Venezuela - Lake Guri report

[Marlinhunter2]

23 Sept - Greetings fisherfolk - from hot and humid Lake Guri. Only for a while – until the rainy season ends.

The fishing the past few weeks has been quite strange in the fact we will find quality fish in one place one day, only to strike out there the next. Water levels have been inconsistent throughout this entire rainy season with the water rising for three days and then falling the next four. The overall level of the lake area is still down five feet below pool stage, and to be real honest, I do not expect it to fill completely this year. Mother Nature has been diverting most of the heavy rains around our watershed and into Brazil.

Not to be deterred, Miguel Puig, along with his son, Miguel Jr., Mariano Tejado, and his son, Edwardo, made their annual father and son pilgrimage to HFC. The fishing was slow throughout their trip compared to a normal HFC trip, but each fisherman managed to boat several quality fish using popper type baits worked fast along the grassy shorelines. Miguel Jr. also hooked and landed the biggest corvinata (freshwater drum) I have ever had a client land.

This group was followed shortly by Guillermo Zuloaga and his son, Guillermo Jr. I had the pleasure of fishing a couple of days with Guillermo senior, and happily watched him land a 13, 12, and two 10 lb peacock bass using Cug Bugs and 1 oz spinnerbaits.

Sergio Casada and his pretty wife, Isabella then joined us for four days of fishing fun. Sergio, being the fine gentleman he is, let Isabella steal the spotlight each day with her 13, 11, and two ten pound peacock bass, while he managed to land the monster fish shown in the attached photo (Isabella told me I had to include it in the report.).

While these fine folks were casting away out on the lake and rivers, my oldest daughter, Karen, took one of my rods at the camp that had a 7" Pavon Prop topwater attached and fishing from the bank caught a 14 lb male peacock. While she was doing this, Edwardo, who is the 11 yr old son of my maintenance man, took another rod of mine with a Rebel Jumpin Minnow tied on and while fishing from the shoreline landed a 12, 10, three 9, and two 8 lb peacock bass. Kinda makes a person wonder why they need to get in a boat and go out.

Friends, our main fishing season is now officially up and running. The months of October through April have always been our most productive year in, year out, and I do not see any reason this year will be any different. Topwater action get better with each passing day. So be you an amateur or professional angler, this is when you will have the best chance to catch the fish of your dreams.

We have many open dates beginning the last weekend of October, so get with your friends to pick a date that will work for you, and I will try my best to make it happèn that way.

Everyone have a GREAT week!!!

Regards,
Steve Shoulders Headwaters Fishing Club,
Lake Guri, Venezuela

[Marlinhunter2]

04 Oct - Greetings Fisherpersons (being pc these days)

I just spent five of the most enjoyable days fishing with Lance Cornell and Charlie Mercer, who were down here from Mt Vernon, Texas. Throughout there trip, the water level fell steadily at a rate of 4 inches a day. Falling water cause the big fish to pull back into the deep channels for protection, so topwater action in the shallows was spotty at best. In their five days here, the two of them only landed six fish over ten pounds fishing topwater baits, but don't go feeling sorry for them, because what they did using deeper baits will make you jealous.

After having boated only two big fish their first day at the camp, we sat down over cocktails that evening and came up with a different strategy. That strategy was to fish down 8-12 ft in the river and creek channels, and this was the beginning of a great fishing trip.

Using Spinnerbaits and deep diving minnow type baits the two of them started landing big fish after big fish. Just to show you how they did, here is a summary of their catch.

one 15 lbs
five 13 lbs
seven 12 lbs
six 11 lbs
ten 10 lbs
thirteen 8-9 lbs

When they got tired of fighting big peacock bass, they would troll certain prime areas for payara, which produced ten payara from 10-16 lbs. Be pretty hard to tell these fellas they had a bad trip.

As I said earlier, the water is continuing to fall steadily, and it looks like we are in for an extended dry season this year. That in itself is not bad news, because each time in the past this has happened, we catch lots of trophy fish close to the camp, because the falling water upriver forces the peacock bass and payara population downriver to us.

We have lots of openings throughout the coming months, so this is the time to get with your friends and plan a fishing trip of a lifetime with us at HFC. It doesn't matter if you are a novice or a professional, because at HFC everyone catches fish.

Everyone have a GREAT week!!!!

Regards,

Steve Shoulders
Headwaters Fishing Club,