Gold Rush: Dorado Fever in South America

A modern-day Gold Rush is taking place in South America which is attracting prospectors from all across the World in the hope of striking it rich. The Gold on offer here though isn’t found in small fine granules or the occasional nugget if you’re lucky, this gold is readily found in heavy, perfectly formed bars.

By STEPHEN CARELLA Photos by CALUM CONNER

Although you may not require the likes of heavy duty D10 bull dozers and huge monstrous wash plants to get access to the gold on offer in South America, you will need some heavy machinery of a different kind.

To get your greedy mits on these bars of gold, you will need some heavy nine- and ten-weight fly lines, loaded up on powerful nine-weight rods with monstrous six- and seven-inch flies adorned with heavy lead eyes.

The gold you will be chasing in South America won’t just sit in the one spot waiting for you to come and collect it, it will be on the move and will take some serious convincing if it is to give up its riches.

I am of course, as you may have suspected, not referring to boring actual real gold that could make you a millionaire. No, I am referring to another more valuable natural source of Gold that will deliver a lifetime of riches, in the shape of incredible memories and fly fishing experience… the Golden Dorado. species which I have been fascinated by owing to the fact that it is not only a fish with breathtaking beauty, but it is an apex predator with an infamous reputation for savage takes, incredible fighting strength and impressive acrobatic leaps out of the water when hooked.

It is native to warm freshwater systems throughout regions such as Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Northern Argentina so to fish for them involves adventure.

A by-catch in the shape of a piranha.

Calum Conner

The Corrientes River

When the opportunity to visit the Don Joaquin River Lodge based on the Corrientes River system in Argentina presented itself, I jumped at the chance to broaden my horizons and target these incredible fish on the fly.

The Corrientes river is a vast water system which begins in the Ibera wetlands, which is the largest source of groundwater on the planet. It flows through wetlands and marshes and as such, harbours what seems like endless amounts of islands and fresh water vegetation. It is in and around these natural areas of dense vegetation and naturally formed features that this predator resides most often, waiting to ambush its prey.

I travelled to Corrientes with my friend Callum Conner and it’s fair to say that we were both hugely excited by this opportunity and desperate to get out onto the water and put ourselves to the test.

On our first morning out on the river, our guide and captain for the week Chullito would take us into a section which was almost like a river basin with dense island shores surrounding the boat. Frantic flurries of surface water activity where the baitfish were trying their best to avoid an unseen predator only served to heighten the senses.

The First Few Casts

A key feature of this area was the freshwater reeds rising high from the water surface showing the potential of holding nice Dorado and we were instructed to cast our flies into any open section of these reeds to prospect for the gold contained therein.

I had travelled 7,000 miles over 24 hours to reach this moment. So, with nervous energy and adrenaline coursing through my veins I sent my first cast into a small clearing in the reeds and started stripping. First cast nothing, second cast nothing, third cast and a definite pull on the fly which made my heart beat even faster under the scorching sun.

I tried that spot again but whatever was there, was no longer interested, so I quickly pulled up my intermediate line and switched to another clearing in the reeds, first cast nothing, second cast nothing…the third cast landed tight to the reeds. I started stripping and then bang, a savage take from a powerful fish which was putting the nine weight through its paces.

After the first 30 seconds of the fight, there was no sign of the tell-tale acrobatics of a Golden Dorado though and, instead, what I had hooked into was a big and aggressive Piranha which, although it wasn’t what I was after, is still a super cool fish to have caught on the fly - so I was still a happy man.

Pacu are another species that can be caught while searching for golden dorado.

Calum Conner

Sight-casting for golden dorado on the Corrientes River offers exceptional excitement.

Calum Conner

Shortly after that fish was released, a nice Dorado powerfully leapt a few feet above the water to my left and Callum had hooked into the first one of the trip. With that first sparkling gold bar in the bank, it was clear that our tactics were working and the fish were there and our motivation levels went through the roof and it wasn’t long after that until I had also hooked my first ever Golden Dorado.

The take was brutal, the fight intense, and with the visuals of an angry Dorado leaving the water on a few occasions throughout the fight, it made for a thrilling fishing experience.

The key to catching the Dorado is to keep the fly in the zone for short periods of time. If you don’t get a take after the first few attempts, you have to quickly change spot and keep searching the likely areas to increase your chances of hooking up.

The head and jaw of the Dorado is seriously tough so you have to strip set the hook before lifting the rod high and you must maintain tension at all times. Failure to achieve all three of these things will result in lost fish.

In order to present the fly close enough to the various water features which hold fish you have to manage casting both a short and long line with heavy flies and handle the strong cross winds which can make casting from a boat with a fishing partner and guide really difficult.

In order to cast effectively you need to make good use of the double haul technique as this helps ensure that you can put out a long enough line when the key areas are set at distance, and you must be comfortable casting under pressure as when the guide puts you in a likely spot, the boat is drifting along with the current.

