For the first time in a long time, I’m excited. Anticipation keeps the travel exhaustion away.
I’m happy. Happy to be back in this place, going back into the jungle, to see friends, hike rivers, and chase fish. It’s a long way to travel from western Montana to the jungles of Bolivia but, like many things in life, nothing good ever comes easy. And I’ve spent enough time in the Amazon Basin over the years to know this trip is going to be good.
I’m back in the Bolivian Amazon, hosting a group of anglers to heli-fish for a week with Tsimané. We’ll be flying out each day in Robinson R44 RAVEN II helicopters, getting dropped off fly rod in hand and hiking / fishing upriver before getting picked up at the end of the day. It’s a physical trip, but the daily workouts are amply rewarded with golden dorado—the heroes of the fishery—as well as pacu, yatorana, moturu, and surubi. It’s my second time in this fishery, and I’m glad to be back.
Welcome to the jungle.
Jungle Fishing
There’s a rhythm to fishing in the jungle. Much of what we’re doing is sight fishing; hiking and watching the water as we walk. Watching for those tell-tale flashes of gold throughout the river; for the cruising black shapes of pacu in the big pools. Sometimes we’re blind casting around structure, and that usually pays off, too. Everything is dialed up to “extreme” here: the dense green of the jungle, the clarity of the water, the fish themselves and the way they are. Golden dorado attack the fly with a viciousness that reminds me of charging GTs. Pacu are perhaps the best fighters in this fishery, pound-for-pound, giving blistering runs that regularly put anglers into their backing. Yatorana wait under the cover of trees for dry flies to float by, but sometimes decide to attack the big streamers we’re using for golden dorado.
Left Photo: Juan Zalazar Right Photo: Jess McGlothlin
At any moment you might see a jaguar, ocelot, caiman, snake, capybara, spider monkey, giant mink… any one of the many animals inhabiting this wild place. And while we’re all (ostensibly) here for the fish, sometimes the other creatures prove to be the highlights of our days. It’s wild, this place: a wild fishery that tends to draw anglers back time and time again. I’ve been here before, and I’m happy to share it with a new group of anglers on this hosted trip. For most of them, this is their first time in the jungle… their first time chasing these species. And at the end of the week, everyone’s caught good fish and ticked some species boxes.
Jungle Professionals: The Guide Team
Like most wild places, Tsimané demands a good team to make the most of the experience. And a successful fishing week such as the one we had is impossible without an A-Team of guides to make it happen. I’m grateful to have met many of the guides in camp, and certainly made some new friends this trip who I look forward to seeing when I return in 2028. These gentlemen are rock stars and true professionals, able to keep us safe and happy in a challenging jungle environment while ensuring we make the most of every shot at fish and have a damn good time while doing it.
Nico, Tobias, Juan, Martín, Alejandro, Alvaro, and Nehuen work hard throughout the week to get our group on fish, and are incredibly successful at it. These gentlemen are true international fly-fishing guides in every sense of the words, and the true heroes of the trip. Certainly anglers I look forward to fishing with again in the future!
Jess’s Gear
I’m fishing the Epic Fly Rods 890Ti 8wt Titanium Fly Rod, which is light with a soft enough presentation to not spook cruising pacu but burly enough to handle big dorado with ease. Paired with the Epic Backcountry Fly Reel, it’s a combo that’s nice and light for long hiking days). I like the Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan Clear Tip Jungle (intermediate / sink tip) in these river conditions; I brought along the Scientific Anglers Amplitude Tropical Jungle Titan, which is my usual go-to jungle line, but end up fishing the intermediate the entire week, which gives nice versatility in pocket water and deep pools alike. Throughout the week we fish a variety of big streamers, topwater flies and sliders, and even some big terrestrials for pacu.
Left Photo: Jess McGlothlin Right Photo: Nehuen Bovio
Pluma Lodge
It’s impossible to talk about Pluma Lodge, our home base for the week, without mentioning Chuki, the lodge manager and overseer of the all-important coffeehouse/bar residing by the helipad. Chuki ensures the ops move smoothly while also whipping up lovely cappuccinos in the jungle (really) and having cocktails ready for us as soon as we step of the helicopters in the evening.
The lodge is incredibly comfortable, with cozy rooms (which have excellent hot water) with great beds, and small touches that make every day feel luxurious. Meals are served in the main “hang out” room, which is HQ for catching up after each day of fishing and the perfect space to relax with a cocktail. The food is great, and hot coffee is ready every day at 7, helping anglers wake up and get moving for another day of fishing. The guides eat with the clients twice a week, which makes for fun evenings of celebration and storytelling.
On the day we depart the lodge, some of the indigenous staff bring out a few cacao pods they’d cut open with their machetes, and proffer the white fruits inside to us. I thank them with a smile and pick up one of the slippery pieces with river mud-coated fingers. The fruit is sweet and fresh; a parting gift from the jungle. I’m sad to leave, just as I was three years ago when I first came to this fishery. But I know I’ll be back, with old and new friends in tow. Most of the anglers who came with me on this hosted week are coming back with me in 2028, and we all know we’ll set foot in this place again.
2028 Hosted Trip
I’ve filled one week at Tsimané for 2028 with return clients from this July 2026 trip, but was able to grab a few more spots on an adjacent week. If you’d like to experience the jungle and chase these incredible jungle fish, come join me July 8-15, 2028. Classic (boat-based), Combo (3 days Heli, 3 days Classic Program), and full Heli-Fishing spots are available. I hope to see you in the jungle!
