Taming River Tigers
I held the rod tip high as the fish raced toward a tangle of flooded vegetation and finally coerced it back towards deeper water. Several strong runs and jumps later, I brought a golden dorado that was all of eight pounds to hand.
After a few photos, I released the fish and Cefe set up another drift. I immediately missed a fish that struck the fly just as I lifted it out of the water for another cast. Fifteen minutes later, Alan hooked and landed a nice five-pound fish. By the time he boated the dorado, we had drifted downstream well past the area Cefe intended us to target so he cranked up the outboard and headed upriver for another drift.
We were still motoring past the channel where I landed my first fish when another dorado, likely a 10-pound fish or larger, suddenly cleared the water. Then several other dorado followed, ripping through a school of baitfish, pushing them to the surface. I looked over at Alan and asked, “Did you see that?” Alan’s eyes were as big as saucers. Cefe cut the motor, maneuvered into a safe position, and dropped the anchor 60 feet from the breaking fish.
For the next two hours we hooked and lost several fish and hooked and landed several more. By the time the sun set, we caught and released fish from four to eight poundsall from the same channel. It was an afternoon I will never forget.
While dorado fishing can be productive all year long, the best season is September through April because it’s the warmest months in the southern hemisphere, though I have fished here as late as July and had good success.
The dorado in this region run four to eight pounds with an occasional 12 pound fish landed. Because dorado are a fierce adversary, they require the use of an 8- or 9-weight rod, reels with good drags and both floating and intermediate sinking-tip lines. Saltwater streamers like Lefty’s Deceiver, Blanton’s Whistler and Clouser Minnows tied in dark colors and with Flashabou in sizes 1/0 and 2/0 are excellent choices, though at times, you can take dorado with surface offerings like large bass poppers, Chernobyl Ants and small, soft-foam poppers.
Dorado are not particularly leader shy. Leaders should be heavy enough to turn over big, wind-resistant flies. The most important thing to consider in a leader for dorado is the shock or bite tippet. These fish have extremely sharp teeth that can sever even the strongest monofilament. To decrease the likelihood of break offs, I recommend using a 12-inch long, 15- to 30-pound wire section at the end of the leader. Los Laureles has rods for rent and maintains a selection of fly patterns and back-up equipment at reasonable prices.
Argentine Lodge Life
That night, back at the lodge, I enjoyed a hot shower and afterward met in the lounge for hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Later, we sat down to a sumptuous dinner of tender grass-fed Argentine beef grilled over an open fire, fresh baked breads, vegetables, fried potatoes, and red wine. The final course was one of my favorite dessertsflan with dulce de leche.
Los Laureles Lodge owner J.J. Reynal told us the Paran River is one of the largest rivers in the world and the second largest in South America, eclipsed only by the mighty Amazon. From its headwaters in Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay, it runs south for roughly 2,500 miles until it reaches Buenos Aires and Uruguay, where it is then called the Rio de la Plata, before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The river encompasses a huge flood plain while it passes through the Argentine provinces of Chaco, Corrientes, Santa Fe and Entre Rios. The Paran is a huge river, several miles wide in some places, and most fishing is done in the backwaters and side channels.
During the balance of our five-night, four-day fly fishing trip, we explored the river as far as 20 miles from the lodge; fishing the main river, backwaters and side channels. One afternoon the wind was blowing hard so we found a channel that connected to a sheltered backwater. The channel was narrow, and at times the boat barely made it through the overhanging vegetation. Once in the backwater, we started blind casting streamers to submerged cover and along the thick vegetation.
It was Alan’s turn on the casting platform. The quarters were tight and he had to watch his backcast. Fighting the urge to let more line out on the backcast, he dropped the fly halfway to the edge of the vegetation where a fish would be holding. The fly settled, and as he lifted the rod to recast, Cefe said, “Don’t cast, start stripping.”
Before the fly moved 10 feet, a dorado made a dash for the baitfish imitation. The fish grabbed the fly and kick started a melee; fighting dorado in tight quarters is chaotic to say the least. The fish made a run toward the boat and jumped 15 feet from the end of Alan’s rod. The minute it hit the water, the dorado changed directions and sprinted for the flooded trees and jumped again, this time landing on an outstretched limb.
Luckily, the line did not catch on the branch, and the fish hit the water. Alan applied more line pressure and dipped his rod low into the water to get a better angle of attack. The strategy worked, and we netted the fish only a few minutes later and rejoiced when it tipped the scales at 10 pounds.
Several other dorado managed to break the line, spit the hook or entangle themselves in the vegetation before we headed back to the lodge that day. But overall, the trip was huge success and made it clear to me that dorado deserve a place on the list of the great game fish in the world. If you’re in the mood for a new adventure with hard-fighting fish in an exotic location, look no further than the Paran River of Argentina and its golden dorado. Trust me, months later, when you are sitting home on a cold winter night, it’ll be hard not to think about Entre Rios, Argentina where the weather is warm and the dorado action is red hot.
For more than 30 years, Gary Kramer has traveled the globe, hunting and fishing in 56 countries. A prolific writer and photographer, you can see more of his work at www.garykramer.net.
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