A Decade of Partnership: Untamed Angling and Yamaha in the Amazon by Rodrigo Salles

At first glance, the story of Marcelo Perez and Rodrigo Salles might follow a familiar path — anglers turning a lifelong pursuit into a profession.

In the Amazon, however, that path unfolds differently.

Over two decades, what they built is not simply a fishing operation, but a system — one shaped by Indigenous partnerships, ecological limits, and a long-term commitment to continuity over expansion.

It is precisely this model that led Yamaha Outboards to document the work of Untamed Angling, selecting the operation as a lens through which to tell a broader story about life, reliability, and long-term stewardship in one of the most demanding environments on the planet.

Salles began as a civil and environmental engineer, carrying early lessons from time spent outdoors into a more conventional career. The turning point came in the early 2000s, when he met Perez in Argentina. Together, they began exploring a different model — expedition-style fishing built on exploration rather than convenience.

That vision eventually led them north, into the Amazon basin.

There, the reality was clear: the most intact rivers remained within Indigenous territories, governed by their own knowledge, rhythms, and rules. Operating in those environments required a different approach.

Instead of building around those communities, they chose to build with them.

Since their first joint initiative in 2007, Untamed Angling has developed partnerships across multiple Indigenous territories in Brazil and Bolivia. Each destination operates within its own structure, but all share a common principle — collaboration grounded in knowledge exchange.

Local communities bring a deep, generational understanding of the land and water. The Untamed team contributes technical expertise in guiding, fly fishing, and hospitality.

Over time, that exchange has created something larger than fishing.

A model where economic activity supports preservation, and where communities maintain control of their land while gaining access to education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

For anglers, the experience reflects that same balance.

Journeys into the region are defined by distance and access — often beginning in Manaus and continuing by floatplane into remote river systems. Once there, days follow the river’s rhythm.

Fishing is present, but never isolated.

Each outing combines technical precision with Indigenous knowledge — reading water, observing change, and adapting continuously to conditions.

Behind that experience lies a quieter layer.

Operating in such remote environments leaves no room for inconsistency. There are no nearby service points, no immediate alternatives. Movement depends on systems that function reliably, day after day.

Within this environment, Yamaha Outboards has supported the operation for more than a decade, earning trust through consistency over time.

Engines support daily movement across vast distances — transporting guides, guests, and supplies through an environment where interruption is not an option. Performance, here, is defined by dependability.

Because in the Amazon, continuity depends on what does not fail.

Looking back, Salles often describes the process as one of learning.

What began with the idea of bringing knowledge into the region gradually shifted into understanding what was already there.

The principles that sustain these territories — balance, restraint, long-term thinking — are not theoretical. They are lived.

And increasingly, they define what responsible operations in the Amazon can look like.

After two decades in the jungle, and more than ten years operating alongside Yamaha, the structure remains intentional.

No shortcuts. No excess.

Only continuity.
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Watch the Film
A closer look into the system behind it all.

→ UNTAMED AMAZON — A Film by Yamaha