lorax

Salty - I've noodled for small plecos and other small catfish in the shallower rivers, much to the amazement of my friends who use scoop nets. When I was Canadian, I used to tickle trout and salmon. It's dangerous, though, in any river that's got silt in it, since there's a very real chance of noodling an electric eel. This is less than pleasant, let me tell you.

Tog - if I'm unlucky in December, I'll hook a Bagre Gigante which is an agressive Napo river catfish up to 10ft+ and is not very good eating - the taste is described as very garlicky with undertones of sludge. These have been known to capsize canoes in order to eat the inhabitants. Some people here (mostly those who have hooked one) call them Sludge Sharks. It will be easy to tell without landing it, though, since a Bagre fights a very different fight than a pleco. If I do get one, we'll cut the line and try again in another part of the river.

Jarred - I like Pleco, but the real scoop is an Arowana. They're a good size, a great fight, and one of the sweetest-tasting fish I've eaten this side of giant red-bellied Piranhas. The catch is I have to go almost to the Peruvian border on the Pastaza river to get into their range, which is a week's trip in and of itself.