11/01/2013 - 12/01/2013 | Fishing the Americas...a sportfishing journal

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving to our Fishing the Americas friends

In 2014 Fishin' Expeditions & Fishing the Americas will celebrate 10 years of client intensive and personal service. Some of you have traveled with us since the beginning and some just recently. To all of you, through these 10 years, we are grateful for your friendship and the opportunity to serve you.



Some of our friends from first group. 


David Fields

Founder / Principal at Fishing the Americas Media
40 year international angling veteran. 10 years hosting fishing fin'atics to exotic angling destinations located throughout the Americas. Blogger, freelance writer and media specialist.


  “Fishing the Americas most exotic and exciting sport fishing adventure destinations.”

Monday, November 25, 2013

GoldenDorado Fishing Report ~ Uruguay River, South America

Recent GoldenDorado fishing report for the area know as "LaZona" filed by 
adventure angler Scott Krug.



Location: Exclusive Tail Waters of Salto Grande, Uruguay River, South America
Dates: Fishing November 1 - 4, 2013 


Adventure angler Scott Krug recently returned from South America and his first encounter with Salminus brasiliensis, the famed GoldenDorado. Or, as the locals prefer,  the "River Tiger." 

"I have been fortunate to fish all over North and South America and never have I dealt with a freshwater fish so strong and difficult to land."
"After hearing and reading so much the last five years about the fabulous fishing for GoldenDorado at a place known as La Zona on the Uruguay River, I finally got my chance to fish there earlier this month. I joined a great group of guys from Great Britain and we arrived in camp late on October 31st only to learn the water was quite high and very discolored. As a result, the fishing was tougher than usual but there were still some nice fish being caught.

We pushed off the next morning and headed up to the dam where the fishing is quite regulated. The hydroelectric dam is a joint venture between Argentina and Uruguay and only two boats from each country are permitted to fish immediately below the dam. In addition, fishing in the restricted area is allowed only for four days in a given week. 

The fishing conditions at the dam are like nothing I have ever encountered. The turbulence and current from the turbine discharges is tremendous and the crazy part of it is that this is where the fish are. Never would I have imagined that one could successfully fish in those conditions but we did.


Because of the high water, deeper diving lures like the CD 18 Rapala worked best which was somewhat disappointing because I was hoping to catch some fish on surface lures. Some in our group also tried fly fishing which proved to be mostly ineffective because of the high water.  Thus, we pounded the current and turbulence areas with deeper running plugs and spinnerbaits and managed to catch some fish. 

My muskie baitcasting tackle proved to be perfect for these conditions. I brought seven foot heavy duty graphite rods, quality reels such as the Calcutta 300TE loaded with 80 lb. Spectron line, and 90 lb. Sevenstrand leaders with Stringease Stay-Lok snaps. All lures were upgraded with stronger split rings and hooks and I was glad I did. These fish will really test/wreck your equipment as others in the group found out.

One fellow in our group did very well on big fish landing two 46 lb. fish, a 50 lber., and another well over 50 pounds! I went down with the hope of catching one 40 lbs. or better and ended up with a 40 lber., 42 lber., and a 44 lber. We caught a lot of fish over 20 lbs. and lost many more. 




Everyone was quite impressed with the strength and power of these fish.  I have been fortunate to fish all over North and South America and never have I dealt with a freshwater fish so strong and difficult to land. The only fish I can compare them too is the Tarpon I have caught on the Rio Colorado River in Costa Rica which is saying a lot!


I fully intend to get back to La Zona and would like to do so under lower water conditions. Everything I had read about the fighting ability and toughness of this fish proved to be true. GoldenDorado are a great challenge, a lot of fun, and anyone who enjoys fishing should consider this fishery." __Scott Krug

I've written before about the brute strength of the GoldenDorado and the degree of difficulty from "hookup to landing cradle". The strong, bone hard jaws with double rows of teeth, sometimes referred to as the "steel trap" make the "River Tiger" one of the toughest freshwater game fish on the planet today. 




. . . whenever you are ready to plan that GoldenDorado adventure of a lifetime.


David Fields

Founder / Principal at Fishing the Americas Media
40 year international angling veteran. 10 years hosting fishing fin'atics to exotic angling destinations located throughout the Americas. Blogger, freelance writer and media specialist.


