Giant Catfish of the Amazon

Amazon Catfish Central - Knowledge Base

The Amazon is the catfish capitol of the world! No river system, anywhere in the world, is as rich in catfish species as the Amazon basin. There are over 3000 different species of fish that occur in the Amazon. Amazingly, almost half of them are catfish! The order Siluriformes, or catfish, (along with the Characiformes) are the most diverse order of Amazon fishes and probably the most spectacular. With 15 families, including over 1300 species, Amazon catfish not only dominate the Amazon's aquatic diversity, but they account for almost half of all the catfish species in the world. Ranging in size from tiny, 5mm candiru to the gigantic, three meter long Brachyplatystoma filamentosum, or 'piraiba', these fishes occupy tremendously diverse ecological niches. Some are bottom dwellers, some nocturnal. Some are parasites and some are roving predators. Some are completely smooth while others are heavily covered with bony armor plates.

The dense, inaccessible Amazon jungles have kept many species from the prying eyes and curious observation of man, leaving the biological and ecological aspects of many of these Siluriformes poorly known. There are certainly species yet to be discovered. Meanwhile, the worldwide angling community has, until recently, seen nothing like these catfish. Room had to be made in the record books for a half-dozen Brazilian species ranging up to and well over the 100 pound plus category. These giants belong to the large and diverse Family, Pimelodidae. Acute Angling's clientele has already set new all-tackle world records for the piraiba, with a 295 pound monster, for the jau with a 109 pound specimen, and twice for the jundira, in several high gradient Amazon rivers. There are many angling records waiting to be set in Brazil and, as big as these behemoths get, they won't be set by "noodlers"!

The Catfish Order (Siluriformes)

All species of catfish belong to the order Siluriformes, within the grade Osteichthes, or bony fishes. Catfish are found the world over with approximately 2,900 species known. They are among the most successful of Amazon fish orders with approximately 1300 Neotropical species, accounting for almost half of all the world's catfish species and almost half of Amazonia's enormous overall fish diversity.

Amazon catfish have long had great commercial importance as food fish, aquarium fish and more recently as some of the world's most exciting sportfish. Although many are bottom-dwellers (benthic), there are also a great number of predatory, pelagic (open-water) feeders, with a free-swimming (and free-fighting) habit. This, coupled with their sheer size has brought them to the attention of anglers and created new recognition of their exciting sporting potential.

Catfish - General Characteristics

Catfish do not possess scales and they range from entirely smooth-skinned species to groups of fishes almost entirely covered by bony plates. Like the rest of the fishes in the series Otophysi, catfish possess a series of bones called the Weberian apparatus that connects their swim bladders with their inner ears for the transmission of sound. Unlike peacock bass (and other Perciforme fishes), catfish jaws are not protrusible. They generally possess small, rasp-like teeth (although there are exceptions with complex dental apparatus) and most species possess up to 4 pairs of barbels. Species with bony fin rays have the unique ability to lock the the spiny second ray of their pectoral and dorsal fins, as many anglers who've ever handled (or mishandled) a bullhead probably know painfully well. A well-developed adipose fin is usually present.

Most Siluriformes possess various adaptations associated with a benthic habitat. Some may have a vertically compressed form, like the redtail (or pirarara), while others may possess a reduced swim bladder. Their association with deep holes or nocturnal feeding habits has led to great dependence on and development of sensory organs other than sight. Many species have highly developed olfactory (smell) or chemical sense receptors, allowing them to find food in the relatively low light conditions associated with their habitat. Many benthic catfish have reduced visual acuity.

Catfish - Variability and Specializations

In spite of their overall similarities, Amazon catfish possess an incredible range of variation in form, behavior, habitat, feeding habits and specializations. They have adapted to every available ecological niche in Amazonia. There are species that feed on plankton, species that are piscivorous (fish eating) and even groups of parasitic species. There are broadly built species, long, thin species and species ranging from some of the world's smallest to some of the world's largest freshwater fishes.

Like many other Amazon fishes, catfish taxonomy has been somewhat problematic due to the great difficulty of thoroughly exploring and sampling this enormous region. Due to a constant stream of newly discovered species, catfish taxonomy has undergone many recent updates and revisions. Currently, scientists recognize 15 families of Amazon catfish, with several other families represented elsewhere in South America.

References

World Records - If any fishing trip operating company can be said to have a philosophy, we do - Acute Angling's goes as follows; Since the traveling angler has selected an exotic fishing trip and not a stay at the Ritz-Carlton, it is reasonable to assume that what he most seeks is a great fishing experience, not a black-tie tourist extravaganza. Since it is our goal to satisfy our client's expectations, we believe it is appropriate for us to invest our energies and resources into providing the angler with safe, comfortable, first-class access to the best fishing that can be found, without concern for irrelevant frills that do not serve either of those ends.

More Record-sized Catfish

Many of our anglers have caught world-record size catfishes and have simply elected not to subject them to the extra handling and time necessitated by weighing and properly documenting their catch. Read about some of the other record-sized catches our anglers have experienced.

