GOLDEN DORADO: Argentina - Esquina

Our Dorado fishing waters in Argentina are the Corriente River, the mighty Paraná River and the Paraná River Delta.   Having these three individual systems to fish is a major advantage to our guests, offering a variety of fishing environments and insurance against changing conditions.

Corriente River
The Corriente starts 350 kilometers upriver from Esquina, where it is formed by waters draining the Esteros de Iberá (Ibera Marshlands).  On its journey south towards the Paraná River, it is supplemented by numerous creeks and wetlands.  The entire river corridor is home to thousands of different birds, caiman, rare deer, capybara and other exotic animals. The Corriente River has slow but steady current which creates eddies, runs, swift channels, and drop-offs.  These characteristics make it fairly easy to locate Golden Dorado which average about 7-8 pounds and reach up to 20lbs.  On a good day, anglers will hook about 30 fish and land 2/3 of them.  Other species found in the Corriente are River Salmon, Surubi Catfish, DogFish and Palometa.  With the exception of Surubi, all these species are easily caught on a fly.  Fly Fishing Patagonia practices catch and release.

Fishing is done casting from a boat while drifting down river or wading the islands and white beaches.  Water clarity varies from 3 feet to 3 inches.

Paraná River
Argentina’s Paraná River is the second largest river in South America.  From it’s headwaters in Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay, it runs south for roughly 2500 miles until it reaches Buenos Aires and Uruguay where it is then called the Rio De La Plata before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean.  The river acts as a huge flood plain while it passes through the Argentine provinces of Missions, Chaco, Corrientes, Santa Fe and Entre Rios.  Sport fishing is practices along the river corridor but the areas lying within the southern reaches of the Corrientes Province are widely considered the best.

Golden Dorado frequently hunt along the banks of the main Paraná and it’s here we concentrate our efforts, floating slowly, casting flies or plugs along the shores.  Dorado fishing Argentina’s Paraná River will yield about 30 hook ups on a good day.  These fish tend to be larger than in the Corriente and average around 12 pounds.

Paraná River Delta
Right in front of Esquina, the Paraná is met by the Corriente River and the convergence of the two rivers helps create part of the Paraná River Delta, a labyrinth of water channels created by islands of vegetation.  The city of Esquina province has recognized the ecological importance of the area by designating the confluence a biological reserve.  The braided wetlands of the Paraná Delta extend all the way to Buenos Aires. 

The Delta hosts many rare species such as the Marsh Deer, the capybara, the Neotropical River Otter, the Pampas Cat, the jaguar, black caiman, and millions of exotic birds.

Small Lagoons
Lagoons of all different sizes and ages dot the flatlands of Corrientes.  They are important for livestock but also provide temporary or permanent homes and feeding grounds for waterfowl, capybara and reptiles.  The more permanent lagoons on our ranches hold game fish such as Tararias, Palometa and Piranhas, all of which aggressively attack any top water popper.