My Favorite Fish of 2019: My, What Big Teeth You Have

As I sit isolated at home in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic, 2019 seems more than just a few months away – it seems like another lifetime. It was an epic year when I fished more than usual at home, and still managed three trips to Mexico, a trip to the Amazon, freshwater and saltwater adventures in Alaska, and long weekends at Grosse Savanne and Table Rock.

Along the way, I caught a lot of fish, including some big ones and some pretty exotic ones, if nothing else because I was in such fertile waters. I couldn’t even begin to guesstimate exactly how many I landed over 75 or so days on the water, and I can think of ten candidates for “Fish of the Year,” but the most gratifying and visually arresting was my 29-pound payara.

As I’ve written before elsewhere, the process of actually hooking and landing a payara was difficult enough – in fact I almost killed myself falling backward when one broke 80-pound braid on some sharp rocks -- but once they’re in the boat the fight doesn’t end. Our guide Itamar saw two imitation Boga Grips ruined when the fish thrashed and bent out the jaws. But other than the fight, what made it so special? A big part of it is that it’s a fish that not many of my friends or colleagues have conquered. I know a lot of people who’ve caught trophy salmon or halibut or peacock bass, and certainly jumbo largemouths, but I don’t know many who’ve chased payara, or who ever will. Indeed, that’s what made the entire trip special. Billy Chapman led a bunch of gringos to someplace where nothing was guaranteed and we ended up on a pile of record-class fish.

Now it’s just a matter of waiting on a replica. The taxidermist is also shut down, so until that situation changes all I have is an indelible memory and a few pictures.