It Started with a Snail by Anthony Williams

Giant Amazon Catfish by Paul Reiss

The largest of the Amazon catfish, piraiba have been described as attaining weights in excess of 450 pounds. Interestingly, for such a large catfish they are very athletic and readily venture into open, running water. Overnight campers on riverbanks have been shocked awake at the crashing racket occurring when 200 or more pounds of leaping piraiba slams back into the water after a nighttime aerial exploit. No apparent reason, just seemingly airing it out! Even wilder is the sight of several of these beasts chasing a pack of 15 lb. wolfish through shallow water. Who’s bait now?

ID Key:

Distinctive red markings on the lips, an underslung jaw and it's enormous size generally makes ID of adult specimens clear.

Fishing Tactics

One of the favorite methods of experienced catfish anglers is to catch a small piranha to provide live or cut bait. Using a large (14/0) circle hook haywire twisted to 12 to 18 inches of strong (120 lb. test or greater ) wire then twisted to a heavy (180 lb. test) swivel creates an easily made, replaceable rig. A 2 ounce (or heavier - as current demands) egg sinker is allowed to run freely on heavy (80 pound or greater) braided line. This wire reinforced "Amazon" rig helps keep piranha away from the actual running line and minimizes the loss of hook, line and sinker. Correctly selecting a hole that holds a piraiba is not a given. Anglers will typically try likely spots that provide some turbulence or back current over a deep hole. Generally, if other, smaller, non-benthic catfish like jundira are present, you probably haven't found the monster's home. Enjoy the smaller but spunky, and superbly tasty jundira and then move on to the next hole.

Once the behemoth's home is found, the "take" will often be surprisingly subtle, not screaming like a redtail and not readily distinguishable from its smaller brethren. With an open bail (or clicker on) allow line to be taken until you're certain the fish is moving away from you and has had a chance to engulf the bait. Point the rod tip upward, engage your reel and allow the rod to be pulled downward until it points at the fish. With resistance occurring, the fish will usually react by running away from the direction of pressure, thus hooking itself with the circle hook. This method is highly recommended because it will unfailingly result in a safe hookset in the corner of the fish's mouth, never in its gullet or stomach. Once the fight is on, the rest is up to the angler, because with fish this large and this agile, the rest is unpredictable. Their speed belies their great size, while their power is even greater than you expect. A big piraiba is perfectly capable of spooling you if you don't get your boat’s motor running quickly.

russell jensen’s giant piraiba, in 2007, it became The Largest Catfish Ever Recorded on Rod and Reel

In February 2007, Russell Jensen of the Bronx, New York, traveled with Acute Angling to the Rio Travessao in the Amazon jungles of Brazil to catch a 295-pound specimen of the piraiba (or Goliath Catfish), known to science as Brachyplatystoma filamentosum.

This fish is found throughout the Amazon basin, ranging from the estuary in Northeastern Brazil upstream to the mountainous tributaries of Bolivia and Peru. Juveniles are primarily found in lowlands waters while the mature behemoths seek the faster waters of highlands rivers. Jensen battled the giant for 90 minutes on a Daiwa rod and Penn reel spooled with 80 pound-test Power Pro braided line.

This catch, was confirmed by the IGFA as the all-tackle record for the species, making it, at the time, the largest catfish ever caught on rod and reel and verified. The previous world-record piraiba of 256 pounds was caught in Brazil's Solimoes river in 1981.

The Mekong catfish, an endangered species, is known to grow larger, such as the 646 pound fish caught in 2005, but that fish and many other huge ones were caught in nets. The rod and reel record for that species is 138 pounds 14 ounces.

Updated from an article by Steve Quinn

The Jau is one of the Amazon's largest catfish. More benthic in habit and less agile than the piraiba, its mode of battle is the application of sheer power and its prodigious weight. Although widely distributed, it is not uniformly distributed. Jau may be present in a certain river and may be completely absent in a neighboring one. The 109 pound world record was caught on an Acute Angling exploratory trip in 2005. We know there are larger fish out there, we’ve seen them.

ID Key:

Thicker bodied and less elongate than the piraiba. Jau has a large adipose fin and heavily boned pectorals.

The redtail catfish, known as pirarara in Brazil, is one of the most ubiquitous of the giant cats. It appears to have very few habitat limitations, just as happily living in acidic, blackwater lowlands streams as it is in alkaline highlands rivers. An extremely powerful fighter, redtails are known for a sustained, line-peeling initial run and the ability to find a tangle of submerged logs at the end. Their unique markings and bright coloration makes them unerringly easy to identify and their seemingly endless appetite makes them easy for anglers to engage.

ID Key:

The bright tail is an instant giveaway.

Fishing Tactics

Probably the most readily caught of the Amazon giants, redtails have been landed on everything anglers use, ranging from free-swimming live bait to a Wooly Bugger fly. For practical purposes, cut bait is the easiest. Start your redtail fishing session off by landing a small fish, most preferably a traira (easily caught on small walking stick baits like a Zara Spook, fished slowly in very shallow edge waters). A piranha makes a good second choice. A durable and very quickly accepted bait is the entire head of a traira on your circle hook. Using an "Amazon rig", configured as follows;

Amazon Catfish Rig - For Redtail Catfish; a large (14/0) circle hook haywire twisted to 12 to 18 inches of strong (120 - 220 lb. test) wire then twisted to a heavy (180 lb. test swivel. A two ounce (or heavier - as current demands) egg sinker is allowed to run freely on heavy line (50 pound or greater) braided line. This wire reinforced "Amazon" rig helps keep piranha away from the actual running line and minimizes the loss of hook, line and sinker.

