Golden Dorado 2023 Spring Season Report

Hi friends! We are finishing another fabulous spring Dorado season and this time with an extended Golden Dorado Experience, the first one after the inclusion of Jetu’u Cabanas de Esteros to the family of our lodges. And, there were many trophy-sized fish celebrated at The Itati Lodge.

It has already been over 15 months since the Parana River system made its recovery from a long drought. Our beloved river is back to normal levels and we are anxious to see another spring Dorado migration. Last season we had a successful spawn event for most of the species, in particular for Dorados and Sabalos. The Sabalos multiplied and spread along the entire Parana ecosystem, presenting plenty of food for our precious toothy golden friends.

This spring, our new combo destination Jetu’u Cabanas de Esteros, has shown us the best of both worlds, with easy access to either fishing the Ysoro wetlands or going out to the main middle section of the Parana River. While on the wetland, a high quantity of young dorados, about 1 year old and already 3 to 4 pounds, kept our guests satisfied and plenty of action fishing through the intricate channels and lagoons of the Isoro wetland. Mouse, T-walk and surface patterns provided fun and action to all anglers.

The main section of the Parana River, after an entire year with good water flow, brought numerous highlight-reel fishing moments. Only a few weeks were the exception when the water muddied a bit, the rest of it we enjoyed some epic fishing sessions with Dorados between 10 to 20 pounds in decent numbers.

At Itati Lodge, September began with colder weather than usual, but as the temperatures warmed up the big ones started to show up as well. Of course, there were scattered feeding windows, but just knowing those beasts are swimming nearby keeps our adrenaline levels up during the magic sunrise and sunset hours.

Another successful spawn season is starting now and the last few weeks we have seen an unprecedented migration of Sabalos along the banks of the lodge. We knew the large schools of migrating dorado would be close behind and we experienced some epic afternoon and evening fishing, connecting with several monsters. These large Dorado turn very aggressive during the weeks before they spawn and they eagerly take large flies.

BREAKING NEWS for La Alondra’i lodge!!

After two and half years of a historic drought, the Ibera Wetland is recovering quickly. Even better, the weather forecast pattern shows we will move from the drought directly into high water conditions, which is great news for the fishing forecast. During a recent exploratory trip to our camp we found the fishery in great shape, fish are well rested and feeding in a frenzy. There has been no human access to the system for a long period, so fish are concentrated and available in the main lagoons. We are anticipating wonderful conditions at this particular area of the Ibera for the current summer.