Jan to May
High water
Rain and the tributaries push the river well above its banks. The giant catfish move: redtail, piraíba, jaú, cachara and caparari. Apapá and corvina on the sporting end.
Expeditions · Guariba River · Fishing
Fishing the Guariba
An Amazon fishing lodge on the Guariba River, with almost no fishing pressure and eight anglers a week. Multi‑species, catch and release, under the Roosevelt name.
/ Why the Guariba
Eight rods a week. That is the whole argument.
A river does not stay good because somebody says it is remote. It stays good because few people fish it. The Guariba operation takes eight anglers at a time, and it has taken eight since it opened.
8
anglers a week, and no more
1:1
one guide per boat, every fishing day
100%
catch and release, without exception
4
cabins, up from three when it opened
Until 2021 this was not a lodge at all. It was a private family camp, used by the owners and a few close friends, which is the real reason the water is the way it is. The whole story →
/ Peacock bass and payara
Multi-species, and the river decides which.
Everything here is catch and release. What you meet depends on the water level, and the water level has a calendar.
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Peacock bass
Cichla temensis
The king of Amazon waters. Powerful, explosive, and famous for spectacular visual strikes.
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Payara
Hydrolycus scomberoides
A sharp-toothed predator with violent attacks. The vampire fish, and the one people come back for.
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Redtail catfish
Phractocephalus hemioliopterus
Brute strength and long, powerful fights on the bottom.
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Piraíba
Brachyplatystoma filamentosum
The colossus of the Amazon. Legendary in size, and the ultimate challenge of giant catfish.
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Jatuarana
Brycon amazonicus
Strength and agility together. One of the most sporting fish here, and a fly rod favorite.
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Bicuda
Boulengerella cuvieri
Fast and acrobatic. Impressive jumps and lightning strikes.
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Cachorra
Hydrolycus armatus
The payara’s bigger cousin, and just as unforgiving on a light drag.
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Aruanã
Osteoglossum bicirrhosum
Hunts the surface and takes a fly off the top. Sight fishing, if you are quiet enough.
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Apapá
Pellona castelnaeana
Takes a fly like a tarpon, and fights above the water more than below it.
Species as published by the operation for these waters.
/ When to fish
The water level decides what you catch.
There is no closed season here. The river fishes all year, and what changes is how much water is in it.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jun, Jul, Nov, Dec
Mid water
The river drains back to its normal level. Both groups are in play at once, which makes this the widest variety of the year.
Aug to Oct
Low water
The lowest volume of the year, and the season for the scaled fish: peacock bass, bicuda, cachorra, matrinchã, jatuarana and aruanã.
/ A day here
Out before the heat, back before the dark.
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First light
Coffee and the day’s plan
The guides read the water the night before and again at dawn. Where the boats go is decided then, not on a printed itinerary.
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Morning
On the water
One guide per boat, and the boat is yours for the day. Rapids, channels and backwater lagoons, depending on the level.
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Midday
Lunch on the river or at the lodge
Both happen. On a long run the crew sets up on a sandbank; on a short one you come back and the table is set.
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Afternoon
Back out, or into the forest
Anglers who want a break take a trail, and the birding guide goes along. Nobody is charged extra for changing their mind.
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Evening
One long table
All meals included, open bar, regional cooking. Eight people who did not know each other on Monday, telling the same story by Thursday.
/ All inclusive
Seven nights, and what they hold.
Included
- Charter flight from Manaus to the private airstrip, both ways
- Seven nights in a private cabin, single or double, on the riverfront
- Air conditioning, private bathroom, hot water
- All meals and open bar
- Boat and guide, one guide per boat, every fishing day
- Guided trails and boat excursions on request
- Starlink internet
Not included
- International flights to Manaus
- Fishing license and tackle, unless arranged in advance
- Travel and medical insurance
- Gratuities for the crew
- Anything bought outside the lodge
Price · reserved space
The rate block sits here, sized for the shortest of the three shapes it can take, so the page does not move when the number arrives. The decision is still open and it belongs to whoever answers for the target.
/ Dates
Eight guests a week. Pick yours.
Eight rods a week over fifty-two weeks is not many weeks. Tell us the window and we will tell you what the river is doing then, and which species are moving.
Prefer to talk first? We answer in one business day.
Booking
Tell us the week
Four questions, about two minutes. We read every one and answer in one business day.
Check dates- What the river is doing that week
- Which species are moving
- Whether the week is still open
/ The other three
Same team, different week.
Eight rods a week. One of them can be yours.
That number is the product, and it is the part of this we will not stretch. Tell us the month you can travel and we will tell you what the Guariba is doing then.