Set up your rod according to your preferences. If you're casually taking a break from peacock bass fishing, use your woodchopper rod (medium-heavy baitcaster or spinner) spooled with heavy braid (50 to 65 pound test). You'll lose some and win some, but its truly a blast tussling with a big beast on this relatively light tackle. Unlike piraiba or jau, redtails are amazingly durable and will not be adversely affected by an extended fight. They are readily released afterwards, none the worse for wear and impervious to the depredations of piranha.

Several types of water are usually productive. In a river without a lot of features, a curve will often suffice. Drop the bait into the deeper, channel side. If deep pools with eddying water are available, select these types of water. Often, piranha activity on the bait is followed quickly by a take from a big cat. Perhaps the activity summons the redtail. In any case the traira head is a great bait even when almost entirely denuded. Let the piranha have their way and wait for your quarry. If there is a redtail there, you'll usually meet up within fifteen minutes. If not, move on.

To succeed with this tackle, you must survive the first run. Make sure your boat is ready to move upon the hookup. The "take" is usually a no-doubter, redtails grab forcefully and move on. With an open bail (or clicker on) allow line to be taken until you're certain the fish is moving away from you and has had a chance to engulf the bait. Point the rod tip upward, engage your reel and allow the rod to be pulled downward until it points at the fish. With resistance occurring, a redtail will usually react with a screaming run, hooking himself with the circle hook in the process. This method is highly recommended because it will unfailingly result in a safe hookset in the corner of the fish's mouth, never in its gullet or stomach.

Depending on the size of the fish and the underwater structure, anglers with light tackle can be spooled on the first run. Make sure the boat stays with the fish and you keep a reasonable reserve of line. Don't try to stop him with a thumb or a tightened drag - you'll probably just break him off. Let him burn off that first blast and then you can start to fight back. The key to landing a big redtail on light tackle is to get him off the bottom. If possible, get nearly over him, but offset at an angle, and work him upwards. If you can lever him into the water column, you gain the tactical and mechanical advantage and can probably land the fish quickly. If he is able to remain on the bottom, he will seek cover or structure and even though you may have survived the difficult first run, you can still lose him to an unforgiving snag. Once at the boat, redtails can be easily lifted from the water by their heavily boned pectoral fins. He'll talk to you the entire time you take your pictures. Put him back to fight again.

If you're record hunting or simply want to land the highest possible percentage, a heavier rig (i.e. - an Ambassador 7000 sized reel with a stiff, short and heavy Ugly Stick rod) can be used with line up to 100 lb. test. This is enough to slow down the runs and then muscle even the biggest redtails off the bottom, the key to landing them.

If a catfish can be called beautiful, this is the one. Sorubim boast an elegant pattern composed of hieroglyphic black markings on a silver gray background dorsally and stark white ventrally. The common name sorubim is used for several similarly shaped species in the genus. Body markings, typical habitat and maximum size differ. P. tigrinum (shown above) is commonly encountered by anglers in Amazon lowland and Guyana shield highland fisheries.

ID Key:

Flattened head, elongate body and large terminal mouth as in other Sorubim. Silvery gray upper body with heiroglyphic markings dorsally, and tiger stripes laterally.

Fishing Tactics

In addition to being a great angler's target, the barred sorubim is a pleasant adjunct to any fishery. Its habit of attacking artificial lures and then fighting like whiskered tuna, makes it endearing to peacock bass anglers and catfishermen alike. In most high gradient fisheries sorubim can be targeted by anglers at evening time. They tend to congregate and forage at the edges of shallow beaches with nearby drop-offs to deeper water. Small live bait or pieces of cut bait are equally effective when cast onto the beach and allowed to drift naturally to the nearby drop-off. An effective rig consists of a 10/0 to 14/0 circle hook (or smaller J hook) with a wire leader and relatively light sinker (approx. 1 oz.), enough to keep it down while still allowing the current to slowly carry it. The take is usually quite forceful. Once hooked, sorubim will fight in open water with strong runs and surprising stamina.

Other Sorubim

The jundia is not an Amazon giant, however it's a very attractive target for anglers because of its accessibilty and excellent fighting characteristics. As an added bonus, these prolific cats are among the Amazon's most delicious catfish.

ID Key:

Large, close together brown spots, separated by gold outlines on upper torso. Lower-body fades to white.

Another of the Amazon's sporting mid-size catfish, the barba-chata is a strong adversary and can reach over 15 pounds in weight. The name means flat-whiskered catfish in English, and the long, ribbon-like barbels attest to the accuracy of the name.

The dourado or gilded catfish is an open-water predator. Highly desired as a food fish, it is pursued and harvested by netters in the main-stem of the Amazon River.

ID Key: Golden in color with deeply forked tail.