Tariquía
Reading the River
Some weeks are about finding fish. Others are about finding the water where they can still be caught. Week 7 brought both.
Once again, we are writing to you from one of those remote, untouched places that are becoming increasingly rare on our planet: the Bolivian Yungas.
This was our seventh week of the season, and we had the pleasure, and the privilege, of welcoming a wonderfully diverse group of anglers who were, at the same time, incredibly close-knit and a whole lot of fun.
The group was led by our good friend Cameron Musgrave, from South Africa, and was joined by Pete and Rod from the United States, Tom from the United Kingdom, Dave from Canada and an old friend and fellow adventurer, the great Chantal, from France.
They arrived on Saturday without a hitch. With rain in the forecast for the middle of the week, we decided to make the most of the good conditions while they lasted. Briefings, gear checks and breakfast schedules were all moved forward. The goal was simple: get on the river early, fish hard and use every available hour.
On top of the rain forecast, the full moon added another layer of uncertainty.
Day 01 | Heat and First Opportunities
Sunday, our first day of fishing, greeted us with perfectly clear skies and the promise of extreme heat. Uncomfortable for humans, perhaps, but exactly what we need for dorado fishing.
Pairs were organized, flight rotations were set, and we headed out with our hopes sky-high, the kind of hopes that build over many months and finally begin to become reality.
Fede was fishing with Chantal and Cameron. Cameron covered water relentlessly, while Chantal, dealing with a sore back, picked her shots carefully. The effort began to pay off: Cameron landed the first dorado of the week, with barely any instruction needed.
Well done, Cameron!
In the Canyon, Juanchi was guiding Tom and Dave through a very different type of water: a spectacular piece of river, beautiful not only to look at, but productive as well.
Apart from the occasional trout-set, which, of course, is a guaranteed way not to land a dorado, a few technical adjustments made all the difference. By the end of the day, they had brought three hard-fighting dorado to hand.
Well done, team!
Day 02 | One More Long Day
For the second day, we followed the same strategy: start early and maximize our time on the river before the weather changed.
A flawless sunrise gave us the energy to take on another long day, and the anglers truly gave it everything. Under a brutal 104°F (40°C), they never gave up.
Opportunities began to show up, perhaps fewer than their effort deserved, but enough to keep things moving. Rod came through with two fish, while Pete, Cameron and Chantal also converted opportunities, putting fish in the net and adding their names to the board. With rain still approaching, every one of them mattered.
Excellent job, everyone!
Day 03 | A Different Kind of Fishing
By the third morning, the forecast had caught up with us.
It became a lodge day, with great gourmet food and a very different kind of fishing.
Thanks Gonza for the amazing food!
A true angler rarely needs much of an excuse to fish, and the nearby pond gave us an alternative.
Improvised light tackle, pacú and a very different pace replaced the rafts and the river for the day.
Sometimes the best fishing days are not the ones you planned.
Day 04 | Looking for Clear Water
After a night of intermittent rain, low clouds delayed departure. The priority was simple: wait until flying conditions were safe. By 9:30 a.m., we had a window.
For the first flight, we had several plans in mind. We simply didn’t know what had happened to the main river, or what we were going to find 25 kilometers (about 15 miles) from the lodge.
The river was dirty in some sections. So we changed plans.
We moved boats toward areas where the water was still clearer, while Fidel, Tom and Dave headed out to wade a tributary that remained fishable, Lapacho Creek.
That decision paid off with a beautiful
dorado.
Congratulations, team, for beating the bad
conditions by one day!
Elsewhere, Juanchi, Chantal and Cameron found a few opportunities before the water began to deteriorate again. Cameron converted two of them.
Very well done, team!
By the end of the day, everyone knew what was coming. The clean water was disappearing.
Hoping for the weather to clear and temperatures to rise as quickly as possible, we returned to the lodge, where Gonza treated us to some outstanding French cuisine: a beautiful duck magret.
Day 05 | A Small Window
On the fifth day, we went back to the river to fight it out.
And, exactly as we had expected, with no miracle having taken place overnight, the river was dirty. Painfully dirty.
But the warriors still gave it everything they had. Poppers. Black streamers. White streamers. Shallow water. Deep water. Everything within our reach.
And the refusal to quit, and the faith to keep fishing when conditions are working against you, paid off, and paid off big time, for Fede’s team with Chantal and Cameron.
They found a small constriction in the river where a tributary was bringing in slightly clearer water. It was not much, but it was enough.
Fede held the boat perfectly in the fishable water and gave them precise instructions. They took turns.
And then it happened.
Chantal worked a piece of structure beautifully and moved a giant fish that simply could not resist. A violent eat. A solid strip-set. And a masterful fight that took her into the backing more than once.
After several long minutes, the giant finally
surrendered to Fede’s hands. Quick photo.
Big hugs.
Congratulations, Chantal!
Cameron wasn’t about to be outdone. He
landed two beautiful fish of his own.
Cheers, team!
And almost as quickly as it had appeared, the clean water was gone.
That was the window.
We headed back to the lodge early to rest and unwind with a cornhole and table-tennis competition, while waiting for the Thursday classic: lechón a la cruz.
Day 06 | Out of the Game
Rain continued through the night. By the final morning, there was no realistic fishing option left. The river was out.
That is part of operating in a place like Tariquia. You can prepare, adapt, reposition boats, change water and make the most of every available opportunity. But eventually, the river gets the final word.
The final day became another lodge day, with Gonza taking care of the group until anglers and staff came together that evening for dinner, stories and a few well-earned toasts.
Once again, Gonza stepped up and took incredible care of everyone throughout the day.
Gear & Flies
- Setup
- A 9-weight fly rod paired with a WF floating/intermediate line with a clear tip remains the setup producing the best results this season.
- Flies
- The flies of the week were 6/0 deceivers tied to imitate sábalo, our local baitfish.
Fishing Technique
The most effective technique remains focused on immediate line control: establish tension as quickly as possible, then work short, fast strips, keeping the rod tip low and pointed directly at the fly.
Concentration on every cast. Solid strip-sets. Never losing tension. And then, little by little, raising the rod to approximately 45 degrees once the fish is under control.
Easy to write.
Much harder to execute through every single step
when a big dorado detonates on the fly.
Weather
The week had plenty of ups and downs. It started with a couple of extremely hot days, with temperatures climbing above 100°F, followed by rain in the middle of the week, a sharp drop in temperature, low clouds, fog and drizzle.
Every season in one single week.
This season is unfolding under a very strong El Niño, a large-scale climate pattern that is bringing increasingly variable weather across the region. In Tariquía, that means conditions can change quickly. This week, they did.
Reading the River
This week was not about having perfect conditions. It was about understanding what the river was giving us, and adapting quickly when that changed.
A tributary holding cleaner water. A short section where the fish could still see the fly. A few hours when the conditions lined up.
The difference came from recognizing the right water, reading it well, and being ready when the opportunity appeared.
On the final night came the now-classic gathering of anglers and staff: dinner together, stories, toasts, laughs and promises to meet again.
And almost without realizing it, the week was over. A week of highs and lows, filled with stories shared among friends and moments that will be burned into our memories.
Thank you very much for reading all the way to the end.
We’ll meet again here in a week to share more stories from deep within the Bolivian Yungas.
Tight lines,
JP and the entire Tariquía Lodge family
Tariquía Lodge, 2026
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