To make your dream come true. Pirarucu, one of the largest and most ancient freshwater fish Ecuadorian Amazon Fishing Trip

Arapaima are more likely to be found in this area.

Pirarucu, also called pirarucu, arapaima, or payche, are one of the largest freshwater fish, reaching more than 3 meters in length (some scholars say that sturgeon, Mekong giant catfish, and the freshwater ray prawn are the largest). It is believed to have remained unchanged in evolution for 100 million years, and its appearance is both beautiful and cool. I had hoped to one day target this fish in the wilds of the Amazon, and I got that chance at the beginning of the year 2024. The invitation came from Masahiro Shinkai, a staff member of Noah Marine, a fishing boat that mainly targets GTs on the main island of Okinawa, and who has tried his hand at fishing for a variety of fish from around the world.

The location was Ecuador, South America. We entered the upper reaches of the Amazon River and casted from a boat. Mr. Shinkai had tried fishing the previous year and caught four arapaima. When he heard that many arapaima were living there, he was excited. Although bait and soft lures are available for targeting arapaima, Mr. Shinkai prefers to catch them with hard plugs. Mr. Shinkai was no different. He listened to advice on tackle selection and targeting methods, prepared his own tackle, and took on the challenge over a six-day period. In this 2024 fishing trip, he was unable to catch any fish, but on the last day, he managed to catch a 2-meter arapaima. The water volume was so high that many arapaima went into the submerged forest, making it difficult to target them, even though they seemed to be present in large numbers. I also had many things to reflect on, such as the best timing for searching, the best position to cast, and tackle selection, even for individuals that were out in open areas. So the next year, the New Year of 2025, we decided to try again with the same members.

A fish caught in 2024. I managed to catch it on the last day. Looking back, there were many things I regretted.

I knew the tackle and fishing method. Now it all depends on good field conditions, such as the water level. For this fishing trip, I decided to bring my new Savage Gear ULLR rod. This rod is a 4-piece pack rod designed by Savage Gear in Japan. The lineup is designed to face a variety of fish from around the world, and the rod is also designed to handle heavyweight Savage Gear lures. We were allowed to touch these during the exhibition, and although they were pre-launch (scheduled for release in March-April 2025), we borrowed samples and brought them in.

The Savage Gear ULLR, a Japanese project, is set at a length that is easy for Japanese anglers to use, and all items are 4-piece rods designed to be carried on expedition fishing trips. The length is long enough to fit in a large suitcase. If it can fit in a suitcase, it will be helpful when there is a limit on the number of pieces of checked baggage on airplanes. Also, when the number of pieces in luggage increases, the possibility of lost baggage inevitably increases. Large rod cases are especially easy to lose. When fishing in unexplored areas by car or boat, even one person’s lost baggage can disrupt the entire plan. It is safer to pack your luggage in one suitcase. ULLRs are large enough to be carried on board as hand luggage, but depending on the aircraft and the country, they may have to be carried as checked baggage.

Directions to the fishing grounds

It is quite a long way to the fishing grounds. The final stop on the fishing trip is a lagoon called Lagarto Cocha or Imuyacocha, located on the border between Ecuador and Peru, where arapaima are abundant. A lagoon is a reservoir formed when river water recedes, and this is where arapaima live. Arapaima can also be found in the surrounding river channels, but it is easier to spot them in the lagoons where you can see a wider area. We waited for the arapaima to rise, approached quietly, and cast for them. We head to the lagoon at sunrise and fish with a guide and one or two anglers on one boat. In Lagarto Cocha and Imuya Cocha, we asked the guide to have one angler per boat in order to increase the catch rate. To get to the final fishing spot, we traveled from Narita, Japan, to Houston, U.S.A., to Quito, the capital of Ecuador (one night in a hotel in Quito), and then flew to Coca the next day. Then, after a 3-hour drive and 4-hour boat ride, we will arrive at Tucunare Lodge, our first overnight stop in the Amazon. There is also a lagoon called Sancudo Cocha near this lodge, which we will explore for one day the next day, and then head to our final stop, the camp site at Lagarto Cocha, the next day. We will arrive four days after leaving Japan.

