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Amazon's Isolated Xeriuini River Monsters
1,600,000 areas of Explosive Peacock Bass Surround Macaroca!
By Larry Larsen
 It was a typical explosive moment. My lobbed plug hitting the surface of the water seemed to set off the
detonation. I leaned back hard on the rod as the giant peacock bass blasted off for the flooded forest… with my eight-inch topwater plug in its mouth.
"Va a media! Va a media!" my friend and fishing operation outfitter Wellington Melo shouted at our guide trying to get him to move the boat quickly to the middle of the
lagoon. "Muito rapido! Muito rapido!"
I put as much pressure on the fish, rod, line and reel as I could, as our fishing craft headed away from the trees, but the peacock bass bulled into them. I turned the big fish
just in time for it to become entangled in brush at the edge of the flooded jungle. When almost all hope was lost, the fish freed itself of the limbs and swam out of the obstruction.
Albeit somewhat abraded, my heavy 100-pound test line held, as I forced the fish back into open water. The
battle was not over yet. Three acrobatic jumps to dislodge the over-sized, 8-inch long Woodchopper topwater
and another three powerful runs toward the cover, each time pulling a very tight drag, ensued. I snubbed the fish
short of the entanglements again and again, but it did not give up easily. I finally conquered the fish and Wellington grabbed its lower lip with my Boga Grip.
Quick measurements revealed that the 32 inch long peacock weighed 16 ½ pounds and had a 21-inch girth.
We took a few pictures, relieved the fire tiger-colored plug from the fish's jaw and released the peacock to fight
again. My host, Wellington smiled and reiterated his early morning thoughts about how we would get some big
fish close to camp this first day. We were in Lago Cobra just 10 minutes from his operation on the shores of the
Xeriuini (pronounced "Sher-e-ou-ni") River in the southwestern part of the Brazilian state of Roraima. The
Xeriuini flows southward into the Rio Branco just north of its confluence with the Rio Negro, one of the Amazon River's largest tributaries.
 The area on the Amazon frontier is located in a protected, city and federal ecological reserve. The 1,700,000
acre Xeriuini Reserve covers the 130-mile long Xeriuini River, the 90 lakes, lagoons, false channels and igarapes (creeks) within one hour of Wellington's lodge/camp,
along with four other rivers (Agua Boa, Catrimani, Jufari and Univini) in Roraima. It is off-limits to commercial fishermen. In fact, from the small landing strip carved into
the rainforest at the Indian village of Terra Preta (or Black Ground), there is no evidence upstream of any residents whatsoever other than the camp manager's hut
at Wellington's encampment 22 miles away.
From the Macaroca lodge/camp, located on Lago Macaroca and the Igarape Macaroca, there are 40 named
lakes and lagoons downstream and 50 upstream toward the ghost village of Santa Maria. The Indian village was
relocated several years ago to the Rio Branco, a larger river closer to civilization. Most of the lakes in the area
vary from about 12 to 15 feet deep maximum to some shallower ones that are only 4 to 5 feet. Lago Cobra where I wrestled with the big fish first described lies just downstream from the camp.
Fish Life in the Cemetery
Just north of Macaroca in Lago Cementerio (Cemetery), I took a 13-pounder on my first cast to the point at its
confluence with the river. I took another 15 between 9 and 12 pounds in that lake and others nearby on one day
, including an exciting fish that struck at the boat. I was fishing with a Brazilian helicopter pilot, Cmt. Mauro Rossi
, when I noticed that a fish he had brought to the boat had a follower with it. With the lure at my rod tip, I
lowered the plug into the water, made 3 or 4 swishes with lure, and an aggressive peacock of about 10 pounds exploded on it.
That was not the only double we caught. On several other occasions, Mauro and I took two fish at a time, even though the water was slightly high. About 30 percent of our catch over four days was
using an effective trolling technique. I would troll a Magnum Woodchopper on my rod while the Brasilia angler would use a 6-inch long Big Game Jerkin' Sam on his. On one pass, I had a 10 pounder
smash my plug five times before he was accurate enough for a hook-up. It chased the plug for over 100 feet before getting it!
