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Fly Fishing for Dorado Deep in the Bolivian Amazon
Fly Fishing for Dorado Deep in the Bolivian Amazon
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.
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.
Photo by Joaquin Arocena
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Photo Gallery Comments (9)
Sounds like an incredible adventure! My dream fishing trip had always been Alaska. But after seeing the size of these fish, I might have to start saving for a trip to the jungle.
I now feel like I can say I've been to Bolivia...well, in spirit at least. Amazing photos and terrific writing brought me right there on the river, gasping at the sight of those gorgeous golden fish.
Deeter, im jealous, and you snapped ONLY 2 rods???
man 1 is a tragedy too is unthinkable.
*Two
Man, if you're not snappin' rods, you arent 'fishing hard enough, Alex! Make those companies live up their promises/guarantees, you bought it... Well, yeah, it does kinda stink when you break your favorite rod, no matter how you slice it.
Thanks for the nice comments above, I appreciate them.
This is one of the coolest adventure fishing articles that i have read. Man, I'd love to get back in there and hit some of these dorado.
Looking at the head structure, fin placement, etc., they look a lot like big trout.
I would love to take a trip like this, the only thing stopping me is $. One day though I would love to get down there and fish for a couple of days.
Thanks for the story and photos , what a reality check . discribing the sounds of the jungle screaming in your ears.watching the guides and how they hunt/fish to traveling up river in the homemade dugouts .and to top it off swinging the first fly . what monsters these fish are , someday ! maby ! someday .
Sounds like a blast! if you ever need someone to go fishing with, just lemme know!
Post a Comment
Sounds like an incredible adventure! My dream fishing trip had always been Alaska. But after seeing the size of these fish, I might have to start saving for a trip to the jungle.
I now feel like I can say I've been to Bolivia...well, in spirit at least. Amazing photos and terrific writing brought me right there on the river, gasping at the sight of those gorgeous golden fish.
Deeter, im jealous, and you snapped ONLY 2 rods???
man 1 is a tragedy too is unthinkable.
*Two
Man, if you're not snappin' rods, you arent 'fishing hard enough, Alex! Make those companies live up their promises/guarantees, you bought it... Well, yeah, it does kinda stink when you break your favorite rod, no matter how you slice it.
Thanks for the nice comments above, I appreciate them.
I would love to take a trip like this, the only thing stopping me is $. One day though I would love to get down there and fish for a couple of days.
Thanks for the story and photos , what a reality check . discribing the sounds of the jungle screaming in your ears.watching the guides and how they hunt/fish to traveling up river in the homemade dugouts .and to top it off swinging the first fly . what monsters these fish are , someday ! maby ! someday .
This is one of the coolest adventure fishing articles that i have read. Man, I'd love to get back in there and hit some of these dorado.
Looking at the head structure, fin placement, etc., they look a lot like big trout.
Sounds like a blast! if you ever need someone to go fishing with, just lemme know!
Post a Comment