Swing the Fly Issue 2.2 Fall 2014 | Page 34

I live in Bariloche, Patagonia Argentina. I had fished for trout since I was three years old, but never for Dorado till I was twenty. If you have a look to our map you will understand why. Apart from being far, the plane tickets are much more expensive than elsewhere. Patagonia is definitely the end of the world.

A friend of mine, a bit older than me and also a fishing guide, had done it a couple of times. It was cold and snowing here when he came with the idea of heading north of Argentina to fish for Golden Dorado. I had the money and time to make this trip happen so I joined him for the adventure.

We decided to go to the Paraná river, the second biggest basin in South America, after the Amazonas. The Paraná is known for its diversity and quantity of fish, the most common to catch on a fly are Dorado and Pacú. It is a meandering river, having hundreds of islands, lakes made by flooding, and a countless amount of tributary streams.

I had a lot of questions… where to go, which guide to choose, was it the right time of the year? I also was wondering about the gear, what to bring? Which flies, lines, reels, rods, etc? My friend had gone only once, so he wasn´t an expert either.