  “Fishing the Americas most exotic and exciting sport fishing adventure destinations.”






Monday, November 11, 2013

Just Fishing with an Old School Friend

It didn’t last long really. Perhaps forty-five minutes before sunset yesterday evening. I had been watching the surface action on the pond off and on for a few hours. Not really much activity. Yet the afternoon sun had surely warmed the surface temperature just a bit. Quite honestly, it was just a beautiful fall evening and visible activity or not I was going to loft a lure.


Sometimes we need a change up. Yesterday evening would be Old School. 

With a selection of three 1970’s vintage baits from the collection cabinet in hand I headed down to the pond. I just knew if any activity was in the plans the deep bank where the afternoon sun had spent the most penetrating time would be the best bet. Wrong. After thirty minutes. Nada. Nad-a-one. 



Oh, it had been fun, casting the the Rebel Mini R and the Bagley B for several minutes. And interestingly, they were still running true after nearly 40 years of dormancy. But there were no takers on the sunny bank and really, no activity. 

Just enjoy the beauty of the evening, David. Yes, Sir.

I hadn’t tried the third choice for the evening and that didn’t seem fair. The squirrel tail really should have a shot just as the others did. After nearly 40 years of rest would the swivel even turn? So I made a turn tail from the trail to the abode and decided to give the little cove in front of the house the opportunity to produce with a few casts into the shallows. 

BAM! First cast. Must be a fluke. Shallow water, no sun and once again, no surface activity. Strange bass, why would you be out roaming? BAM! Second cast, second strange bass. Twins. Dumbness must be in the genetics. And for 30 minutes and probably less than thirty casts 11 more 1  to 1-1/2 pound bass would flat "wear out" that Old School Vintage Lindy Squirrel Tail SS. 



I hadn’t spun the Indiana blade on that single spin since 1974. The blade was just a bit tarnished and the red thread winding around the hair, well, amazingly it stayed strong as bass after bass inhaled the little 3/16 ounce spinner. After a bakers dozen with one large Crappie thrown in I decided to stop. Why risk it. What if a giant engulfed the Squirrel Tail? 

It would be lost. I would be lost. Old School would be lost.

After all, what could possible top off the evening better than the return from a 40 year hiatus of an Old School friend? What better than knowing it still had what it took to ‘thump’ with the best of them as only a Lindy Spin could.


Thanks Al and Ron for an afternoon of Old School "Lindy Fishing." 


David Fields

Founder / Principal at Fishing the Americas Media
40 year international angling veteran. 10 years hosting fishing fin'atics to exotic angling destinations located throughout the Americas. Blogger, freelance writer and media specialist.


  “Fishing the Americas most exotic and exciting sport fishing adventure destinations.”

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Fishing the Americas Friend Greg Thompson Organizes Special Amazon Adventure

Two veterans of the Peacock Bass Fraternity, friend Greg Thompson and his buddy Bobby Foster, return recently from an Amazon Fishing Adventure aboard the Santana with with a testimony better than any fish story. 



[Photo credit Greg Thompson (center) and Kansas City Star]

"But most of all they talked about friendships."

“We coined a phrase, ‘Have a Bobby Foster Day.’ Bobby always has a great attitude. He’s always exactly where he wants to be, with who he wants to be with, and doing what he wants to do.
“This trip was about Bobby. This was Bobby’s time.”

Thompson organized a party of 11 of Foster’s friends for a trip back to the Amazon River Adventures business that had guided them in the past. Thompson had special shirts made, the staff threw parties in Foster’s honor, and the fishermen sat around and swapped fish stories of past trips.


Read the full story by Brent Frazee  in the Kansas City Star:

BTW…Peacockbass fishing wasn't to bad according to Greg Thompson…this PeacockBass veteran had two PeacockBass monsters over 20# and the big PeacockBass of the week was 23# caught by another veteran, Nelson Burnell.

PeacockBass Fishing in the Amazon: An Experience Unlike Any Other!


David Fields

Founder / Principal at Fishing the Americas Media
40 year international angling veteran. 10 years hosting fishing fin'atics to exotic angling destinations located throughout the Americas. Blogger, freelance writer and media specialist.


  “Fishing the Americas most exotic and exciting sport fishing adventure destinations.”




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