A Fly Fishing Miracle in Bolivia

by | Aug 5, 2013 | Uncategorized | 12 comments

August 3, 2013

blog-Aug-3-2013-1-Fly-Fishing-in-Bolivia“Never give up” is a motto I’ve used all my life.  I’ve used the saying with everything from school, sports and especially in fly fishing.  I’ve used it many times on this blog when things weren’t going well.  May 12th in India was my most recent “never give up” miracle.  Excruciating days upon days of trying to catch a large golden mahseer for Confluence Films next film, “Waypoints” paid off.

 

As I write, it’s the middle of the night over South America.  I’m three glasses deep in the red and everyone on the plane is out like a light except me.  Why?  I’m too amped for sleep even though the Bolivia trip is 2,000 miles in the rearview mirror.

 

blog-Aug-3-2013-2-Fly-fishing-for-golden-doradoHere’s why.  Yesterday was the last day of fishing.  Today was pack up and leave day.  The trip was over and I didn’t catch a huge golden dorado or land a pacu.  Sure, it was an absolute dream to fish in Bolivia.  My friends treated me and I caught fish any angler would die for.  But deep inside I wondered if I’ll ever make it back to Bolivia.  Will I ever fish waters famous for monster dorado or cast to a pacu again?

 

Last night the Pluma Lodge host Maurisio suggested I sneak one last hour of fishing in this morning before the journey home began.  Who knows right?  Anything can happen.  There was little time because our grunt for the jungle landing strip was scheduled for 10:30 AM.  Our bags needed to be ready by 10.  I didn’t get packed last night and fishing also meant putting on what is now wet, muddy, stinky gear again for a mere hour of fishing which would probably lead me to the camp pool.  Fishing has already proven to be tough so what were my chances in the pulverized camp pool?

 

blog-Aug-3-2013-3-Pluma-Lodge-BoliviaAs I sucked down my first cup of coffee and watched the sunrise from the Pluma porch I became very “Un-Currier Like” lazy.  I tied on a new piece of wire shock tippet and a fly but that’s as far as I got.  Maurisio and I started chatting and next thing we knew I’d blown off my fishing.

 

By 9:45 I was feeling guilty of my actions.  Here I was on the Pluma Lodge porch staring at the water and checking out my Fantasy Baseball Teams.  What a waste!  But it was too late.  I was packed, in my flight clothes and ready to head for Idaho.

 

blog-Aug-3-2013-4-rigging-for-golden-doradoWe left on time and after our sloppy four wheeling through the mud to where the boats pick us up to take us to the plane we found ourselves standing on the banks of the Secure River.  Our boat wasn’t there yet so naturally as a group of anglers we stared at the water.  Man, I wanted just one more day.  Maurisio suggested I set up a rod.  My tackle was truly buried so Dale offered his.  The gang coaxed me on and next thing you know I was rigged and tromping down a rugged jungle wood strewn hill for the river in my flip flops.

 

When I got down I cast to all the likely spots.  I’m freaking wrecked from all the hiking we’ve done the last few days and wasn’t my usual agile self.  I got snagged and had to maneuver for an angle to free my fly.  That meant back in the jungle, hopping more rocks and sinking to my knees in mud.  I trashed my only clean pants for flying and had to reach in the muck to retrieve my flip flop but luckily finally got the fly loose.

 

During this little fiasco the boats arrived.  100 yards upstream the guys were loading.  I knew they’d pick me up so I made another cast.  This cast will go down in history!

 

blog-Aug-3-2013-5-Golden-Dorado-Flies-BoliviaMy fly swung through the murky tailout below me.  I stripped and swiped my rod to give the massive black and red fly some action.  That’s when a huge dorado grabbed and jumped.  Things like this happen so fast that I barely saw this fish.  But he was big, bigger than any fish I hooked this week.

 

This event unfolding was overwhelming.  Here I was fishing because our boat transport was late and I was hooked to my biggest fish of the trip.  And unlike any golden dorado I’ve hooked this week, this one didn’t jump again.

 

blog-Aug-3-2013-5a-Jeff-CurrierBy now the guys saw I was connected.  They began hooting and hollering.  Surely they thought I had an ordinary dorado.  Soon they realized however by the way I danced on the rocks I had no control of this fish.  He had to be big.

 

blog-Aug-3-2013-6-Golden-DoradoIt took about three minutes for the boat to get to me.  Honestly I expected to have a nice 15lb dorado in hand by now, but the fish continued fighting deep. The boat bounced off the rocks several times while my line narrowly escaped the twirling motor propeller.  I survived a risky leap into the boat, kept the rod bent and off to the other side of the river we went.  This was an amazing moment because now the entire group, two locals and Maurisio were all with me.  This was becoming the ultimate group effort.

 

blog-Aug-3-2013-6a-freshwater-doradoThe other bank was a shallow gradual gravel beach, ideal for landing a big fish.  We beached but the boat swung over my line as the fish surged upstream.  The motor prop was still running.  I was pulling with all the tension I dared and our Tsimane boat man lifted the engine prop within a second of total disaster.  A miracle was in the making.

 

Another hurdle behind and it was up to me.  I was out of the boat and had to land my fish.  All this time passed and other than the first jump, this hard fighting dorado had not yet showed himself.  The entire gang stood waiting for their first glimpse.  I was too far away to see but when they got it, all I heard were a lot of “Holly ****s!”

