A quick glimpse of some of the unreported, yet memorable events that occurred behind the scenes on location in Ecuador while shooting the highland trout feature in the Spring 2020 issue of Strung.
On a recent trip to Ecuador in search of arapaima, my Ecuadorian friend Javier Guevara thought I should see Ecuador’s highlands to appreciate the immense diversity of terrain in the country.
After sweating in the jungle for a week, I couldn’t believe we were in the same country. Mountains loomed overhead as I pulled on a coat and the truck’s engine sputtered under the load at such high elevation. It seemed impossible to find fish here, but Javier ensured me there were plenty of trout swimming in the small creeks and alpine lakes that dotted the landscape.
Arriving at the ranch where Javier had permission to fish, two ranch dogs greeted us, yipping and circling with excitement. It turned out they would be our fishing companions for the rest of the day, sometimes drifting out of sight only to return a few minutes later to watch us with curiosity.
Over the course of the day it became clear we weren’t the first fishermen they had encountered. When we hooked a fish they shook with excitement and lunged at the trout as we pulled them to the bank.
Eventually, one of the dogs couldn’t take it anymore and decided he could do a better job at catching fish than us. He dove into the creek at pod of rising fish.
It was hard to get mad at him. It was his home after all and there were plenty of fish to go around.
Ryan Sparks
