Aldeni Fonseca
& Bill Gassmann |
MANAUS,
Brazil - The strike barely dimpled the water, but it sent waves hurtling
throughout the freshwater fishing world by shattering a coveted world
record that stood for 16 years.
At about 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 9, 2010, the sixth day of his first Amazon
adventure, Bill Gassmann of Des Moines, Iowa, fished a clown-colored
Luhr Jensen Big Game Woodchopper Slim topwater bait in a tributary
of the Rio Negro in northern Brazil. The yellow, red and black spotted
lure landed atop a monster speckled peacock bass, which sucked it under
with hardly a ripple.
“We were fishing in a wooded area of a little backwater off
a main tributary,” said the 44-year-old chief executive officer
of BGS Enterprises. “When the lure hit the water, it just disappeared.
The fish went straight to the bottom and started spooling my line.
Immediately, the guide with more than 12 years experience began jumping
up and down and started yelling ‘Grande! Grande!’ I had
no idea how big it was or that it might be a record. Then, the fish
stuck its head out of the water and I realized how big it was.”
RIVER MONSTER
Guide Aldeni "Elvis" Fonseca
with 28-lb peacock bass |
In a fearsome struggle, Gassmann fought the river monster for approximately
12 minutes with his three-piece 6.9-foot G Loomis Escape model ETR81-3HC20
heavy rod attached to a Shimano Curado 300E reel. Finally bringing
the beast to the boat, the Iowa bass angler grabbed its gill plates
and snapped a Boga Grip on it. On the IGFA-certified Boga Grip, the
fresh speckled or three-bar peacock (Cichla temensis) weighed
more than 28 pounds, but Gassmann still did not realize the significance
of his fish. As Gassmann handed the fish to Aldeni “Elvis” Fonseca,
his guide, to release it, Elvis stopped him. Communicating in English,
Elvis urged “We go boat now; we go boat now.” Prepared
to fish an entire day, Gassmann didn’t want to head back to the Captain
Peacock, a 95-foot luxury mothership yacht that accommodates anglers
for such adventures. However, Elvis insisted adamantly.
Weighing the 28-pound peacock |
When Elvis and
Gassmann finally reached the yacht, Leonardo Leão,
co-owner and operator of the Captain Peacock who stays aboard
for every operation, dropped the massive fish into the bait well to
keep it alive until they could weigh it officially. The colorful hump-headed
fish measured 37 inches long with a girth of 25 inches, more than enough
to beat the existing 27-pound International Game Fish Association all-tackle
world record caught by Gerald “Doc” Lawson on Dec. 4, 1994.
Since Gassmann caught the lunker on 80-pound PowerPro braid, Leo also
submitted the fish for a possible line class record and kept the fish
on board the Captain Peacock to have it mounted as a reminder
to future anglers that dreams can come true.
“We are very happy with the opportunity to show the fishing
world our exclusive concept combining mobility, safety and first-class
service in order to create unique moments like that for every angler
from the first-time peacock bass fisherman up to the most knowledgeable
ones,” said Leonardo Leão and his partner Nasser Fraxe.
“This is exciting news,” exclaimed Billy Chapman, Jr.,
owner and founder of Anglers Inn International and a 2009 inductee
into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame for pioneering peacock bass
fishing in the 1980s. “I was in Brazil in 1994 when Doc Lawson
caught the 27-pound peacock. If anyone wants to fish these record-breaking
waters, we can make that happen together with the Captain Peacock.”
PERSONAL BEST
Besides catching the possible all-tackle world record speckled peacock
bass and his personal best fish of any species, Gassmann caught several
bass over 10 pounds plus two 18-pounders, a 19-pounder and other fish
on his seven-day adventure. In all, the anglers aboard the Captain
Peacock caught more than 450 fish that week with many in double
digits and three in the 20- to 23.5-pound range, Leão said.
“I had a fabulous trip,” Gassmann gushed. “Two
days before I caught the big one, we went into another backwater
and the water was boiling with big peacocks feeding. It was unbelievable
fishing back there. The food and accommodations on the Captain Peacock were
way above what I expected. It was first class all the way. I’m
going to bring my wife, Tammy, next time.”
The Gassmanns will return to the Amazon soon. For catching the pending
all-tackle world record aboard the Captain Peacock, Leão
and Fraxe granted Gassmann lifetime fishing privileges on the 95-foot
luxury yacht.
"At
Anglers Inn International, we care about our clients,” Chapman
said. “Our clients are like family to us. I always want our guests
to enjoy the best possible experience. With the yacht serving with
such a unique concept, we can keep up with the best fishing on the
river. Our partners on the Captain Peacock are the most professional
and serious in the Amazon with a sterling reputation for catching trophy
peacock bass -- as this fish indicates.”
Leonardo
and Nasser as well as their entire crew are waiting for another opportunity
to provide you with a trip of a lifetime. To book a trip to the Amazon
or any other Anglers Inn International destination, call 1-800-GOTA-FISH
or e-mail to info@anglersinn.com. On line, see www.anglersinn.com.