Tucunare Lodge, our first overnight stop in the Amazon. Two nights here. The day after we arrive, we will aim for Arapaima for one day in Sancudo Cocha.

After a day of fishing in the suncudo Cocha near Tucunare Lodge, we leave our large suitcases and other luggage in the bungalow and move to the camp site in Lagarto Cocha with only our fishing gear, change of clothes, and other necessary luggage. Electricity at the campsite is only available for two hours in the evening when the generator is running. However, the tents are comfortable with bed mats, shower rooms, and toilets.

Aiming: Look around, find a reaction, and cast!

The first step is to look for arapaima. First, you row the boat so as not to make any noise. The first method is to find arapaima that are holding their breath and cast for them with a plug. If the arapaima are far away, approach them quietly and wait around for their next breath. When the arapaima take another breath, cast to a spot 2 to 3 meters next to the spot. It is necessary to instantly determine which side the arapaima is facing, and the timing between when it comes to the surface and when you cast is also important. The guide says it is best to land the lure at 1, 2, or 3 after it comes to the surface. Another way to attack them is to find them swimming in shallow water. They may have their backs out, or swim to the bottom, where bubbles float to the surface. And the longest way to probe is to find baby balls. The fry clump together and produce petite ripples on the surface of the water. Underneath the fry, the parent fish will produce bubbles. They also migrate nearby. Cast the lure to the spot where the fry have appeared, and the parent fish will attack. Regardless of the method you use, you should twitch and jerk the lure as soon as it lands on the water to entice the fish. The lure is supposed to move in front of the diving arapaima, making them twitch and twitch. Casting is done from a distance so as not to give the angler any discomfort, so casting distance and accuracy are important.

A vast lagoon. The three main lagoons to explore are Sancudo Cocha, Lagarto Cocha, and Imuya Cocha, but there are many more lagoons upstream. To do the lagoons in the backcountry requires an even bigger migration.

Don’t cast in vain, look for arapaima and shoot plugs when you find them. There are many patterns where you wait for the next breath to cast. In the lagoon, make as little noise as possible, and wait patiently while listening to the sounds of birds, insect wings, and the cries of monkeys. Wait at some distance from where the arapaima are likely to catch their breath. Casting distance and accuracy are necessary.

Rod selection that does not cause disintegration, not only strong rod selection

Tackle selection and tackle balance are important in order to catch arapaima in the few chances we have. First of all, I chose Savage Gear’s new ULLR 684XH as my main rod for this fishing trip. Lure: 35-180g, line: PE 10. Because the size of arapaima is over 2 m and they have hard mouths, people tend to think that the 684XXH (lure: 42-500 g, line: PE No. 10), the strongest rod in the series, is better for hooking arapaima, but even with a stiff rod, hooking arapaima is not easy, as most places in the mouth, except for some areas at the back of the mouth and near the lips, can be pierced. However, hooking arapaima, even with a stiff rod, will not penetrate most areas of the mouth except for the back of the mouth and some areas near the lips. In addition, arapaima have a habit of repeatedly jumping after a hit. Assuming that the hooker is hanging in a half-hooked state, we decided from the previous year’s experience that a rod that can absorb even the slightest movement during the jump and bend firmly is better. A stiff rod would give us away. The 664H (lure: 28 to 130 g, line: PE No. 8), one grade lower, felt good to the touch, but we chose the 684XH, which is 2 inches longer, for casting distance. The other thing to consider is strength, but this is something you won’t know until you actually hang it.

