In Venezuela's Lake Guri Lurks
The Baddest Bass In The World
by Spence Petros
Imagine..."bluegills" that can eat people. A bass so powerful it can destroy hooks or jerk them out of lures.
Imagine...hooking super-charged bass capable of quickly ripping 50 feet or more of heavy line off a reel while tearing through a maze of wood. Bass likened to 10- to 20-pound smallmouths on steroids.
Imagine...the ultimate freshwater predator--a saber-toothed killer with a baleful glare so menacing a musky pales by comparison; a sleek, powerful, salmonlike body with a tooth-filled face that looks as if it were designed by the devil.
Science fiction? No, just the three most sought-after fish in Venezuela's mammoth Lake Guri. While piranha exist by the millions and the saber-toothed payara by the thousands in this 80-mile-long jungle reservoir in the Guyana Highlands, the most sought-after species is the colorful peacock bass.
Through a lot of recent exposure on TV fishing shows and articles, many North American anglers are starting to find out about peacock bass. If the definition for game fish is something that will readily smash lures and give you a hard powerful battle, the peacock bass stands at the head of the class. Couple those qualities with coloring that would rival many saltwater coral fish and a taste better than walleye, and you have one heck of a game fish.
My first encounter with these super bass was when a group of well-known tournament anglers, TV show hosts, and outdoor writers converged on Lake Guri. Present were Berkley Bedell (founder of Berkley), Neil Oldridge of DuPont Fishing Products, and tournament pros Roland Martin, Jimmy Houston, Ron Shearer, and Greg Ward. The tournament pros would be filming for their respective TV shows and would also be representing the United States against the Venezuela fishing team in the 2nd Annual America's Cup Peacock Bass Tournament.
Also present were Fishing Facts Editor-at-Large Larry Larsen, and John Husar, outdoors editor for the Chicago Tribune.
Although I was going down to Guri to just fun fish, I was also the first alternate for the United States team in case one of the six scheduled contestants couldn't make it. At the last minute Virgil Ward bowed out and I replaced him on the U.S. team.
We arrived at Guri at midday. After unpacking, a buffet lunch, meetings, and rigging up rods, we had only a few hours to fish. Mostly it was an exercise in seeing the lake, getting the kinks out, matching up tackle, and formulating a game plan. On the following day we got in a fair amount of practice. I fished with Fishing Facts employee John Walker and a native guide.
The word was that big splashy topwater plugs were hot. And, since many bass were spawning, wood or brush-studded flats were key areas.
John and I fished hard in the half day we were out. Some nice fish were caught up to around 12-13 pounds. I was happy with my biggest three in practice (three-fish limit in the tournament) which together weighed about 31 to 32 pounds.
Patterns were starting to form. Just like fishing for largemouth bass, key spots were pretty obvious. The best spawning areas usually had a relationship to deeper water; the thickest brush or tree in a bunch was often the best; two growing close to each other were often good; an isolated bigger tree or bush away from a group had a lot of potential, especially if it was toward deeper water. The edge of the wood, wood around a depression, and edges of fairly large openings in thick wooded areas also held potential.
Topwater propbaits worked best around the wooded areas. Our lures were generally retrieved with long, hard pulls. When I got close to cover I'd slow down and work the lure with a shorter sharp rip-pause-rip to keep the lure in contact with a prime area as long as possible. To say strikes were explosive was an understatement.
When covering water between visible trees or outside visible cover where sub-surface cover tended to exist, a RattleTrap/Hot Spot type lure in the three-quarter to one-ounce size worked best.
Tournament Rules and Strategy
In each boat an American angler fished with a Venezuelan partner. Also present were one of the camp's guides.
Each contestant was allowed to weigh in three bass, and culling smaller fish was acceptable. Any type of rod or reel was allowed, but lines could not be heavier than 14-pound-test. Trolling and live bait were not allowed.
My strategy was to use big lures, believing in the old adage that "big lures equal big fish. I also planned to let structure and breaklines (edges) guide where I fished. I generally fished wood, especially if it was related to structure and breaklines. My hooks were all filed razor sharp with a three-sided file, and I installed double split rings (smaller ring inside of a larger ring for much added strength) on the lures that would be used most.
Tournament--Day One
My partner for the first day was Alejandro Fernandez. After a technical delay, we finally roared off about noon, with a fishing cut-off time set at 4 p.m.
Stiff midday winds greeted us. The near-calm waters of the previous day were now nearing whitecap proportions. Mostly we fished bush-studded flats near deeper water. My better judgment told me these weren't topwater conditions, but I started off with one since they worked so well the previous day.
Within minutes a 10-pound-plus bass followed my surface plug, but held deep and shifted nervously from side to side like a caged tiger. I slowed the retrieve and worked the lure with a series of short, sharp jerks. The fish swam off.
A little later another fish followed. I tried several different retrieve patterns but no still strikes.
Time for Plan--a strategy I used successfully many times for following fish. I'd throw a jig at them. Soon another fish followed the topwater lure, and I quickly tossed off a 1/2-ounce flat-headed jig dressed with a plastic tail. By the time the flat-head sunk, the fish were out of strike range.
Off came the flat-headed jig and on went a 3/4-ounce Road Runner bucktail. This jig would sink like a rock and the flashing blade should help.
