The freshwater dorado or river tiger
The dorado, salminus maxillosus is a large predator of the order Characiformes. It's nicknamed the river tiger.
It can reach a height of around one meter and a weight of 25 kg, but the most common catches are between 5 and 10 kg.
It's a massive, salmonoid fish, with an enormous head that represents ¼ of its total length, oval in shape ending in a large mouth and a very powerful jaw, equipped with numerous small, razor-sharp teeth!
Its name comes from its golden color (dorado), which enables it to camouflage itself on sandy bottoms, punctuated with black and red on its wide, powerful caudal fin.
It lives in areas with currents, where its morphology and musculature enable it to take advantage of its prey, which consists mainly of fish, notably sabalo and boga, but also small catfish and piranhas.
It is found in all the rivers in this part of the country, notably the Rio Parana, and its many tributaries such as the Rio Uguguay, Paraguay and Juramento. It is also found upstream on the Rio Corientes, in the Ibera marshes, the second largest wetland area in South America after the Pantanal, with some 20,000 km2. A nature reserve of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, rich in flora and fauna.
Fishing for dorado
The dorado is fished with equipment that can be used for exotic fishing for bonefish or permit and baby tarpon.
A 9-foot rod for an 8" line is most often used, but 9 to 10" lines can be used depending on the size of the fish you're after. A floating line is most often used, extended by a tapering leader terminated by a steel leader in 30 or 40 pounds, to resist the fish's sharp teeth and powerful jaws.
The flies used are often Andino deceiver, small fish imitations created specifically for this highly sought-after predator in Argentina. But flies for peacock bass or tarpon also work. Strong iron hooks in sizes 1/0 to 3/0 are required. Rodent imitations and surface flies complete the selection. Attacks are explosive!
The dorado likes to chase its prey in groups, blocking them against sandbanks or edges, or waiting for them at key points such as current inlets, under foliage or obstacles that break the current, such as submerged trees on the Rio Parana.
Their attacks are violent and lightning-quick. Their hunts are often sudden and short-lived.
You need to cover ground in the absence of visible activity and cast close to obstacles, then bring back the line with a rather sustained stripe. The strike is violent and you feel the silk pulling hard or stopping. It's very important to strike immediately with several long strips of line to get the hook into the dorado's hard, cartilaginous mouth, as with tarpon. If you have the bad reflex of lifting the rod, the first jump will inevitably unhook the fish!
You need to keep your cool and pull on the silk as hard as you can while keeping the rod low to avoid stalling after the acrobatics for which this sport fish is famous.
The battles are tough but short-lived, as they quickly become exhausted after their many jumps!
A pair of boga grip pliers is an invaluable tool, as you don't want to put your fingers in the mouth of the dorado, which could slice them off in a single snap! Long-nosed pliers allow you to remove the fly without injuring yourself.
This is a propetional but very active fishery. Sight actions are possible in the clear waters of certain rivers and streams, or on sandy banks.
Argentina's best dorado fishing spots
The Parana is certainly the river where dorado fishing is most practiced, whether with lures or flies.
These silty waters make it difficult to spot fish, but hunting is commonplace when you're in the height of the season (January to April).
Most of the fishing is done from a boat, casting your flies against edges and sandbanks, but especially close to any structure that breaks the current. It's also possible to catch another fish quite similar in morphology, the pira pita, and sometimes a catfish renowned there, the surubi, but which feeds more on the bottom.
In the upper reaches of the Rio Corrientes and the Ibera marshes, the waters are clear, but it's rare to catch them on sight, although it can happen. However, attacks are often visual and explosive!
Pira Lodge offers a magnificent fishing territory where lagoons and inlets intermingle to form the headwaters of the Rio. The dorado is everywhere in this area, much to the delight of foreign anglers from all over the world.
On the Rio Uruguay, at the foot of the Salto Grande dam, you'll find some of Argentina's biggest dorados. Monsters weighing 20 kg or more haunt the area.
In the north-west of the country, near Salta, the Rio Dorado offers sight-fishing opportunities thanks to its clear waters, as in Bolivia on the Rio Secure upstream, and certain tributaries such as the Itirisama. More technical and visual fishing is also possible.
The Rio Juramento, near Salta, offers similar fishing situations to the Parana, but on a smaller river. Fishing can be done from the shore, but is mostly done from a drift boat.
