PlanetCatfish.com

Ryan,

Why don't you share with us some of your catfish experiences from your recent trip to Brazil? We'd love to hear them!

Lee

I recently returned fom 2 weeks on the Rio Negro and Rio Solimoes, in Brazil. I was with an expedition hosted by Project Piaba (Lee has been on one of these trips). We saw many catfish, and it was very exciting.

The weather there is very warm and humid, but the fortunate thing is that there are no mosquitoes (unless you go off into the forest) because of the water's low pH (3.5 to 5). To me, this was perfect weather. Every night we would travel down a nearby igarape (forest "stream") and look for caiman, snakes, or listen to the frogs and bugs. A few times we went fishing for piranha, but caught catfish most of the time, usually a long, silver bodied fish with long barbels, a high dorsal fin, and length varying from 1 to 2 feet (I will try and get photos up soon).

When snorkeling, along with the many species of cichlids, characins, stingrays, and leporinus, we found loricariids under or on every piece of submerged wood. Most often caught were beautiful Ancistrus dolichopterus (L-183), that were the deepest black I had ever seen. Also caught were some large Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps (L-165), Pseudacanthicus leopardus (L-114).

In the fish market in Manaus, there were several kinds of catfish (along with pacu, piranha, cichlids, prochilodus, etc.) offered for sale. One remarkable find was the head of a large shovelnose, which was easily 6" around. Also were stacks of finned plecos, and gutsy pleco heads. It was notably remarkable that, although they had been caught the day before, some of these finless plecos were still alive.

I am a little short of time now, so I will have to finish my story later as I progress in sorting out my journal entries, pictures, etc.

Hey Neighbor!
Welcome back from your journey. That weather sounds wonderful. I haven't been to the NE Aquarium in a while because of the Big Dig, but I look forward to getting back there soon. I can't wait for the pics from your trip!!!!!!!!!!!!