Colombia
Payara vs. Peacock
Peacock Bass fishing trip Colombia!
Payara vs. Peacock Fishing Trip!
The group tour starts with your departure from your home country. There are several flights to Bogotá. We will be happy to help you book the flights. Usually, though, you fly via Amsterdam with KLM or via Madrid with Iberia. You can also fly directly from Frankfurt with Lufthansa. The flight to Bogotá takes about 10 hours. Most flights arrive in Bogotá in the late afternoon or evening.
Our airport transfer service will pick you up at the airport and take you to the hotel, which is about 15 minutes away. Here, you can check into your rooms and end the evening with a good dinner and a few drinks at the bar.
The next morning, you will have a good breakfast before being taken to El Dorado Airport. The journey takes 10 minutes. After you check in, you will fly to Puerto Carreno for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Here, your transfer is waiting for you. After about four hours of driving, you will reach a small harbour. Then it is another 20 minutes by boat to the Orinoco Lodge. You will arrive at the lodge in the evening, depending on your flight timings.







Fishing at the Orinoco
Fishing on the Orinoco is spectacular. Your fishing day starts before sunrise with a breakfast in the main area of the lodge. After breakfast you will head to your fishing boats. Here, two anglers share one of the small aluminum boats. Now you will drive upstream towards the massive rapids. You can reach these after a good 30min boat ride.
There are many different rapids on the Orinoco which are very good fishing spots. The payara activity in the respective rapids always depends on the baitfish that plans to cross below the rapids. Therefore, you will have to fish different fishing spots to identify the most productive rapids.
At the rapids, you fish primarily from the shore. You will be dropped off by boat in areas with less current and together with your guide you will then walk to the final fishing spots. Therefore, you should bring good shoes.
Fishing for Payara
When fishing for Payara, large 16-20cm softbaits with a heavy 28-48g lead head are usually used. The payaras stand at the sweep currents of the rapids or on the edge between the fast-flowing and calm-flowing areas.
Fishing for Payara is done with soft lures. You throw the lure into the full current and then let the lure drift into the back swivel with the bell closed. There you slowly fish the soft lure along the bottom. The strikes of the Payara often come directly at the transition to the back current or during the slow fishing along the bottom.
Hard lures also work well in the current. They are easier to fish than the soft baits. The strategy is the same as for soft bait fishing. You have to fish specifically for the transitions of the current areas.







Fishing for Peacock Bass in Colombia
After two full days of fishing on the Orinoco River, you will leave the lodge early in the morning of the third day of fishing. You will drive to one of the tributaries of the Orinoco and then fish your way up to Peacock Camp. Here it’s all about Peacock Bass. The small jungle river has deep outer curves, sandbanks and fast-flowing sections. A dream for the strong Peacock Bass!
After the fishing day, you will arrive at Peacock Bass Camp and then check into one of the tents. A good dinner and cold beer are a great way to end the upcoming days of fishing on Peacock Bass.
You can catch Peacock Bass with different methods. Fishing with surface bait is the most exciting type of fishing. Popper, Walk-the-Dog and prop lures work very well. Since the river has many different sections with different spots, you have to be flexible here.
The sandbanks in the river are best fished with peacock jigs, walk-the-dog or spinerbaits. These lures have worked very well on the sandbanks in the past.
Hunting Monster Peacock Bass in Colombia
If you want to fish specifically for really big peacocks, you can’t avoid the countless lagoons. Here you fish with very large jerk or swimbaits for the very big fish. All lures from 18cm length and dominant side to side action are preferred.
Fly fishing for Peacock Bass is also very successful. Here you fish with 8 and 10 fly rods and large streamers the shore areas as well as fallen trees on the shore!
You will fish for three days from Peacock Camp before fishing your way back to Orinoko Lodge on the last day of fishing. Please note that the “transfer days” are full fishing days! You fish all day on these days.
The departure
On the day of departure, you will leave Orinoko Lodge early in the morning. As on the inward journey, we then take a boat and 4×4 transfer back to Puerto Carreno and then return to Bogota by domestic flight. Depending on the flight connection, you will reach Bogota in the afternoon or evening.
You check in at the hotel for one more night before returning to your home country the next day.







Accommodations Colombia Fishing Trip
The Accommodation
Orinoco River!
