The sun was fading under the jungle behind me, while respite from the stifling heat seemed further now than it had all day. Granite outcroppings, the size of a small Texas home lie ahead in the river...
...full of crevices and cracks each creating unique current seams ideally suited as an ambush site for the many predatory fish that call these waters home. The tension grew with each cast as I worked the Bad Attitude through the rocks and currents, poking away, hoping for one last violent interaction before heading home. This moment was more special than most as I was deep in the Amazon on the Iriri River, on the last day of a weeklong trip to Kendjam Lodge, sharing the boat with my father on the last day of our family adventure.
Kendjam is a fly-fishing lodge under the Untamed Angling umbrella of operations that work closely with indigenous communities in South America to develop remote jungle fishing operations. Kendjam Lodge is located approximately 500 miles south of Manaus, Brazil on the Iriri River in the Amazon River watershed.
This remote and isolated destination is home to an unusually “pleasant” area of jungle which is surprisingly temperate in climate with very little nuisance insect activity from Mosquitos and no-see-ums. The jungle is teaming with life, anglers can expect to see myriad bird species throughout the day while navigating and fishing the river. The jungle is incredibly dense alongside the river, making mammalian wildlife sightings rare, but occasional sightings of monkeys, Tapir, wild boar, and even a Jaguar are typically experienced over a week at the lodge. The pristine jungle that surrounds Kendjam is amazing and worth the trip, the cultural elements and fly-fishing experiences here make this one of the best destinations for the adventurous fly angler.
Untamed Angling works with the indigenous Kayapo people to leverage their knowledge of the area while also bringing economic prosperity to the community. Each boat of two anglers has an English-speaking guide that is accompanied by 2 Kayapo guides that are responsible for running the boats and help with finding productive stretches of the river as conditions change. Spending time with the Kayapo in the boats and around the lodge was one of the highlights of the trip as we were able to gain a glimpse of what life looks like for this isolated community as they become increasingly acclimated to the modern world, while holding fast to their heritage.
The fishing at Kendjam is remarkable for the setting and the diversity of species that are available to the fly-fisher. The river is full of life with aggressive-feeding fish, including Peacock Bass, Matrincha, Pacu, Bicuda, Payara and Wolf Fish as the primary target species. The clear water offers opportunities to sight fish for each species in riffles, pools, and long runs that flow through a Granite riverbed. Large dry flies are fished over likely runs to Matrincha and Pacu, while large streamers or poppers are fished to the other species around structure. It is possible (and often happens) to catch multiple species of fish out of the same run in one session.
Kendjam was ideal for our family of anglers with mixed fly-fishing skills, ranging from novice to expert and ages between 16 and early 70’s. We booked the lodge for the first week of the season, knowing that we would likely be dealing with high water, which would provide less wade-fishing opportunities than typically associated with the fishery. The younger anglers spent their days scrambling around rocks and riffles while the older members fished almost exclusively from the boats. The expert anglers in our group expected to fish large flies the entire week but were quickly enamored by the take and tug of a Pacu or Matrincha on a dry fly and lighter weight rod. The less skilled anglers were unsure of what to expect in terms of the fishing but found success with both dry flies and streamers as much of the casting is in the 20-40’ range.
This endemic species of peacock bass is only found in Iriri River Basin, and they are the only ones that prefer moving water over stagnant water. Their average size is around 5-9 lbs. with some big fish up to 12 lbs. Most of the time we sight fish for them using poppers or streamers. These bass are beautiful to sight fish for and watch an aggressive strike.
WOLF FISH
They act like hungry wolves chasing a piece of meat when you cast a popper or a big fly. We recommend an 8wt rod and floating line for them. In Kendjam we only sight fish for them, so if you like fishing for aggressive predators, it doesn't get much more exciting than watching a wolf fish attack a popper. They can reach up to 20lbs in Kendjam.
PACU
We fly fish for 3 different species of pacu: Silver Pacu, Pacu Seringa and Pacu Curupete. The mighty pacu eat insects and anglers can fish for them with dry flies, wets, nymphs and even algae flies using trout sight fishing techniques in runs, flats, and pools. They are a jungle delight with a 5-6wt rod. Their average size is 3 to 8 lbs.
MATRINXÃ
The Matrincha is pound for pound one of the strongest fish in the jungle. Their average size (3-8 lbs.) makes them a perfect gamefish for dry flies like hoppers, beetles and topwater attractors. We recommend 5-6wt fly rods for this pursuit. They are an omnivorous species and lay in shallow flats and runs. They run like crazy, so be prepared to see your backing!
