The 2026–27 Amazon season has opened with an unwelcome guest: El Niño. Historically, that means drought across much of the basin-not this time-it is sky high in many areas and bone dry in others.
That makes mobility across 16 private rivers especially valuable this season. This week, our River Trains found the sweet spot in our southeastern and northeastern zones, where 39 anglers aboard the five river trains accounted for 6,222 fish—including 51 peacocks over 17 lbs, 28 over 20 pounds and one outsized payara that turned the final cast of the day into something nobody aboard will soon forget.
TOTAL ANGLERS: 39
TOTAL PEACOCKS: 6,222
FISH 10–16 lbs.: 90
FISH 17–19 lbs.: 23
FISH 20–22 lbs.: 28
LIFE MEMORIES: For many peacock bass anglers, breaking the 20-pound barrier is the fish of a lifetime. Frederico did it twice in one week. Fishing water known for producing giants, he landed a pair of heavyweight peacocks tipping the scales at 22 and 21 pounds. His party willingly traded numbers for size, averaging a relatively modest 14 fish per angler per day. What their party gave up in quantity, though, they more than reclaimed in heavyweight hardware: an extraordinary 15 peacocks over 20 pounds.
FAMILY MEMORIES: Not every great Amazon trophy comes with fins. While her husband, David, chased peacock bass, Australian photographer and visual artist Nanda Nasser turned her lens on another side of the Amazon, capturing the wild riverscapes, immense skies and tangled jungle that make this place unlike anywhere else on Earth.
EXOTIC OF THE WEEK: One look at a payara explains the nickname “vampire fish.” Imagine something vaguely resembling a king salmon, then arm it with a pair of three-inch fangs and a bad attitude.
Hook one and things get even more interesting. Payara are spectacular fighters, exploding from fast water and cartwheeling across the surface in a frantic aerial battle. Guest Patrick tangled with this 18-pound bruiser in heavy current—and, fittingly, hooked it on the proverbial last cast of the day.
RAINFALL MANAGEMENT: El Niño isn’t being subtle. We are fishing mostly our North East Zone in the red area marked on the map below, which encompasses 6 Exclusive Rivers. This area is normally fished starting in late November.
We will be shifting all operations away from the remaining 10 Exclusive rivers due to high water levels forecasts as also evidenced in the map below. The no rainfall honey hole is in the red oval (same area as in the previous map).
10 Day Accumulated Rainfall Forecast Map
Source: CPTEC-INPE
Our 16 Private Rivers allow us to respond to changing river levels instead of waiting for conditions to come to us. In a normal season, that mobility helps us stay on the best fishing. In an El Niño year, it may make all the difference.