GUYANA: Fishing the Amazon

Follow along as I fish for multiple species deep the amazon jungles of Guyana. Including peacock bass, arowana, arapiama, red tail catfish, and others.
I'm just a normal guy trying to live out one of his childhood dreams, and do Jeff Corwin proud! I'll be doing some other trips to exotic locations in the future, so if this video catches your eye - subscribe to see what adventure I go on next!

[@bmilten001]

I went there last year and am going back in November. Jim is one hell of a guide!

[@GlobalTideAdventures]

Jim is the man, he’ll put you on the fish!

[@daveandamyfishing2368]

We did that trip last year, epic adventure

[@krzysztofhakon7581]

Hi there, what rods and reels you've been using. And what about braids? Im going there in November, just buying all the gear now. Cheers

[@GlobalTideAdventures]

Hey there, I am going to release a video at some point with my thoughts, but I’ll summarize for you:
5 setups, 3 setups is the bare minimum I would take.
Lightest: 3000 spinning reel, Medium power fast action rod, 30 lb braid main line, premade wire leader (20-40 lb range) 12in to 18in length and 30lb or greater fluro (switch if piranha aren’t bad).
Workhorse: 3000 spinning or 200 baitcaster, med heavy power fast action, 50lb braid mainline, 50lb fluro AND mono or greater (for cranks and top water).
Heavy: 200/300 baitcaster, heavy power fast action, 50 to 65lb braid mainline, 80lb fluro. For casting big lipless into current/debris for large peacock and dragging them out of cover.
Arapiama: 6000-7500 spinning (do not go conventional), bait runner feature is a plus, Medium heavy or up power moderate action or faster (saltwater boat rod or cheapo catfish rod), 100lb braid mainline, 200lb Dacron leader, 6/0 circle (NO J HOOK).
Heavy Catfish: Conventional reel (size to desired line capacity, I used a 30 series pen fathom 2), Heavy or X heavy fast action (saltwater boat rod ~7’), 150 to 200 lb braid mainline, ~130lb mono topshot (25 to 75 yards, your choice), marin wire 140lb leader (premade at home using haywire twist, do at least 5 and take the wire with you to make more), 10/0 or larger big river J hook (or comparable circle if you dislike Js).
I took these 5 and it worked well. At a minimum, take the workhorse, the light setup, and the arapiama setup (it can double as catfish rod). Ideally you take them all.
On remote trips I’m partial to spinning for ease of use and less chance of birdnesting an entire spool (Trust me it happens, even to the best anglers). Take extra line in case.
For reels I like Shimano, diawa, Penn in that order. Rods I like St. Croix (made in USA only), but ultimately it’s personal preference. You need to transport them down there and have them be in one piece when you get there. The medium heavy setup will be your most used setup. I bought identical reels for the lightest setup and workhorse, that way if something breaks I can scavenger parts of the other.
It’s tempting to cheap out sometimes but I caution you not to, it’s an expensive trip and the gear is no different. Sell it when you get back if you want to.
LEARN FG KNOT IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY. You cannot do this trip without it. Also a reliable knot for heavy mono/fluro connections to swivels and rings.

[@krzysztofhakon7581]

@@GlobalTideAdventures thanks a lot!