The river ranged from 30 to 6 yards across. It was primarily clear water but was just murky enough to prohibit you from seeing any deeper the 3-4 feet.
The water tests were roughly.
Nitrate 25
Nitrite 5
Hardness unsure
Alkalinity High, above 270
pH 6.8
I set up my breather bags, grabbed my largest dipnet and jumped in. The water was perfect, not too cold but not too hot either.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the sun was not out as it was already five Oclock.
First fish was in the Otocinclus or paratocinclus group and I bagged it. I waded down the river and the trees closed in ominously. The water was much too quick for most fish and I didnt catch anything. Gorgeous flowers drifted past me I netted some ever present splash tetras, And decided to go back upstream. I tried to see the bottom but it was too deep. I stepped forward and lost my footing, I tried in vain to reach the bottom with my feet but couldnt. It was hard to swim with a large net in one hand I didnt want to go downstream so I fought to gain the bank only a few feet away my hand grasped the vegetation on the side and I pulled myself towards it. Surely I could feel the bottom now. But no, the water had corroded the bank away steeply. I pulled my self up on the spongy ground and walked to were I caould see the sandy bottom only a few feet deep. I plunged in again up to my waist. Fishing with most any net with water this deep and this fast was extremely hard. Even if there were fish down there, because of the incredible drag of the water i wouldnt be able to maneuver quick enough. Near the bank I caught a plump female Apistogramma rupununi my target fish. As I worked along the shore I caught glass shrimp and my first pencilfish. I spooked a small fish into some grass by the bank I scooped it up immediately, an adult male Apistogramma rupununi. I went across to where the river widened and fished along the banks. I caught a very large Farlowella sp. Then I lost my footing and fell into the water submerging my camera completely. I set the camera to dry but still kept on fishing wondering if it would ever work again. I caught a subadult Mesonauta insignis, two species of pencilfish, probably Nannostomus trifasciatus and Nannobrycon eques. I was inspecting the debris in my net when I saw an odd fish jumping around histerically
It was a pike cichlid, probably crenicichla regani!
I bagged it. I decided to go up one of the streams that fed the river. Aequidens sp. were everywhere! I caught several hefty 4 -5 inchers and a few smaller ones. When in the net they would flop around so violently in the soft mud that it got in my eyes and on my shirt. It was getting dark and the thunder was getting nearer so I had to pack up. I put some stress reliever tablets in the bag and left. On the way home we drove inches away from a 4 foot long snakes head. We backed up and got pictures of it before releasing it into the weeds
The water tests were roughly.
Nitrate 25
Nitrite 5
Hardness unsure
Alkalinity High, above 270
pH 6.8
I set up my breather bags, grabbed my largest dipnet and jumped in. The water was perfect, not too cold but not too hot either.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the sun was not out as it was already five Oclock.
First fish was in the Otocinclus or paratocinclus group and I bagged it. I waded down the river and the trees closed in ominously. The water was much too quick for most fish and I didnt catch anything. Gorgeous flowers drifted past me I netted some ever present splash tetras, And decided to go back upstream. I tried to see the bottom but it was too deep. I stepped forward and lost my footing, I tried in vain to reach the bottom with my feet but couldnt. It was hard to swim with a large net in one hand I didnt want to go downstream so I fought to gain the bank only a few feet away my hand grasped the vegetation on the side and I pulled myself towards it. Surely I could feel the bottom now. But no, the water had corroded the bank away steeply. I pulled my self up on the spongy ground and walked to were I caould see the sandy bottom only a few feet deep. I plunged in again up to my waist. Fishing with most any net with water this deep and this fast was extremely hard. Even if there were fish down there, because of the incredible drag of the water i wouldnt be able to maneuver quick enough. Near the bank I caught a plump female Apistogramma rupununi my target fish. As I worked along the shore I caught glass shrimp and my first pencilfish. I spooked a small fish into some grass by the bank I scooped it up immediately, an adult male Apistogramma rupununi. I went across to where the river widened and fished along the banks. I caught a very large Farlowella sp. Then I lost my footing and fell into the water submerging my camera completely. I set the camera to dry but still kept on fishing wondering if it would ever work again. I caught a subadult Mesonauta insignis, two species of pencilfish, probably Nannostomus trifasciatus and Nannobrycon eques. I was inspecting the debris in my net when I saw an odd fish jumping around histerically
It was a pike cichlid, probably crenicichla regani!
I bagged it. I decided to go up one of the streams that fed the river. Aequidens sp. were everywhere! I caught several hefty 4 -5 inchers and a few smaller ones. When in the net they would flop around so violently in the soft mud that it got in my eyes and on my shirt. It was getting dark and the thunder was getting nearer so I had to pack up. I put some stress reliever tablets in the bag and left. On the way home we drove inches away from a 4 foot long snakes head. We backed up and got pictures of it before releasing it into the weeds
