Weekly Round-Up: Field Report From the Darién Gap
In which there are fun plane rides, big seas, and a lot of tuna on the fly.
Welcome to a quick field report from Colombia! The team arrived into Medellín Tuesday night, and we spent Wednesday exploring the city and relaxing before hopping on a small plane out to the Juradó, a small military base and town about twelve miles south of the border between Colombia and Panama. From there we hopped in a boat, rode out through the surf, and drove the five-odd miles to Darién Lodge. I’m here with five awesome anglers this week who have been excited to experience not only the fishery but also the place itself.
“Fly Fishing on Steroids”
When finesse goes out the window, it’s time to bring out the big guns and dig in.
It’s been a year since I was last back in Colombia’s Chocó Department. Darién Lodge drew me here twice last year; once for a commercial shoot for the lodge and then just two weeks later for a fishing trip with industry friends. Now, nearly a year later, I’m back in the Darien Gap hosting a group of five absolutely gentlemen for a week of fishing.
The general consensus after a few days of fishing is that everything about this fishery is on steroids. Everything is big, raw, and unfiltered. Forceful. Blunt. Aggressive.
Brawly.
The team’s held our own through stormy weather days in high seas, big tuna on fly rods, and long, rough runs in bad weather. We’ve been working with two awesome guides—Alden and Jose—and wonderful captains Grillo (who I’ve had the pleasure to fish with twice before) and Alex, along with mate Harrison.
After a small plane ride, a short walk, and a boat ride through the surf then a ride to the lodge, we spent our first half-day on the water chasing tuna. Alaskan angler Isaiah was quick to hook into an estimated 70-lb. yellowfin on the fly, and Colorado anglers Brad, Will, and Scott all added their first-ever yellowfin to the board as well.
We had some rough weather our first few days, with big, rough conditions both for the inshore and offshore game. Everyone’s been troopers while getting banged up in the boats while we chase after tuna. So far we’ve not yet seen the big balls of snapper I saw here at this time last year, and sailfish have yet to be sighted. I’m always amazed how fisheries change year after year, and constantly reminded that a certain run or migration of fish really can’t be calendared. We can try, but it’s always a guessing game.
But we’ve had no shortage of tuna targets to pursue on the fly. Everyone had a tuna after the first full day of fishing and quickly picked up on how this fishery works and how best to fish it.
Bottom line: be aggressive. Because it’s an aggressive place.
We’ve also had mahi and jacks on the fly, and enjoyed fishing off logs today. After plucking plenty of mahi off the logs several of us decided to jump in for a swim… great way to get a break and to admire the plethora of fish and sharks underneath us in the mighty Pacific Ocean.
We have three more full days of fishing before heading back to Medellín on Thursday, where we’ll have the afternoon to explore and relax before heading to the airport at zero dark thirty for a 0600 flight back to Miami. (We’ll see if we actually sleep at all, or choose to pretend we’re all in our twenties and just power through.) We’re hoping for some better conditions here, for everyone to stay healthy and feeling strong, and for rods and gear to remain intact. (This is a fishery which eats gear… I asked everyone to bring spare rods, reels, and line, and we’re all glad to have the reserves, as we broke three rods and lost three lines the first day.)
If you’re not already following along on Instagram, I’m posting daily story snippets from behind the scenes. I’ll be back in next week’s newsletter with a report from our final few days of fishing here, as well as an overview on this fishery and lodge. Stay tuned for more from the Darién!
2026 Hosted Trips
Still have a couple spots open on these hosted trip destinations for 2026:
Estancia Laguna Verde (Jurassic Lake), Argentina: January 24-31, 2026
Bolivia Heli-Fishing (Trophy Golden Dorado): June 28-July 5, 2026
Estancia Laguna Verde 2026
I’ll be returning January 24-31, 2026, with a hosted group. Three slots have already filled with returning guests, so get in touch quickly if you’d like to join us. This is a top-notch lodge in a wonderfully unique fishery. Expect some of the world’s best guides, excellent lodging and food, a stellar lodge team, and wonderfully large, healthy rainbow trout in an environment that will make you think you’re fishing on the moon.
This PDF has more details—give it a read, and then get in touch to secure your spot!
January 24 - 31, 2026
Estancia Laguna Verde, Lago Strobel, Argentina
$7,950 (7 nights / 6.5 days fishing)
Bolivia Heli-Fishing For Trophy Golden Dorado
I’ve got just two spots left to return to Untamed Angling’s Tsimane Pluma Lodge Heli-Fishing Program June 27-July 4, 2026—an exclusive program in the Bolivian Amazon, designed to target trophy golden dorado. We’ll have the opportunity to fish not only for large dorado but also pacu, yatorana, and even moturo, in incomparable quantity and quality. The rivers and tributaries where we will fish every day are wild, untouched waters seldom seen by human beings.
Read more info HERE about this limited trip—just two spots remaining.
June 27-July 4, 2026
Tsimane Pluma Lodge, Bolivian Amazon
$17,250 ($16,000 plus $1,250 indigenous Indian fees)
Want to learn more about any of these trips?
Send me a DM on social media or shoot over an email.
Q&A
Keep on sending in your questions via Instagram or by commenting by clicking the button below. Each week I’ll pick one and give a longer, more thought-out answer here than those I give on Instagram.
This week’s question came in via the dinner table at the lodge.
Q: What’s your editing process for managing photo files daily when you’re at a lodge?
A: Great question. Often I come off the water pretty tired so have developed a system over the years to keep things streamlined and automatic even when I’m reaching for an evening coffee or at risk of becoming a bit of a zombie.
First thing, the cameras get cleaned. Especially on saltwater shoots, the cameras are wiped down with a damp cloth then dried. Lenses and filters are cleaned. Batteries charged. All the things get “touched up” so they’ll be ready for the next day. Next I pull memory cards out and load everything from the cards into Adobe Lightroom, keywording, organizing, and entering metadata appropriately as I go. This sometimes happens in the quiet of my room / bunk, and sometimes in the lodge bar. Depends on the vibe. I’ll quick-edit a few selects for social and this newsletter, but save the bulk of the editing for either the plane rides home or for when I’m actually home (as long as I have the time before the next job).
Once I’m home, the “catalog” in Lightroom is exported and then imported into an external hard drive and Lightroom on my iMac, which is the office workstation. Everything is backed up two more times to external hard drives. Then I clear my workspace on the travel laptop / hard drive, and it’s off to the next shoot!
Recently Published
The Big Sky Journal just published a photo essay and article about the romance of Montana summer fishing in their latest issue. Pick it up and give “The Simple Things in Life” a read.
Pick up the winter issue of The Fly Fish Journal for words + images about fly-fishing off Colombia’s Darien Gap.
The Field Ethos Journal recently ran this piece about having a beer on a stormy night in one of Pablo Escobar’s former bars… a life goal I didn’t know I had.
Follow Along on Social
If you’re not already, follow along on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Like what you’re reading? Share with friends! Thanks for your time and support.
