I did the same trip when Phil Marstetter owned the Rio Negro. Shame he lost it. I went in 2006 I believe. Definitely a trip of a lifetime. I'm one of those who likes to check off a bucket list item then focus my money on a new experience, but as son as my son is old enough to go I'm taking him. He's eat up with fishing, and there's nothing even comparable to the top water bite of a Peacock than maybe tuna off shore when they push bait to the top. The best way I can describe it is take an oversized devil's horse top water with 80lb braid and throw it in front of a train coming by. HOLD ON!

Every thing has pretty much been covered here, but I'll re-emphasize the comment about the sun. Take plenty of sun screen. Apply before you leave in the AM and multiple times during the day. The sun is intense. With that said and the technology today with fishing clothing, take light long sleeve shirts and pants. The one thing I didn't take on the trip and was happy someone in our group had an extra pair was gloves. My hands started to swell pretty bad at the end of the trip due to the sun. It's hard to keep sunscreen on your hands from the water coming off the reels.

If you want a big fish, then don't put down the wood chopper. You aren't going to catch many fish, but the size will be better. If you want to catch a ton of fish, tell the guide and go throw a zara spook or something similar. We did that one day and caught over 200 fish from 3-5 pounds until we were wore out. Also, the guides know where the big fish are and live. If the river is really down, they will be located in lagoons cut off from the river. Most people don't want to work to help the guides get to these spots, so the guides don't take them. After hearing them mention the "lakiees" several times, we told them to take us. They mentioned lots of work. My buddy and I told them we would carry the small john boats in if they carried us. You could tell they didn't trust us, but after we carried the john boats thru the jungle with all our gear the guides were fighting over fishing with us. Because our group was willing to work and help the guides, we caught 10-12 fish over 20 pounds. Been a while, so I don't remember the numbers. I just know the other people in the lodge were getting annoyed at the amount of large fish our group was catching.

The only other thing I would mention or remember is having a smaller peacock 3 pounds or so cooked over an open fire on the river bank for lunch one day. The meat was white as crappie meat, flaky, and tasted awesome. Have your guide cook you one for a shore lunch one day.

My two largest of the trip was 22 pounds and 24.5 pounds which ended up being the largest caught by the lodge that week. Good luck!

Dr JL caught a GIANT last year on video! Go to 6:30 mark

About the last thing i would want to do is lip a 23 lb peacock with a wood chopper in its mouth, that took some huevos

Yeah that gentleman is one HECK of a fisherman, hard core.
That was a first and also once in a lifetime trip for me. It was with FishColombia. A blackwater river known for few bites but giants. That was the third fish I caught in 3 days-I was using the chopper or nothing since I wanted one big one. My hands were swollen and I couldn’t make a fist after a few days of hurling that thing around. That was a pg104 rod and 65lb line, with a rather standard bass reel. Probably could also use a reel with more spool. It hit as I was lifting the bait out of the water. I had a huge box of about 40 different colored choppers that my friend Larry Walker loaned me before the trip. My wife briefly looked at them before I left and said I would catch one on that goofy purple/orange bait. she was right!
The giant morpho butterflies, toucans, parrots, monkeys, tapirs, giant river otters, and native Amazon people made for an incredible trip. However, it was NOT glamping: heat, dehydration, bugs, massive tarantulas, meds, vaccines, stifling heat made me glad that I was coming home.

Take some small bottles of sun screen and give to the guides. When we were there six or eight years ago it was very expensive for them and its a nice gesture to have a few extra bottles to give away. Travel light. Wear one set of clothes and take one other. Where shoes not sandals or sandals with socks. Your feet will cook. Apply sunscreen before you leave each morning and then again in about two hours. A good set of warm weather rain gear is a must.

I caught a 17 lb fish in deeper water where a big wash entered the river. It was a real fight to keep it out of the timber and wore me out. They are unbelievably strong especially with a current. It is a neat place just to observe the river and the wildlife as well as the native folks.