Fishing With Jakub Vagner
Amazon Quest Part 1

Duration: 30 minutes
Series: Fishing With Jakub Vagner

Imagine targeting a fish that no-one seems to know anything about, where to find or how to fish for.

That was the challenge facing Jakub Wagner in his expedition deep into the Amazon rainforest in search of the mysterious, giant arapaima gigas.

This huge, colourful and pre-historic freshwater predator can grow to several hundred pounds, but to find it you need to go where no angler has gone before.

After taking in a flavour of the traditional South American Indian culture dating back to Inca times, and climbing the highest active volcano in the world in Ecuador, Jakub heads north and into Peru.

It takes three flights, two days by car and three days in a canoe up the Amazon and into the rainforest, but finally he is far enough away from civilisation for the local guides to believe there’s a chance of one of these great fish.

Jakub and his crew encounter the incredible colours and wildlife of the Amazon, a river that holds well over 2,000 species – indeed over 500 species of catfish!

But it’s the giant arapaima that’s on his mind and finally, in a quiet bay and out of the blue, he finds himself attached to the prehistoric fish that he’s dreamt about catching all of his life.

But hooking an arapaima is one thing. Landing one into a small boat is quite another…