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I plan going on an Amazon Fish Collecting trip on Aug 2006 as part of "Margarita Tours" expedition group around Iquitos-Peru Amazon area.

I wonder what chance I have to collect rare/interesting L's (Loricariidae, Plecos) fish ?
Do you have experience in L's fish collecting around Peru-Iquitos ?

Thanks.

I think Jools said that expecting to find exotic fish is a way to disappoint yourself. He also said something like "it's an amazing experience to catch fish in it's natural habitat, even if it's only a Zebra danio or wild guppy".

There's a thread currently in Speak Easy on Jools, Shane and Whitepine's trip to the Amazon.

It's unlikely that you'll be able to catch wild L-number fishes of your choice, but you should be able to find some plecos of some sort or another, if you have someone with a bit of experience. If you really want a particular specie of fish, however, the fish-shops are MUCH more reliable.

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Mats

Margarita tours is a great company to go with for your first foray in SA.
It's much less of an expedition, and more of a cruise! Yes you'll collect, yes you will get VERY muddy, but they pamper you and feed you very well when your feet are dry. I still wish for Dourado and a fresh heart of palm salad!

I went in January 1998 and have been pineing to go back to the Amazon ever since! I tried getting things in order to join Jools, Whitepine and Shane on the trip they are currently on but such is life...

What you'll find you can never really predict. You'll find stuff you've never seen before and learn things about fish you think you know, but would've never imagined.

You may find a few L-numbered fishes (L-204 comes to mind) in the exporters facility so save a little room in your cooler.
Just a little though, IMO having a common fish you caught yourself is much more interesting than having a rare one you purchased!

pturley wrote:Just a little though, IMO having a common fish you caught yourself is much more interesting than having a rare one you purchased!

I couldn't agree more - not that I've ever caught any tropical fish myself, but I've kept some domestic swedish fish for a while, nothing unusual at all, but it was more exiting that fish you buy in the shop - and that's nothing like being halfway across the globe to "pick your own".

I'm sure I will get there and do that, but at the moment it's only a dream.

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Mats

MatsP is right, i went to brazil in 2004 and just hoped i would see pleco's and stingray's in their natural habitat, let alone catch some, it was a fantastic adventure and one im hoping to repeat soon.

Kev

kev wrote:MatsP is right, i went to brazil in 2004 and just hoped i would see pl*co's and stingray's in their natural habitat, let alone catch some, it was a fantastic adventure and one im hoping to repeat soon.

Kev

Did you go on an organized tour ? What DID you see ? any L-numbers ?
Thanks.

Do you guys know what costs are involved in a trip like this? It is also definitely a dream of mine

Andre Costerus wrote:Do you guys know what costs are involved in a trip like this? It is also definitely a dream of mine

$1395 ( not including flight from/to your home country to/from Iquitos ).

Thanks!

Do the guys actually help you get the correct documentation if you want to take some fish home with you?

No it was not an organised trip, my friend own's an Aquatic shop and has shippers all over the world so we met one of them in Brazil and went out collecting with him. We went to Macapa for 3 day's and then to Alatmira (Rio Xingu) for a week. I was very very lucky!!!. I got to try catching zebra's, gold nugget's, mango's and Leopoldi's to name a few. There's nothing like paddling about in the river turning over rock's and try'n to grab the pleco underneath, and then after 3 hour's you manage to grab a 10" gold nugget .


Kev

Andre Costerus wrote:Thanks!

Do the guys actually help you get the correct documentation if you want to take some fish home with you?

Yes. They help you with all the documentation. Remember - exporting from Peru and importing to your country is extra $ and not cheap.

What's the stick for kev?

Prising plecs out of little holes?

Also, what safety precautions do you have to take when you're chest deep in the xingu?

The plec stick as i called it is for poking plec's out from between rock's, you'd be supprised how well they can wedge them self's in. I actually have that stick on the wall in my fish room . As for precaution's there isant any really, just hope you dont get bit by somthing , i did see a few Camen but i came back with all my finger's and toe's. Belive me when you are in the river you dont even think about anything like that.

Kev

kev wrote:The plec stick as i called it is for poking plec's out from between rock's, you'd be supprised how well they can wedge them self's in. I actually have that stick on the wall in my fish room . As for precaution's there isant any really, just hope you dont get bit by somthing , i did see a few Camen but i came back with all my finger's and toe's. Belive me when you are in the river you dont even think about anything like that.

Kev

Kev,

Your pic looks amazing !
During your fish collecting - did you often swim and use your mask ? Since the water are not transparent - Could you see something ? Could you just collect without bathing ?

Thanks.

yes you will need the mask, i know the water look's very green but you can see around you. We had visibilty in deep (12 feet deep) water upto a meter, in the shallow water (2-5 feet deep) you can see load's. For the deep water we had a compressor. In the Xingu you could not throw in a net to catch plec's because of the rock's, in the sandy area's you could use a net and collect tetra's and leporinus and fish like that.

Kev

Kev,

Any idea how it is in the Apayacu, Orosa and Ampiyacu Rivers during August - how deep and what means of collecting needed ?

Thanks.

im sorry ive never been to those river's, but what i will say is the plec's will be in the rocky area's.

Kev

Just a question Kev, were the rocks normally rounded river rocks, jagged-edged or a combination?

From your photo picture, looks like you were having fun. The thought of a trip suddenly looks exciting to me. Thanks.

Regards,
Mike D.

the rock's in the Xingu where a bit jagged, as the faint scare on my leg still show's 18 months on. I cut my foot after ten minutes in the river. Bloody worth it tho

Kev.

duonri wrote:Kev,

Any idea how it is in the Apayacu, Orosa and Ampiyacu Rivers during August - how deep and what means of collecting needed ?

Thanks.

Water will be up a bit at that time of year. Hand nets (recommend strong wooden handles) or hand seines are what you need unless your going with a partner.

Jools

I would look into getting a few seineslike these. (4 and 8 foot). These are what we used everyday in the amazon. You will need a partner... but once you convince someone to help you out, and you start catching lots of fish, they will all want to be your partner

BTW, the pictures and fish species list and all that stuff in the Peru 2000 article in Shane's World is all from a Margareta Tours trip.

Jools