River Plate

Uruguay

The Zone

Home to 36 world records, the Salto Grande Dam on the River Plate is a truly mind blowing fishery that should be at the top of your bucket list!

Marking the border of Uruguay and Argentina, the River Plate has truly epic proportions and so does its fish!

In an attempt to corral the river and harness its tremendous force, a massive hydroelectric dam was constructed in 1979 that can produce power for up to one million homes.

Not only that, the environment created below the dam with it's swirling currents and huge mass of baitfish, produces without a doubt the biggest golden dorado on the planet and they have the receipts to prove it!

Group Size

Up to 6

Target Species

Golden Dorado & Surubim

Season

All year round!

Duration

4 days fishing

Cost Per Person

April - Oct $7010
Nov - March $8530

Frenchie hooked up to a monster on the first day of the trip!

A dream come true and he was only just getting started!

Travel

You have two options when making your way out to the Salto Grande Dam, either through Argentina or Uruguay.

A flight to either Buenos Aires in Argentina or Montevideo in Uruguay and you can get your holiday underway with some fantastic sight seeing in these beautiful cities.

We can get you set up with our favourite hotels, must see locations, great restaurants or a local tour guide to make things as easy and enjoyable as possible.

Both cities are modern, safe and have everything you need like cheap Ubers to get around or even a tackle shop to have a nosey in!

From either city you'll be transferred via a comfy private car 5 ½ hours into the interior of Uruguay, through vast cattle country, passing the occasional gaucho on horseback, until you reach the Horacio Quiroga Thermal Spa Resort on the banks of the Salto Grande.

Return road transfers to either city are included in your package price, you can also choose to start your trip in one city and finish in the other to make the most of your adventure!

Buenos Aires

Montevideo

The Lodge

Unpack, relax, take a dip in a thermal pool or make friends with the resident capybaras, before heading to our V.I.P Saloon for a delicious meal, drinks and to tackle up for the epic fishing ahead!

All this is included in your package price, there is also a laundry service, on site masseuse and beauty treatments available!

The Fishing

Now comes the fun part!

Yes the Salto Grande Dam, also known as "The Zone" is legendary, and it's easy to see why!

Day after day, year after year, the golden dorado just don't stop coming. With this exact stretch of water absolutely dominating the International Game Fish Associations world records, you are sitting in the hot seat for your chance to land the largest golden dorado ever to swim on planet Earth!

It couldn't be any easier, after a well catered breakfast, hop in the 4WD's and make the 10 minute trip down to the boats, jump on board as the masses of baitfish splash about the shallows, followed by a quick five minute blast up to the dam wall and you are literally "in The Zone!"

The charter has exclusive rights to fish right beneath the spillway so it's just you against the fish.

The golden dorado are big, viscous and at times, in plague proportions. They can be targeted with just about any fishing technique you dare to summon, including topwaters but one thing to keep in mind is that your gear needs to be tough!

Razor sharp hooks are a must, strong braided line, stout wire trace and a punchy rod to slam home a good hook-set all contribute to a higher percentage of fish hitting the deck.
You will get bites, plenty of them, and if you manage to stick the barbs in one, hold on for dear life as even the big golden dorado jump like Michael Jordan!

The boats are 21 feet long with big casting decks, plenty of room for wild popper slinging and fish fighting shenanigans. There are two guides on board, one keeping the boat in position amongst the rocks and strong currents, the other getting busy swapping lures out, rigging rods and unhooking fish!

All the high quality fishing tackle you need can be supplied by the charter at no extra cost or if you prefer to take your own we have a comprehensive tackle breakdown and gear list tailored to Australian anglers that you will receive upon booking.

In amongst the endless onslaught of golden dorado you may also be lucky enough to jag the incredible surubim catfish. They grow in an immense size, are extremely powerful and are stunning sight to behold with their gorgeous polka dotted flanks, shovel-like head and gaping, bottomless gob.

A trip out to this famous location is an absolute no brainer, especially if you're fishing with less fanatical fishing friends or partners, as there is no shortage of action to keep the excitement levels sky high!

Travelling through interesting cities, easy logistics, fantastic English speaking hosts, comfy rooms, great food and lots of fish, adventure fishing has never been so easy!

Our guests will even be treated to a complimentary tour through the workings of the hydroelectric dam which is a great addition to the trip in amongst the fishing madness and opens your eyes as to the inner workings of this huge piece of important infrastructure.

Recommended Itinerary:

Fly in:

Fly to either Buenos Aires (Argentina) or Montevideo (Uruguay) and have a couple of days doing touristy things.

Arriving a day or two early, before the trip ensures any delays / lost bags don't derail the trip and loose valuable fishing time!

We can book you into our favourite hotel and share our “must see” locations.

Sunday:

Travel day. You will be picked up at your hotel and driven 5½ hours to Hotel Horacio Quiroga, just outside of Salto in Uruguay.

Settle in, enjoy your dinner and tackle up!

Monday - Thursday (fishing days)

Breakfast, transfer to the boats for 3 hours of hectic fishing, lunch back at the hotel, 3 hours fishing in the afternoon, then back for a swim / beers / dinner etc.

8 hours fishing per day can be arranged and will incur a price increase.

Friday:

Travel day. Transfer back to either Buenos Aires or Montevideo and enjoy the rest of your holiday time!

Fly out:

Fly out on your travel day or carry on with your holiday at will..

Road transfers from either Buenos Aires or Montevideo (return) are included in your package price. Air transfers are also an option but will incur an additional charge.