In August 2009, I was lucky enough to be one of the first angler clients to fish a hot new spot in the Bolivian Jungles, on select tiny tributaries located in the foothills of the Andes. The fishing and camps were nothing short of spectacular. After returning home, the immediate thoughts were whether this great new fly fishing discovery would last. In not wanting to take any chances, my fishing colleague and I rebooked to give it another try. This time it was much earlier in the season, May instead of August. With that earlier time and not knowing the patterns of the rainy and dry seasons, we would hope that the weather and stream levels would be comparable to the previous August. If the streams were in good shape, then would the big dorados still be there, hunting their major food source, the sable?
After a good night’s sleep at a Santa Cruz five star hotel, we departed for the municipal airport for the two hour flight to the first camp. The flight by a small Cessna was uneventful as arrived at the village of Asunta, the access point to the Secure’ River that would lead us to the first lodge. The journey upstream from this tiny village to the lodge is only about 15 minutes by boat. This would be our home for the next four nights.
By the time we arrived at the lodge, it was too late in the day to journey too fare away, but we could still prepare our rods and fish the home pool. The home pool sits immediately below the lodge and provided us a good introduction to the types of water that we would fish over the next several days. The home pool also contained several dorados of all sizes, including a few thirty pound plus fish that could be sited from the balcony of our rooms in the early morning. These home fish proved to be incredibly difficult to catch and would ignore every offering 99% of the time. Then, when the feeding frenzy switch is flipped to on, and the cast is made without spooking the fish, the thrill of hooking into a giant dorado is realized!
The accommodations at both camps one “Asunta” and camp two “Pluma” are nearly identical in layout, size of rooms, and the dining area. Each camp overlooks the respective river where one gets the fishing bug as dorados almost continuously corner their prey into the shallows. The rooms are oversized and double occupancy, providing more than enough space to spread equipment out in preparation for the next day’s fishing. Each room has its own private bath that includes showers and sinks with hot water. Lighting in the rooms is very good, though it attracts bugs. The windows and doors are all covered with screens, but the bugs still make their way in so we just had to be attentive to keeping these open a minimum. These rooms are very comfortable to say the least.
The dining hall was the place everyone gathered after the day of fishing were stories of the day were shared over delicious appetizers. This was followed by gourmet cooked dinners that ended with incredible desserts! It is hard to believe how good the food is when one considers the remote location of these camps! This was consistent with last years cooking, where one can expect to gain a few pounds over the course of this trip! Combine the dinners with the large breakfasts and shore lunches, and one continuously has good energy to fish hard each day! Located at each dining hall was wireless internet routers where one can easily reach home or share their photos from the day of fishing. We found the internet to be slow at times due to everyone wanting to communicate to home on their own computers, but a little patience always resulted successful contact.
In summary, the accommodations are quite remarkable considering the effort to both build and provide upkeep to the standards that the camps management demands. If something is broken, it is fixed immediately. Each day, our rooms were meticulously cleaned and organized, which was very refreshing after a day of chasing dorados. The camp also provides laundry service which also made life pleasant each morning when we could dress in dry clothes. The camp definitely provides high end service in every aspect of our stay!
So, enough with the world class accommodations, and on with the fishing!
The Unique Fishing Schedule at Tismane
Like last year, the camp schedule allowed us to fish new water each day. The schedule also allows for a particular beat to never be fished more than two days in a row, providing ample rest throughout the fishing season. The first camp focuses two days on the Lower Secure’ river and then one day on the upper river. After three days of fishing at camp one (Asunta), we then spend a day where we move onto the second camp, known as the Pluma camp. This transfer is by a combination of plane, boat, and four wheeled vehicles to reach the Pluma camp.
Last year, the journey to the Pluma camp took between 4 and 6.5 hours by boat, depending on the level of the water, after we arrived by plane at the Oromoco landing strip. Since that time, the camp has worked with the local Tsimane to carve a road through the jungle to the second lodge. This now cuts the land portion of travel time to the lodge to about two hours total. This provides for an additional few hours of fishing upon our arrival at the Pluma camp, that was not possible last year. Further the road parallels the lower Pluma River and allows anglers to venture farther down river to fish without having to allocate a significant amount of time to hike back up river at the end of the day’s fishing. So, when we fished downstream from the second lodge, we not only had extra fishing time but we only had to hike a couple of hundred meters back up to the road to catch a ride back to camp! This was the best improvement over last year as it provided us more time to fish the bigger holes of the lower Pluma, where gargantuan dorados, some that exceed 30 pounds can be hooked!
