Rio Pasimoni

Fishing

The Pasimoni River itself is roughly 45 miles long and connects in its upper reaches with the Yatua and Varia rivers. During a normal week anglers have access to approximately 30 miles of the Pasimoni, another 25 miles or so of the Yatua and roughly the same amount on the Varia, plus a considerable network of oxbows, backwaters and lagoons scattered throughout the system.  That diversity is one of the things that makes the place interesting. A lot of Amazon peacock bass fishing revolves around main-river sandbars and structure. Pasimoni gives you plenty of that, but it also has a tremendous number of lagoons and jungle backwaters more reminiscent of other parts of the Orinoco drainage. And while Pasimoni is first and foremost a trophy peacock bass fishery, anglers may also encounter sardinata, black pacu, arowana and piranha.

Twenty-pound peacock bass are not marketing mythology here; fish of that size exist in the system and are the reason most anglers make the trip. Most shots are blind casts, although the river's amber-colored water occasionally provides opportunities to sight-fish to cruisers or “floaters” suspended just below the surface.

The basic formula is not complicated: cover water.

And then cover some more.

The standard program is two anglers per boat. Local Piaroa and Sikuani guides know the river intimately, although many do not speak English. An Afloat host accompanies the group throughout the program, and communication on the water tends to become surprisingly efficient once everyone agrees that pointing at a log and shouting is a fairly universal fishing language.  Both anglers can fish simultaneously from the boats, which helps keep flies in the water and is particularly useful when working broad lagoon shorelines or open structure. Guides generally move between fishing areas under outboard power, then switch to paddles when working individual lagoons and banks.

For fly anglers, an intermediate tropical line with a clear tip is a very useful all-around streamer setup. A tropical floating line handles poppers and surface work, while a sink-tip earns its luggage space when fish are holding deeper in the lagoons. Bringing two or three rigged rods makes life considerably easier than rebuilding tackle every time conditions change.

Fishing days generally begin after breakfast around 7:00 a.m. and continue into late afternoon. Lunch is taken on the river, normally under whatever shade the jungle provides.

Pasimoni is fished during the lower-water portion of the year, generally from September through December and again from January into March. January is typically among the drier months, although “dry season” in equatorial rainforest should always be interpreted somewhat generously. Temperatures remain warm throughout the season, generally in the 70s and 80s, with plenty of humidity and the occasional tropical downpour to remind you where you are.

Large peacocks are powerful fish and generally head for submerged timber or vegetation as soon as they are hooked. Fly anglers should bring 9- or 10-weight rods, strong reels and tropical lines capable of casting large streamers. Conventional tackle should be equally stout. Single hooks are required on flies and lures, and fishing equipment is not provided.

Accommodations

Pasimoni Lodge provides comfortable accommodations considering how remote the location is. Capacity is limited to 10 anglers each week, and is set along an extremely isolated river system surrounded by rainforest, with virtually none of the normal infrastructure most of us take for granted. Within that context, the camp provides everything necessary to recover comfortably between long fishing days: a proper bed, electricity, fans, showers, meals, cold drinks, Starlink internet connectivity, and a place to gather each evening.

This is a comfortable fishing camp rather than a luxury resort, which suits the program well. The reason to travel this far is access to the fishery.

The cultural component of the experience is significant. Afloat works directly with nearby indigenous communities, and many of the fishing guides come from Piaroa and Sikuani villages in the region. A portion of the program's revenue supports local health care, education and community initiatives.

That relationship isn't window dressing. In a place this remote, the operation depends upon the people who actually live here, and anglers become temporary guests in a landscape that these communities have known for generations.

Cuisine

Peacock bass fishing has a fairly reliable way of creating an appetite, especially after ten hours of throwing large streamers in tropical heat.

Fortunately, the lodge takes feeding people seriously.

Three meals per day are included, along with snacks, bottled water, soft drinks, sports drinks and a weekly beer allowance. Dinner menus mix Colombian and international dishes with ingredients available locally, so depending on the evening you might find fish, pasta, barbecue, paella or more traditional regional cooking on the table.

Breakfast is served early, usually around 6:30 a.m., before boats leave for the day.

Lunch travels with you and is normally eaten somewhere along the river beneath the jungle canopy. Nobody is pretending it is fine dining at that point; the objective is to refuel, drink something cold and get back to fishing.

Dinner and appetizers provide the more social portion of the day. The host meets with anglers in the evening, discusses what happened on the river and works through plans for the following morning.

The package presently includes 24 beers per angler for the week in addition to unlimited non-alcoholic drinks. Anyone requiring more beer, wine or hard liquor can purchase it in Puerto Inírida before heading into the jungle.

Dietary restrictions can generally be accommodated with advance notice. Given how far the lodge is from the nearest grocery store—and we mean really far—advance notice is the important part of that sentence.

