Excellent dorado fishing near the lodge.
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South America’s golden dorado are rare trophies — few Americans have ever caught one and many have never even heard of the species. They are distant cousins of salmon and share many traits with large salmon and trout. Their legendary reputation as a fantastic game fish is well deserved — they punish lures and flies, instantly make multiple acrobatic leaps like a tarpon and make finger-burning runs. The beautiful clearwater mountain rivers of northwestern Argentina — in particular Salta Province — provide habitat to 15-25 pound adult specimens as they migrate up the rivers to spawn, and juvenile fish from 3-15 pounds reside in the rivers year-round. On an good day here, an angler might hook five to ten fish and any fish hooked over five pounds will provide an exciting fight.

Juramento River dorado.
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A six to eight-weight fly rod is recommended with floating and sink tip lines. Deceiver, clouser or muddler patters on 1/0 and 2/0 hooks with combinations of black, blue, brown or red with white underbodies, tied with deer hair or bunny fur work well. Spin/baitcasting fast-action rods are recommended to cast 2" to 4" diving minnows and 1/4 oz. to 1/2 oz. silver and gold spoons and spinners.

A note of reality: Dorados are sensitive to temperature drops, and during the bird hunting season, they can turn off and on with the weather. A temperature drop of 20 degrees will turn the dorado off from feeding, and fishing will get tough—an angler might only hook two or three fish all day. Warmer days offer more aggressive fish and good numbers of hookups. Fishing is best early and late in the season—March/April and again October/November when the weather is warmer.

Lavalle has Patagonia-trained guides and rights to the very productive Dorado, Juramento and Bermejo Rivers which are easily accessed from the same lodge as the hunting. Some streams are easily wadeable, others are floated in rafts.

Dorado have beautiful coloring.