5 of the best fishing destinations abroad

A peacock bass looks like a pack of wax crayons left too long in the sun, and that riot of colour is perfect camouflage in the brooding lagoons of the Amazon River basin. Known locally as tucunaré, they grow big—29.1 pounds is currently tops with the International Game Fish Association—and strong, making our Canadian bass seem like weak sisters in comparison. Peacocks have a hard time resisting crankbaits, and fly chuckers do well on majorly oversized streamers.

Prime time is the dry season, when the rivers recede from the immense Amazon flood plain, concentrating the fish. It begins in July on rivers flowing from the south, and ends in March on tributaries out of the north. Anglers can opt for either a land-based lodge (Agua Boa Amazon Lodge), mobile barge camps with high-side tents (Amazon Angling) and small cabins (River Plate Anglers). Gateway is Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, in the heart of the Amazon.