When I was fifteen years old I read a Field & Stream article about an outstanding game fish in Argentina, the golden dorado.  The prose was glowing and spoke of strong runs and wild jumps.  The photos were spectacular, showing what looked like a gold colored striped bass with teeth.  I wanted to catch one of them in the worst way!  It took more than 35 years but this January Pete Esposito and I took a trip to north-eastern Argentina and fished for dorado in what is arguably the best fishery for them in the world, La Zona on the Uruguay River.

   La Zona opened for fishing last season after a year of  “study fishing” and many years of  negotiations with the Argentine and Uruguayan governments.  The river is the border between the two countries and dealing with two South American governments was a Herculean task but the efforts have certainly been worth it.

  I met Pete in the Atlanta airport and after a beer we flew overnight to Buenos Aires.  We were met by the transfer company and were given a day room at a downtown hotel to nap, shower, and recover from the flight.  That afternoon we went to the domestic airport for a one and a half flight to Resistencia (directly across the river from Corrientes).  A two and a half hour van trip and we arrived at the Estancia Atalaya.  We arrived at 11 pm and were promptly served dinner as the staff had just finished serving the others already there.  Dinner would be as late as 10 every night, a common occurrence in Argentina.

  The fishing day at the high Parana started at 6, breakfast at 6:30, on the river by 7:30.  The river was the highest it had been in more than 5 years due to 120 cm of rain over the course of four days upstream in Brazil.  The water was muddy and fishing conditions were less than ideal.  Normally there is a significant amount of sight fishing for dorado, pira pita (looks like a shad with serious teeth), and pacu (looks like a permit).  We were to experience none of that.  We cast blindly to the tree line in the many channels in this stretch of the river (it is a huge river, 2 km across). The fishing was slow and the temperatures were in the upper 80’s and 90’s.  This was jungle fishing along the lines of what we experienced in Brazil but without the number of fish.  We fished from skiffs with 2 casting platforms and worked hard for the 5-10 fish per day we each caught.  The dorado were small, Pete caught the largest at 8-10 lbs.  The pira pita were fun to catch and ranged up to 11 lbs.  We caught no pacu.  We both used 8 weight rods with floating lines.  Even with the smaller fish we used 30 lb test tippet with 30 lb wire bite guards of about 12 inches.  There was some dry fly fishing using big bomber type patterns with orange stripes as the pira pita and pacu enjoy eating an orange berry that drops from the trees.

  After the morning session (lasting until 12) we would return to the estancia for lunch and siesta until 3:30.  We would be back on the river by 4 and fish until 8.  Back to the estancia to shower, have a cocktail, and eat dinner around 9-10.  Marcos, the owner, and his daughter, Raquel, were gracious hosts and while the food was not gourmet it was delicious and plentiful.  Without their hospitality I think this part of the trip would have felt like a bust but both of us enjoyed ourselves immensely.  While we spent our days fishing there was horseback riding available and the bird life was amazing even to an in-experienced observer like me.

  On the fourth day we fished for the morning and then were transferred by van to Los Tres Sietes lodge outside of Concordia.  The lodge is lovely and the food was exceptional.  Each days schedule was similar to the day at Atalaya except that the fishing did not begin until 8 to 8:30.  The boats are only a five minute drive from the lodge and after another five minute ride you passed the local boats anchored at the bottom of the restricted zone.  Each day begins by checking in with the police who guard the dam, then the fun begins.  The dam is one half mile across and is divided into an Argentine generating third, a Uruguayan generating third, and a middle third which appears to be only to control excess water levels.  When either side is generating power the current is quite fast and produces standing waves up to 4 feet high.  The theory is that the vibrations from the generating turbines confuse the baitfish and the dorado use it like a dinner bell. The drift lines the boats follow have been established and some are quite bumpy.  Pete and I had discussed whether the life jackets were really needed when on the first drift the boat bumped into a submerged rock and I went into the water.  They are necessary!  My new claim to fame is that only two people have gone swimming in Hector’s boat, Larry Dahlberg and me.

   We began catching fish on the first drift and throughout the morning, mostly in the 8-10 lb range.  The fish were acrobatic and unbelievably strong, possibly stronger than similarly sized peacock bass, and were able to sustain longer fights.  That morning I got a schooled on fighting 40+ lb fish as I had two on and lost both after 10 to 15 minute struggles.  The afternoon proved a little more fruitful as I landed a 33 and 22 lb dorado. 

   Day two was similar without any truly big fish for me.  Pete landed a 27 lb fish on a popper (on an 8 wt!) and we saw fish busting bait in shallow water all day.  Some of the dorado would actually be chasing baitfish among rocks sticking out of the water where the entire dorado was on top of the rocks.  Day three was my slowest day, only 4 fish in the morning and 1 in the afternoon but the one in the afternoon was a 44 lb fish on the last cast of the day.  It took about 30 minutes to land and really made my trip.  On the last day the water was high (the level varied by 6-8 feet) and made fishing structure for the “grandes” difficult.  We caught more fish that day than any other but the largest was only about 15 lbs.  The last evening was spectacular.  We drifted the slower water in the middle and there were literally hundreds of boga (a carp like fish) rising on the surface with dorado slashing at them repeatedly.  That was a sight I will never forget.

  The fishing is not technical at La Zona in the sense that you need a particular fly or need to hit a very specific spot.  You do need to be able to make sure your fly line, leader, wire, and all the connections are perfect.  You also need to be able to fight big, strong fish well.  The bottom of the river is covered with large sharp rocks that are in turn covered with freshwater mussels.  The fish will run and cut you off on these with  regularity.  Certainly distance in casting helps as you can cover more water but one  man who was there could not get beyond 50 feet and he still caught fish.  With the exception of fishing poppers with an eight weight we used ten weights with 250-350 grain sink tips.  The flies look like 6-8 inch muddler minnows and are a beast to throw in the wind.  Fortunately, all that you needed to do was turn around and fish the other direction.  The weather was hot  and sunny every day.

   Pete and I agreed that this was not nearly as ugly a place as we expected.  Certainly the dam is not as pretty as snow-covered mountains but I know I’ve fished in much less scenic places.  The outfitter, Mark Cowan, was impeccably prepared and took care of every detail making the trip one of the best from a logistical point of view that I have ever been on.  The lodges were great and the Argentines really know how to enjoy food and wine.  Overall, I would certainly recommend this trip to any of my friends quite highly. I  am not sure this is a trip I would do again simply because we did not have great conditions for the first half and while La Zona was a blast you do float the same 1 mile of river over and over but I would not trade the experience for anything. Seeing a 40 lb fish at the end of your rod is quite the adrenaline boost.  If you go be prepared for hot weather and sore hands and arms from casting big flies on heavy rods all day.

   Mark Cowan can be reached at remoteflyfishing.com or 1-800-908-9011.  He is presently booking trips to La Zona for 2009 so if there is any interest on your part contact him soon.