Lures. Fred will be involved in marketing, product design, and working with our partners and staff in South Africa as well as the US and Mexico. We chose to partner with Fred Roumbanis because he is obviously a great fisherman, has superior work ethic, is very personable, and understands what we are striving to do here at El Grande Lures. We look forward to many years of working with Fred and will assist Fred in any way we can to help him achieve his professional goals.

El Grande Lures Currently has 4 products in it's lineup with others to be released shortly:

- The Gila Monster, an 8 3/4" lizard that can be Carolina Rigged, Texas Rigged, or fished weightless.

- The El Grande Tube, a flipping tube meant to handle the toughest cover.

- The El Grande Sapo, a 4", soft plastic toad that churns the water like a buzzbait.

- The Hatch-Match Stick, a 5", cigar shaped stick bait that can be fished wacky, Texas Rigged, or Carolina Rigged.

All four lures are available in standard colors as well as pattern unique to EL Grande Lures.

El Grande Lures is a soft plastics company, owned by international fisherman, Jay D. Schurz. Schurz has spent over 20 years chasing giant largemouth bass around the globe and brings his experiences to the design of El Grande Lures.

For More information about El Grande Lures go to http://www.facebook.com/l/53c49AVquiwqvQkgA3ABj0CVrTw;www.elgrandelures.com

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