Soon another follow on the topwater plug. I dropped the jig right in front of the bass's nose, lifted it up about a foot, and let it sink. I jigged the lure about six times in front of the bass without a response. This was getting very frustrating, especially since our guide said grande (big) or muy grande (very big) after each fish.
With fishing time running out, a bass made a huge boil about 50 feet from the boat. I fired a jig toward it, allowed a few seconds for it to sink , and, mostly out of frustration, began to violently rip it back to the boat. The strike from the 12-pound bass was bone-jarring!
Under most conditions a following pike, musky, or bass would often be tempted with a slower, and often more vertical, follow-up presentation. Not so with the peacock bass. If you wanted their eyes to glow red, a near violent retrieve was in order.
Day one saw the U.S. team take a commanding lead. Roland Martin and Jimmy Houston were the early individual leaders with a shade over 30 pounds each on their three-fish limits. My single fish weighed 12.3 pounds. My partner had a "grande" but it got off.
Tournament--Day Two
On the second day I was paired with Jose Borges. Word among the U.S. team was that the hot lures were minnow plugs like Red Fins, Rapalas, Rebel Minnows, and Bomber Long A's worked with rips. Winds had also calmed, so topwater lures might be more effective.
Our first stop was a multi-structured area that had several thick strands of timber and plenty of good structure. I particularly liked the series of above-water cover-free humps formed by an inundated roadbed.
I quickly boated an 11-3/4 pounder on a topwater lure. Another boil, then things slowed. I decided to go with a minnow-type lure, but one that was different from those popularly used.
A favorite lure of mine is a hard-to-find Pennsylvania-made "Grandma Lure" (Grandma Lures , Inc., P.O. Box 204 Jamestown, PA 16134). The six inch model I opted to use was an inch in height. I figured the high sides of this lure would throw more flash a lot more so than the thinner minnow lures.
The last visible hump along the roadbed had a smaller finger that broke into deeper water. I saw it with polarized glasses (a must). A long cast arched toward the finger and on the third rip of the lure my rod bucked violently, followed by a reel screeching run of 50 feet, several jumps, and plenty of raw toe-to-toe combat. Finally we landed a 15-pound.
We quickly motored upwind several hundred yards to re-work the area. After floating some 100 yards I had a violent strike, followed by a quick hookset and then a limp lureless line. I quickly tied on a new "Grandma" as we neared the spot that produced the 15 pounder. In an almost repeat sequence, another monster was boated. This one went 16 pounds. These were my three "keepers" for the day. Other smaller fish were caught and released.
At the weigh-in Roland brought in the second heaviest catch of the day, a three-fish limit at 36.86 pounds to stay in the lead. My three peacocks totaled 41.96 pounds. I felt good when I found out it was the heaviest three-fish limit during the two years of the tournament.
Tournament-- Day Three
My partner for the day was Juan Chacin, an experienced peacock bass fisherman who ended up being high fisherman for the Venezuelan team. We struggled to limit out, did, and won the daily pot with the heaviest two-man catch. Juan totaled 28.08 pounds and I was about three ounces behind him at 27.90 pounds. Juan's fish all came on a silver spoon with a single fixed hook. Mine all hit the Grandma.
The tournament was a lot of fun and our Venezuelan partners were among the best partner's I've ever had. When Juan Chacin caught several bass in a row, he unselfishly reached into his box and tossed me an extra similar spoon. Many times we'd instruct our partners to cast back at a swirl or fish that was following one we had hooked.
The real competition wasn't so much against the Venezuelans but amongst the U.S. team members. Martin, Houston, Shearer, Ward, and I are all cutthroat competitors.
Travel Facts And Tips
Trips to Lake Guri originate out of Miami, Houston, or New York. From any of these locations VIASA Airlines flies to Caracas, Venezuela.
Since the temperature is nearly always 80-85 degrees, anglers with more sensitive skin should have a broad-billed hat, bandanna, lightweight long-sleeved shirts, and sun block. Several pairs of good glasses are recommended.
I really wouldn't fool around with light tackle, especially since there are bass in Guri exceeding the 26-1/2 pound world record. I think the ideal outfit would be a six-foot four-inch to seven-foot medium-heavy baitcasting rod with plenty of backbone. The rod should be rated from 10- or 12-pound test to 25- to 30-pound. Pistol grip handles don't give you much hook-setting power or leverage and I wouldn't recommend them. About 10 inches of handle behind the reel gives you enough to tuck into your side, yet doesn't interfere with accurate casting.
Make sure your hooks are razor sharp and take the time to double split-ring your most used lures. Violent lure action often turns these fish on. Don't be afraid to work those lures hard.
The Lake Guri Hotel is run by a very nice young couple, Jacob and Andi Elias. They will do everything in their power to make your trip a success. Sightseeing tours to Angel Falls or trips to Puerto Ordaz can be worked out. The hotel has a beautiful pool.
Bring extra money for shopping; some excellent bargains can be had. Exchange your dollars for Venezuelan Bolivars at the Caracas airport (best exchange rate is there).
My trip was arranged through Dick Ballards Fishing Adventures, 305 E. Walnut St., Springfield, MO 65806, phone 417-862-4443.