BICUDA
Their bodies and turbo boosted tails resemble a barracuda, making them the real runners of the Iriri River. an aggressive topwater predator, they are most exciting when caught using poppers and divers. The bicudas average from 4-10 lbs. and guarantee a strike of pure adrenaline in your day of fishing. A 7wt rod is the perfect outfit for them.
PAYARA
The payara is a real challenge at Kendjam, found commonly rolling in the morning or in pools chasing baitfish. These fish fight hard! It's normal to lose these fish when they jump, due to a particularly hard mouth. We use streamers with intermediate and sink tip fly lines for payara, their average size ranges from 5-20 pounds.
The lodge is situated at the top of a large gravel bar on one of the largest islands in the river system and consists of several buildings on a raised platform over the jungle. Rooms are simple, yet feature power outlets, private bathrooms (with hot water), comfortable mattresses and highly effective ceiling fans. Dinners are well balanced blends of healthy fare and sensible portions served “family style” in the main lodge building. Breakfast consists of continental options and made-to-order eggs each morning. It is worth noting that the indigenous tribe prefers this to be a “dry” operation, so alcohol consumption is limited to the lodge and to mixed drinks (no beer or wine is generally available - we requested wine and it was made available for our group, so it’s worth reaching out to the lodge contact to make pre-arrangements). The staff and guides work closely throughout the week to ensure that everything is going smoothly both at the lodge and on the water.
Flights to Manuas are readily available on many major airlines. I would encourage visitors to plan and do their best to avoid going through Rio De Janeiro or Sao Paolo as these routes add a lot of additional time to your travel. COPA and Azul airlines currently have several routes from the USA to Manaus that are more convenient – at this time - than Delta, United, and American Airlines.
Flights generally arrive to Manaus, very early in the morning (between 1-4 am) so plan to arrive – at the latest – the morning of the day prior to your scheduled jungle departure.
The flight from Manaus to Kendjam is on a private charter (Caravan or similar plane) and takes approximately 4 ½ hours with one stop along the way to refuel (bathroom break is available). Plan for an early departure and a long travel day to get from the hotel to the lodge.
Upon landing at Kendjam, guests are greeted by the guides from the lodge and the local community. Guests relax in the shade while the luggage and supplies are transferred from the plane to the boats. Once the transfer is complete, there is a boat ride that is anywhere from 1 ½ hours to 4 hours in duration (depending on water levels i.e., less time during high water). The arrival and departure days are very long travel days, so be sure to be prepared by giving yourself plenty of cushion on both your Manuas arrival and departure flights.
I typically travel with an arsenal of rods and reels…backups for my backups in many cases! However, luggage size and weight restrictions for the charter flight and boat transfers forced me to narrow the gear selection down to the essentials. An important piece of information to note is that the fishing boats at the lodge are long and narrow with very little room for extra gear – so limiting yourself to 2 rod and reel setups is a must (bring a backup rod in a tube in the boats too).
For the Matrincha and Pacu, a 6-weight rod with a reliable reel and a floating line is the way to go. My preference for this fishing is the G. Loomis NRX+ LP 690 or the Scott Centric 906 as they are moderate-fast action rods that have proven to be durable. Pair with a Hatch Iconic 4+ for a setup that will handle any of dry fly scenarios of Kendjam, plus will work well for throwing smaller streamers when needed. The fly line is the most essential piece of the kit and I found the RIO Elite Warmwater Predator WF Floating line to be the ideal, all-around choice for Kendjam. The guides preferred a 9’ 16-pound, tapered leader to start with, but will go to smaller tippet sizes as the water clears throughout the season. A spool of RIO Saltwater Fluorocarbon in 10,12, and 16 pound is advised for these setups.
The Peacock Bass, Payara, and Wolf Fish setup should include an 8-weight, fast action fly rod that pairs well with a reliable reel with a powerful drag. The Peacock Bass and Wolf Fish are often fished to near heavy cover, so a powerful rod and reel can be very helpful in keeping larger fish away from tree roots and rocks during their initial runs. The Winston Alpha 908 or G. Loomis NRX+ 890 are a couple of great choices to pair with a Hatch Iconic in the 7+ large arbor reel. Again, I prefer the RIO Elite Warmwater Predator WF Floating line for all-around use in Kendjam. It is worth having a spare line in the Floating/Hover/Intermediate taper in case the fish are staying lower in the water column during your week at Kendjam.
Additionally, the Floating/Sink 5/ Sink 7 taper is ideal for fishing Payara, which tend to live in the deep, fast runs below giant rock gardens.
The RIO Elite Warmwater Predator line is available in each of these tapers and is built for turning over large flies in hot weather conditions. I have fished with many lines on my several jungle fishing trips and this line from RIO has become my favorite choice. Leaders typically are 5-7’ of straight 30-pound fluorocarbon with wire added to the ends for Payara and Wolf Fish situations. RIO Saltwater fluorocarbon and 30-pound Bite Wire is really all you need for most of the scenarios involved with the 8 weight setup.
