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Included in your angling package at Pluma Lodge are two (2) nights at a 5 star hotel in Santa Cruz (single/private room), ground transfers in Santa Cruz upon arrival, charter flights – Santa Cruz – Lodge – Santa Cruz, 6 full days fishing with one pro guide and two local guides per two anglers in fishing areas, 7 nights lodging at Pluma Lodge, and all inclusive meals, beverages and spirits at the lodge. Winston Fly Fishing Rods to use.

Not included in your angling package at Pluma Lodge are International Flights, Meals and Beverages in Santa Cruz Hotel, fly fishing leaders, wire and flies, tips and gratuities, and trip insurance, Airport taxes and US$550 Indian Communities Fee payable in Bolivia).

Native Community Tax: The Tipnis Natives (where Tsimane is located) have formed a board to protect their interests moving forward. This board includes representatives from all 22 Sécure River Communities, as well as all the communities in State of Beni. The leaders of the association have made the decision to implement a significant user tax on all visiting anglers. The funds from the tax will primarily be used for social projects, infrastructure development, transportation, and medical and education projects.

The Fly Shop® is not in the insurance business, but we recommend Travel Guard coverage as a service with a desire to see your best interests protected. It is impossible to know when an unfortunate situation (loss of luggage, fly rods, illness in the family, or an accident) may occur. However, such things can and do happen, and this insurance can provide a means of recourse against non-refundable financial losses.

• Travel Insurance Information

The next morning, you'll enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Tsimane’s local host will meet the group in the morning (usually around 9:30 am) to head to the local airport, where they will board the charter flight to the Oromomo Indian Community (1.5 hr flight). The guides will welcome the group there and transfer everyone to Pluma Lodge. This transfer is a 20 minute boat ride upstream to Sécure Coruya Dock, followed by a ride on 4x4 vehicles through a gorgeous road cut through the middle of the jungle. Upon arrival at Pluma Lodge, settling in, and preparing gear with the guides, there will be a brief explanation of the fishing week and the fishing beats rotation. There is time in the afternoon for a half day of DIY fishing at the home pools and nearby areas.

On your final day on the river, guests will pack up after breakfast and transfer back to the Oromomo Indian Community for the charter flight back to Santa Cruz (1.5 hrs). In Santa Cruz you will be met by a member of the Tsimane staff who will take you to the hotel to overnight (included in package), before flying home the next day.

Baggage Weight Limits:
Please restrain bringing unnecessary weight to the jungle lodges. Luggage weight Limit is 25 kilos (55 lbs). We use small planes for transfers and we are really strict in all safety measures and baggage weight limits are strictly adhered to. You will be able to leave items not needed at camp with the Hotel KAMP's concierge if you are returning to the hotel at the end of the week. We recommend this for traveling clothes, etc. (THERE IS DAILY LAUNDRY SERVICE @ ALL THE LODGES)

A Bolivian Tourist Visa is required for entry to Bolivia. This can be purchased in the airport (approximately $160) upon arrival, or obtained in advance. A passport with 6 months validity is required.

Generators provide electricity, 220-volts, so be sure to bring the proper adapters depending on your electronic device and country of origin. You can charge batteries and use electric shavers or hair dryers. Solar panels are also incorporated into the electronic grid for increased efficiency and sustainability. Electric power is available from 6:00 am to 10:00 am, and again from 5:00 pm to 12:00 am.

Laundry service is provided at no additional cost. Just leave your close on the floor, and they will be returned washed and folded. Complimentary wireless satellite internet connection is available.

The Tsimane Pluma Lodge is built entirely from sustainable wood cut from the nearby jungle. The main lodge features single/private wood cabins for each guest with a maximum occupancy of six anglers each week. Each cabin has spring box beds, private bathrooms with hot water and electric lights. Every evening guests will be delighted by the delicious International cuisine paired with great Argentine wines in a well-fashioned, spacious living and dining room.

There is also the option to do headwater out-camps for one night to the upper Pluma River and one on the upper Itirisama River, one of the main tributaries to the Pluma.

mountain rivers, for a once-in-a-lifetime sight casting jungle experience.

There will also be two larger skiffs at the lower secure area, each one with two spacious casting platforms and powerful outboard motors. They will be located at Coruya port and allow anglers to reach a new area downstream of Oromomo Community which is completely new for Tsimane guests.

Besides the Dorado (the king of the river) there are other species to pursue, such as Pacu (our jungle freshwater permit) and Yatoranas. Together these species make a trio very difficult to match in warm freshwater fly fishing. The rivers we fish are very similar to freestone trout rivers with similar looking pools, runs, pocket water, and riffles. If you are a good and pragmatic trout angler, you will feel comfortable reading and fishing our rivers.

Fishing in these rivers, regardless of the huge populations of fish, represents several challenges for the angler. These fish can be spooky in such small and clear water and every pool and run must be thought-out and a plan developed with your guide before casting a fly into it. Dorado are very fast swimmers, super aggressive and flies must be placed not only with accuracy but also at the right time. Anglers who are able to shoot 60 feet of line with one or two false casts will have a big advantage. Being able to double haul in order to generate line speed will be a huge advantage. The flies we use are generally quite large and most anglers find it difficult to cast them accurately, with distance – in a hurry. We encourage guests to practice in order to get familiar with their equipment, flies and lines.

It's also worth noting that it is important to go light, carrying what you need in your shirt and pants pockets; a few flies, a spool of mono and wire is all you need with pliers on your waist and nothing else. Leave the rest of the gear in the boat, which will always be located close by in case you need something out of your kit.

