Baddest of the bad!!!

Having had the opportunity to fish worldwide for bad ass freshwater fish, I am often asked which is the baddest!  There are many items to take into account when rating fish.  Here are 4 of my favorite.

PAPUAN BLACK SNAPPER, aka NIUGINI BASS--These brutes are found in the very remote areas of Papua New Guinea, the Province of Papua, and Indonesia.  The flights from the USA are extremely long.  Weather in these jungle environments can be downright nasty!  Malaria strict environments, possibility of running into unfriendly natives, extreme heat, muddy water, herds of mosquitos, and pouring rains exist!  However the fishing can be downright amazing!  New Guinea Bass are extremely difficult to land.  They swim around huge logjams which they use for their advantage in breaking off lures, etc..   They can be fooled by deep diving lures along with topwater poppers given the right conditions.  They are flat out bulldogs running into the snags and do not jump much.  Pound for pound there is nothing which can top this guy!!  Broken rods, reel gears stripped, hooks bent, lines snapped, destroyed lures are common each day!  I was knocked down on my face by the force of  my trophy PNG bass and I weigh over 200lbs !  The IGFA all tackle record is 46lbs caught on the Kumimaipa River by friend Jason Yip who runs fishing adventures into the remote regions of PNG.  Jason has seen bass much largers than his record!  Good luck landing that one!!

GOLDEN DORADO   These brutes are found in Argentina and Paraguay.  Currently, the largest dorado are swimming in La Zona which is a section of the Uruguay River near the Salto Grande Dam which seperates Argentina and Uruguay.  These guys are tremendous battlers often leaping numberous times to toss your lure. The golden dorado uses fast currents to their advantage.  Deep diving lures and topwater poppers and choppers are used to land these monsters.  In La Zona there is not much to worry about as you are not in a jungle environment.  The nearest town in Concorida which has all the luxuries of home.  La Zona Lodge is a top notch luxury lodge which books 4 anglers into the zone.  Another operator based on the Uruguay side offers the same.  Only 4 boats are allowed in the zone and only 4 days per week.  Weather does not get extrememly hot and 4 seasons are observed.  Broken rods, lures, lines, hooks, etc are seen each day with the dorado also!  The current world record is set at 55lbs 11oz, but larger dorado exist!

TIGERFISH  These toothy critters swim in the waters of Africa.  I fished in Tanzania on the Ruhuji and Mnyera Rivers which are a long ways from the USA.  Tigerfish swim in packs and destroy lures.  They are very fast swimmers and leap numerous times to toss the lure.  They can be landed on diving lures along with topwater.  Their teeth will literally destroy lures and lines.  The exist in a harsh environment where malaria exists!  Crocodiles and with hippos are swimming along with the tigerfish and pose a treat!  The scenery is tigerfish country is amazing!  Large herds of wildlife can be seen daily.  In my opinion tigerfish do not possess the power the PNG bass or golden dorado has!  However their teeth can be downright intimidating!  The current world record tigerfish is 35lbs 7oz.  These are not the goliath tigerfish you might have seen on the popular River Monster television show.

PEACOCK BASS--These brutes are very popular with American fishermen.  South American holds with largest peacocks espeically in countries such as Brazil.  The Amazon jungle is home.  Peacocks are very colorful, downright beautiful.  They possess extrememly fast swimming ability and have a downright mad attitude!  They hit all types of lures and are known for their ability to crush surface choppers and poppers.  The Amazon has malaria and other types of dangers.  Pouring rains and hotter than hell temperatures exist!  The current world record peacock bass is 29lbs 1oz landed on the Santa Isabel Do Rio Negro!  I believe there is peacocks larger than this.

I have also had the opportunity to land monster Mekong Catfish, Siamese Carp, Redtail Cats, arapaima, payara, huge lake trout, big king salmon, among others.  Still on the list are Nile Perch, taimen, plus others.

Which species is your baddest of the bad??  I have my opinion, but will keep it to myself!

WORLD'S GREATEST FRESHWATER FISHERY

The restricted and exclusive fishery beneath the Salto Grande Dam of the Uruguay River has been responsible for yielding more trophy-class golden dorado than any other fishable waters in South America.  The size and numbers of golden dorado in these waters far surpasses any other dorado fishery in the world!
For years, the fabled peacock bass of South America has garnered the majority of fame and publicity within the circle of traveling anglers who search for exciting gamefish species throughout the globe.  There is a true fishing treasure- one glistening in gold- that awaits anglers at the Argentina/Uruguay border.  The freshwater dorado has caused many to contact "gold fever" for those fortunate to have had the opportunity to fish for them.  From it's inception in 2003, the fantastic sportfish destination referred to as "La Zona" has earned the deserved reputation of being the finest trophy golden dorado fishery in the world..   La Zona refers to an almost mystical or legendary fishery and an exclusive fishing operation located within a protected area on the Uruguay River, downstream from the Salto Grande dam project.  The name was borrowed from "The Twilight Zone" television series because from the moment anglers first experienced this unbelievable dorado fishery, they found it to be a place far beyond their expectations. It is home to more 40 and 50 pound class golden dorado than any destination in the world.  I have been fortunate to fish La Zona for 7 years and hereby name it "The World's Greatest Freshwater Fishery".  For more information contact Steve Yatomi at www.adventuretravelalliance.com or email him at zato1@earthlink.net