It’s worth picking up a line changing tool from Omni-Spool, RIO, or Scientific Angler and keeping this, with the spare lines, in your fishing pack for on-the-water line changes if needed, rather than carrying extra spools or reels.
Having owned a fly shop for nearly 25 years, I tend to “go heavy” on fly selections whenever I travel. This is especially true in the Amazon as most of the fish here have teeth or live in areas with heavy cover that can quickly wear through leaders. Piranha are common everywhere in Kendjam and will destroy a fly in an instant, so avoid dragging flies in deep water and be prepared to go through several of your favorite flies each day. A good selection of flies for a week of fishing at Kendjam will consist of roughly 4 dozen flies – one dozen for Matrincha and Pacu, 2 dozen for Peacock Bass, and the last dozen would be an assortment of Wolf Fish and Payara patterns.
Pacu and Matrincha flies are large Terrestrial fly patterns like variations of the Chernobyl Ant or Fat Albert in sizes 4 and/or 6. Ideally, these will be tied on heavy wire with 2x-4x hook shanks to help reduce the need to use wire bite tippet. The longer hook shank puts that hook point further away from the leader and greatly reduces break off due to leader bite through. Pacu and Matrincha will also eat streamers that will be used for Peacock Bass and other species in fast water, so the selection does not need to be limited to just dry flies. A few nymphs (olive wooly bugger or Rubberleg stonefly) that imitate floating algae should also be included and fished as a dropper, off the large dry flies.
The Peacock Bass fly selection should include at least 20 streamers and 4 large popper/topwater flies. A wide range of colors, sizes and weighted options should be considered when putting the assortment together. We had good luck with dark patterns that had a mix of black, purple, and/or red in them with weighted eyes to keep them below the water surface during fast retrieves. The guides also recommended light colored flies in tan or white and we found them effective throughout the week as well. If you want to fish popper-style flies, they work as well and are extremely fun to fish – but they can get tiresome to cast for many hours as they are large and very wind resistant. Bicuda will eat any of the Peacock Bass flies, so there is no need to have a separate selection for these aggressive feeders.
Wolf Fish are the largest of the typical species that the fly angler will target during their week at Kendjam. These unusual looking predators typically are found in very heavy cover or tucked close to rocks in fast water. Sometimes they will just not eat after being spooked, no matter how well the fly is presented. When they are relaxed and feeding, they are very aggressive towards large streamers and poppers. A few dark-colored streamers in size 4/0-6/0, in addition to the topwater flies for Peacock Bass are all that is needed to cover the fly selection for Wolf Fish during a week at Kendjam.
Payara are one of the more unusual looking predators of the Amazon with their very large, prominent incisors earning them the nickname of Vampire Fish. These aggressive predators are typically found in deep, moving water of varying speeds. Ideally, a fast-sinking line with a 24+ foot sinking head is used to swing large streamers through likely feeding lanes. Although these fish are found in Kendjam, they are less common than the other species with only a few being caught most weeks during the season. Typical Peacock Bass fly patterns are all that is needed for Payara, but it is worth adding a few very large, light colored and unweighted streamers to your assortment if these fish are on your “list.”
In my experience, it is rare that one destination will truly cater to everyone in such a mixed group as ours, but Kendjam Lodge surpassed all our expectations. We have traveled and fished extensively as a family throughout much of the western Hemisphere. Without a doubt, Kendjam, and August in Alaska, are the best experiences we have had for keeping everyone happy in our diverse group of kids, parents, grandchildren, and a couple of friends along the way as well.
I have been to a variety of the Untamed Angling destinations over the last 10 years and the company is continually evolving to better meet their customers’ expectations throughout their operations. The owners are intimately involved with each operation while supporting the managers and staff with whatever their needs are to ensure a streamlined experience for their guests. The Untamed Angling destinations (including Kendjam) are logistically challenged on a scale that is difficult to fathom until you are sitting on one their decks overlooking a river as you realize the closest town is literally hundreds of miles away and only accessible by air or water. They have opened a world of new angling opportunities for fly anglers from around the world and my family is grateful to the staff at Kendjam Lodge and Untamed Angling for providing the highest level of customer service, while making us all feel like a part of “the family,’ so far from home.
You can learn more or book your fly-fishing adventure to Kendjam online at Untamed Angling or a variety of travel agencies, including Yellow Dog Fly-Fishing. Feel free to e-mail me with any additional questions or gear recommendations as you prepare for your Kendjam or Brazil fly-fishing adventure.