Setting The Hook:
Dorado, Yatorana and Pirapitinga have extremely bony and hard mouths. A low rod strip-set is the only method that consistently buries the fly hook into these fish’s mouth, just like a tarpon set. If you are not familiar with the strip-set, it might take some getting used to.

Catch & Release:
Tsimane practices a strict catch and release policy on all species. Avoid unnecessary handling of the fish. Barbless hooks are mandatory. Handling these fish requires special precautions, not only to avoid harming them but also to prevent injuries to anglers. All of these fish have very strong jaws and razor sharp teeth. And they know how to use them.

Wading:
Most of the fishing at Tsimane is done by wading in the river or fishing from the bank. The river structure varies tremendously, from sandy and small gravel beaches to sharp volcanic rock shoals transitioning through all kind of freestones and boulders. Wading is not difficult or dangerous; however there is a lot of it. We recommend guests to at least do some walking/running the weeks prior to their visit.

We strongly recommend our guests to wade behind their guides and to keep their eyes open. Stingrays are rare, but present in these waters and an unfortunate misstep can result in an extremely painful ordeal. For protection, stingray guards will be provided when necessary (you can bring yours if you want to). Together with a sturdy wading boot, keeping your eyes open and moving slowly you should experience no problems. It is very important to listen to your guide, follow behind him and his experienced and sharp eyes.

Wading Equipment:
Fast drying pants or shorts over a lightweight base layer (Patagonia Capilene # 1), sturdily built felt sole wading boots (with studs), gravel guards and stingray guards as well as a wading staff is recommended. We recommend bringing lightweight Gore-Tex waders during June-August months (optional), just in case it gets cool. Please do not bring rubber soled wading boots; they don’t work on the thin algae film that covers our rocks and gravel.

Fly Fishing Gear:
Fly Rods: 7, 8 or 9 weight single handed rods, 9 feet in length are highly recommended. The 8 weight is the Tsimane standard, but it might be necessary to have a 9 weight rod in certain situations, especially in the Lower Sécure River where HUGE Dorado frequent. We also recommend bringing a light 6 weight rod for fishing big dry flies for Yatoranas in small creeks and tributaries.

Ideally, you should have two rods rigged with different lines or flies at the boat. One 8/9 weight rigged with a good dorado streamer and other one with a Pirapitinaga fly. An extra backup rod will be necessary. Powerful rods with a strong butt section are a must. Saltwater fly rods are perfect.

Note: Consider carrying a spare rod with you each day, just in case you blow one up on these fish.

Fly Reels: As with rods, reels that have been designed for saltwater fly-fishing are the best choice. Fly reels that feature a strong, smooth disk drag with a large arbor spool are perfect. A big Dorado or Pirapitingas will easily have anglers into their backing. Bring a reel that you are comfortable with and that is in good working order. Weight of the reel is important; since you will be casting a lot, keep it light. 30 pound backing is required.

Fly Lines: Most of the fishing is done close to the surface. Weight forward floating lines for tropical waters is what you need. We’ve worked closely with Scientific Anglers to design a line specifically for use in these jungle environments: The SA Jungle Titan Taper. Other tropical lines like a General Saltwater Taper, Redfish Taper, Rio Outbound Tropical Short or comparable warm water fly lines will also work. At times a clear intermediate tip line (also available in the Jungle Taper) can be good, especially if a cold front moves through or rains bring the water up.

Do not bring conventional cold water floating lines, as the hot weather makes the lines turn soft and gummy. It can also be a good idea to bring a fast sinking tip or shooting taper. For this we recommend a 200 or 250 grain 15 foot sink tip, just in case…

Leaders: Spools of Fluorocarbon should include 40, 30, 20 pound breaking strengths. Due the rocky river-bed and other aggressive fish in the rivers, we prefer fluorocarbon material. When fishing in off color waters or with sinking tip lines for Dorado, sophisticated leaders are not needed. However when fishing under normal clear water conditions with floating lines, everything changes. We tie some specific leaders according the species, the conditions and the size of fly we are using.

Normally, we use 6 - 9 foot leaders with a heavy butt section and 20 - 30 pound tippet breaking strength. This allows good presentation for big flies without spooking them. Our guides can assist you in building a leader for each fishing situation. You don’t need tapered leaders, just bring spools of 40#, 30#, and 20# Fluorocarbon.

Wire: All the fish we catch in Tsimane, are heavily armed with sharp teeth and wire tippet is necessary. Spools of 25 to 40 pound American Fishing Wire, Rio or Tiger Titanium are fine choices. Please bring wire tippets in grey or camouflage color. Pre-tied Leaders (for barracuda or pike) are not recommended.

Over the years we have learned that most of our guests under-estimate the amount of wire tippet they will go through during a week of fishing in Tsimane’s waters. One spool of tippet is rarely enough, and we recommend you bring two spools of 40# tippet, and one spool of 30# tippet.

Flies: For flies we predominantly use baitfish imitations, in full black, and/or a combination of black and red, purple, orange and yellow. Flies should swim well with good action and tied full with plenty of volume. Flies in lengths from 4 to 8 inches with barbless hooks 2/0 to 4/0 are the norm. High quality, saltwater hooks are required.

As for patterns the most typical fly used is the Andino Deceiver. It’s similar to regular Deceivers but with bead chain eyes and a muddler or craft fur head. However other baitfish imitations have proved to be very successful, among them; Puglisi Streamers in medium to very big sizes, Lefty's Deceiver or Umpqua's Tarpon's Snake are good options. Flies with lots of flash are not recommended.

Pole Dancers, Foam poppers, Titanic’s sliders (size BIG), big mouse imitations, and Dahlberg Divers are very good choices for Dorado on surface. Flies like the Chernobyl Ants or other big terrestrials and bugs imitations are excellent for Pirapitingas and Yatoranas.