Trip Summary

“The golden dorado fishing in this region is best described as being one part trout fishing with some steelhead elements, throw in some peacock bass and finish it off with elements of GT hunting – all on small, beautiful freestone rivers that run quite clear. The bottom line is that the experience is totally unique, challenging and rewarding.”

This story begins about two and a half years ago when I was in Tierra del Fuego visiting the recently opened Far End Rivers Lodge. The owner of the operation, Marcelo Perez, had just given me a tour of his new operation and I was getting my tackle ready for the week of sea trout fishing. It was the operation’s first season and as we were only the sixth group to fish the river, I was quite excited. That’s when Marcelo approached me with a big grin and his laptop. “I want to show you some photos,” he told me. Expecting that he was going to show me photos of his new operation, I was quite surprised when the first photo was of a beautiful emerald green river flowing through….the jungle?? “What’s this?” I asked. “Bolivia,” he said grinning even more. Then he proceeded to scroll through three or four dozen photos that would absolutely capture my attention and send my imagination reeling. The photos were of multiple, clear running freestone rivers in the Bolivian jungle.

Even before I saw photos of the fish they caught I wanted to go. After seeing photos of the golden dorado, some of them very large, I really wanted to go. The golden dorado is a species of fish I have always wanted to pursue and even though I knew of a number of wonderful destinations to find them, none captured my imagination like these rivers in Bolivia. “So you got me.” I told him. “When can we go?” Not yet as Marcelo and his partner Noel Pollak, founder of the project, had a great deal of work to do before they could open these rivers up to anglers. First, they had to get the approval of the Bolivian government and the local Indian tribes as the area they wanted to fish was within a national park and tribal territories. Next, they would need to figure out how to get anglers into the area and access to the rivers, and finally they would need to figure out how to house and feed the anglers.

And now a bit of history regarding the discovery of these rivers. Back in 1999 Noel Pollak, manager of Argentina’s premier golden dorado operation Pira Lodge, was given a very interesting tip by a friend that managed a peacock bass operation in the Amazon Basin. The friend knew that Noel loved fishing for golden dorado and that Noel had been exploring many different rivers in northern Argentina and southern Bolivia for years. The tip was about a specific river system in central Bolivia where there were beautiful headwater rivers that ran quite clear and held great populations of golden dorado. The only problem with this otherwise plausible tip was that the rivers had the wrong kind of fish. The fish described sounded just like golden dorado but that would be impossible because the rivers were in the Amazon Basin and golden dorado do not exist in the Amazon Basin. Golden dorado live in the rivers of the great basin just south of the Amazon, the La Plata Basin. In a fit of excitement and disbelief, Noel quizzed the man at length getting every detail possible. Noel eventually was convinced that the fish were in fact golden dorado, and if the numbers and size were even close to the descriptions, he knew the rivers would have real potential to produce incredible fishing. For seven years Noel kept this information to himself often dreaming about what the area might be like. Then in 2006 he decided that it was time to see if this place truly existed. So after the season at Pira Lodge, Noel called on his good friends and fellow dorado guides, Joaquin and Ramiro, and asked if they would like to explore this Amazon Basin area with him.

To say that the trip was difficult and that it was also a great success would be a massive understatement. The beauty of the rivers combined with the unbelievable dorado fishing was completely overwhelming – so much so that for a time they thought that these rivers might just be too special to even show to the outside world. Noel eventually decided he wanted to create a fishing destination in this special area and that’s when he called on his long time friend and owner of Untamed Angling, Marcelo Perez. Now two and a half years later in what could be described as an heroic undertaking, Noel and Marcelo have successfully negotiated for Tsimane Lodge an exclusive use contract with the Bolivian government and the local Indian tribes, built two rustic yet elegant lodges, brought together an exceptional staff, and completed a very successful opening season.

The fishing is best described as being one part trout fishing with some steelhead elements, throw in some peacock bass and finish it off with elements of GT hunting – all on small, beautiful freestone rivers that run quite clear. The bottom line is that the experience is totally unique, challenging and rewarding. In six days of guided fishing, anglers fish different beats on three different rivers that present you with a multitude of fishing conditions, from open broad valleys to canyon pocket waters. Anglers have been hooking between 20 and 50 fish per week that range from 5lbs to a whopping 40lbs with most averaging just over 10lbs. The runs, pools and pocket water are fished on foot,casting medium and large streamers using a combination of swinging and stripping techniques. Most anglers will fish 8wt and 9wt rods with floating or intermediate tip lines. There are also opportunities for skating dry flies and getting down and dirty with sink tip lines. Depending on the conditions anglers might use all the techniques in a single day.

Access to the rivers is via a combination of custom built aluminum canoes, local dug outs, and a fair bit of walking. It should be noted that while the wading is not difficult, the walking is not insignificant. This trip is best reserved for anglers in good physical condition and capable of walking several miles a day on rocky terrain.

Tsimane is actually a two lodge program and the newly built lodges, Asunta and Pluma, have been carved out of the jungle using a combination of site milled hardwood and plank material shipped up the river. The lodges are in spectacular settings and are best described as being rustically elegant. Each has a main lodge and three ample cabins that are joined by decks overlooking the rivers. All cabins have private bathrooms with showers. The lodges are also equipped with generator power with battery back-up, on demand hot water, and wireless internet service. Both lodges have young, energetic chefs from Argentina who serve a variety of local and Argentine meals prepared with a wonderful flair.

