Corrientes Golden Dorado Fishing Guide

The golden dorado is the top freshwater game fish of northeast Argentina, caught on fly and spinning gear in the Paraná, the Corriente River and the Iberá marshes. Iberá is fished from skiffs, and the Paraná Delta near Buenos Aires offers dorado close to the city. Rules are set by each province and Corrientes can close stretches of river on short notice, so check before every trip.

📍 Corrientes Province, northeast Argentina: the Paraná River (around Paso de la Patria and the Paraná-Paraguay confluence), the Corriente River, and the Esteros del Iberá wetlands near Mercedes. The Paraná Delta fishery is down river, 45 minutes to an hour from Buenos Aires.

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Paraná & Uruguay Rivers map →

Quick facts

Corrientes declared the golden dorado (Salminus brasiliensis) a Provincial Natural Monument under Law 6730, passed in October 2025.
National Law 26.021 (2005) made the dorado a 'fish of national interest', but the article banning commercial fishing was vetoed (Decree 381/2005), so each province sets the fishing rules.
The Lagunas y Esteros del Iberá have been a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance since 18 January 2002.
The 61st Fiesta Nacional del Dorado at Paso de la Patria ran August 14-17, 2026, as a strict catch-and-release tournament.
In September 2026 Corrientes closed stretches of the Paraná (km 1109-1150, then km 1180-1239 near Paso de la Patria) to all fishing to protect schools of dorado and sábalo.

What you can catch

Golden dorado
Main target; a protected natural monument in Corrientes, so release your fish.
Surubí (catfish)
Big Paraná catfish; Corrientes closed a stretch near the confluence for surubí in May 2026.
Pacú
Hard-fighting fish of the upper Paraná; can be taken on large dry flies.
Tararira (wolf fish)
Predator of the Delta and lagoons; Delta fish average 2-5 lb.
Pira pita
Caught on mouse patterns and dry flies in the upper Paraná.
Palometa / piranha
Common in Iberá and the Paraná; mind your fingers.
Boga
Found in the Paraná Delta and Corrientes waters.
Armado
Paraná catfish on Corrientes' 2022 list of species with catch quotas.

Month by month

January	Summer; Iberá and Corriente River lodges in season (Oct-Apr). Delta open.
February	Summer; good dorado reports from Iberá and the Corriente River.
March	Late summer; Iberá and Delta still fishing.
April	Last month of the Iberá lodge season.
May	Autumn; Delta best season runs Aug-May.
June	Winter; Iberá lodges outside their Oct-Apr season. Delta can be fished year-round.
July	Winter; slow. Check for river closures.
August	Delta best season starts. Fiesta Nacional del Dorado at Paso de la Patria (Aug 14-17 in 2026).
September	Dorado and sábalo schools gather; in 2026 Corrientes closed Paraná stretches to all fishing.
October	Iberá season opens (Oct-Apr). Check if September closures were lifted.
November	Spring; Iberá and Delta fishing.
December	Early summer; Iberá, Corriente River and Delta all fishing.

Tips

Get the provincial sport-fishing license before you fish; Santa Fe now accepts licenses from the other Litoral provinces, including Corrientes.
Check the Corrientes Dirección de Recursos Naturales for emergency closures (vedas extraordinarias) before going; they cover sport fishing too and move with the fish.
Release every dorado quickly; it is a protected natural monument in Corrientes.
Iberá is fished from skiffs; bring floating lines, dark streamers, poppers and mouse patterns.
On the Arroyo Ysoró reserve only catch-and-release is allowed and trolling is banned.

Rules and license

Corrientes Dirección de Recursos Naturales and Ministerio de Turismo (enforcement authority for the dorado monument law); Entre Ríos and Santa Fe for the lower Paraná · Official rules page ↗

Corrientes Law 6730: dorado is a Provincial Natural Monument; the Ministry of Tourism sets protection measures. Check current rules.
National Law 26.021 declares the dorado of national interest, but its commercial-fishing ban was vetoed; sport fishing is regulated by each province.
Extraordinary closures (2026): Paraná km 1109-1150 and km 1180-1239 (Sept), km 1232-1238 (May, surubí). All fishing banned until lifted.
Arroyo Ysoró Natural Reserve (Law 6655): catch-and-release only, no trolling.
Santa Fe (Law 12.722) and Entre Ríos (law passed Dec 2024) ban commercial fishing, sale and transport of dorado; sport fishing must release dorado.
A provincial sport-fishing license is required; Santa Fe recognizes Litoral-province licenses (Res. 0336/25).
Paraná Delta (Buenos Aires province) rules for dorado could not be confirmed: check with the provincial fishing office.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 6 boat ramps and 6 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Club Nautico Caza y Pesca
Club Náutico Barranqueras
Club de Pesca Yapú Guazú
Platón del Club de Regatas Corrientes
Poco Hilo
Puerto de Corrientes
Puerto de Empedrado
Rampa de la Guardería Náutica Stella Maris

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.