A record-breaking golden dorado season at Pira Lodge
June 28th by Chad Shmukler
All fisheries, no matter how renowned and celebrated, have their ups and downs. For a time, it seemed like Argentina’s Iberá Marshlands — with its unique geology in which the marshlands are a nearly closed system with no inflow other than rainfall and only minor outflow — might have been a rare exception. But, a few years back, a historic drought struck and the wetland paradise’s drumbeat reliability gave way to low water levels, worries of wildfires and dwindling fishing. In 2023, however, the rains returned to replenish the marshlands and just a season later, Iberá offered anglers an unforgettable season that was record-breaking in countless ways.
The Iberá Marshlands are the second largest wetland on the entire globe, a region twice the size of the entirety of the Florida Everglades, and home to seemingly countless rivers, creeks, streams, sloughs, lakes and ponds where the golden dorado is king. Today, there may be more and larger golden dorado swimming in the marshland’s waters than ever before — at least, that is, if the 2024-25 season is any indicator.
When the season closed in May, anglers fishing out of Pira Lodge landed an astonishing 17,530 golden dorado—a new all-time record for the lodge, and one of the most productive dorado seasons ever recorded anywhere in the world.
An Ibera Marshlands trophy dorado.
According to our friend and fishing manager at the lodge, José Caparrós, “From the very first week, we knew something special was unfolding. We started earlier than usual and were greeted by ideal water levels and a system already brimming with fish. As the season progressed, new waves of dorado continued to arrive from the Paraná via the Corriente River. They never stopped. The marsh stayed alive from beginning to end, with an energy we’ve never seen before.”
Describing some of the unforgettable days anglers had on the marshland’s waters, José recounted one angler who caught an unbelievable 54 dorado in a single day on a 5wt rod using mouse patterns and another group that notched a single-day camp record of 260 dorado landed across just four boats. “That kind of action doesn’t just make a good day—it becomes part of fishing lore,” he exclaimed.
And, he took care to note, this past season wasn’t just about quantity. The season kicked off with one angler landing a 20-pound dorado deep in a marshland lagoon and the pattern continued throughout the season. According to José, “our guests connected with countless trophy fish.”
After several lean years that left lovers of the Iberá Marshlands wondering what the future heldfor this unparalleled ecosystem that is home not only to trophy golden dorado but to capybaras, caiman, marsh deer, and over 4,000 species of birds, there may be no better time to plan a visit to this freshwater paradise.
One thing is certain, we can’t wait to see what next season has in store.
To book your 2025-26 season visit to Pira Lodge, send us an inquiry via this link, drop us an email, or call us at +1 (253)-780-1530.
Here's to another record-breaking year
Iberá Marshlands
Pira Lodge
Wherever they swim—mostly throughout the near-equatorial regions of central and eastern South America—golden dorado have leapt to the top of many an angler's bucket list of species. Fierce, golden-hued predators, dorado attack flies with explosive abandon, and wow those that chase them with enormous, skyward leaps and impressive battles.
