Jungle Fish - A YGF Review

Jungle Fish from Costa Films takes place in the depths of Guyana’s rain forest. It stars Oliver White, Nathan Webber, and friend of YGF Matt Breuer as they attempt to prove that arapaima (the largest freshwater fish in the world) can be caught with a fly rod with the hopes that angling success will lead to a hopefully profitable sport fishing/eco-tourism industry in poverty stricken Guyana.



The 29 minute long film is engaging, entertaining and eventually very rewarding. It is more nature documentary than fish porn and it is a very refreshing change from the norm. No pulsing, high energy soundtrack. Instead, sounds of the rain forest, casting of the fly rods, rowing of boats, arapaima breaching the surface to breath, and ultimately explosive thrashing of extremely large fish. The full-on rain forest experience with a medley of species of fish (arawana, peacock bass, and piranha), river otter, and caiman.

The anglers stay at Rewa Lodge, an eco-tourism lodge in Guyana’s rainforest that employs an entire village. Arapaima, which are endangered, hadn’t previously been caught on the fly. The three anglers go through their fair share of failure prior to catching a beast or four. But, the payoff is huge. Arapaima are powerful, unique, air-breathing, brightly colored, 300 hundred plus pound monsters. The sequence of the first arapaima being landed on a doubled over 12 weight is worth the price of admission alone. Matt Breuer proudly boasted to me in person that he was the first to land one. All in all, the film is well-worth a half hour of your time and is a bargain at $14.95.

Costa Film’s Jungle Fish is available here and comes with the imaginary YGF seal of approval. It’s like being on Oprah’s Book Club...except more distinguished.