The Dorados of the Secure River
For the second year in a row, I found the upper Secure River to be my challenging and educational day for this trip. Its crystal clear waters make it difficult to cast and not spook a dorado. As the day progressed and the water warmed after a strong cold front, the fishing continually improved. Throughout the day, we continued to work our way up river, exploring each new hole and run for fish. The guides are very familiar with each section and were expert at pointing out where to cast. We caught and lost several fish that first day, with most coming on well placed casts, though most of the dorados were on the smaller size. We hooked several bigger fish, but without that instinctive strip strike technique yet to be nailed into my sub
conscience, many of the bigger fish were on for a very short time. We also hooked into a couple of Pacu, which is reason enough to travel the distance to fish these waters. Regardless of the fishing, the Upper Secure’ is one of the most pristine and beautiful rivers to fish on the planet. All one has to do is stop casting and take a look around.
The Lower Secure River
The fishing on the lower river begins about a half hour downstream from the lodge after passing by the small village of Asunta. The river receives a few other tributaries that typically adds the slightest color to the water. I found that this made an incredible difference in the fishing as well. The fish were far less spooky and much more willing to bite in more turbid water. While it was still slow in the mornings, the second half of the day was filled with action. As we made our way down to the lower holes of the river, we hooked and landed many dorados in the 10-20 pound range. On one particular afternoon, I hooked one fish that literally spooled me, which was the first fish that ever out ran me! After running through 300 meters of rapids, I somewhat caught up to the fish, only to then have it run under a giant log where another dorado was then spooked and bit the fly line in half! I never saw the fish to determine just how big it was!
In the lower Secure River, we found fish in some of the same runs as last year, and in many others. We did not have a shortage of hookups. Many nice fish were landed and we had more than our share of break offs! The last two hours of fishing was incredible during the second two days at this camp, with several hookups on several consecutive casts. The key as always, was to make sure the fly was well placed, just inches from the opposite bank. In certain runs, this guaranteed a strike and would be the key to success for the remainder of the trip.
Compared to last year, the Secure River fished very similar with tougher fishing in the upper river, but only to rebound with great fishing days on the lower river. Slightly poorer water clarity was again a key to this success, along with warmer days on the lower river. Fly patterns really did not matter except for the fact that the fly had to a have a strong black color throughout its length. Any fly that was at least four to five inches long and was half to three quarters black, and one quarter of any other bright color worked well. Black with red and black with orange were my favorite combinations throughout the trip.
The Pluma Camp Rivers
As with last year, a different river is fished each day when in the Pluma Camp. The three rivers are the he Upper Pluma, the Itirisama, and the Lower Pluma. The lower Pluma forms at the confluence of the Upper Pluma and Itirisama Rivers. These three rivers are all remarkable with the respect to their unique beauty and character, and the size and numbers of the fish they contain!
Our first day was spent on the Itirisama River, which may well become the best known river in the world to fish when one considers the beauty of the stream and the number of big fish it contains. The fishing was incredibly good from the very first hole all the way to the turn-around point. The first fish that was hooked exceeded 20 pounds and fish in the 15-25 pound range were hooked in nearly every hole. What was most remarkable about this water was the number of big fish that were found in the smallest of pools. In one pool, I had three 20 pound dorados attack the fly at one time. Instead the fish collided with each other and missed the fly, but a quick second cast resulted in a hookup. After managing the follow the fish down through several waterfalls and rapids, I landed it in a peaceful green pool. It is a catch that I will never forget. This was just an example of the character of this river and the fish it contains!
The second day was dedicated to the upper Pluma River. The river has a different character than the Itirsama, with its share of intimate water, but more deep pools that hold giant dorados. The day begins with about an hour of boating and walking before the first good pool is reached. Upon arrival at this hole, we hooked into three or four big dorados before moving on. After this hole, we hiked a short distance onto the next and pool worked it for fish. Upon arrival at a new pool, the dorados are typically hooked in the first dozen casts or so. All the water looks good and probably contains dorado in some numbers, but if there was no action, we quickly moved on. As we moved up the river it became noticeably smaller, but still contained good numbers of active fish. It turned out that this river produced one of my biggest dorados of the trip, one that weighed 30 pounds!
The final day was spent fishing the Lower Pluma. The river is much larger, but has great numbers of truly huge dorados. We worked our way downstream, fishing the chosen the holes under our guide’s advice. Rarely was there a spot when a well placed cast did not result in a jolting strike. Many of the holes are very large and represent a challenge to to cast across and for these, we cast from boats to reach the fish. Sometimes this worked, and sometimes the fish just knew something was not quite right and then refused our presentations.
