2021 International Fly Fishing Travel Magazine

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2/3 Introduction 10/25/21 5:40 AM Page 1

BRAZIL

Kendjam

The next frontier in jungle angling!

This startling Amazon river is unique in nature. It’s a crystal-clear fly fishing jungle jackpot loaded with exotic varieties of Peacock Bass that share the pools, riffles, and runs with ten other red-hot river targets! THE

I R I R I R I V E R is a shallow, 800-mile long, fast moving freestone river that courses over a granite and boulder streambed and runs absolutely transparent. It’s a one-of-a-kind Brazilian mountain fishery filled with fly-friendly gamefish, including seldom-seen and less frequently caught varieties of spectacularly colored peacock bass, wolf fish, payara, matrinxa, pacu, bicuda, payara, and more. The Iriri is a wet-wading, sight-casting fly fishing experience in what amounts to an enormous, clear tropical aquarium in the middle of the Amazon.

Kendjam Lodge is typical of other Untamed Angling destinations, reverently carved out of the jungle, situated on a bluff overlooking a magnificent view of the fishery, staffed by a combination of indigenous guides and Brazilian angling experts. The food is superb, and the comfortable accommodations are a stark contrast to the surrounding rainforest.

Getting to Kendjam is a near all-day affair. Anglers usually arrive in Manaus the night preceding the early morning, 3-hour charter flight to the remote grass airstrip in the heart of the Kayapo’s 26 million-acre territory. From there it’s another 2-hours downriver in modern cayugas to the lodge, a journey involving several portages past terraced rapids. No other anglers share the crystal-clear fishery, and nobody enters the Kayapo territory without being invited. The Kayapo’s miraculous emergence into the 21st century with their land, culture, and largely subsistence based lifestyle is one indigenous culture’s greatest success stories. Kendjam was a deliberate move by the tribe to break away from an existing band in an effort to create a village free of the influence of alcohol and the timber and gold industries. Their connection to tradition and the natural world upon which they depend remains continuous and unbroken. Their chief, Pukatire, was quoted as saying, “We only need the white man for three things. Eyeglasses, flip-flops, and flashlights.” Part of the Kendjam experience involves some amazing fishing. It also incorporates a fascinating and rewarding cultural facet that rates beyond exceptional. This is a great jungle angling adventure tailored for traveling anglers interested in more than just great jungle angling. s 8 night/6 day fishing package $6,250

Packages are all-inclusive from Manaus, Brazil The short season begins in June and ends in late August. Not included is a $530 Native Community fee

Untamed Angling photos

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