This time, we used ULLR 684XH. Arapaima fishing uses a thick main line and a thick leader, but the guides are large and the knots with the thick line went through smoothly. There are a total of five items in the lineup, and you should consider the weight of the lure you are using and the size of the fish when making your choice. The 634M, the lightest model, is good for barramundi and sea bass using small lures, while the 664MH and 664H are good for sea bass using big bait plugs.

Lure Selection & Hook Selection

Next, for lures, based on past results, the main lures used were the K-TEN Blue Ocean BKF175R2 and the Strike Pro Magnum Minnow 16 cm SF model. The reason for this selection was to approach the lure from as far away as possible so as not to alarm the opponent, and to achieve a distance even with a thick line, a weight of 50g or more, stable casting performance, and lure strength are necessary. The lure must also have the ability to quickly dive to the water in front of the angler’s eyes. As mentioned above, we chose a large treble-type hook so that we could hook the arapaima with a hard mouth as much as possible. Arapaima suck in the fish at once and spit it out as soon as they feel any discomfort. The reason for this was to hook the fish as much as possible. We felt that the low hooking rate in the previous year was due to a mistake in the selection of this hook size. So this time, we selected a BKK VIPER-41 4/0 hook, which is quick to hook at a straight point. Incidentally, K-TEN Blue Ocean BKF175R2 is a floating plug, but the weight of the hook makes it suspend and slow sinking. This is just right, as it neither floats too much nor dives too deep. Furthermore, a 4/0 hook is usually too large, but the BKF175R2 works even with a larger hook. The line used is PE No. 6. The leader is 180 lb. At the end of the leader, about 60 cm of Zaylon No. 50 is attached. The thicker leader was selected to avoid line breakage caused by the teeth of rough arapaima when the lure is sucked in at once, and also to avoid the possibility of getting entangled in the wreck when the lure is run.

It’s Time to Go to the Holy Land of Arapaima, Ecuador

We arrived at Tucunare Lodge, where we would be staying at our first fishing spot, without any problems, although we had a flat tire on the way there. After getting ready in the room, we prepared for the next day’s fishing in Sancoudo Cocha. The next day, we headed to Suncudo Cocha early in the morning, and after a 40-minute drive up the blackwater river and through a narrow channel, we arrived at the vast lagoon of Suncudo Cocha. Every time we arrive at the lagoon, we hear “We’ve finally arrived! and I am impressed by the scenery.
On this day, two boats, one with two anglers and the other with one angler, fished in the San Cudo, and the boat with two anglers caught no fish, although baby balls, breath-holds, and arapaima were observed many times. The other boat had a few bites but no arapaima.

The next day, we moved to Lagarto Cocha and Imuya Cocha, where there were more arapaima and larger fish. Then we went to Lagarto Cocha in the afternoon. But after that, I was worried. As in the previous year, there was a lot of water, and the arapaima were in the submerged forest. We are waiting for arapaima to show themselves on the boat, but most of the sounds of arapaima jumping that we hear from time to time are in the forest. Some individuals show up in open water, but few.

Then, the next day, we went to Imuya Cocha, which has a proven track record of large fish. However, the water level is also high here. Bites came about once a day, but it was difficult to catch them. Even if we get a bite, it is often caught without hooking, or it misses when it jumps. The basic landing method is to fight on the boat, run the boat into shallow water, and finally get off the boat and pull up into the shallows, but the water level is high and there are no shallow water nearby. Therefore, they are exposed while moving around.

When the water level is high and the arapaima go deep into the woods, even when they are finally hooked, they are sometimes exposed while trying to find a mouth that is difficult to hook, jump, or even find a landing position. This arapaima was caught while looking for a landing spot.

Catching arapaima. Rod power is sufficient.

After that, due to the high water level and the difficulty of catching the fish, the guide decided to bring the fish up to the boat when it hit, take a quick picture, and release it. Then, on the second day of Imuya Cocha, we were finally able to catch a little under 2 meters by landing it on the boat. Incidentally, the rod power of the ULLR 684XH still felt generous.

