UATUMÃ RIVER, BRAZIL – It felt as if someone had tied the 85-pound test braided line to an anvil and chunked it over the side of the boat.

That is how an Amazon peacock bass, especially a big one, feels when blowing up on a lure.

It started with a brief, but powerful explosion on the water’s surface and before I knew what was happening the giant top water bait disappeared into the mysterious waters of Brazil’s Uatumã River.

“Big fish. Big fish,” the guide said in broken English, some of his few words all day that weren’t in Portuguese.

I had to take his word for it because I never saw the fish come or go, but before I could do anything I felt slack in the line. The peacock bass, my first chance at a monster on the tributary of the Amazon, was gone.

“As we always say there are not words or adjectives in old Mr. Webster’s dictionary to adequately describe the power of these fish,” said Ron Speed of Ron Speed Jr. Adventures, who has been leading trips to the remote Brazilian waters since the 1990s. “The thrill of catching them, it is amazing. If you think it is myth or rumor about fresh water fish breaking 100-pound braided line, it is no myth. We see it happen about every trip.”

Peacock bass are a territorial species so a lot of catches are foul hooks caused by the fish chasing away intruders. My first thought was maybe that is what happened and it just wasn’t hooked well. It was only when I got the lure back to the boat that I learned ripped out the big 4/0 saltwater treble hook, along with the split ring and the pin that attached it to the lure.

Nothing in North America could have prepared me for the brutal strength of a big peacock bass. Maybe a striped bass to a certain degree, but that would be like comparing a bass boat to a battleship. Even the 12-pound peacock I had landed the day before was not in the same league.

The Uatumã River starts about 200 miles downstream from Manaus, an industrial city in north-central Brazil at the confluence of the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers. Fishermen are attracted by the chance of landing one of the big fish, a 20-pound plus monster.

“We catch a lot of big peacocks here in the 20-pound range, and a lot that are 15, 16 and 17 pounds,” Speed said of the fall season fishing location.

Because of travel days it is a nine-day trip, seven of which are spent sleeping in the Otter, an 80-foot houseboat sleeping 16, which might move 100 to 200 miles during the week.

“We fish the Uatumã and the Jatupa, a tributary of the Uatumã , every September and October, which is the best two months during the dry season before it starts raining in November. We have been fishing it for 22 years. That should tell you how good we think it is. It is the most consistent for fishing and water level in the Amazon because there are not a lot of tributaries that feed into this area,” Speed explained. In the winter season, December and January, the expeditions switch to the Rio Negro and its tributaries.

Peacock bass are a member of the cichlid family. Its only relative in Texas is the Rio Grande perch, although there was a failed effort in the 1970s to stock peacocks in some lakes in the San Antonio area.

The fall season in Brazil catches the river falling. The more it is down and moving the better the fishing especially on sandy points jutting out into the river where the peacocks congregate in search of sardines. We caught it 50/50. The water was still up, giving the peacocks sanctuary in the inaccessible flooded timber, but it was falling and falling quickly making for better fishing as the trip went on. The week before we arrived a boat full of fishermen accounted for 440 peacocks. This week that number was almost surpassed by Day 3.

Peacock bass is one of the most physically demanding types of fishing. Besides the day-long heat caused by being less than 200 miles off the equator, there is an eight-hour day filled with casting and working a 7-inch top water lure. Although subsurface lures are used for finicky fish or to fight fishermen fatigue at times, for peacocks the game is the giant top waters. Unlike the leisurely return of a top water for largemouth bass, however, it is retrieved with as much force as possible to create both sound and splash.

“When you rip it you rip it hard. There is no finesse. You rip and rip with a big wake behind it,” said Speed, who has the baits specially made for his fishermen.

The first day of the trip was supposed to be exploratory, getting to know the surroundings, the tackle and maybe get a taste of a peacock bass’ power. Trial under fire started early when on the second stop of the morning a spotted peacock, a typically smaller subspecies, took the bait. Even though the fish was less than 5-pounds I quickly learned that you don’t catch peacock bass, they basically catch you. You attempt to control them, and sometimes you win. Sometimes they win.

You quickly learn how important it is to have the right tackle, and just importantly how important the local guides are. The smart fisherman goes with a reel that holds plenty of 85- to 100-pound test braided line. They also let the guide tie the knot to the lure and set the drag, both are key when trying to turn a peacock’s head for at least have a sporting chance of keeping it out of the brush.

“These fish, pound for pound, are the strongest fish that swims in fresh or salt water. When you catch one of these, feel the back on their tail and you will understand why. That is where they get their power. Not only are they the most powerful fish, they are the fastest swimmer. If they want that lure they are going to take it and you can’t get it away from them,” Speed explained.

Fishing the Amazon is an adventure not just for all the different fish species, but also because of the wildlife and other scenery in the rainforest.

One morning my fishing partner, Mike Leggett of Austin, lost a big peacock that got tangled in the submerged brush. Shortly after we moved to the backside of the same point and heard the moaning of a pair of jaguars just yards away onshore.

It was a perfect setting for when Leggett landed an 18-pound fish, our biggest of the week. That went along with a 15, 13, 12 and a monster 11-pound spotted peacock bass.

Our best day was the last day when we ended up with 25 peacocks, including a morning trip with eight off one point and one 15-pounder. Combined, we had 59 of the 579 fish caught that week. The overall total included 59 fish over 10 pounds, 17 over 15 and three topping 20.

For those who have gone before, the key is not the total fish, but the total of big fish.

“Everyone, after the first trip at least, they really focus on big fish. They come down the first time and just want to experience catching peacock bass, but they graduate after that. I equate catching a 20-pound fish to a black bass fishermen wanting to get that first 10-pounder,” Speed said.

For more information on fishing for peacock bass in Brazil with Ron Speed Jr. Adventures, contact TylerPaper Outdoors at 903-596-6277 or by email at outdoor@tylerpaper.com.