Starting our Golden Dorado fishing and dove shooting operation in Esquina, Corrientes was one of the best (and easiest) decisions we’ve ever made.  As much as we love Patagonia and it’s trout, Esquina is magical, and this past December reminded us of just how awesome it can be.

Steady air temps, water levels and barometric pressure have made for excellent fishing this spring for Dorado and other species.  Our catch rates have been around 30-50 fish per angler per day and our average weight was 10lbs, an increase of roughly 3 pounds from last year.  We’ve been using mostly our standard 150-250 grain sink tip lines and bushy flies tied on beefy hooks. One group used bait casting rods all week with great success, throwing sub-surface and deep diving plugs.

While the vast majority of our fish have been Dorado, we also a landed a few Chafalotes, (Rhaphiodon Vulpinus.)  This intimidating creature has two fangs on it’s front lower jaw that protrude out from the top of it’s head.  Other common names are Biara, Machete or Vampire Barracuda.  These aggressors can grow to 30 inches and are as acrobatic as Dorado.  On a couple occasions even caught some Surubi Catfish on plugs.

Good fishing is always attributed to having the right conditions and since our rivers got replenished with rain in 2009, we’ve had 2.5 years of the right water levels that are a key player in having good fishing.  These favorable conditions and strict catch and release laws have contributed to a noticeable improvement in our fishing each year.

The doves have been more active as well but this is a normal occurrence in December and January when a good number of fields 45 minutes south of our lodge are freshly seeded.  How frustrating it must be for farmers who have to buy more seed then they need to compensate for huge dove populations that home in on newly sowed fields.  For our shooters, however, its pure dove hunting bliss and the opportunity to shoot 1000 plus shells a day.  In our area, crops are sowed and harvested throughout the year, so there are always dove swarming like locusts somewhere.

The Limay River always shines during the spring months of November and December, when we find really nice-sized Browns and Rainbows, easily in the 4-8 pound class.  All our November guests did well on the Limay River, many catching the trout of their dreams.

Lake Hess and Fonck are also hot spots in the early season when the fishing is relatively easy.  Late November brought the Damselfly hatch, which always provides exciting top water action.

Both Hess and Fonck are lakes where it’s quite possible to achieve the Grand Slam of Trout in the same day, Rainbows, Browns and Brook Trout.  A handful of our anglers landed Browns 5 and 6 pounds. One angler landed a 5 pound Brookie.

This seasons’ first Wilderness Fishing Expedition on the Collon Cura River launched in early December. Six anglers had an extraordinary 4 days of fishing with probably 150 fish each using dries, nymphs and streamers.  We assumed that this great start meant better than average fishing this season on the Collon, and so far we’ve been right.

In mid January the fishing continued to be excellent on the Collon Cura River, however we did get  heavy rains yesterday that put the river off color and the fish down (which is something we rarely see this time of year). We expect it to clear completely in a couple days and continue producing 50 fish days.  We are anxiously waiting for the February and March migration of small minnows, called Puyenes, from the Alicura Reservoir

The Malleo and the Chimehuín have also produced some great fishing, with trout in the 23-25 inch ranch. The same angler that landed the 5 pound Brookie also caught a 27 inch Brown Trout on the Malleo River.

Great things are happening in Patagonia.

It seems like everyone is talking about Cuba, and for good reason.  It is an excellent fishery worth experiencing sooner rather than later.  A trip to Cuba has become an annual thing for us.  In 2012 we’ll be there for one week in April and one week in late June.  Unfortunately the June trip is full.  However, our April 13-20, 2012 trip does have 3 rods available.

We will be on the La Perola yacht, fishing the Canarreos Archipelago which runs between Isla de Juventude and Cayo Largo.  We’ll be fishing about 80 miles of keys, packed with pristine flats, all impeccable Tarpon and Permit habitat. Late April is the peak of the Tarpon and Permit season so we know we’ll have multiple chances daily to get a Grand or even Super Grand Slam. Great weather should also accompany us in April.  

If you have fished in Mexico, Florida or Belize, don’t deny yourself a trip to Cuba.   It is safe, easy to get to and every bit as awesome as you’ve heard.   So what are you waiting for?   If you want to skip the guess work then join us in April.  This is the destination to experience before the monthly number of foreign visitors wearing bright white tennis shoes grows from 100’s to 1000’s.