Orinoco Lodge
The Orinoco Lodge is located in the middle of the Orinoco on an island. You can enjoy a fantastic view over the mighty river.
The simple rooms have two single beds, a private bathroom with shower and toilet, mosquito nets and portable air conditioning with a fan.
The main area of the lodge invites you to relax. There are various seating areas and a large table for eating and tackling together.
The lodge also has a pool and internet connection in the main area!
Catering
Meals: Full Board
Beverages: Non-alcoholic drinks and beer are included. Wine, spirits, and cocktails can be purchased on-site based on consumption.
Peacock Bass Fishing!
Peacock Camp
Peacock Camp is located in the rainforest right on the river. The camp is a tented camp with its own double rooms.
The simple rooms have two single beds with mosquito nets, fans and a private bathroom with shower and toilet.
There is a main tent for communal meals, as well as enough space to set up the tackle. In addition, the camp has an area for storing your fishing rods.
The good meals as well as cold soft drinks and beer are included. The cuisine is influenced by local influences.
Catering
Meals: Full Board
Beverages: Non-alcoholic drinks and beer are included. Wine, spirits, and cocktails can be purchased on-site based on consumption.
Bogota!
Courtyard by Marriot Hotel
For your stay in Bogota, we have booked the Marriot Courtyard Hotel in the immediate vicinity of the airport.
The rooms each have two single beds and a private bathroom with shower and toilet. On your trip, two guests will share a room.
The hotel has a good restaurant and bar with a good selection of dishes as well as cold drinks. Breakfast is included in your package.
The rooms and lobby of the hotel have free Wi-Fi.
Catering
Meals: Breakfast included
Beverages: Drinks can be paid for on site according to consumption
Your fishing boats in Colombia
The Boats
In Colombia, you can choose from a variety of boat types. The boats are made of aluminum and can accommodate two anglers.
Boat fishing on Payara & Peacock
2 anglers per boat
For payara and especially peacock fishing, aluminum boats are available. The boats are sufficiently motorized and offer space for two anglers.
The local guides know the area like the back of their hand and will take you to the fish. A cool box with cold drinks is available on the boats.
Orinoco Waterfalls!
Payara fishing Orinoco
On the Orinoco you fish the rapids mainly from the shore. You should therefore bring good shoes. Some of the fishing spots are in the rapids. You are therefore directly on the fish.
There are several places that can be reached by boat or on foot. Your guides will accompany you while fishing and help you land the fish!
You need this fishing tackle in Colombia for Payara & Peacock!
Tackle Talk
For fishing in Colombia you need two different types of rods. A heavy spinning rod with a length of min. 2.7m and a casting weight of min. 120g for Payara.
For Peacock Bass, short, strong spinning or jerkbait rods are best. The rods should not be too long. A length of max. 2.4m is recommended.
For fishing with large jerk, swim and glide baits, short 1.8 – 2m rods with a casting weight of at least 150g are suitable!
- Payara Rods: PE 4-5, min 120g casting weight
- Payara Reels: 8k, 50lbs braid , min. 240m!
- Peacock Rods: 1,8m - 2,4m lenght, 80-150g casting weight
- Peacock Reels: 4-8k, 40-65lbs braid
You need these spinning lures for Payara!
Spin fishing for Payara
Various baits are used for spin fishing on Payara in Colombia. Large softbaits with heavy lead heads are very catchy. The size of the softbaits should be between 16-25cm. A good lure is the Zeck Fishing Butcher & Rippler! Also good are the Lunker City Shakers 7″ & 8″.
In addition to softbaits, shallow and deep-running wobblers are also very good. The Rapalla Super Shad Rap and similar wobblers from 15cm length are well suited.
The Halco Lazer Pro 190 is also a good wobbler for the strong current. The running depth of the wobblers should be from 2m to 6m.
You need these spinning lures for Peacock Bass!
Spin fishing for peacock bass
When Peacock Bass Fishing, you can use a variety of lures. Depending on the section of the river and the area, different baits are used.
In general, walk-the-dog surface lures are very good. You can use them on the sandbanks as well as in the lagoons and in the river itself. In sections with an extremely large amount of wood in the water, surface baits are also well suited.
