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photo: Joaquin Arocena
Golden Dorado in the Bolivian Amazon By Kirk Deeter

This September I joined the Jungle Anglers (six guys from Argentina and one from Brazil) on a gritty, exhausting expedition to find giant freshwater dorado deep in the shadows of the Bolivian jungle. To get there, we traveled first over land, then by small plane, and finally poled dugout canoes up the Rio Secure, one of the many headwaters in the Amazon River basin.

Until recently, few people knew these fish even existed here. Golden dorado are native to the Rio de la Plata River system, which is further south, most notably in Argentina, and does not connect to the Amazon. But some prehistoric flood must have stranded them in these waters, and here they mix with hundreds of species, from pirapitinga (relatives of piranhas) to giant moturo catfish. Until we arrived, only the Indians knew how many big dorado lived in this hidden river basin.
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Comment on This Article

At 9:18 AM, 2008-12-28, Cole Lundquist said:
I also fished with Bob Daley in LaZone. It is the best fishing trip I have ever been on. Not only did I catch a 48 pound Golden Dorado but I also caught a giant catfish. Mark comment offensive

At 5:53 AM, 2008-12-27, Bob Daly said:
Having fished dorados at La Zona the past 2 years I can testify that they are all they say they are! Unbelieveable! Cannot wait to get back in April 09 Mark comment offensive

At 2:18 PM, 2008-12-09, John said:
Bob Lee, you must be on a dial up connection. The web is now standardized for broadband. With broadband speeds, there's no slowdown to the presentation. Sorry that you have dialup, the world moves on without you. Mark comment offensive

At 4:28 PM, 2008-11-16, John said:
what an amazing adventure... remarkable. it's good to know there are still places this wild left in the world. Mark comment offensive

At 10:41 PM, 2008-11-14, anonymous said:
hey i read your story and it seems pretty cool. what do you recemend for small mouth bass Mark comment offensive

At 8:59 AM, 2008-11-03, Santiago said:
carlos, you don't have a clue on what this 2 rivers in bolivia have to offer in comparison with those you are naming. this 2 rivers are complete virgin rivers for all type of fishings methods, except for the longbows the indians use to fish. it is like fishing the amazon for peakock bass 20 years ago. Mark comment offensive

At 3:39 PM, 2008-10-30, Roger said:
carlos/roberto: this space is not meant for pathetic advertising attempts. thanks anyway. roger Mark comment offensive

At 9:56 AM, 2008-10-23, carlos said:
you don´t need to go there to fish dorados. rio paraná, rio de la plata, rio juramento (salta), rio dulce (santiago del estero) also have dorados as bis as the one of the picture. you get them elsewhere even flyfishing. i do it at rio dulce two times a week. for more free information email me at yalaco@gmail.com Mark comment offensive

At 10:14 PM, 2008-10-22, Charles L. Morse Sr. said:
these fish have been my dream fish to fish for sense i was 9-10 years old and first read about them . Mark comment offensive

At 8:27 PM, 2008-10-22, Bob Lee said:
the photos are great - but - you need to speed up the presentation of same. i look at some of them and then x out as i just don't have the time to wait for each to come up. have a presentation that moves from photo to photo without our interaction and one that will allow us to pause if we wish to marval at a given photo. just a suggestion. thanks, rel Mark comment offensive

At 8:00 PM, 2008-10-22, HuntinFool said:
absolutely amazing!!! great writings and pictures! Mark comment offensive

At 7:38 PM, 2008-10-22, Roberto Andrade said:
anyone who want coming here (to brasil) i'm glad to fishing with...to the brazilian pantanal and to the amazon brazilian and bolivian side, river,(rain forest river) also others small but great fishing places. my number are 213 426-8493 or directly to my mobile +005581 9942 0971. to put this way i dont want money for...just be the guide with the expenses paid for, ok., till 31, december 2008 i am ready to go. just call to talk to me for more informations anytime. Mark comment offensive

At 4:55 PM, 2008-10-22, Sean said:
to the other sean who wrote "typical of mankind . . ." on the 19th. take that tree-hugging bulls--t somewhere else. this magazine isn't written by the sierra club. it's called field and stream pal. it's the one where people hunt and fish. peta called, they want their dork back. better hurry. Mark comment offensive

At 8:30 AM, 2008-10-22, Capt Gordon said:
that last shot of the fish holding in the shallows is the one that does it for me. sweet! Mark comment offensive

At 5:31 PM, 2008-10-20, KD said:
capt. rufus... yes, you're not alone in that. this place we went is also in a protected national park... and the guys i went with spent 2 years securing the proper permits and so forth to have access here. crazy how tough that was. they now have an exclusive deal with the tribe. this gets to sean's point also... they're not going to "sell" paradise. it's all very tightly controlled and regulated. more than you might imagine. and the rangers don't mess around. that's why these guys, the jungle anglers, have something very uncommon available here. Mark comment offensive

At 5:24 PM, 2008-10-20, Jimmy said:
good grief. that's awesome. Mark comment offensive

At 11:19 AM, 2008-10-20, anonymous said:
what the hell are you talking about Mark comment offensive