Download more information on this trip.   Call  888.486.8972  or email us to learn more.

We are starting to get more Sea Run Brown fishing reports, mostly from lodges on the Rio Grande. Water levels have been clear and lower than normal but 2 weeks ago they had a bit of rain that raised the river 2-3 inches, however, it remained clear.  The rain and higher than normal tides brought a big push of fish from the ocean.  Like every week on the Rio Grande, many fish were above 20 pounds, but one specimen at Estancia Maria Behety was 32 pounds!  That’s one pound shy of the new Rio Grande record of 33 pounds caught last year at Villa Maria Lodge.  One lucky angler landed a 24.5 pound Chinook.  No one knows what effect this new species will have on Sea Run Brown Trout populations.  Most guides and lodges are optimistic that Chinook will have little or no adverse affects on Sea Runs.

Best available weeks for 2012 are:

Las Buitreras,  Rio Gallegos                         Bella Vista, Rio Gallegos
Feb 18-25                                                                     Mar 17-24
Mar 3-10
Mar 10-17                                                                                                                                                        

Maria Behety, Rio Grande                             Kau Tape Lodge, Rio Grande
Feb 18-25                                                                     Mar 3-10
Mar 3-10                                                                       Mar 23-31
Mar 10-17                                                                        
Mar 17-24                                                                                                                                           

Far End Rivers, Rio Irigoyen                         Villa Maria, Rio Grande           
Feb 25-Mar 3                                                                Mar 2-9
Mar 3-10                                                                        Mar 23-30
Mar 10-17

Fly Fishing Patagonia Hats are in Stock & in Style!

Wear the coolest hat on the water.

Our original cotton twill cap is available with a Velcro closure.  This six panel cap is constructed from 100% cotton twill and features a more formfitting, unstructured low-sweep profile.  The topstitching, eyelets, sweatbands and undervisors all match the cap color.

  AVAILABLE COLORS: Pumpkin, Charcoal, Putty/White, Nantucket Red  and RealTree Camo

 SIZES:
Regular:  Pumpkin, Putty/White, Charcoal, Camo
 Small Fit:  Nantucket Red, Putty/White
XLarge:    Pumpkin

PRICE: $15
Buy 4 hats or more for only $10 each.
Domestic shipping included. 
(Shipping overseas is $7.50 for 1-3 hats and $10 for 4 or more.)

 Payable via check to: Fly Fishing Patagonia.   PO Box 201  Ivy, VA  22945

Have you ever wished you could do it ALL?

In one trip?

High volume dove hunting, Golden Dorado fishing, Sea Run Brown Trout fishing and resident Brown Trout fishing are 4 of the 7 trophy sporting opportunities Argentina is known for.   Our new combination allows you to combine these 4 prime sporting adventures into one trip, with minimal and easy traveling.

This trip will offer 4-5 star accommodations, exceptional guides, 11 days of exclusive fishing and shooting, all during a peak week for all 4 quarries.

The dates are Jan 22-Feb 4, 2012.  See the itinerary and call us for questions -or to get a reference with the guys that did this last year!!!

Call or email us, 888.486.8972

Don’t know which week or lodge to pick?   We do.   Just ask.

Far End Rivers Lodge, Irigoyen
Jan 7-14    4 rods

Las Buitreras Lodge, Rio Gallegos
Jan 28-Feb 4     6 rods
Feb 4-11            4 rods
Feb 18-25         4 rods
Mar 3-10           4 rods
Mar 10-17         4 rods  
Mar 17-24         6 rods
Mar 24- Apr 3   4 rods  (combo with Jurassic Lake!))

Maria Behety Lodge, Rio Grande   
Jan 14-21            2 rods
Jan 21-28           3 rods
Feb 11-18           3 rods
Mar 03 – 10       8 rods
Mar 10 – 17       6 rods
Mar 17 – 24       6 rods
Mar 24-31          12 rods

La Villa Maria Behety:
Mar 10-17          1 rod
Mar 24-31          3 rods

Kau Tapen Lodge, Rio Grande
Jan 7-14            6 rods
Jan 14-21          6 rods  
Jan 28-Feb 4     1 rods
Feb 4-11           4 rods
Feb 11-18         6 rods
Feb 25-Mar 3     4 rods  (maybe 2)
Mar 3-10           4 rods
Mar 10-17          3 rods
Mar 17-24          10 rods 