On the sandbanks, hair jigs and spinerbaits have proven themselves very well. You fish the hair jigs jerkily over the sandy bottom. Spinerbait should be extra robust! The Westin Monster Vibe worked very well.
Twitchbaits from 11cm length also work on Peacock Bass. The Illex Arnaud or similar slim, flat-running wobblers are ideal here.
If you are looking for the very big Peacock Bass, you should only fish very large glide or swimbaits. From 15cm length these make sense. The running behavior of the lures should be a wide left to right action. Jerkbaits with a wide action have also proven themselves very well. Here you can use models of the brands Hybrida, Zeck Fishing, Westin, Salmo and the like.
A secret lure is the River2Sea Wide Glide. The hard-to-get lure in 20cm length was a Monster Peacock guarantor in the past!
You need these spinning lures for Sardinata!
Spin fishing for Sardinata
Fishing for Sardinata below the rapids is a great surface fishery. With light spinning rods, the tarpon relatives can be caught with the help of surface baits.
You need small, maximum 10cm long poppers, walk-the-dog or the Illex Riser Bait. This has been a bank on Sardinata in recent years!
The best lines and leaders for Payara & Peacock!
Leader & Main Line
For spin fishing on Payara, steel or titanium leaders between 40-80lbs are used. Here you should only bring quality goods. Zeck has a good 7×7 steel leader on offer. For the titanium leader, we recommend the Kinky Knot 2 brand!
For peacock fishing, mono leaders from 40lbs are used! The leader must be adapted to the lures!
The main lines should be high performance PE lines. A PE5 (50lbs) is the minimum on Payara. For peacock fishing, you should use at least PE4 (40lbs). Good lines are e.g. Momoi Lure Soul #3, Deka 8-Braid #3 or other high-performance lines!
Terminal Tackle
Hooks & Terminal Tackle
In general, you should replace all hooks and split rings of your artificial lures. BKK as well as Owner ST 66 hooks suitable for the lure size are recommended. Owner also has good split rings on offer (Owner Hyper Wire Xtra Strong)
For payara fishing you need treble hooks of size 1/0 – 2/0. As jig heads, we can recommend the Zeck Screw-in Jig Heads between 28-45g. For the steel and titanium leader you still need suitable clamping sleeves.
Helpful tools for your fishing trip
Other fishing equipment
In general, it is advisable to bring a good split ring plier. Here we can recommend the hPa Game Plier split ring plier. This allows you to open super strong split rings without any problems.
A good, waterproof boat bag is also recommended. The company Zeck Fishing has a few good bags on offer. We recommend the Tackle Container Pro or the Tackle Container Pro Catfish!
Since you are often casting for several hours at a time, we recommend that you bring a pair of good gloves with you.
Since it can get very warm in Colombia, we recommend UV protection shirts, a sun hat and LF50 sunscreen! You can order our Expeditions UV shirts directly from us!
Good polarized sunglasses are essential for fishing. We recommend glasses from gloryfy unbreakable. The best polarized sunglasses for anglers currently available are also indestructible!
You can take a closer look at the gloryfy unbreakable polarized sunglasses for anglers here: Polarized Sunglasses for Anglers!
How much does a fishing trip to Colombia cost?
Price
Included
- english speaking tour leader**
- 2 nights in a hotel, DBL, B&B
- 4 nights in the Orinoco Lodge, DBL, FB
- 4 nights in the Peacock Camp, DBL, FB
- 2 fishing days for Payara
- 5 fishing days for Peacock
- Airport-, Road- & Boat Transfers
- Fishing Licenses & Park Fees
- Domestic Flight
- Photo- & Videodocumentary**
Not included
- Tips (appx. $300 / angler)
- International Flight & Visa
- Travel Insurance*
- extra luggage fees*
- additional meals/drinks*
- * optional/exempt **only if the minimum number of participants is reached
- Minimum number of participants: 8
Price per person
4599,-€
Extras
On request
Booking statuses
Colombia - Payara vs Peacock
2026
Colombia - Fishing trip for Payara & Peacock Bass!
The best catches!








































































































