KVD's Busch trip to Amazon

The flight taking Kevin VanDam and a crew from Busch beer nears its destination of Manaus, Brazil.

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Manaus, near the confluence of the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers, is the most populated city in the Amazon rain forest with more than 2 million people.

Named for its black appearance, the Rio Negro is the largest tributary to the silty brown Amazon.

The Mercado Municipal is the city market in Manaus.

It is one of the largest open markets in Manaus, offering fish, fresh fruits, spices, souvenirs among other products.

That includes peacock bass, the reason Kevin VanDam and the Busch team ventured into the Amazon and Rio Negro.

Manaus is a major port town, and peacock bass excursions north up the Rio Negro have increased in the past two decades.

Boats of all kind line the Rio Negro, which offers a diverse biosphere of 800 to 900 species of fish. Capt. Peacock is the guide team taking the Busch bunch to backwaters where the big peacock bass live.

After a 2-hour morning run upriver, Kevin VanDam takes the lead as the boat needs dragging through a cut.

Then VanDam and his brother-in-law, Russ Campbell, tried to coax a peacock to bite.

VanDam seems a bit disappointed with the inactivity in this spot.

But he and Campbell keep chunking, hoping for the explosive attacks for which peacock bass are known.

They have big baits for the big fish. The world record is 28 pounds.

A couple more casts before they move on.

Of course, getting to the next pool requires some serious work. Logs have been set down in the channel bed.

Then the guides and anglers give it the old, 1, 2, 3, GO! They make a run, dragging and pushing the 17-foot aluminum flatbottom boats over the logs.

VanDam said getting the heavy boats over the logs was easier than trying to get them through sand.

After one good run, logs are placed for the next jog. VanDam said they easily had to cover a mile of low water areas to get back to the good fishing holes.

In equatorial heat, KVD said he received pretty good conditioning sessions to prep for the Bassmaster Classic.

And theyâre off again.

VanDam didnât know exactly what his guide was saying to him, but he could discern from the manner in which he spoke that the trip getting back to the big fish would be strenuous.

There were times when they just lifted the boats and portaged them over the skinniest of waters or dry areas.

KVD shows one of the many species of fish in the Rio Negro.

There are hazards to going barefoot, as one of the guides experienced.

While he was being attended to, VanDam just had to throw out a line in a likely looking spot of the new pool.

The guides carry the gear to a spot where they can launch.

And itâs back to fishing.

VanDam quickly hooks into a big one, lifting the spirits and energy level of what had been a tiring crew.

Itâs a quick fight to the boat.

Before VanDam gets a firm grip.

And brings it into the boat.

Yeah, thatâs what heâs talking about.

All that work getting up river paid off.

Guide Blacky gets in on the photos â the Capt. Peacock guides smack talk, each claiming they know where the big peacocks can be caught.

KVD shows Campbell what he needs to beat.

Yeah! First one in the boat.

There were more fish on the day.

And more spectacular, aerobatic fights. KVD said he landed some nice fish but sure would have liked to see some that got away, like the one that broke his 80-pound braid.

VanDam had made a handful of trips to the Amazon, and each has been epic.

This one, he said, fell right in line with Busch slogan, âHereâs to earning it.â