Bella Vista Lodge, Rio Gallegos          
Jan 14-21          2 rods (maybe 4)
Jan 21-28          4 rods
Jan 28-Feb 4     6 rods
Feb 4-11           2 rods
Feb 11-18         4 rods
Feb 18-25         6 rods
Mar 3-10           2 rods
Mar 10-17          2 rods
Mar 17-24        6 rods

 Despedida Lodge, Rio Grande
Jan 14-21           2 rods
Jan 21-28           1 rod
Feb 11-18           3 rods
Mar 10-17         6 rods

If you are serious about some serious fishing, don’t wait, these dates chance daily.  Contact us today to lock in your week.

Jardines de La Reina, July 1-9, 2011

 I and 3 anglers meet in the Cancun Airport at noon and were given all our important paper work by an Avalon representative.  Our flight to Havana was on an early 1970’s Russian yak42 jet. Once you climb aboard that relic you realize your adventure has begun. The plane was heavy with small seats, everything was worn down and dented, but the guts worked just fine.  Strangely enough, the plane taking off gained altitude slower than a hot air balloon, but it also landed softly like one.  We were served rum and coke and all was smooth flying.  Upon arrival into Havana we collected our luggage and headed out to meet Ruxandra, the lovely young lady who would welcome us into Cuba.  She gave us all the instructions for checking into our hotel, getting around the city, money exchange and what time to be in the lobby to catch the bus to Port Jucaro. We found a private restaurant where we dinned on a quiet rooftop. The food and service were great and the price was right. We had the whole day to kick around Havana so we saw museums, the harbor fort, had lunch in the cathedral plaza and just enjoyed the city. That night we found another private restaurant on the water.

While staying in Havana, visitors should be aware that everything is expensive and they should bring twice the money as they expect to need.  Also, although Cubans are friendly people they will proposition you for either a taxi ride, a restaurant recommendation or just ask you for money.  

Our hotel was nice, great lobby and bar and breakfast was fairly good too. Exchanging money inside the hotel was also expensive and there was always a line.     

On Saturday July 1, we meet in the lobby at 4am and hopped on a bus to Jucaro Port located on the south central coast.  From there we took a boat taxi 48 miles out to La Tortuga, which was to be our home for the next 6 nights.  La Tortuga is a renovated old barge which is permanently and securely anchored in a quiet cove in Jardines de la Riena. This week we would fish the majority of this 160 kilometer archipelago. We shared the boat with a couple from the Cayman Islands and with a group of 7 young fishing professionals from Argentina.  They all represented or worked for the Argentine tackle company, Tech, which makes their own rods and distributes tackle. One of the members of their pro staff had guided my fishing partner, David and me on the Rio Gallegos only months before.  I couldn’t believe it when I saw him greeting David on the bus at 4am.  Each one of these Argies brought more fishing tackle and was a bigger fishing freak than the next guy.  

After a long waited lunch of shrimp, rice and mangos, we met our guides Leo and Yanquel and headed out fishing for a couple hours.

Our first night at La Tortuga we had mojitos, red wine, lobster, curried chicken and rice and 3 different salads. 

On Sunday it was cloudy and David and I only caught 2 bonefish each. Leo made it quite clear that he disapproved of our bonefish flies.  He preferred flies that were lighter and had rubber legs.  Or course I didn’t have any and Leo had about 3 of them.

After lunch we went out looking for tarpon in the rougher shore line.  We saw a few but with the poor light conditions we only saw them when it was too late.  

Monday, July 4 started out hot and sunny.  Leo stopped at a chosen flat and we spotted some bonefish tailing in the distance.  We decided to pursue them on foot but weren’t able to connect.  When we moved to another spot our luck changed.  We happened on a flat with a school of 300-400 bonefish.  It was like nothing I’d seen before and even Leo thought it was a huge school.   There we connected on some fish. 

