We were scheduled for an early rise the next morning which didn't eventuate due to rainy weather. We were going to go bird watching. The weather can turn at any second in the jungle so you always need to be prepared Jorge would explain to us. We chilled out a lot at the lodge. Even when not out exploring it was a place where you could just sit chill and soak in the surroundings.
That afternoon Jorge took me and Andy for a trial run piranha fishing. We were in the canoe with the cook. Who we just called Columbia as he was from there. Didn't speak a lick of English but such a pleasant simple guy.
I didn't catch anything. Andy caught like 3. It was only a practice for our big expedition the following day but I was filthy! "I gotta get a big one tomorrow" I kept saying to Andy. We fished with line attached to a bamboo stick with a hook and raw meat used as bait.
Andy made some hilarious documentary style videos of Jorge speaking about the dangers of piranha fishing. Columbia Cooked the small ones for dinner, even more motivating to snag a big fella the next day.
When we left the following day Colombia took Jorge , Andy and myself towing a paddle canoe deep into the canals of one of the big lakes that were further away. Jorge was planning on taking us to his secret spots for big piranhas!
Jorge and Andy got the first two, I
Was getting nibbles but was getting more anxious. I can't not catch one I thought. It was playing with my head big time, I can't leave with out having caught one- then BANG! I'm on- get it up Andy and Jorge both yelled at me. Catching a piranha is different to a regular fish caught with a rod. Once hooked you need to lasso it into the boat before it bites through the line bad sets it's self free. But once in the boat fingers and toes become a easy second course for the snappy little b*****s. I had her in and lifted it up with pride (after much girly screaming) . Ecstatic with my Rex hunt like skills I was nearly tipping the canoe - defiently not a smart move in shallow piranha infested waters!
Not long after and the weather took a turn for the worse. Jorge said to us quite urgently we are going to have to make a move or the canoe will fill with water. So there we are deep in the amazon jungle stuck in the middle of a huge lake paddling for our lives to reach cover. some of the heaviest two I've ever witnessed. Back and shoulders burning from fatigue but still yahooing as the canoe cut through the water. This was exactly the jungle experience we were after !!