La Zona report for April 12 to 15

Busted rods, gears burned out on top of the line reels, hooks bent which seems impossible, snaps opened, lures destroyed, and lines broken , all which describes our fantastic trip to La Zona Lodge on the Uruguay River. This was my 7th trip to the magical fishery known as La Zona for monster golden dorado.  With high water conditons, the odds were not in my favor to top my personal best of 48lbs and land a golden dorado over 50lbs. However, my dreams were answered with monsters of 53, 52, and 51 pounds.

Top guides, Alejandro, Fabi, Elvis, and Matias knew where these monsters were lurking and the proper methods to land them.  Deep divers were the key just knicking the deep submerged rocks where the dorado lay out of the strong currents waiting to ambush their next meal!

Everyone in the group of 4 landed monster dorado of at least 47 pounds.  Counting only huge dorado over 30 pounds we wound up with a total of 25 trophies for the 4 days of fishing which is a testiment of the great guides at La Zona Lodge.

Cannot wait to head back next season and land a 60 pound giant.  La Zona Lodge fills quickly as golden dorado are landed year round.  Contact Steve Yatomi at www.adventuretravelalliance.com and email him at zato1@earthlink.net for booking information on the trip of your dreams!!

TREBLE HOOKS--THE BEST OF THE BEST!

When fishing for monster river fish, super strong sharp hooks are necessary to land these beasts.  The Owner ST-66 and ST-76 are without a doubt in my opinion the best hooks on the market to land these brutes.  Store bought lures come with cheap hooks and absolutely need to be replaced.  The ST-66 is 4X strong and super sharp.  It is coated with a corrosion resistant vacuum thinned finish.  I have landed monster golden dorado and Papua New Guinea black bass on these which tells how strong these hooks actually are.  The Owner ST-76 is even stronger, rated at 5X strong.  PNG black bass were no match for these hooks teamed up with the Wolverine triple coiled split rings.  The ST-66 comes in sizes ranging from 4 to 4/0 while the ST-76 comes in size of 3/0 to 5/0.  So, on you next monster fishing adventure, make sure you do not lose the fish of your dreams by hook failure!

BLADEBAITS FOR GOLDEN DORADO

During high water conditons, the current on the Uruguay River in the section known as La Zona accelerates making bottom contact extremely difficult.  Extremely thin profile bladebaits are just the answer.  The razor thin body shape makes these lures more hydrodynamic.  The key is keeping the lure slightly off the bottom with a constantly lift drop yo-yo type retrieve.  The Braid Products Braidrunner is the perfect choice.  These bladebaits come in a 5 inch( 4 1/2oz) model and a larger 7inch(6oz) model in various colorations.  These lures are very easy to cast long distances.  The thin body will allow the strong currents to carry the bladerunner downstream between yo-yo type retrieves.  These lures will put out a tremenous amount of vibration.  The lure comes with 5 line placement holes on it's top.  The action and vibration the lure puts out is dependent on line placement in these holes.  For a shallower,less vibration action, attach the line in the front hole.  For a deeper, more vibration action, attach the line in the rear hole.  These lures are great options for high water condtions not only at La Zona but at  your favorite monster fish location.  Before your next trip make sure to add a few to your tackle box!!

WORLD RECORD TUNA LANDS ONE MILLION DOLLARS

According to the IGFA, angler Guy Yocom will never forget his fishing day on September 18th.  Yocom landed the IGFA all tackle yellow fin tuna which weighed in at 427lbs.  Yocom had previously filled out paperwork for the Mustad "Hook A Million" contest in which a Million dollars would be given if 1 out of 10 different species spread throughout the continent was landed on a Mustad hook and verfied by the IGFA as the all tackle world record.  Yocom landed his record tuna in Cabo San Lucas on a Mustad hook and won a cool $1,000,000 for the record.  Just goes to show it does pay to go fishing!

MONSTER FLORIDA BASS

Capt Eddie Bussard of www.basschallenger.com, has really been on a big bass catch!  Yesterday, Capt Eddie's clients landed monster bass between 7 to 12 pounds.  Earlier in the week clients landed bass over 10 pounds for 3 days in a row!!!  Capt Bussard has over 30 years of guiding experience around Orlando and Central Florida.  The St. Johns River and Lake Toho are only minutes away from Orlando and Disney World.  So on your next family visit to Disney World, sneak away for a day or 2 of trophy bass fishing with Capt Eddie.  He can be reached at bassineddie@cs.com