Travel Details

Getting to the Pasimoni takes some doing, but then, that's sort of the point.

Anglers travel through Bogotá and Puerto Inírida, fly to the edge of the Rio Negro drainage, and then continue by boat into one of the more isolated corners of northern South America.

That effort is precisely the point.

Afloat manages the operation from Colombia and coordinates the necessary permits and documentation with Venezuelan authorities and local indigenous communities in advance. Guests enter the program through Colombia and travel by river into the Pasimoni system without having to navigate a conventional land-border immigration crossing en route.

For most international anglers, the trip begins in Bogotá, Colombia.

Day 1 – Arrive Bogotá

Fly into El Dorado International Airport (BOG), clear immigration and customs, and meet the Afloat representative outside the arrivals area.

Guests are transferred to the Hilton Garden Inn Bogotá Airport or a comparable hotel.

Hotel accommodations in Bogotá are included on a shared-room basis. Single rooms can normally be arranged for an additional charge.

Depending upon arrival time, Bogotá is well worth taking advantage of. The city has excellent restaurants, museums and plenty to occupy anyone who builds an extra day into the schedule rather than simply staring at the inside of an airport hotel.

Day 2 – Bogotá to Puerto Inírida

After breakfast, an Afloat host accompanies the group to the domestic airport for the roughly 90-minute commercial flight to Puerto Inírida in eastern Colombia.

An Afloat representative meets the group on arrival and handles the transfer to the hotel.

There is usually an opportunity in Puerto Inírida to purchase additional beer, wine or liquor before heading into the bush, which is worth doing because your next convenient liquor store is going to be some distance away.

Lunch and dinner are included in Puerto Inírida.

Day 3 – Puerto Inírida to Pasimoni

After breakfast, the group transfers back to the airport for the flight to San Felipe, a small Colombian community on the Rio Negro.

From San Felipe the trip becomes considerably more interesting.

Bags and anglers are transferred to a covered powerboat equipped with padded seats, lunch and plenty of cold drinks. From there it is approximately four hours by river, traveling along the Rio Negro, through the Casiquiare system and eventually into the Pasimoni.

By the time you arrive at camp, there should be very little confusion about what “remote” means.

Days 4–9 – Six Full Fishing Days (Whoo-hoo!!!)

Day 10 – Pasimoni to Bogotá

After breakfast, guests travel by boat back to San Felipe and fly to Puerto Inírida.

From Puerto Inírida the group connects with an afternoon commercial flight to Bogotá, where an Afloat representative provides the hotel transfer.

The final hotel night in Bogotá is included.

Day 11 – Depart Bogotá

Transfer from the hotel to El Dorado International Airport is provided according to your international departure schedule.

Because this program involves commercial flights, charter flights and long river transfers in a remote region, we strongly recommend leaving unnecessary complexity at home.

That includes luggage.

Checked baggage limits on the domestic/charter portions of the trip are restrictive, and daily laundry is available at camp. Pack fishing equipment carefully, bring enough clothing to get dirty repeatedly and leave the “just in case” half of your normal suitcase in Bogotá.

Comprehensive travel insurance plus medical evacuation coverage are also strongly recommended for a trip of this nature. This is not someplace where missing a connection or having a medical issue can necessarily be solved with the next flight out that afternoon.

Rates

Standard package = US$6,500

($5,900 per angler plus $600 Indigenous Community Fee)

This includes:

• Meet-and-greet assistance and scheduled transfers in Bogotá and Puerto Inírida
• Two hotel nights in Bogotá, shared occupancy
• One hotel night in Puerto Inírida, shared occupancy
• Domestic round-trip air transportation between Bogotá and Puerto Inírida
• Air transportation between Puerto Inírida and San Felipe
• Boat transfers between San Felipe and Pasimoni Lodge
• Six full days of guided fishing
• Two anglers per boat
• Shared double accommodations at the lodge
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner while at the lodge
• Meals in Puerto Inírida as specified by the itinerary
• Snacks
• Bottled water, soft drinks and sports drinks
• 24 beers per angler per week
• Laundry service at camp
• Starlink internet access

Single hotel rooms in Bogotá and Puerto Inírida may be available for an additional charge.

Not included:

• International airfare to and from Bogotá
• Meals, drinks and personal expenses in Bogotá
• Excess baggage charges
• Additional purchases in Puerto Inírida
• Wine, liquor or beer beyond the package allowance
• Fishing rods, reels, flies, lures or other fishing equipment
• Sport-fishing license where applicable
• Travel insurance
• Medical evacuation or repatriation coverage
• Gratuities

Recommended gratuity is approximately 10–15% of the package cost.

Because of the remote nature of the program, we strongly recommend comprehensive trip-cancellation insurance and a dedicated medical evacuation membership or policy.