Arapaima jumping. It shows a violent head shake. The mouth is hard and the hook is often half hooked, so it is necessary to have a tackle that can move the lure firmly and has the power to attract the hooked arapaima, but also has the flexibility to absorb the jumps.

There are no shoals, so landing arapaima on a boat is a challenge. This is the hardest part.

Quickly taking pictures and releasing the fish.

The next day, a long-awaited good-sized fish hit the lure that landed in the best position and at the best time for arapaima to catch their breath. When I hooked it hard, it immediately showed a strong pull. However, we pulled it in with a rod. When jumping, do so after showing a strong run. If you feel it jump, weaken the drag a little and hold the rod under the water to cope with the jump. After a few jumps, we let the angler get tired around the boat, and when the angler calmed down, we landed the fish. 2m30cm (captain’s measurement) was the size we caught. Although it did not reach our target of 3m, it was a happy one, as it was a hit under difficult conditions. The power of the ULLR 684XH rod was also fully confirmed. It feels like it can handle even larger fish.

Arapaima jumped and head-shook at the same time; it swung about 1 meter. That is why stiff rods are exposed. The powerful jump is addictive.

After that, the situation went downhill and the arapaima stopped showing up. So we suggested to the guide that we return to Suncudo Cocha, where we first explored for the rest of the day. There was a campsite at Suncudo Cocha, which was currently under construction and not equipped, but we decided to move there to increase our chances of catching arapaima. And perhaps that decision was a good one, as both Mr. Shinkai and Mr. Yoshida, who were accompanying us, succeeded in catching fish. Many things can go wrong on an overseas expedition because you don’t know what the field conditions are like until you go there and there is not much information available, but our on-the-spot decision went well and the fishing trip ended with a catch for all of us.

Mr. Shinkai, who was with us, also caught a fish after moving to Sun Coode. This one had shallow water, so he pulled in close to shore and landed it.

He handled the fish carefully and let it rest well before releasing it. The Super Shad Rap, one of Arapaima’s proven lures, which Mr. Shinkai was using, was in the condition shown in the photo. It shows the power of Arapaima.

His companion, Mr. Yoshida, also caught a fish. In the end, he caught two arapaima.

The most important thing when fishing in an overseas expedition, or even in an unexplored area, is to avoid trouble. There are many kinds of problems, but the most common are those related to tools. There are lost rods on airplanes, broken rods, and errors in tackle selection. However, that does not mean that you can bring a large amount of tackle with you, considering the weight restrictions of airplanes, traveling by one car, and accessing the final destination by boat. This time, I prepared two tackle for arapaima and one tackle for fishing small items such as piranha, but it seemed best to limit myself to about three tackle because of the weight limit of local domestic flights. Without much information, it is hard to know what kind of tackle to bring and to carefully select tackle, but that is also a fun part of this kind of fishing. In any kind of fishing, you need to think about the ecology of the fish (in the case of arapaima, they have hard mouths and jump), the field they inhabit, and the kind of fight you expect to have, and come up with an answer. I think the overall tackle balance is important: rod, line, drag, lure and hook size, and hardware. The rod I chose this time was Savage Gear’s ULLR 684XH, because I think too stiff or strong tackle like a stick has many negative effects when it comes to targeting arapaima. Although I felt the rod was a little too strong for the size of arapaima I caught, I felt more secure with this power when facing a 3-meter-long arapaima, which was my target. I would like to try again someday.

Ecuador Pirarucu Fishing Tour Inquiries: Freeride Anglers
https://www.worldfishing.co.jp/

The more unexplored the area, the better it is to have a tour company make the schedule for you. They will definitely make arrangements for flights, guides, and accommodations, and they will also be able to respond to any problems with flights in the area. A fishing tour company can also help you with tackle selection and appropriate personal belongings.

Summary: Angler’s Time, Hidenori Omoto
Photos: Masahiro Shinkai, Hidenori Omoto