Tsimane Lodge in Bolivia is currently one of the most unique, new fishing destinations in the world for the adventuresome angler. If you are looking for an interesting and unusual fishing adventure in a spectacular setting with challenging and rewarding fishing conditions and are motivated by quality versus quantity of fish caught, Tsimane Lodge is well worth a look.

Tsimane Lodge Quick Facts:
Season: Mid-May – early October
Capacity: 4 anglers
2010 Rates: $6000.00 per person based on double occupancy.
Included: Two nights at Hotel Los Tajibos in Santa Cruz, three charter flights, four nights and three days of fishing at the Asunta Lodge, and four nights and three days of fishing at the Pluma Lodge.
Not Included: International airfare, fishing tackle and flies, staff and guide gratuities, departure taxes 

Trip Details:
To get to Tsimane Lodge you need to make flight arrangements to Santa Cruz Bolivia. The most direct flights are on American Airlines with a connection in Miami, Florida.

Day 1: Depart home.
Day 2: Arrive Santa Cruz, Bolivia. You will be met by a representative of the Tsimane team and transferred to the Hotel Los Tajibos. After settling into your room, you will go to a welcome dinner where a member of the team will explain the details of the trip. (Included in package)
Day 3: Charter flight (approx 2 hours) to the Chimane Indian Communities airstrip. You will be met by the Asunta Lodge manager and guides who will transfer you 15minutes upstream to Tsimane’s Asunta Lodge on the Cascarilla river. After settling into your room, lunch will be served and then you will get your gear set up to fish the home pool.
Day 4-6: Three days of guided fishing at Asunta Lodge.
Typical daily schedule:
7:30AM Breakfast
8:15AM Depart for fishing
12:30PM Shore lunch
6:00PM Return to Lodge
7:00PM Cocktails and appetizers
8:00PM Dinner
Day 7: Transfer day from Asunta Lodge to Pluma Lodge. In the morning the charter plane will transfer you from the Chimane Indian Communities airstrip to the Oromomo Indian Communities airstrip. At the airstrip you will be met by the Pluma Lodge manager and guides and transferred to Pluma Lodge.
Note: This transfer takes between two and five hours depending on water levels. You will need to do a fair bit of river walking during the transfer and depending on the timing you may be able to fish on the way. Dress appropriately.
Days 8 to 10: Three days of guided fishing at Pluma Base Camp.
Day 11: In the morning, you will pack up and boat back to the Oromomo Indian Communities airstrip for your charter flight to Santa Cruz. In Santa Cruz you will be met by a member of the Tsimane staff and transferred to the Hotel Los Tajibos. (Included in package)
Day 12: Depart for Home.
 

2009 Client quotes:
Brian, after 50 plus years of flyfishing it is hard to determine "the best trip" but this adventure is clearly at or near the top. The combination of great fishing, an interesting cultural experience combined with good food and accommodations is hard to beat. I will look forward to other Fly Water adventures in the future. ~Dick.

Brian, fellow anglers and adventurers, having just returned as the first group into the new and soon to be famous Tsimane Lodges deep in the Bolivian jungle, it is fair to say all my expectations were surpassed (which very seldom happens). Even as the first group into Tsimane dealing with some few finishing touches, the entire experience was one that prompted me to rebook for next year within four days of returning home. Even after the first three days of six fishing days was stuffed with a freak rainstorm, the second three days more than made up for it. In the three remaining days I hooked 49, landed 30, several over 20#s, lost a couple over 30#s and eyed with envy a couple big boys over 40#s. Recorded the lodges first grand slam and bonded with a world class guide staff headed by owner/partner and head guide Mr. Golden Dorado aka Noel Pollak. A jungle experience to stimulate many different senses and offers splendid ambience and a cultural look at some wonderful Bolivian Indians. My suggestion for those who appreciate this kind of unique fishing adventure – act quickly, this will become a very popular destination. Can't wait till next season. Cheers, Lou Rago

Brian: Just returned – get your clients in before it is too late. On reflection, the best adventure fishing trip of my extensive career. 37 dorado, 2 pacu and 5 yatorana landed by me; 2 grand slams the same day; 20 to 30 breakoffs. Both camps produce great fishing with Pluma (2nd Camp) the winner. By the way, no tents, they just completed beautiful wood cabins and wood lodge at both camps. The jungle setting is spectacular; weather is not oppressive (cool quite often), not buggy, and no daytime rain the entire week. Guides very experienced and food quite good considering the distances and transport involved. The rivers, especially upstream, look exactly like Montana or New Zealand; frequently you are sight casting to these very aggressive fish. The 2nd Camp (Pluma) only uses aluminum canoes to get you from the landing strip to the camp – after that, all transport, including occasional boat fishing, is from “dugout canoes” polled by experienced native river guides (what a terrific experience). Only hiccup on your excellent briefing materials is the recommended flats boots (NO) – heavy, supporting, studded wading boots. Luckily a kindly guide loaned me his. Tippet wire 30 lbs. or more; flies can be used 1 ½ times on average as fish shred them. I averaged 10 lost flies per day – 2 days to get used to aggressive, multiple strip strikes. The dorado is a tarpon on steroids, and beautiful to boot. Great Trip. John Lyons.