Origins of fly fishing for golden dorado

In its early days, fly fishing had no place in South America, and only the locals knew of the presence of the famous river tiger. This fish, so important for its voracity and strength, has now been conquered by the best anglers in the world, who say it’s a magnificent specimen and that you should come and see how Argentinians are constantly learning to improve their fishing and fly-tying techniques. The dorado was discovered as a fly-fishing fish in the last 15 years, so techniques have been constantly evolving, and every day we learn something better and something new. Today, we’re fishing for dorado as if they were still salmonids, and although they may seem similar, a dorado is not the same as a trout. That’s why we tend to use the same rods, the same fly patterns, and we still haven’t reached the dorado’s best form, which is when it’s hidden and not yet feeding. Those giant dorado, which feed only a few times a day, are found not in areas with fast currents, but in the middle and in very deep water. Dorado weighing over 4 kilos feed only once or twice a day and remain still the rest of the time. And if you pass the fly over its head, it will take it. These dorado that feed infrequently are difficult to find, and that’s why in some places people try casting in the middle of the river and waiting for the line to sink. This type of fishing is difficult because we still don’t know how to do it properly, and some of us have tried and had some luck with 300-grain lines to catch dorado weighing 10 kilos and up on the fly, which is quite challenging.

If fly fishing is our passion, we don’t need to worry about other species around the dorado or larger fish in the river. However, it is interesting to note that the surubí is barely touching the fly. This suggests that some fish are predators or feed on other fish and aren’t taking our lures as much. Therefore, we can sharpen our observation skills and see where the dorado has been chasing our lure while other fish haven’t. In this practice that we can undertake day by day, we will learn about speed, about the retrieve, and about why a fish might suddenly like someone to move a lure very slowly and then suddenly very quickly. And in our imagination, as good fishermen, we can give some space to all of this and embark on the journey towards fly fishing from a more creative and also more natural place, where not everyone usually goes, but poetry is always a good sage, and the word that writes it must be happy and always loving, giving you time to understand yourself, and at the same time be able to understand that fly fishing for dorado is not the same for a foreigner as it is for a local man.

Therefore, our fishermen, wherever you go, will already know how to teach the fly-fishing guide they will become in the future, and how to gradually immerse themselves in the water, becoming a professional guide for our team, and not just relying on local knowledge. We ask our guides for much more patience, a lot of time on the water, and that they also listen to what people from other countries know how to do so they can combine techniques and also receive them with greater willingness and patience, especially those who have fished for many species but don’t know much about dorado.

Tarpon fishing has also been a great learning experience for me, especially in terms of not missing so many strikes. And I, as an Argentinian, know I don’t know everything about dorado, but I have learned much more about the large tarpon of Costa Rican rivers, where I explore year after year, continuing to deepen my desire to learn from them. As for the way they swallow the hook, it’s completely different. So, how did I learn about dorado and how did I learn about salo? In the same way. Although the swallowing pattern is opposite, I learned with my feet in the water and my hands on the rod. Many times I’ve sat watching them on the docks or the banks of small streams, and just observing what’s happening around me, I suddenly wake up and realize that the fish have stopped moving. Clearly, something is happening.

Each conclusion I draw is like a dream or a poem, and we don’t know if they’re all true. Between all my poems, my poetry, and my great intuition, I’ve managed to catch some of the best fish in every place I’ve been. I always feel it’s a good day to learn, and I hope that any fisherman who comes to my house, whom I cast into the Manso River, will show me how they’re doing it in other parts of the world so I can keep perfecting my craft.

By Emanuel Medina.