Flooding of our dreams?

For the next day, Chris and I had high anticipation. The plan was to tramp to a headwater camp of a tributary of Secure. A backcountry trip with in the Bolivian backcountry only for the experienced and angler used to walk many hours a day without a patch. Marcelo, one of the shareholder and founders of Untamed proposed that to me one year before the trip, while I met him after my exploratory trip to Kendjam in August 2015. His words made me listen. 

The following night that annoying bird with its stupid night call was not the worst. Instead the super worst thing happened: in the middle of the night a thunderstorm with very heavy rain reached the whole catchment. Heavy rain was pouring down, lightning strikes right at the camp and close by several times. As if the river would flow directly down right from the sky. Lots of water, too much water for my taste.

In the morning everything was wet, Secure was up and dirty with big tress and logs floating down. How much rain came down, where and with which effect on the tributary we wanted to fish? Questions, doubt and hope at the same time. Finally Luciano came with the bad news that our tributary was flowing roaring four meters above normal level and two of four Tsimane canoes where swept away. No chance to go there this day. The other two groups tried to fish the main river but came back after less than an hour as the main river still rose considerably. We were disappointed. Our plans we dreamed of did not work out. The rain stopped early morning but Secure continued to rise till around 7pm the same day, thus around 12-13 hours later. The whole catchment got a solid storm. Our only option was to wait till the next morning. We did that, spending the day by reading, chatting, writing, sleeping and eating and possibly smoking. Sometimes a day of rest is not the worst, but with those great plans in mind it was just a nuisance, kind of like a wind knot in the leader.

This situation clearly showed that fishing-plans are related to weather and sometimes it is just luck to hit the conditions just right. In locations like that or for example SI NZ, be aware that you might lose the one or other day during a week due to high water. Don’t be upset, enjoy the other days even more!

Next morning we were very happy: we could start our tramp upriver. The tributary was still high and murky like a too strong coffee with some milk and mixed in sand. Neither good for fishing nor for drinking. Crossing the river, back and force at top of the pools, walking on the side or in the river up to the chest, swimming twice with the watertight Patagonia floating backpack as a micro raft for the rod. I did not check the time but guessing we were around 3 to 4,5 hours on our feed. After a while we started to make a few casts in highly promising water or when we could identify some likely Dorado action. Not much success though. 

As we came closer to the spot that was supposed to be our camp for the night, the expectations rose, if the camp would still be there or would have been washed away with the trees and trunks we saw floating down the river. Guide Luciano accelerated his step. Not looking back once (as he never did in my impression - strange habit when you fish with clients).

Some two kilometers below the camp spot we found the shell of one tent stuck in some driftwood. Luckily this was the tent that had the lowest location within the camp, so there was still hope. 

Approaching the camp the water was supposed to become clearer. It did that but only with a gradient as if you would slowly drip single drops of clear water in the above mentioned strong milk coffee.

 

The tributary up here normally would run close to gin clear, but this day it did not. It was still high and dirty. We finally reached the camp and were surprised to see the two sleeping tents still in place. They got some water inside and might have been under water for up to a foot during peak flood, but it meant that our plan to camp and fish the other day was not jeopardized. As the four Tsimane following us some hours later would bring Chris’ and mine dry sleeping bag, we even would not have to rest like a fish in a wet environment but would have a dry place to sleep. So this adventure could continue and we did not yet start fishing seriously.

 

 

A tremendous part of fly fishing and traveling – at least for me - is to experience truly remote place, discover untouched nature and to see places “normal” tourists barely ever might visit. After years of traveling that became kind of normal to me. But this place nevertheless was special, remote jungle within an area that was already remote. Birds, butterflies, fish, trees, plants and the river. But as remote places with frequently awesome nature are linked to the style of fly fishing I love, I am kind of used to it and do not consider it as unusual. I just soak it up in my memory and silently enjoy. At that place I would not have been surprised if there would have been a Jaguar right behind the next river bend as we were in an area with one of the highest remaining Jaguar populations on that planet.