From the first few casts, Lago Itubal (named after a type of wood) was our most productive lake during the trip.
Mauro captured a 15 pounder (31 inch length and 19 ½ inch girth) on the Jerkin' Sam topwater lure. About 20
minutes later, I hooked another giant of 16 pounds that ran into the trees near the flooded shore and out into the
main body before being subdued. The fish measured 31 ½ inches long and had a 20 ½ inch girth.
 Two minutes later, Wellington hooked and eventually landed a 13 pounder on a standard size,
6 ¾-inch long Luhr-Jensen Magnum Woodchopper. The following day found us catching additional 13 and 14 pounders and many in the 9 to 12 pound category. Each day, we each
caught between 12 and 15 and lost a few of the very largest. We had several other "atocques" or strikes on our topwaters.
On the final day, we ventured upstream toward Santa Maria and beyond fishing the numerous lakes and lagoons. Mauro caught and released a 32-inch long 16 pounder from Lake Peixe
Boe and we claimed about 20 others including 10 between 8 and 11 pounds on that short day. Lake Isu produced a couple of big peacocks that pushed 12 pounds each.
Quick Releases & Giants
Not all action resulted in a successful catch though. One "upper teen" broke my line in open water at Lake Isu,
and two similar fish powered their way to the flooded trees and cut my 100-pound test braid. A fourth giant
peacock tore the rear hooks from one of my slightly abused Woodchoppers. I saw all of the fish and estimated them to be the 16 to 20 pound category.
Much bigger fish do exist in the area. Wellington notes that he has seen peacock bass weighing 14 kilos, or 29
¾ pounds, speared by local Indians. In fact, he decided to start his peacock bass operation on the Xeriuini when he saw one that size in the village of Terra Preta. Both Mauro and
Wellington have taken 20 pounders from the area.
The best timing for visiting the Xeriuini is in the winter, from November or December
through February or March. Waters should be relatively low then, in the dry season and the fishing better than most other spots in the Amazon. Wellington recalls a great January fishing
day in which he alone caught and released 45 peacocks and trieda.
There are plenty of botos or freshwater dolphin in the river to view, and a few manatees can be seen on
occasion; we saw two on our trip. There were the typical jacare or alligator on some lagoons and colorful birds
such as macaws, parakeets, king fishers, heron and patos ducks patrolled the skies above the jungle canopy.
Comfortable Lodging & Logistics
The camp has all new equipment: four shallow-draft aluminum boats are 16 feet long with 15 hp outboards,
trolling motors and cushioned pedestal seats. In the boat are large coolers with iced drinks and lunch. At the
camp are 5 guides, a camp manager, a cook and a laundress/helper. Currently, air conditioned accommodations
are provided in comfortable double cabins aboard their houseboat which is anchored at Macaroca. A
restaurant/lounge/dining room and a hot water shower house are structures on shore and three duplex cabanas are in the plans for permanent rooms ashore.
Wellington's partner, Ronaldo Gumiero, a banking consultant, lives in the state capital of Boa Vista about two
hours north of the operation. Together, the twosome used aerial observation and contacts with local Indian
villages to locate prime fishing waters. Wellington is a pilot who flies his two-place ultralight aircraft for fun and reconnaissance.
Visitors can access the camp through Manaus, Brazil, the "gateway to the Amazon", or through Boa Vista via
flights through Venezuela. The flight from Manaus to Terra Preta aboard a 6-place chartered plane is about 1 ½
hours long, and it is another 45 minutes by boat to Macaroca. From boa vista, the charter flight takes about the
same time. They may soon be also offering a special helicopter service to even more remote, "hidden" waters.
For more information on peacock bass, go to www.peacockbassassociation.com, and check out our book store for special savings on 3 peacock bass books!
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