At 9:21 AM, 2008-10-20, Dave said:
remote doesn't necessarily mean paradise sean, and small scale tourism like the trip kirk was on can be an economic boon to local economies starved for cash. not many people are going to go to this place because of the inate hardship and expense of travel there. kirk's story brought the excitement and adventure of the trip to a lot of people to enjoy vicariously, but few will ever venture there, and the odds are that those who do will contribute something positive. sure, there are important cultural issues that have to be taken into consideration, but generally fly fishing outfitters protect the resource pretty well. there are exceptions, but by and large fly fishing demands that the environment and culture are intact and thriving: no fish; no fishermen. this tradition dates back to the days of cleaning up polluted chalk streams in england in the 1800's and continues today from argentina to zambia. conservation and understanding of the local environment are very much part of the fly fishing scene. Mark comment offensive

At 9:21 PM, 2008-10-19, Sean said:
typical of mankind. find a small untouched paradise and instead of trying to leave a small footprint, the plan of action is to exploit it and make money. tent lodges, fishing expeditions pressure on a paradise for nothing more than the thrill of catching a big fish? Mark comment offensive

At 8:59 PM, 2008-10-19, Capt Rufus said:
i tried to fish the tarija river in bolivia years ago but our outfitter screwed up and our "paperwork" was not in order so we made it as far as the el cajon nat park boundary. the park ranger sent us back and we tent camped on the river a few miles downstream but ran into all sorts of trouble with bugs and no fish. we caught two small dorado up to 12 lbs but the trip was a disaster and we pulled a mutiny and got the hell out of there. inside the park the water was much deeper than out side the park and the bigger dorado were there but we were denied access to them. oh well better luck next time. Mark comment offensive

At 11:24 AM, 2008-10-19, CurtHamby said:
great story, deeter. i've seen the photos from those guys from another trip, but awesome to get a great writer to experience it and share it with us stiffs Mark comment offensive

At 11:44 PM, 2008-10-18, KD said:
no. i was apprehensive going in, and totally out of my element while i was in the jungle. but i was put at ease by the jungle anglers. these guys knew their stuff. my biggest worries, honestly, were that i'd fall down and sprain my ankle, or somehow slow down the expedition. as for bolivia, i have traveled extensively throughout latin america, and i thought the vibe was extremely friendly and good. food was great. everything was awesome. my companions made it all happen. bottom line: i feel 10 times more afraid in certain cities i visit in the usa. i'd go back tomorrow. Mark comment offensive

At 11:41 PM, 2008-10-18, KD said:
no. i was apprehensive going in, and totally out of my element while i was in the jungle. but i was put at ease by the jungle anglers. these guys knew their stuff. my biggest worries, honestly, were that's i'd fall down and sprain my ankle, or somehow slow down the expedition. as for bolivia, i have traveled extensively throughout latin america, and i thought the vibe was extremely friendly and good. food was great. everything was awesome. my companions made it all happen. bottom line: i feel 10 times more afraid in certain cities i visit in the usa. i'd go back tomorrow. Mark comment offensive

At 10:44 PM, 2008-10-18, David said:
crazy fish. what an adventure. where you afraid? Mark comment offensive

At 11:31 PM, 2008-10-17, wes hope said:
hey conway bowman u from conway arkansas? Mark comment offensive

At 11:30 PM, 2008-10-17, wes hope said:
must've been some fun Mark comment offensive

At 9:54 PM, 2008-10-17, DH said:
kd, great article as always, not sure co pd rainbows will interest you any more. thanks for taking this trip, but most of all i am thankfull you are home safe and sound. another great chapter in a long novel of experiences. see you soon. Mark comment offensive

At 4:55 PM, 2008-10-17, anonymous said:
deeter looks just like jim villane from n.j. and the fish looks like a woman i had relations with.some photograph!!!! Mark comment offensive

At 3:50 PM, 2008-10-17, conway bowman said:
holy moley....that's insane!!! kd hats off to ya' brotha' . great artical. that is the " out there fringe" you are the fu*&^%$ man!!!!! yea baby!!!!!!! Mark comment offensive

At 12:12 PM, 2008-10-17, Dave said:
kirk, you really capture the intensity of fly fishing clearwater streams in the amazon basin: big powerful fish in an untamed environment. brazil's one of my favorite places to fly fish; now i can't wait to head for bolivia with my orvis helios. Mark comment offensive

At 10:52 AM, 2008-10-17, BenRomans said:
great story coupled with some terrific photos. thanks for sharing that one deeter! i've heard some incredible stories about dorado, and reading your story makes me want to try it even more. . . Mark comment offensive

At 9:59 AM, 2008-10-17, Phil said:
that golden dorado is awesome look at the girth of that fish! Mark comment offensive

At 11:22 PM, 2008-10-16, church said:
o man!! as much fishing as i have done around the world this is one trip that i will haft to go on some day in my life!!!! i wouldnt mind catching a toad on my helios 10wt any day of the week. Mark comment offensive

At 10:55 PM, 2008-10-16, Drew said:
wow. that's about all i can say. awesome. look at those fish!! Mark comment offensive

At 1:23 PM, 2008-10-16, charlie said:
what an adventure. this piece really got my juices cooking. where do we sign up? Mark comment offensive


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Kirk Deeter spent two weeks in cocaine country with a group called the Jungle Anglers, dodging piranhas and jaguars as they flew, drove, rafted, then poled their way to some of the last best fishing on the planet.

The Jungle Anglers specialize in chasing trophy fish in the wildest environments of South America. In two of those places, "La Zona" in northern Argentina (dorado), and "Far End Rivers" in Tierra del Fuego (sea trout), their company, Untamed Angling, has established top-notch lodge operations.

According to their plans, this Bolivian adventure will one day be accessible from a tent-lodge base camp. Stay tuned for editor-at-large Kirk Deeter's feature on this trip in an upcoming issue of Field & Stream magazine.

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