Anyone know any inexpensive Amazon River trips?

[dafack01 0]

My friends and I are trying to put together a trip-of-a-lifetime trip. First thought was the Amazon River somewhere for Peacock Bass. The cheapest I saw was for the mid-high $3000 range plus airfare and tips and stuff. We're not wanting luxury suites and all that crap they seem to have. Just a tent or a crappy cabin will do fine. Any Amazon River trip must be trips where you catch truly monster Peacocks. I don't want to spend $3000 just to catch fish as big as I'd catch in S. Florida, which is 6 hours away for me.

 

If not, what are some affordable Alaska trips? My initial half-assed google search seemed to suggest Alaska trips are a heck of a lot more affordable.

[Peterjay 0]

Guess nobody wants to talk to a guy who's nuts enough to sleep in a tent on the Amazon. Let's see: centipedes, millipedes, slugs, snakes, malarial mosquitos, leeches, tarantulas, rabid monkeys, jaguars, poisonous frogs, piranhas, caimans, 500-pound catfish. Sounds like fun to me. Seriously, I know of a few people who have gone down there on photography expeditions, and they've all stayed on riverboats and gone off in dugouts during the day. From the pictures I've seen, the villages along the river look pretty nasty, never mind the backcountry. And you're right about it being expensive - there's probably no way around that. Still, I'd do it if I could swing it.

[duckydoty 0]

Try Naknek river camp owned by Jim Johnson. 1 week guided trip in the Katmia National Park with trips over to Brooks Falls (the place with all the bears). You stay in fishing cabins, hot breakfasts, shore lunches, and hot dinners. 30" rainbows are a great possability along with any salmon that might be running at the time. Up to 20" inch grayling on dry flies, 10+ pound artic char and pike are also a possability. The stay costs $1795 for the week plus airfair which cost me about $1000 round trip from Springfield, Mo.

Definately a place for the budget minded person, but it is a fishing camp. No real luxuries, but better than staying in tents.

 

duckydoty

[rhinorods69 0]

what about rooster fishing in Mexico could be cheap if you do a search but some of the best fishing marlin ,roosters, red snappers tuna , etc... any ways good luck and tight lines rhino.............

 

 

 

http://www.hotelbuenaventura.com.mx/englis...ge-fishing.html

 

 

 

here are some more in mexico

 

 

http://www.ixtapa-charterfishing.com/fishi.../esturion3.html

 

 

.....

 

 

some more mexico

 

 

http://www.bajafly.com/cabofishing.htm

 

 

 

don't know if you got the tackle or the want for the above also don't drink the water and don't go with out a passport and also i have never used any of the above guides just got them from a search engine. any ways good luck and tight lines rhino.............

 

 

 

 

 

..

[dafack01 0]

Try Naknek river camp owned by Jim Johnson. 1 week guided trip in the Katmia National Park with trips over to Brooks Falls (the place with all the bears). You stay in fishing cabins, hot breakfasts, shore lunches, and hot dinners. 30" rainbows are a great possability along with any salmon that might be running at the time. Up to 20" inch grayling on dry flies, 10+ pound artic char and pike are also a possability. The stay costs $1795 for the week plus airfair which cost me about $1000 round trip from Springfield, Mo.

Definately a place for the budget minded person, but it is a fishing camp. No real luxuries, but better than staying in tents.

 

duckydoty

 

 

This sounds promising! It just seems like anything worth going down to the Amazon for is just too damn expensive. I just can't justify spending stupid money to go to the Amazon to catch fish as big as I could catch in Florida. That means if I go to the Amazon it would mean a $5000 trip or better.

 

The opportunity to catch Salmon, 20" grayling, arctic char, and 30" Rainbows? Under $3000 for the trip? That's a dream vacation that's very doable! I don't care about luxury on a fishing trip. You want luxury? stay at the Plaza. You want to fish? Quit being a pansy and stay in something rustic.

[shezli 0]

Costa Rica has all kinds of world records for fish. I think it was Lefty that did a bunch of exploring there. Also Labrador is an amazing place for Atlantic Salmon and Brookies. (Where Lee Wulf did his exploration.)

 

[dafack01 0]

Costa Rica has all kinds of world records for fish. I think it was Lefty that did a bunch of exploring there. Also Labrador is an amazing place for Atlantic Salmon and Brookies. (Where Lee Wulf did his exploration.)

 

 

I'd love to go to Labrador (it's on my wish list actually) but I think my sales pitch might fall on deaf ears if I pitch it to my friends. Besides, I've been fascinated by Alaska since I was a little boy. Now that I have the chance to actually go on a dream vacation, Alaska is first on the list since the Amazon is out of reach. Heck, I can drive 6 hours to Ft. Lauderdale and catch Peacocks (though not as big as their cousins I'd catch on the $6000 Amazon trips).

[Carlin 0]

If I were to plan an Alaska trip with a bunch of friends, I'd plan on flying into Anchorage and renting an RV or a truck for 2-3 weeks then work the road system for salmon, trout and grayling, camping along the way.