We had very high anticipations for the remaining hours of the day…

(spoiler: some very good action was just hours away!)

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The ULTIMATE JUNGLE BLAST – Fly Fishing Bolivia and Brazil – September 2016

Where to start to write about my current adventure of South American Jungle Fly Fishing? Starting at the very first preparations a year ago, or with the typical last minute packing rush, or the first decent fish caught, or the heavy thunderstorm we had last night right here at Aqua Negra Lodge at Tsimane Dorado Fishing/ Bolivia?

Let’s start with the last. As it is a good introduction that traveling demands flexibility of your mind. Things might not work out as planed or as dreamed of for the long month before. I will start with the flooding of the river, with the last minute change of plans just in time before we were about to start a two night headwater exploration to a remote creek of the system. We are Chris (my fishing partner from Eugene, Oregon), our guide Luciano and I. All three of us were mega keen to do that headwater camp as fishing up there is said to be awesome as long as you are very fit, fearless and a seasoned fly fisher. 

Last night, four days in the adventure here at Tsimane (Bolivia), after boating down Secure river from Asunta Lodge and arriving at Aqua Negra Lodge, a significant thunderstorm with around three hours of heavy rain hit the whole catchment of Secure river and its tributaries. Not a good situation in the rain forest as rain mostly means a lot of rain. The rain ended around six in the morning but right now around 12 hours later the river is still rising. The peak of flow might be close - hoepfully. All of our group of six could not fish today and we had to postpone our campout tramping plan. Painfully showing that rivers can be blown without mercy and river levels do not consider your selfish fishing plans. Keep fingers crossed that the peak is close and water levels will drop soon...

A day off at the lodge, reading, chatting, relaxing, writing. Fishing would be much more preferred.

Enjoy every day and moment on the river with good water levels; you might not have one the next day!

Tsimane by Untamed – well known for second to none Dorado fishing in the remote jungle and home of the Tsimane natives in Bolivia. After my first visit back in 2012 to Asunta and Pluma lodges a lot changed. Both lodges I visited back then were washed away by huge floods in the last years (nobody was hurt). Floods not even the local Tsimane would have expected. The two camps were rebuild with comfortable tent camps at more secure locations and one new camp/ lodge was added to the destination: Aqua Negra with access to a tributary of Secure. Thus Tsimane venue now provides three different lodges/ camps.

This place is outstanding, unique in a very special way. The fish, the location, the jungle, the setting, the people – just unique! A lot was already written about that place and it is truly magic.

My preparation for that trip started a year ago as an agent I am in contact with since 11 years – Daniel Beilinson - offered me a special hosted trip a year ago and I had instantly to say “Yes I go!”

A couple of month ago the idea came to my mind to combine Tsimane with the new fishing venue of Untamed: Rio Marie in Brazil. A live on board based operation close to the Columbian boarder on a remote tributary of the Amazon in pursuit of Giant Peacock Bass beyond the magical mark of 20lbs.

After some back and force discussion with my Brazilian friend Breno that idea came to birth and was not just an idea but a plan: the ULTIAMET JUNGLE BLAST was born! The combination of two or even three excellent locations in a single trip. For all fly fanatics with more than just two weeks of vacation per year that will be the way of future trips: combination of several top destinations in one trip. If you are about to spoil yourself why shouldn't you add some extra spoil?
With Untamed exactly that is possible.

Some annotation for readers that are not used to my travelogue aka blog. I try to describe fly fishing adventures from my subjective perspective providing honest first-hand information for the interested reader as well as for my private memories. Background information, humorous annotations combined with “do not take anything to serious” but be still critical and reflect.

If you have questions of any kind (tackle, background, booking, advice, …)? Contact me. If you like what you read: share it via social media and tell your fishing buddies!

Happy reading, happy trails and Tight Lines!

To be guided, or not to be guided: that is the question

The question Hamlet rises in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet is about the question why people stay alive - he comes to the conclusions that people are afraid of the alternative / death and thus prefer to stay alive. This can be transferred to the question fly fishing folks have to answer when going to foreign destinations: afraid of not being guided?

