Home of the Largest Golden Dorado
the Parana River
Beginning its life in southern Brazil, the mighty Parana River flows south through Paraguay and Argentina for over 3000 miles. It is the second largest river system in South America (yielding only to the Amazon in reach), fourth longest in the world, and the number one biomass producing river on earth. Most of that biomass comes from the central and lower portions of the river that envelope huge flood plains for a good part of the year.
The central floodplains provide the ideal ecosystem for untold numbers of plants, fish, and amphibious creatures to multiply, as it transforms during the flood cycles into a protected nursery for predator and prey fish species alike. One species in particular, the Sabalo, which is the only one capable of filtering nutrients from the silt and mud river bottom, is the keystone for the survival of other predatory fish.
As the Parana flows through Brazil, its waters are interceded repeatedly by a series of dams that negatively affect the natural balance of the ecosystems over the first 900 miles of river. These successive dams have a dramatic impact on the Golden Dorado population, as well as other migratory species, during the times of year when they move north along the river to reproduce.
Once the river reaches Argentina, it faces only one more obstacle, the Yacyretá Dam. This reservoir is relatively new, having been completed in 1994, and reached its maximum level in 2009. Beyond this dam the river runs freely for another 750 miles before connecting with the La Plata River, and the volume of water that eventually flows into the Atlantic Ocean is roughly equivalent to that of the Mississippi River delta.
What is known as the Upper Parana River, starts below the Yacyretá Dam and flows in an east to west direction until it connects with the Paraguay River. This is a highly distinctive section of the river that runs in a narrow strip through and around densely covered jungle and islands inhabited by monkeys, toucans, and wildlife typical of jungle ecosystems.
There are numerous effects the dams have on the river, including on the water clarity in the river below, which turns out to be very beneficial for fly fishermen chasing the largest of the Golden Dorado that this section of the Upper Parana holds. The clear, stable water conditions are precisely the reason why we chose this region as the home for our Itati Lodge.
To date, we have only covered the waters that drain into the Parana system from southeast Brazil, but another large part of the basin is fed from south central Brazil, starting its journey at the largest wetland in the world, El Pantanal. Draining into the Paraguay River, this watershed runs 2150 miles to the Atlantic Ocean and is the longest free running water in the world, with no interruptions from dams.
In addition to the Parana River Basin holding the largest wetland in the world, it also contains the second largest, the Iberá Wetlands. The Iberá occupies over 4630 square miles, fully one-third of the Corrientes Province, and drains into the Parana through the Corrientes River. The wetlands were created over 10,000 years ago when the Parana River made a sudden change in direction from southwest to straight west (where the Yacreta Dam now stands) and the abandoned river bottom grew into wetland habitat.