As we moved downriver, the fishing seemed to get better and better. This would be a day where several giants were hooked and only a few were landed. The biggest was in the 33-35 pound range that took more than an hour to land. The fish jumped over a log and we were assured that a break off was inevitable. But with some great patience and skill from our guide Valentino, the line was untangled and the fish was eventually landed. The the shape of the dorados in the Lower Pluma were much deeper through the belly which was represented by the huge schools of Sabalo that are merely feet away. These moss eating baitfish typically range from eight to twenty inches, the ideal size for the dorados to feed on rapidly grow reach their giant sizes!
The second camp provided incredible fishing all three days. I am not sure whether there are more fish in these three rivers, when compared to the Secure’, but the catch rate seemed to improve. This could have been the combination of many things including our understanding of what to expect and being better prepared to fish each successive day as the trip moved on. What I can say about this fishing, was that the only disappointment each day was when we had to turn around and head back to camp. I just wanted to continue to move on to the next hole and to the next and so on. Twenty hour days would be much better, but being on the equator just does not allow this to happen!
When compared to last year, we certainly hooked and caught more fish this year at both camps. Fifty strikes per day was certainly reached a couple of the days, with probably half of those resulting in hookups and landings. This improvement may have been to being better prepared, knowing where to cast, and the importance of a well placed cast. We also learned just how spooky these fish can be, but at the same time how brutal and aggressive they can also become with the flip of a switch to have dinner.
A Few Notes on Equipment:
As with most places, good fly fisher’s will be rewarded better than the beginner and so casting practice before such a trip is recommended. A cast that is consistently six inches too far will result frustrating snags from the numerous obstacles on the river banks. The flies are usually retrievable, but the hole is then spooked. The key is to be able to cast a big fly accurately a distance of 60 feet. Those best casts are usually rewarded with a big fish on the other end of the line.
As for rods, a good eight or nine weight rod is ideal for both casting big flies and fighting the golden dorado. A good quality reel should match the rod and be capable of slowing down these fish. A floating line was used 98% of the time and is ideal. It should have a very good shooting head to carry the flies the required distance. Twenty pound plus fish are typically hooked each a day and will jump numerous times. This requires a strong strip set to give one a chance to land the fish. Typical leader strength was 30 pound Maxima with a wire knottable tippet of at least 25 pounds. However, an unlucky hook-set in the wrong spot, or the unsuspecting attack on a hooked fish by an even bigger dorado is common and will result in break offs. We did have 40 pound tippet break numerous times due to fish attacks.
As for flies, I found that flies that add bulk are indeed the best, but they must be capable of being cast a good distance of at least 60 feet. I made sure I had a pair of fly tying scissors available to trim flies down if necessary. Flies that are too small will produce mostly small dorados, and so size is important. Mouse patterns also worked well, but must be big enough to work on big fish. Again, black and any bright color works well. All our flies were tied on a heavy 3/0 to 5/0 hooks that can survive the strike of a dorado. A thin wire hook will not survive the fight of a dorado.
Spare equipment is essential. The lodge does not have any sort of fly shop at this time, so if equipment fails, be sure to have a spare. For fly lines this is very important. There were a couple of times during the fight of a fish that another fish bit through the fly line. Unfortunately, one time this was right in the center of the line, leaving me with two short pieces of fly line. Thus, I would recommend to bring at least two spare floating lines to address any unforeseen experiences in the Jungle.
It would be an injustice not to mention the quality of the guides at Tsimane. They are among the best in the world in understanding the habits of the dorado and knowing this area. They provide expert advice in all aspects of the trip from tying knots with wire leader to pointing out the exact pocket of water that holds a monster dorado. They are willing and eager to meet any request of the anglers. If an angler wants to move quickly along a river to cover more water, the guides accommodate that request. If he anglers wish to stay in a particular location on their beat, the request it is their choice. Most importantly, is the respect that these guides have for the fish and insuring their safe release. More than anything else the guides understand just how special these fish are and the importance of releasing them to insure the future of this fishery. The guides are very personable and by the end of the trip, they are more than great guides, they are close friends as well.
Dorados are an incredible fish that offer both a challenge to hook into and then to land. After the experience of the strike and fight, there is justifiable reason that they are considered one of the hardest fighting fish that swims. Combine this into their setting, the rivers, guides, staff, food, lodging, and more than ever, I am convinced this is the best place on the planet. I feel so very lucky to have fished this place not once but twice. Rarely have I found a second trip to be better than the first, but is was the case here. Even with incredibly high expectations, the Tsimane rivers exceeded them in every facet of the trip, especially the incredible fishing. One fellow angler at camp described this place as the planet Pandora in the hit movie Avatar, and this is an accurate description with respect to the beauty. The beauty of this place is literally hard to describe in mere words, but is fly fishing heaven! This has certainly carved a spot in my memory as my best spot on the planet and it will never be forgotten. To those who have yet to visit this place, get on the list and go when a spot becomes available. It will be an experience that you too, will never, ever forget.
