The Fly Shop800·669·3474

Essential Gear for Fly Fishing for Dorado in Bolivia
by
Justin Miller

We don’t know of a more badass freshwater gamefish than the golden dorado. Dorado are meaner than a junkyard dog, landing a big one is a feat in itself, and if you turn your back on one for a second while posing for a hero shot, they will take a chunk of flesh out of you. Yeah, they are belligerent and nasty – everything we like in a fish that eats 8-inch streamers, each other, and preys on mega-sized baitfish.

And no place we know of anywhere in the world is better to fish for dorado than Tsimane, located in the jungles of Bolivia where the Andes meet the Amazon. Imagine wading in a clear mountain stream that looks like the McCloud River in NorCal, casting to a brilliantly colored golden reflective fish, with razor-sharp teeth with a floating line and streamer. Now imagine strip-setting on a big dorado, say 20 pounds, that swam out from behind a boulder and garbaged your fly. All hell breaks loose as the golden bullet rockets into the air, gills rattling, as he turns its head down toward a rapid and starts a manic, reel sizzling run and fight. That’s why you flew 5,000 miles to the remote jungle of Bolivia, and now you’ve got el tigre by the tail, and you better have the right gear to land him.

The following fly fishing equipment is what you need to effectively fish for dorado at Tsimane:

Fly Rods:
9-foot 9-weight 4 piece saltwater fly rods. These rods have extra integrity built into them, feature oversized guides, a fighting butt, heavy duty reel seats, and the proper taper to cast big streamers and fight heavy fish.

• Scott Sector
• Sage R8 Core
• Sage Salt R8
• Winston AIR Saltwater

Fly Reels:
You’ll need a 9-weight quality saltwater fly reel with a smooth and sealed disk drag, machined from bar stock aluminum, with an easy to adjust and large drag knob.

• Abel SDS
• Hardy Fortuna Regent
• Galvin Grip
• Galvan Torque (good mid-price alternatives)

Reel Backing:

• Scientific Anglers XTS Gel Spun Backing is rated at 50-pound test and allows 75% more capacity than standard materials.

Fly Lines:
The proper fly lines are critical at Tsimane, as this is what will deliver the 7-inch streamer to your target and ultimately connect you to a trophy dorado.

• Scientific Anglers Mastery Titan Jungle Floating Line (a must)
• Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan Jungle Clear Tip Line
• Scientific Anglers Sonar Tropical Custom Tip  (optional)

Leaders & Tippet:
Leaders needed for Tsimane are super simple. Plan on bringing spools of fluorocarbon tippet in 20, 30, (40 pound a must) breaking strengths.

• Scientific Anglers Absolute Fluorocarbon Saltwater Tippet
• Seaguar Blue Label Fluoro Shock Tippet
• RIO Fluoroflex Saltwater Tippet

Dorado have razor-sharp teeth, so you’ll need wire tippet material.

• RIO Powerflex Wire Bite Tippet 20, 30 & (40 pound a must)

Flies:
Finally you will want a box of large streamers (4-8 inches), with a few top-water flies thrown in, tied on barbless saltwater hooks 2/0 to 4/0. The Fly Shop® has assembled a complete selection of flies, specifically for Tsimane — the exact flies we fish at Tsimane. The fly selection includes a saltwater streamer box (#19335 for $249.95). And if you end up not using all the flies, you can return unused flies to us for a full store credit.

Streamers:

• • Andino Deceiver (Black/Purple) (3)
  • Andino Deceiver (Black/Orange) (3)
  • Andino Deceiver (Black/Red) (3)
  • Andino Deceiver (Black/Chartreuse) (3)
  • Bad Attitude Baitfish (Black/Red) (2)
  • Mega Cruiser (Black/Purple) (3)
  • Puglisi’s Boca Grande (Dayglo) (3)
  • Puglisi’s Boca Grande (Yellow) (3)
  • Tarpon Snake (Black) (3)
  • Pole Dancer (3)
  • Game Changer (3)

Topwater:

• • PSP Bubblehead (Chartreuse) (2)
  • Big Boy Trevally Popper (2)
  • Camp Counselor (2)
  • NYAP Popper (2)

Wading Gear:
You’ll be wet wading in rocky freestone rivers all week while fishing at Tsimane, so wading gear is critical, and a pair of sturdy, felt-soled boots is a must. Rubber-soled wading boots don’t work on the thin algae film that covers the rocks and gravel.

• Simms G4 Pro Guide Boots
• Patagonia Foot Tractor Wading Boots
• Korkers River Ops Wading Boots

Plan on bringing two pairs of neoprene socks, and bring a tube of anti-fungal cream and a small bottle of Goldbond medicated powder to keep your feet happy.

• Simms Neoprene Wading Sock

You’ll want fast-drying pants or shorts over a lightweight base layer. The preferred wading set up is shorts over compression fitting running tights.

• Skwala Sol Wading Shorts
• Patagonia Men’s Sandy Cay Pants
• Skwala Sol Wading Pants

You will also want to bring 3 or 4 tropical, long sleeved shirts for fishing and around the lodge. You don’t need to bring a ton of clothes; daily laundry service is provided at Tsimane.

• Skwala Sol Tactical Hoody
• Skwala Sol Tropic Hoody
• Skwala Sol Hoody
• Patagonia Long Sleeve Sun Stretch Shirts
• Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoody
• Simms Solarflex Hoody

Freshwater stingrays are rare but present in the waters of Tsimane, 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).

• Ray Guard Shield

Other ancillary items to bring include:

• Two pairs of polarized glasses (in case you lose or break a pair)
• Waterproof sunscreen SPF 30+ (UVA) (UVB)
• Pliers
• Hook sharpener
• Stripping fingers, finger tape and fishing-sun protection gloves
• Folding or telescoping wading staff (optional)
• Line clippers
• Hat with dark under brim
• Buff® (bring two)
• Lightweight Gore-Tex® rain jacket and pants
• Lightweight synthetic fleece top
• Insect repellent with 30% + DEET and "anti-itch" cream
• Headlamp for streamside and camp
• Water bottle and dry Gatorade mix or EmergenC packets
• Lip balm with sunscreen (highest SPF you can get)
• Day pack or fanny pack (100% waterproof)
• Dry bag (optional)