Three dorado lodges add even more variety to our bustling lodge portfolio. And with that variety comes another year of challenge, excitement, new hot spots, and an array of highlights you don’t want to miss reading about.
PIRA LODGE
The beginning of the season at Pira Lodge was marked by rollercoaster weather, which kept us all on our toes. When heavy rains raised the marsh by 3 feet, the fish spread out and it was our job to find them. And so we did! The best fishing is still in the Corriente River, throwing large streamers on sinking lines.
Another productive technique has been “drift-casting” from the boat, using floating lines. This gives marauding dorado plenty of opportunity to first spot and then smash the fly. Fish landed so far have been in PRIME condition… leading to many smiles this season.
At this point conditions keep improving—with a spike in numbers, as well as larger dorado showing up in the catch stats. Seems like the best is yet to come…
ALTO PARANA LODGE
Scouting at the beginning of the season is exciting as always. This year, maybe more so. For starters, ideal water levels ushered in a plethora of early-returning baitfish. This phenomenon of course made for some happy, active dorado. Large pira pita, on the other hand, were caught using small streamers, while pacu populations had been busy fattening up on floating fruit. Not a bad start!
Now that the season is in full swing, expectations have been met and even exceeded. The river keeps getting clearer by the day since the sun moved in and ushered away recent rains. Water temps are a bit warmer and levels are about normal—calling for longer leaders and lighter tippets.
Big pira pita on dry flies is also back on the agenda! We’ve been successful sight- casting for them in narrow side-channels. Similarly, we’re also seeing more Pacu, where wet and dry “fruit flies” make for fun fishing. Last, and definitely not least, dorado have been cruising shorelines and corralling large baitfish schools. They’re on the hunt… and so are we!
The guide team has been busy designing new flies for the season: a big, buggy, and ultra-buoyant dry fly for pacu and pira pita and some deadly foam fruit imitations with enough “slash” to provoke savage responses. Smaller streamers for large, wary dorado are also being tweaked and tested. And some days they work better than the big Andino Deceivers. The arsenal continues to evolve…
Meantime, our Delta Fishing Trips keep entertaining dorado fanatics before or after their fishing stays at our other lodges. The Delta and its spectacular scenery leaves our guests wanting more, not to mention when they hook a dorado or tararia. The new lodge is scheduled to open soon, catering to anglers who want to spend more time exploring this great destination. We’ll keep you posted!
