Roosevelt Amazon Expedition
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A rocky stretch at low water, with a boat moored and gear carried over the boulders

Expeditions · Roosevelt River · Fishing

Fishing the Roosevelt

An Amazon fishing lodge on the river Theodore Roosevelt mapped in 1914, at the confluence with the Aripuanã. Giant catfish when the water is high, peacock bass when it drops.

Check dates See the fishing season

/ Peacock bass and catfish

Nine 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.

  • Peacock bass

    Cichla temensis

    The king of Amazon waters. Powerful, explosive, and famous for spectacular visual strikes.

  • Payara

    Hydrolycus scomberoides

    A sharp-toothed predator with violent attacks. The vampire fish, and the one people come back for.

  • Redtail catfish

    Phractocephalus hemioliopterus

    Brute strength and long, powerful fights on the bottom.

  • Piraíba

    Brachyplatystoma filamentosum

    The colossus of the Amazon. Legendary in size, and the ultimate challenge of giant catfish.

  • Jatuarana

    Brycon amazonicus

    Strength and agility together. One of the most sporting fish here, and a fly rod favorite.

  • Bicuda

    Boulengerella cuvieri

    Fast and acrobatic. Impressive jumps and lightning strikes.

  • Cachorra

    Hydrolycus armatus

    The payara’s bigger cousin, and just as unforgiving on a light drag.

  • Aruanã

    Osteoglossum bicirrhosum

    Hunts the surface and takes a fly off the top. Sight fishing, if you are quiet enough.

  • Apapá

    Pellona castelnaeana

    Takes a fly like a tarpon, and fights above the water more than below it.

The Roosevelt River in the dry season, sandbanks showing, seen from the air
Low water · the sandbanks come up and the fish move

/ When to fish

The water level decides what you catch.

There is no closed season on this part of the Amazon. The river fishes all year, and what changes is how much water is in it.

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.

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.

Rapids running between boulders on the Roosevelt River

/ A day here

Out before the heat, back before the dark.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Afternoon

    Back out, or into the forest

    Sixteen trails run from the lodge, fourteen miles of them. Anglers who want a break take one, and the birding guide goes along.

  5. 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.

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.

Talk to us
Booking

Tell us the week

Four questions, about two minutes. We read every one and answer in one business day.

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  • What the river is doing that week
  • Which species are moving
  • Whether the week is still open

Check dates

Tell us the window and we will tell you what the river is doing then.

1 Which expedition? Pick one, or more than one
2 When are you thinking?
3 How many of you?
4 And who are you?

We answer in one business day.

What you send here is used to answer you, and for nothing else. No newsletter, no list, and no sharing with anybody outside the operation.

/ The other three

Same team, different week.

A blue-and-yellow macaw at close range Roosevelt River Birding A jatuarana released in the shallows, catch and release on the Roosevelt River Guariba River Fishing A scarlet macaw in the canopy Guariba River Birding
The Roosevelt River flat and mirrored at first light

The river runs every week of the year.

What changes is the water, and the water changes what the nine species are doing. Tell us the month you can travel and we will tell you what the Roosevelt looks like then.

Check dates