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Argentina Golden Dorado-fishing
(Salminus Maxillosus)
Nicknamed the “river tiger” by local fisherman, the Golden Dorado is respected as the most ferocious freshwater game species of South America. Known for its knock out strikes, violent runs, and overall aggression, you’ll know when you hook one, and you’ll never forget your first big, mean, Golden Dorado because he’ll come with bad intentions and a scowl on his face, angry as hell that you even thought for a second your bait could swim in his water, and he’ll turn and hammer your top-water plug out of principle, the way a snapping turtle would chomp a stick if you stuck it in his face and then give you a look like, “Dude, I’ll take your finger if you don’t back off.” It doesn’t matter the size of your top-water plug or if you were even working it correctly, that Dorado is pissed, and now he is going to take your entire spool of line just to let you know, in fact, he is going to run up current just to prove his point, strip your real bare, and then, once the real is busted and rendered useless for the rest of the day, he will jumped three feet in the air, toss that top-water plug in your face, and show you his teeth before he dives back into his river. Yea, you’ll know the first time you hang a big, mean, Golden Dorado and you’ll remember it for a long time.
For being so vicious, the Dorado is a colorfully painted fish with iridescent green and yellow patterns. The species is limited to the waters of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, with strong populations being found throughout the upper Parana and Uruguay Rivers systems and its tributaries. The species in this area range in size from 4-20lbs with fish being caught in the 40-50+ pound range on occasion. These aggressive fish have a large appetite and will eat everything from small schooling fish, to frogs, and even birds.
The word is out and Golden Dorado fishing is a must experience for all serious fisherman. Any morning spent fishing the upper Parana and Uruguay rivers systems or the back water marshes and lagoons for northeastern Argentina are sure to be highlighted by the Dorado’s vicious strikes, tarpon like tendencies, and tackle busting teeth. Depending on the time of year, the water level and clarity, and the current bait patterns, the Dorado can be found in both calm and moving water where they can be pursued with light or medium tackle, colorful deep diving baits, and loud top-water plugs. *Fly-fisherman find the Golden Dorado to be one of the most challenging freshwater game to land on fly.