So you only have a short window to make your casts count and try and induce a take from a fish lying in ambush. If you don’t cast quickly and effectively then you will miss your chance at a good fish, and when the guide has skillfully maneuvered you into position with a boat… it’s your duty to take that chance.

Once hooked, dorado tend to immediately get airborne.

Calum Conner

The Side Channel

To navigate this vast freshwater system, the fishing is primarily done from the boat but with the occasional section of river offering the chance to wade, and it was in one of these sections where we experienced the most electrifying and intensive fishing of the trip.

As Captain Chullitto brought the boat to a stop by a heavy section of grasses, we found ourselves looking across a small stream which had broken away from the main river no more than five feet wide and we dropped off the side of the boat into the watery vegetation, no more than a couple of feet deep.

It was a fast flowing section which on face value, I would suggest we would have been more at home fishing with a 7ft 2 weight trout rod such was the intimacy of this passage of water.

The Don Joaquin River Lodge comfortably situated next to the Corrientes River.

“Surely there can’t be Dorado in here”, I thought as I started to ponder how to cast a 9 weight rod, loaded with a 10 weight line and 6 inch fly with lead eyes over the first section of grass and reeds, before landing it in the small stream where it could be grabbed by an angry fish.

As I was wasting time assessing how best to approach this challenge Callum had already waded further up the stream and on first cast, the water erupted in a furious display of power as he landed a cracking Golden Dorado of notable size which clearly showed that my initial thoughts were wrong, and that this small intimate stream was indeed holding big aggressive predators.

The wonders of this incredible water never cease to amaze and as soon as I had watched him land this stunning fish, I sent out my first cast into the flowing channel. As the water flow was so good, my instincts were telling me to let the fly swing for the initial part of the cast and after a few seconds it was attacked on the first strip back and I too was rewarded with an up close and personal battle against a seriously powerful Dorado.

We hooked nine fish from that small stream all between 6lb to 9lbs and landed seven of them, creating a fly fishing memory that will last a lifetime. This was a special place, and I felt incredibly lucky to be a part of it.

Lodge Life

The Don Joaquin Lodge itself is a fantastic venue to stay and experience this type of fishing. The rooms are very comfortable, the food is fantastic, and the service impeccable.

We were treated to unforgettable lunches sitting in the shade of the various islands of the river system on each of the days we fished.

Cooked on open fires, constructed by hand, and served with cold beers or fine wines straight from the cooler on the boat, which was an essential source of refreshment whilst spending 10 hour days in intense 34 degree heat chasing gold.

When we retired to the lodge at the end of a long day, a lovely three course meal was served before we lounged on the veranda. Here we’d take in some of the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen whilst smoking a nice cigar and drinking down a fine Malbec reflecting on the days achievements.

One of our topics of conversation in these moments of reflection was just how good our captain and cook for the trip was. Chullito or “Chullo” as we affectionally came to know him as deserves special mention. His vast knowledge of this expansive waterway was humbling. His skill in navigating his way through water channels, which were often obscured by the dense vegetation, and putting us in spots which produced fish over and over again was so impressive and I am very grateful for his hard work and effort.

An average-sized golden dorodo from the marshes - full of raw power and aggression.

Calum Conner

Flies that provide a solid silhouette are great for probing the, oftentimes, turbid waters of the Corrientes River system

Calum Conner

The are miles upon miles upon miles of river to explore - and lots of side channels too.

Calum Conner

Golden dorado are incredibly beautiful fish - and with fierce temperaments.

Calum Conner

What to Expect

The Corrientes river is a thriving ecosystem teeming with life, and extensive flora and fauna are home to such a vast array of wildlife. While there, we witnessed wild boar roaming the islands, anacondas making their way across the river, carpinchos going for a swim and a variety of unique bird life such as storks and jabiru.

It’s a genuine aquarium for fisherman with the opportunity to not only target the Golden Dorado but to also take some time to fish for Pira Pita, Pacu and the stunning Surubi Catfish, all of which we landed to complete the Corrientes grand slam.

Pound for pound though, the Dorado has to be one of the hardest hitting freshwater species you can target with a fly rod. Its stunning gold flanks contain beautiful markings, and the large teeth filled jaw line instantly gives away its best asset for hunting prey.

Every single take is memorable, the fights explosive, and when a Dorado leaves the water it’s a visual display of its raw power that leaves you wanting more.

This trip was without a doubt one of the most physically demanding challenges I have ever experienced, but also one of the most rewarding. If you too are looking for a new way to challenge your technical ability and fly fishing skills then visiting the Golden Dorado in its natural habitat has to be on your list of adventures.

Wire leaders are suggested - you never know what's going to hit your fly.

Calum Conner

Having now been caught up in the Gold Rush I can relate to how those old timers of yesteryear felt when they first struck gold: It’s a feeling of contagious excitement that you can’t contain, which soon becomes a driving sense of madness to keep searching as you must get your hands on more and more gold. This is what they refer to as… Gold Fever.

I have come to identify it as Dorado Fever… and I am all the richer for it.

For more information, please refer to: www.donjoaquinriverlodge