BOLIVIA - Secure Lodge
SCHEDULED TRIPS
July 20 -August 6, 2027
* Trip price is $9795 per angler. Includes Native Fee. Other items included and not included listed in trip paperwork
The Travel: All guests will arrive at the city of Santa Cruz in Bolivia where they will spend the night in a very nice hotel. The next morning they fly by small aircraft into the jungle landing at a grass air strip just downstream of the lodge. This travel is reversed at the end of the fishing week, with guests spending another night in Santa Cruz before catching flights home.
The Lodge: Secure Lodge is a marvel, nestled into the Bolivian jungle on the banks of the Secure River. The lodge is made up of a large platform made from native woods on which are set the guest quarters. These are essentially wall style tents, all extremely comfortable with their own toilet and shower. The social space at the lodge is a permanent structure where staff and clients gather for drinks, meals, and time together discussing the day’s adventures.
The Fishing: Almost all the fishing near Secure is done on foot, with the exception of some beats on the main river itself. Otherwise, clients are transported in native canoes until they arrive at fishing spots where they wade and cast to both structure and visible fish. Besides Dorado, there are several other species available, most notable of which are Pacu.
Golden Dorado made their mark on the international fly fishing community about fifteen years ago. Saying they made a big splash is a huge understatement. They have become one of the fish most represented on the bucket list of aspiring anglers, and the jungle of Bolivia is the epicenter of some of the best Dorado fishing in the planet.
Untamed Angling made the foray into this unknown part of the world, and now has three lodges targeting Dorado, all within close proximity to one another. They also have some of the best fishing destinations in Brazil, targeting huge Peacock Bass, Arapaima, and other exotic species of the Amazon basin. They are known to be both ambitious and adventurous, which has lead them to have these amazing destinations in some of the most secluded areas in South America. They are noted as well for their upscale hospitality, first-class service, and elevated food and wine.
Guests arrive into Santa Cruz and have some time to enjoy this interesting city. Lodgings are provided in a very nice hotel, not far from the city center. The following morning guests meet their small charter flight at the local airport and head to the jungle, landing on a grass airstrip next to the native village.
Secure Lodge is a jungle encampment, built on a platform of native hardwoods, with well-appointed wall-tent rooms for guests. Each has its own toilet and shower. The main social area is made from the same hardwoods as the platform, and is where guests will gather for all meals, as well as drinks and appetizers after fishing. The food is exemplary, and the wine pairings well thought out and of high quality.
Anglers come to Secure mostly in search of Golden Dorado. These fish come in two distinct groups - fish that are considered residents, and those that are migratory. The migratory fish add great numbers of these predators to the fishery. They follow the annual migration of a smaller fish known locally as the Sabalo, and these are the fish both the Dorado and the native villagers prefer to eat.
It is an amazing sight to see several large Dorado corralling Sabalo in the shallow water near the bank, with fish flying out of the water trying to escape, and the noise from the attack heard from around the river bend. Feeding frenzies like these provide unparalleled excitement for anglers. Guests will also cast to fish that guides see holding in likely spots, or will blind cast into structures of larger rocks or logs where Dorado are likely to be waiting in ambush.
Much, if not most of the fishing here is done while wading. Native guides will motor and then poll their long canoes into zones where anglers then wade runs before moving in the canoe to the next spot. This is done both in the main stem of the Secure River, as well as several smaller tributaries. Downstream, anglers will sometimes fish from the boat, as the river here is wider and usually more colored than upstream.
Besides Dorado, there are several other species that anglers will catch by accident, and some that can be targeted. Pacu are present here in some of the bigger pools, and are revered as one of the most powerful of freshwater fish, and a challenge to get them to commit to a fly. Yatorana are also caught by anglers, as is the occasional catfish.
