Peacock Bass Fishing Forum - View topic

Dink Alston

We were suppose to fish the first week of December and got cancelled and rescheduled to January 25 due to high water. Now it's touch and go as to whether we go this time.

I generally schedule to go in October and have never been cancelled because of the high water. October would have been great this year. I waited until December to get a trip to a new camp that I thought would be really nice, but in retrospect, should have stayed on the October schedule.

Anybody know if the Rio floods are affecting the Amazon basin?

Dink

Jim Wright

Dink,

I was supposed to fish with RPO this next week. We have been rescheduled for the first week in March. Hope the levels are down for your trip!

Jim

Jim Wright

I was rescheduled for next week with RPO.....just heard we have been cancelled again due to high water!

Dink Alston

Jim,

We were cancelled again since I posted this. My whole group finally threw in the towell and rescheduled for next October. From what I've heard, there hasn't been a whole lot of serious fishing this season. Maybe that bodes well for next year.

Dink

Jim Wright

Dink,

I asked on this forum but received no response. What is the best way to minimize the cost loss for cancelling and/or rescheduling air fares? Is there any trip insurance for this?

Thanks,
Jim

Dink Alston

Jim,

I'm sorry for such a late reply, but I just now noticed your question.

It's basically a crapshoot with the travel insurance companies paying anything when being cancelled due to the high water. I do know some guys who were payed for the whole trip, some who got partial payment, and some who were denied.

Anymore I've just been getting the medical EVAC insurance and foregoing the travel insurance. If you fly TAM, they will put your ticket on hold and let you reschedule anytime within a year, but with about a $150 rescheduling fee and of course more money if the fare is higher than your ticket they're holding. They won't refund any though if the fare goes down.

Just about all the outfitters will let you reschedule, so generally the most I'm out is the change fees from TAM (I live close to Miami so I don't have to worry about domestic ticket refunds). It's not the best scenario, but I've come to realize that I can't control the weather, and I know the fishing is poor with the high water (I've done that too), so I tend to look at it as the cost of doing business so to speak.

At least that's been my experience with cancellations.

Jim Wright

Dink,

Thanks for the reply. I also have come to the conclusion that the best bet is to book the lowest fare with the lowest rebooking fee. Currently I am scheduled to go the end of September to the beginning of October, RPO has been great about rebooking.

Jim

Dink Alston

Jim,

Looks like we'll just miss each other. I'll be there October 7.

I know in the annals of peacock history, Dec-Feb. was always the time to go, but I've been going for six years now, and October has been perfect everytime (except for the extreme low water year before last), when everything from Dec. on was washed out quite a few times. I firmly believe that the weather patterns have changed and Sept-Nov. is the optimum time now, even on the Negro system.

Dink

Larry Larsen · Executive Director

Jim and Dink,

We all look forward to your water level (and fishing success) reports when you get back. Please do it as a "New Posting" when you have a chance. I know that Frank Carbone will be returning from his Amazon trip in early September and will give us an update on levels in the Rio Madeira watershed.

Have a great trip guys and leave a few monsters for the rest of us!