I heaved the 6-ounce spinnerbait and trailer as far as I could toward the dam and let it fall toward the bottom. Powerful currents from the hydroelectric power plant’s 14 open gates quickly swept the bait downstream and away from our boat. The offering started tumbling through huge rocks some 10 to 12 feet below the surface. I began a slow crank, keeping the bait at a depth where it bumped into the boulders about every 5 seconds or so.
The boat continued its drift downstream in the tailrace area as I retrieved my first cast of the day. I tossed it again as far upstream as possible and engaged the reel after the lure’s 8-second free fall. On the second handle revolution, I felt the spinnerbait tick a rock, then a giant golden fish slammed it and took off pulling drag.
“Set the hook! Set the hook!” yelled my guide Elbio. “Again!”
I complied and the big fish took to the air, trying to shake free of the heavy lure. Three more surface-clearing leaps and a few reel-screaming runs treated us to a show of the force and tenacity that have made the Uruguay River’s dorado famous. My hook stayed implanted in the fish’s jaw, and I gained line after each jump. The guide finally used the BogaGrip to end the battle and weigh my first big dorado, a 32-pounder.
After that fish on