 

The Naknek and similar rivers/lodges are a great opportunity, but I personally would rather fish a number of different rivers and watersheds and explore in the process. Take a guided trip or two on the Kenai, do some saltwater fishing out of Deep Creek or Seward, wade Quartz, combat Bird Creek, fish the Little Su, Willow, Kashwitna, etc. on the way up to the Denail highway, then fish for grayling and camp for a couple days across the dirt road (you're not supposed to take rentals across the Denali, but whatever... ) then work your way back to Los Anchorage fishing the Gulkana, and some other smaller grayling streams like Mendeltna along the way.

 

Just another option.

[miked 0]

That naknek River camp looks VERY interesting! And affordable too!!! Might just have to think of that for this year or next!!!!

 

Mike

[miked 0]

Hey not to hi jack this thread but anyone have any clue on licsences and such for Alaska?? Lookin like I can do this trip for under 4000, which although expensive does make it a doable trip of a lifetime.

 

Oh dfack why'd you have to start this thread! :wallbash: :wallbash: Or maybe I should be cursin ducky for mentioning that lodge! lol!! So hey how was the trip ducky???

 

Mike

[Carlin 0]

http://www.admin.adfg.state.ak.us/license/prices.html

[miked 0]

Thanks Carlin!!

 

Mike

[duckydoty 0]

The trip to Naknek River Camp was the best I've ever been on. A trip of a life time.

I posted a little report on it a while ago so here is a link to that.

Alaska

We not only fished the Naknek, but Brooks, and Margot (sp?) also. There are a few other places to go and fish from there too. It's all up to what ever you want to go and do. Feel like getting charged by bears? They will take you to some good places for that. They have fly outs available too. If I wasnt going to be guiding for then next year, I would definately be going on another trip.

you'll have to look up their website and see what all is available.

duckydoty

[Kodiak Commando 0]

Yeah you can do great trips up here for less than some people think. Many people think of lodges like the one i work at that are 6 to 7 grand a week and although they do offer fishing advantages. float planes trips are included in the package and since there are so many rivers around you never fish a river that's not fishing good. Compared to cheaper trips where your stuck on one river or pay extra for fly outs so if the home river is blown or whatever your pretty much screwed.

 

That being said most people including the guides like myself that work at those lodges can't spend that kind of money!!

 

There are sevaral trips I can think of right now for less than that.

 

First one is the trip duckydoty did, Naknek river camps offer a guided trips for a week on the nak for 1700pp and you can fly out for extra. Theya along and rainbow bend(who i have stayed with and highly recomend. also offer diy trips for around 1500, it includes a boat and gas. This is a sweet deal no matter what your going for. All you need to know is I have had several 50 fish days there with the smallest rainbow being around 18 inches, average around 24 and biggest around 35", record fish there for me was 35x21.5. I have yet to find a better river for Big rainbows. You can also pay extra to go to a smaller river like Little Ku or American. It adds cost but catching 10 pound trout in a 10 to 20 foot wide creek like little ku or catching 25 inchers on dries on american is worth it. Also the Naknek is killer fly fishing for sockeye and Coho. Nothing like catching 6 to 16 pound coho till your arms fall off.

 

You could consider the situk for steelhead. I know several GL guys who do that trip and say it's a lot like fishing at their home , small with tons of log jams. Only difference is all the fish are wild and routinely get over 36 inches and every year several are caugh over 40, record fish was a 47 inch 35 pound buck :buff: Its really road accessible so it's more crowded than say the naknek but that also means that you can do a very cheap trip whether you stay at a bead and breakfast or just camp. Most times i would reccomend a guide if your new to a spot in alaska but the fishing is very simalar to fishing the GL so you would do just fine.

 

You could also consider the Karluk for a DIY trip. The flight on a float plane is around 1400 but it's per plane so you can split costs with people and then bring all your camping gear. It's roughing it in cold weather but hey catching 20 plus wild PNW steelies a day is pretty much unheard of outside of this river.

 

Or how about renting a car and fishing up north for 15 pound dollies which are like big brook trout on steroids. Or staying at a DIY lodge on the Kvichiak or fly fishing from a rented Kayak in the salt water in prince william islands. Just need a cheap place to say and a kayak and your ready for 15 to 20 pound coho all day with a clauser.

 

And that's just a small list! Point is there are lost of more affordable trips up here whether you want a guide or not, stay in a tent or cabin or travel by plane or car.

 

One of these days we should do a TFF get together up here with one of the more affordable trips. I know i've kicked the idea around with Carlin and Steve. Maybe in a few years when i'm not guiding anymore I could Take some time off and host some sort of trip possibly with carlin. Even on the road system on Kodiak or the mainland a good local fisherman like Carlin or me could put you on some big Trout or Salmon.

 

Carlin's trip suggestion isn't too bad either, you can fish by road for 2 or 3 weeks and catch rainbows like this

 

 

Char like this

 

 

or coho like this, obviously i did

 

[dafack01 0]

kodiak commando, you're making me drool over here!