Some of us have had many fishing guides, some none, some very few, some are even by themselves guides at home and book guides when they go abroad. For my more than twenty years of fly fishing I had my first guides years ago in Scotland fishing for trout in a lake, pretty much the classic style: ghillie rowing the boat and keeping the drift. I enjoyed that as waters became available and a way of fishing I would have not had on that young age. Then many years of unguided fishing. 

Years later during the first more structured approach to saltwater fly fishing for Bonefish Ines and I had a guide. By luck we got one of the very best local guides at that spot in the Caribbean. He made me to catch my first and up to now last Permit of very decent size (+30lbs) – I did not ever try again seriously to fish for Permit after that first encounter (but it was not that I was spoiled, it just did not happen). Three years later we came back there it was again terrific as we had the guide familiar to us. At that destination we always only booked around 6-7 days of guided bonefishing but we had two to three weeks on site. Thus providing the one or other half-day session of DIY bonefishing. 

Back then I started to evaluate and appreciate an unguided caught Bonefish much more than one caught with a guide. Still this destination pretty much calls for a mandatory guide or at least for a good boatman as otherwise the flats cannot be reached.

Now let’s jump to NZ. There was absolutely no discussion to book a guide during our very first days on our first trip to NZ. In fact we booked three guides and went with each for something between 2 and 4 days scattered over four weeks of traveling. The guides provided us with a jump-start and made us to catch fish immediately without weeks of try and error. They all were very good in their specific way of doing the business and most important we enjoyed fishing and company with of all of them very much. Some we rebooked and kept in touch over the years. For a first or second time visitor to NZ I would consider a few days (2-5) of guided fishing without any discussion or hesitation. You will learn so much and most likely will catch your first +5lbs brown trout and you can expect to catch anything between 1-8 fish a day with a good guide on a good water (good - not excellent). And you learn a lot that can be utilized at home - you might fish differently after a visit to NZ. A guide takes care of the river choice, makes some calls to take care of fresh water, knows the best access, does the spotting (which is the key asset at the beginning), sets up the camp for you in the bush, provides bush-craft and thus security – he pretty much has the key to success, your satisfaction and fun. You would be foolish to travel all the way to NZ without taking care of booking a guide (as I just yesterday heard even fishing guides from Sweden can have a hard time over here sometimes…). For some frequent NZ visitors with some extra cash on hand a guide is the best way to get the most out of 7 days in NZ. But they have the chopper on stand by and frequently stay in lodges with more or less good food.

But – now I come to the point – for me the real fly fishing, exploring, challenge and satisfaction starts where you try to find a recently not-fished river, build on own, learned or word of mouth river specific knowledge, spot fish well enough, make the right decisions in terms of fly, approach, casting and finally seduce the +7lbs trout in this remote gin clear river. That provides real satisfaction. You managed to find the solution for the challenge.

We were pleased to have the time and opportunity to spend more than 7 days here in NZ (the last time 4 to 5 weeks this time 100+ days) and the trout do not stop to rise or the earth to turn if there is a blank day (still it is not always fun) once in a while. But thinking about some future trips to NZ – close to the end of this trip that comes by nature – I hesitate to think about projects that come together with booked guides here in NZ. Unguided fishing provides me with a level of satisfaction guided fishing might possibly only reach with ten fish over +7lbs per day or a couple of double digit fish in a week or a +30lbs Permit. That is a high hurdle to take. And to be honest, I cannot even keep record of one days catch and fish sizes till the evening.

I am writing about that kind of fishing where a guide is not mandatory to fish, in some locations it is not possible, feasible or not very smart to go without a guide. E.g. the terrific Dorado fishery deep in the Bolivian jungle – Tsimane (In case you are interested in that please contact me directly via Mail. I can provide some first hand information you wont find in the net, help you with your personal booking and arrangements - this location is a real cracking blast!).

Tight Lines to you whether guided or unguided!