 

blog-Aug-3-2013-7-Jeff-Currier-Golden-Dorado-fishingI got my first view the first time I beached the burly dorado.  He was flipping huge!  “12 kilos”, the locals shouted, “Maybe 13!”  I was shocked.  I couldn’t believe this was happening.  Six days of relentless angling with nothing like this – amazing.  It wasn’t over though.  Three times the fish up righted himself from the shallows and booked back for the deep spraying me with his rooster tail.  Finally on my fourth attempt I pounced and corralled the monster.

 

blog-Aug-3-2013-8-Jeff-Currier-in-BoliviaThis massive dorado was long and his belly drooped around my grip.  He was a muscular beast.  My fly fell out so I gripped his tail with all my might.  He thrashed and tossed me around.  If he slipped from my grip there would be no pictures.  But I held on and this fish will go down as the miracle on the last cast.  A cast that never would have happened had I given up!

 

blog-Aug-3-2013-9-Jeff-Currier-Fly-Fishing-for-Golden-DoradoIt was a celebratory boat ride to the landing strip.  I chugged a Pacena Beer and we talked about the extraordinary episode the whole way.  I was soaked, muddy and stunk of dorado for the plane ride but I never noticed.  I not only caught the biggest dorado of my life but also one of the top fish of my life because I was fishing on complete bonus time.

 

That’s a rap on Bolivia.  What a great ending.  I’ll get home late tonight only to grab my camping gear and head to the Gros Ventre with Granny and the family tomorrow.  Stay tuned and “Never ever ever give up . . . .!”

 

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing

12 Comments

  1. Howie

    Dude, can’t wait!!

  2. admin

    So jealous. Kudos on earning that fish. Really reinforces the “never give up” mindset.

  3. David McKenzie

    Killer report Jeff. Amazing

  4. Erik Moncada

    Now that was a great read Jeff. One again, you have proven yourself to be the fly fisherman we aspire to be. Here is to your last cast!

  5. Tom Hansen

    I was there and it was absolutely epic. I was watching Jeff flail away and I just didn’t think anything was going to happen. Clearly Jeff didn’t feel that way and that is one of the many reasons he is the fisherman that he is Being a little crazy doesn’t hurt either.

  6. nile perch

    awesome fish !!! you’ll get your pacu and it’ll be a record…and you’ll see a large jaguar too 😉

  7. Brent Dawson

    Epic fish Jeff and one day I will have to go with you buddy. I am drinking a beer to you great achievement. We done!
    Warpath

  8. Jeff

    I’m glad everyone enjoyed the Bolivia reads and appreciates how lucky the grand finale was. Very very lucky! Back to trouting and working at home for awhile. It will be nice.

  9. Jim Savstrom

    What a fine tale, took the fly like your fish! Patience and perseverance is my constant motto. You are a fisherman…. stop by the Blackfoot in Montana sometime, not quite as exciting, but still a fine fishery!

  10. Jeff Ferguson

    Outstanding finale. Been there and must go back. You got your Grande. Now I will wait for the iPhone 5 Dorado case!!

  11. Jeff

    Jeff, you can get dorado on a lot of things from my store, run by my good friend Harvey Cohen. We have phone covers, not sure if they are the one you need. Ask Harvey and perhaps he can get it done.

  12. missoula fly fishing guides

    I’ve been browsing online more than three hours as of late,
    yet I never found any fascinating article like yours.
    It is pretty price enough for me. In my opinion, if all
    site owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web
    shall be a lot more useful than ever before.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Beastly Browns, Brutal Bugs, Big Bears & Bad Snakes | Jeff Currier - […] blog has been a little slow since my return from Bolivia.  It’s a fact that until today, my last…
  2. The 2013 Jackson Hole One Fly Kicks Off | Jeff Currier - […] My opponents for each day are also friends.  On Saturday I fish against Eric Dobkin who I met in…
  3. ICAST 2014 - Orlando Florida | Jeff CurrierJeff Currier - […] catalog.  This year the catalog is a full on fly fishing magazine and I think you’ll enjoy my Bolivia…
  4. Fly Fishing for Payara - Jeff Currier - […] What little knowledge we have of these fierce looking fish allowed us to piece together a game plan to…
  5. Remembrances from Flyfishing Kendjam Brazil - Jeff Currier - […] Fly fishing for bicuda is fun.  Gill plate close up looks like a golden dorado. […]

Welcome to the Blog of Jeff Currier!

Contact Jeff

I started fly fishing at age 7 in the lakes and ponds of New England cutting my teeth on various sunfish, bass, crappie and stocked trout. I went to Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, where I graduated with a Naturalist Degree while I discovered new fishing opportunities for pike, muskellunge, walleyes and various salmonids found in Lake Superior and its tributaries.

From there I headed west to work a few years in the Yellowstone region to simply work as much as most people fish and fish as much as most people work. I did just that, only it lasted over 20 years working at the Jack Dennis Fly Shop in Jackson, WY where I departed in 2009. Now it’s time to work for "The Man", working for myself that is.

I pursue my love to paint fish, lecture on every aspect of fly fishing you can imagine and host a few trips to some of the most exotic places you can think of. My ultimate goal is to catch as many species of fish on fly possible from freshwater to saltwater, throughout the world. I presently have taken over 440 species from over 60 countries!

Archives

Sponsors