Barco Hotel Pro Tucuna
Barcelos, Amazonas · Rio Negro
Source: catches logged in the FishNerd app · layered privacy — nothing shows under 5 catches
Fishing conditions now
See the fishing conditions at Barco Hotel Pro Tucuna
Bite forecast, best hours and alerts — free in the app.
Open in FishNerdCatches at Barco Hotel Pro Tucuna
Real photos from anglers who tagged this venue — with their consent.
Fished here? Tag your catch in the app and join this album.
Get FishNerdFishing areas
The waters Barco Hotel Pro Tucuna operates — each circle is a fishing area.
Where the bites are
Approximate points (≈5 km) — never a catch's exact spot, and not linked to the photos.
The Pro Tucuna is a liveaboard mothership based in Barcelos, Amazonas, that cruises the Middle Rio Negro and its tributaries — the Aracá, Demeni, Cuiuni, Cuieiras, Caurés, Itu, Padauiri and Rio Preto — in search of low water with lighter fishing pressure. The mothership's shallow draft allows it to enter creeks (igarapés) and backwaters (ressacas) that bigger boats can't reach, and day-to-day fishing is done from aluminum skiffs with a native local guide (piloteiro), heading out early and returning to the mothership in the late afternoon for happy hour and dinner.
What you'll catch
- Speckled peacock bass / tucunaré-açu (Cichla temensis) — the main trophy, with specimens over 10 kg
- Butterfly peacock bass / tucunaré-borboleta (Cichla orinocensis) and common peacock bass / tucunaré-popoca (Cichla monoculus)
- Structure and catfish species in the Rio Negro's deep pools: redtail catfish (pirarara), piraiba/filhote catfish, and surubim/caparari catfish
- Other topwater predators: arowana (aruanã), bicuda (a local pike-like predator), trairão (wolf fish) and jacundá (a small cichlid)
Best time
The Rio Negro's low-water season, roughly from September to March, is when the river drops and concentrates peacock bass in the main channel, at parana mouths, lagoons and beaches — exactly where topwater lures work best. During high water (April to August) or repiquetes (sudden rises in water level), the fish scatter into the flooded forest and topwater fishing becomes much harder.
Techniques and lures
- Propeller baits (14–17 cm) to irritate and provoke strikes from the big açu peacock bass
- Zigzag walking baits (zaras/sticks) and poppers worked along beach points and structure
- Short-bill twitchbaits/minnows when the fish refuse topwater
- Feather/bucktail jigs (15–25 g) in backwaters and deep spots, and soft-plastic shads on offset hooks (14–17 cm, size 6/0 to 7/0 hooks) for fishing through fallen timber without snagging
- 20–30 lb rods, 50–65 lb braided line, and 40–60 lb fluorocarbon leader
Setup and pricing
The liveaboard operates with air-conditioned cabins and an air-conditioned common area, daily fishing from skiffs with a local guide, and kayak support for closed-off lagoons. The official website does not publish a price table; specialized fishing sources (fishguia, angler forums) cite packages of about 8 days / 6 nights starting at roughly R$ 9,000 per person, generally including a Manaus–Barcelos flight, full board, drinks, transfers and guide — it's worth confirming the current price and inclusions directly with the operator.
How to get there
The typical route is a commercial flight to Manaus (Eduardo Gomes airport), then a connecting flight to Barcelos — usually already arranged as part of the package — followed by a ground transfer handled by the Pro Tucuna team from the arrival point to the mothership's boarding spot on the Rio Negro.
Video
PEIXE GRANDE COM OS AMIGOS NÃO TEM PREÇO — filmed by Pro Tucuna
Inusitado! Pegando vários gigantes em um pequeno Igarapé. — filmed by Pro Tucuna
Cardume de Açús em um único ponto. — filmed by Pro Tucuna
Mais de 60 Tucunas só na parte da manhã. — filmed by Pro Tucuna
What you can catch
- Speckled Peacock Bass
- Tucunaré-açu
Location
Social media
Take FishNerd fishing
Log your catches, see what is biting, and find your next trip.
Point your camera to get the app