top spots for golden dorado

This bad-ass carnivore may be the ultimate freshwater gamefish!

Golden Dorado

These fish are shaped like King Salmon with terrible orthodonture and an even worse attitude. If one were to be tied tail-to-tail with most other freshwater species, it’d pull the scales off its opponent then probably turn around and eat it.

DORADO ARE SO aggressive that they eat each other, they eat their young, and in the juvenile stage they swim in small circles chewing at each other’s tails. In fact, it’s rare to find a small, young Dorado without wounds that hasn’t been physically and emotionally scarred by a relative. They’re the ultimate dysfunctional family in the fish world, and display only two modes of behavior: kill and reproduce. Apparently they can multi-task and are often in both modes simultaneously. By nature, Dorado are mean as hell. They show no mercy, and often chase their prey into inches of water. The violent pursuit of these baitfish telegraphs the location of the Dorado, and a quick, well-placed streamer will usually connect. These fierce, ill-tempered fish will take flies both on top of the water and sub-surface. Techniques are simple, and the whereabouts of Dorado is predictable. They have no predators, often lie in plain sight, and stalking them from the shore is thrilling. The strike of a mature Dorado can be either subtle or violent, but when the fish feels the steel, all hell breaks loose. Dorado are ferocious animals that don’t give up easily. They’ll usually go airborne immediately, and the battle is charged with explosive bursts of power punctuated by tailwalking attempts to toss the hook. When the struggle appears over and they’re being landed or photographed, they’ll often attack the angler! Here at The Fly Shop® we’ve become addicted to Dorado fishing. The places we find them are, at the same time, exotic and fantastic.

Golden DoradoCruiser

THE PARANA DELTA is formed by the confluence of the Parana and Uruguay rivers. It’s a 4,600 square mile marshland that filters the rivers and allows them to clear, creating a unique ecosystem that supports a massive migration of bait fish, thousands of lagoons, back bays, channels, creeks, and river banks and a fishery harboring the largest population of Golden Dorado on the planet. The key to effectively fishing this huge natural fish farm is mobility. That’s where the mothership, Parana Gipsy, with a team of hardcore fly fishing guides and first-class fishing skiffs comes into the picture, keeping its anglers within easy daily striking distance of a fresh supply of willing, aggressive Dorado. Guests aboard the 75´ mothership are treated to first-class cuisine, and the finest Argentine wines. This is the perfect fishery for anglers new to the sport of Dorado fishing with a fly and that predicate a successful trip on numbers of fish. Anglers can expect to land two to three dozen Dorado each day in the 2-7 pound range and hook up with occasional fish twice that size. The Dorado Cruiser is owned and managed by one of the most respected and successful outfitters in Argentina. golden dorado cruiser The package aboard the Parana Gipsy is simple and hassle-free. Guests are met at the Buenos Aires airport, and three hours later will be on board and often rigging up their fly rods in time to enjoy an evening of fishing upon arrival. The mobile lodge is the ideal base for pursuing these extremely migrant and pressure-savvy gamefish. It’s the perfect way to spend a first or last few days in Argentina or Chile prior to (or after) Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, wine tasting, or hunting. The Golden Dorado Cruiser helps avoid overnight hotels, transfers, and wasted time in a city whose sights and interests you may have exhausted on previous trips. s 7 night/6 day fishing $4,950 per person s 6 night/5day fishing 4,400 per person s 5 night/4 day fishing 3,750 per person s 4 night/3 day fishing 3,150 per person s Non-angling rate is 50% of the package. Packages include all transfers, meals, overnight laundry service, and guided fishing. The season is year ‘round. Peak Dorado angling begins in October and continues through March

Golden Dorado Cruiser photos

Tsimane is more than just another destination

TSIMANE IS A real partnership between the indigenous native community and private enterprise. The small tribe of Tsimane all participate in the operation of the lodge and camps. These are people who have changed little, other than their garb, in a thousand years, but are invested, form a majority of the labor pool, and take an everincreasing role in the management and protection of their own fishery. Guests at Tsimane will not only enjoy phenomenal fishing, but will be immersed in local culture and surrounded by guides and other natives who contribute a great deal to every aspect of what makes Tsimane more than just another lodge.

Untamed Angling photo

tsimane’s pluma lodge Pluma Lodge is elegant, carved out of the Amazon forest, featuring fine meals and panoramic views of the river, where packs of ravenous dorado hit schools of sabalo at all hours of the day and night. Eight anglers have access to fishing that begins at the lodge doorstep, as well as targeting two different, nearby rivers and several smaller tributaries. Adventurous anglers may choose to trek up the rugged Upper Pluma or hike to incredible sight fishing in the Itirizama headwaters. s 9 night/6day package $7,600 per person Package does not include the $670 Native and Park fees

agua negra lodge and securé lodge These are over-the-top angling experiences in the midst of the most exotic landscape imaginable. Deluxe, African-style tents, ice-cold drinks, and fine meals await fish-weary fly rodders after each day fishing at the two mid-river locations. A maximum of 4-6 guests share either of these two rainforest lodges, and the remote new headwaters outcamps for those adventurous anglers who want to get farther away from it all. It’s the perfect angling holiday for small groups. s 9 night/6 day package $6,950 per person Package does not include the $570 Native and Park fees

Juan Pablo Marchelletti photo

ARGENTINA

Dorados on the Fly

The birthplace of the passion, fever, and enthusiasm fueling the sport of dorado fishing is Argentina, and Ricardo “Pinti” Pinto is the most famous dorado outfitter in Latin America. He’s forgotten more about dorado than most claim to know, and has a small, riverside lodge in a village on the shore of the Parana, perfectly positioned to access the endless river, back bays, and side channels that hold some of the world’s largest dorado!

FROM HIS ITA IBATE base on the Upper Parana River below Yacrieta Dam, Ricardo Pinto and his expert staff of fly fishing guides are perfectly positioned to pursue some of the largest and most explosive freshwater carnivores in all of South America. The river in this region is a tailwater for more than 70 kilometers, and water can oftentimes have over 6 feet of visibility, and the dorado in this area cohabit with exceptionally large pacu (Argentina Permit) that range from 8 to 25 pounds and Para Pita (Called “Parana Salmon” because of their red meat). Ricardo “Pinti” Pinto and his guide staff are world-class professionals, with decades of experience fishing and guiding dorado all over South America. These guys are considered the best in the business and have developed the most popular flies and the most effective techniques used in this aspect of the sport. They are terrific communicators, coaches and fun to spend a day on the skiff with. They’ll fast-track you on the fly fishing tactics needed to become a successful dorado angler and you’ll learn something new every day. Guests fishing with Dorados on the Fly are accommodated in a very well-appointed and spacious traditional Argentina-style lodge sitting right on the banks of the Parana River, with spectacular views of the river and jungle environment surrounding this amazing waterway. Anglers are accommodated in large single/private rooms complete with en suite bathroom, air conditioning and all the amenities you would expect in a first-class fishing lodge. Meals are taken in the main dining room and fish stories are shared in the full bar. The best months for dorado in the Upper Parana is from January through May, and again in September and October. In Argentina’s fall months (May and June), the water cools and fish are less active.

dorado on the fly (corrientes, argentina) Pinti’s place features lovely guest rooms, fine meals, great wines, and a full bar. Anglers share a guide and boat in search of trophy dorado on the Upper Parana River using sinking tip or floating lines. s 7 night/6 day fishing package $5,200 per person s 6 night/5 day fishing package 4,500 per person s 5 night/4 day fishing package 3,700 per person s 4 night/3 day fishing package 2,800 per person