A story about catching a long-awaited fish and what it cost me. Spoiler: it was painful and dirty.
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It was time to continue our journey through the Amazon! Where were we last time we left off...?
In the last part, I said goodbye to Honas and his wonderful family for sharing the fishing experience with me.
The next day I bought a mosquito net. This made my sleeping in the canoe much more comfortable and safe, allowing me to forgo stretching out the hammock for good. When the rains reached me again, I was ready.
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With the canopy they were no longer any problem for me, I just climbed under the canopy and watched the course, adjusting it if necessary. The logs became my constant carriers, +3-5 km/hour to my speed! And no gasoline. Ecological.
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Water collection was also simplified, which could not but make me happy.
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My joy was not shared only by jungle dwellers, who were occasionally washed away by floods into the merciless Amazon riverbed, then my canoe became an "ark" for them. I tried not to deny shelter to anyone, but sometimes the number of spiders and other small bugs was too high. Then I had to make some hard choices.
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No, of course, I didn't kill anyone, but forcibly deported them to smaller arks along the river. As the rains intensify, the river is literally covered with branches, bushes and whole trees that form islands.
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Over time, the boat is marked with identification signs, just like hitchhiking. On the one hand - they made everything more complicated, creating an unnecessary barrier between me and the locals, on the other hand - they allowed me to represent the Russians differently and arouse more interest. As I once said, interest is an invaluable resource.
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No matter how hard I tried to stretch my supplies over a longer period of time, the salted fish quickly ran out, too tasty against the background of endless farinha. Even though some of them were infested with worm.... It happens. This problem was solved by repeated salting and drying.
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The inhabitants of my "ark" somehow did not want to eat.
This is Egor. I named him in honor of my friend, a pussy-grower.
So I decided that it was high time to use the knowledge I had gained about fishing and prepare for a real "monster hunt". Further I will quote the diary, so have a nice dive!...
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The rainy days were not without a trace, my feet are bad again. Huge blisters covered both feet, the water again "eats" the skin inch by inch. Not touching the water is unrealistic, no matter how hard I try.
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Night fishing has shown me that I vitally need a bell to keep me from missing the next fish on the bite. Yes, in Pucallpa I have already tried to find one in the market, but without success. The only way out is to invent one.
I hooked a few balls of sinkers on a titanium leash and attached it to the handle of my metal mug. Threw the weights inside. Now, if you suspended it and jerked the mug to the side, there would be a metallic clanking sound. Not a bell ringing, of course, but something! I need to realize my main advantage: I live in a boat and, unlike the locals, I sleep right next to the fishing traps. This means I can miss far fewer fish than the local fishermen.
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Constructed, once again, a flexible reed rod to catch bait. Not 5 minutes later I caught a catfish in one of the coastal bushes. Berry works! As I realized, in such murky water it is important to "squelch" as loudly as possible, hitting the bait against the water when throwing, then the fish goes to the sound of the fallen bait. On one of the throws on my light tackle something so big that I couldn't even pull it out.
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Ended up catching two small catfish and it started to rain. Again. Can't go anywhere without it. I took the boat out into the main current of the river and hid under the awning. It was time for the next stage of preparation: I took huge 4-5 centimeter hooks and sharpened 2 pieces to build a trap at night. Maybe I'll catch my Moby Dick tonight?
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I feel heartburn. Must be too much farinha and sugar. Decided to eat the last canned food donated by Segundo (there were 3 in total when I started in Pucallpa). His stove, by the way, was donated to Hones and family, deciding they needed it more - I don't have as much room for it, nor do I have small wood in the wet jungle while I cook everything on gas. It saves a lot of energy.
Celebrated the halfway point to Iquitos with my canned soup. About 540 kilometers behind me! Not so long ago, such distances seemed wild to me.
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Once again I found a tree where small fruits fall into the water and the whiskers of catfish can be seen eating them. Here they are obviously smaller than the previous ones, they "take" food much more gently, unnoticeable, but I will not be fooled and will not hide. I see them. One of them will be mine. Only this rain...
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Getting ashore wasn't easy. The shore is very swampy, so we had to cut reeds and lay a path, sinking into the sand. As a result of one of the falls, I caught my hand on a bush and tore one of the fingers of my right hand with thorns. Complicating things further were sore feet - water poured into the boots and caused terrible pain. And for what?
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I tied the boat securely, cut down a couple of branches of reeds and set a trap like the locals do: I stuck two sticks at a distance of 5-7 meters, stretched a kapron string between them and hung 2 hooks on 20 centimeter leashes directly into the water, to them (with great difficulty!) hooked the bait - catfish.
I came back on board wildly exhausted. First of all, I started to treat wounds and disinfection. I put medical glue on my toe and a couple of small wounds that were bothering me today, oiled both feet and put on socks so as not to wipe it off. That left only one hand in "working" condition, in which I can hold my phone and take pictures of what's going on. It's getting dark and here I am thinking, what if in the middle of the night I hear a fish catching on my trap? I'll have to put on my boots and go into the water knee-deep in mud.
Is it worth it? Health... I need to heal my feet. Will I be able to sit up? Who am I kidding, that's a rhetorical question. Bedtime.
My sleep was interrupted by an overboard noise around 2:00 a.m.
In the middle of the night I heard a fish thrashing in the water not far from me. It was caught, no other way! Was I contemplating how painful it was to get in the water now...? Of course not. Right in my socks I jumped into my boots and ran through the mud to look at the catch. At the second attempt I managed to get to the stick with the hook and saw a huge fish that was quiet. I carefully put my hands under the tail and grabbed it - now it won't run away! Adrenaline is boiling inside. The pain in my legs (both sharp and breaking) subsided. I drag my trophy into the boat. It's a success!
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It seems that this is my biggest fish in my life - a catfish weighing 3-4 kilograms, maybe more. I don't know. A real river monster! All my misadventures were worth it to catch this beauty. I wanted to sleep badly, so I tied him to the boat, having loaded him into my bag beforehand, so that no one would beat me to it. I'm gonna eat him! I'll do it tomorrow, but for now - I'll put oil on my feet once again and sleep.
I did it! I'm so happy.
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P.S.: Yes, by the standards of Amazon - this is a very small catfish, which definitely can not be called a "river monster", but just try to get away from your "fed" experience and imagine that this is more than a fish. It's the result of long attempts, days without a single "tail" and socializing with the locals. It is a hearty meal. Only from this perspective can one understand what the rapture is all about.
The End. In the next installment, I'll talk about how much the locals helped me and how a beautiful day almost turned fatal for me. To be continued 🤗
Friends, I will try to translate 1 part a week using a translator. I hope my experience will help you believe in yourself too. Don't be afraid to dream. The world is a better place than they say (c).