But I was done with bones and wanted to find a tarpon. We cruised a shore line but our guide did not have much confidence we were going to find much.  However, way in the distance I saw a big, black fin. Leo and David finally saw it and as we moved closer we could tell it was a 100-120 pound female with 3 20-40 pound males moving pretty slowly. My first cast was too short and my second was too long.  Done.  They wanted nothing to do with us.  I sat down too discussed to speak and temporarily forgetting that this was only fishing not Russian roulette.
That night for dinner we had king fish and a big snapper the Argentines caught of the back deck of La Tortuga the night before.   After a piece of Cuban sugar cake, we cast to a small tarpon that was hanging around our boat.  I gave up but an hour later cheers rang out from the back deck.  One of those guys finally caught him.

Tuesday, July 5, was so cloudy that we couldn’t see anything on the flats and were becoming impatient.  Leo had some sardines in the cooler he wanted to use for trolling so we said what the hell. We caught a few acrobatic Barracuda and then I caught the strangest, most unlikely fish, a Remora or sharksucker.  Yes, that long skinny fish you sometimes see stuck to a shark.  While I wasn’t fishing and just waiting for David to pull in his Barracuda I had the bait dangling 30 feet down off the boat and this remora grabbed it.  He was beautiful and made my day.     

On Wednesday the weather wasn’t cooperating so we did not apply much effort until the clouds broke for a couple hours.  We waded a shore line with small breakers looking for permit.  To find one in and keep track of it in the surf was compounding the challenge.   The two anglers from our small group did pretty well with a couple tarpon and some bonefish each. It poured down rain practically all night long.

On Thursday there was no improvement to the weather other than it had stopped raining. So we pulled out from La Tortuga not really having a game plan because we knew it would be bloody hard to find fish unless they were tailing.  Between out running storms, we did find a few tails, one from a tarpon which wouldn’t eat and the others from bones who thankfully did.     

Friday was our last full day and our best. We headed to Boca Grande which is a wide channel between the last islands on the west end of the archipelago.  On the way out we came upon a big nesting site of Frigate birds and their young.  It was rare to see a bird who spends 90% of it’s life airborne resting on tree branches.  The skies were partly cloudy and we saw many pods of tarpon amongst the mangrove lagoons.  We chased those a bit then moved off into the real Boca Grande channel.  About 4 skiffs from La Tortuga made the trek out there and we all sat about 200 yards off a shoreline hoping for pods a big tarpon to come by.  It was a crap shot and gave up after an hour of sitting there.  We had lunch on a beach and were visited by a “utria”, which is a cross between a beaver, nutria, raccoon and rat.  They showed no fear and meandered around within arms reach eating our scraps.  Iguanas and curlytails also joined the picnic.  In the afternoon we landed a few baby tarpon. We lost one that was around 20lbs and another that was near 50.          

Saturday, July 8, was our last morning of fishing.  David decided to hang back at the boat so it was just Leo and me.  We left at sunrise and because it was sure to be a sunny morning we used the first hour to look for tarpon and the other 2 hours to look for bonefish nearby.  No tarpon, but we saw a few small pods of bonefish but mostly the occasional solo bone.   The flat was particularly shallow so when we spotted one, we had to wade.  Neither of us could see them unless they were tailing or on top of us.   It was a beautiful morning though and one bonefish was enough.

We got the call on the radio that it was time to go.  Back on La Tortuga we packed up, took the long water taxi to Jucaro port and then rode the bus back to our Havana hotel. That evening we had the best meal I’d had in a long at a restaurant one block away from the hotel, grilled octopus with paprika and marinated, slow grilled lamb shoulder.

We had chosen this week for a variety of reasons but felt comfortable with the dates because it was still during high season but also before the rainy season. We just had some bad luck with the weather.

The 4 of us concluded that although we did not catch the number of fish we hoped, we saw plenty of fish and thought the whole Cuban experience was well worth the trip.  In fact we all had intentions to return.  But even before I arrived, I knew I wanted my next trip to be on the La Perola yacht for one week and combine that with a week at Cayo Largo, all in April.   That trip is scheduled to depart April 13^th.   And you are welcome to join!    Check out our detailed itinerary!

Isla de Juventude, Cuba – June 24-July 1, 2011
By: Oscar Dono, Fly Fishing Patagonia

June finally arrived and with it my annual pilgrimage to Cuba with 5 anglers from Buenas Aires, Ricardo, Diego, Miquel, Nico and Juan. These are all guys I’ve hunted and fishing with for years, mostly in Argentina.  This year we returned to the yacht, La Perola, fishing the Archipelago de los Canarreos, which are a sting of keys to the east of Isla de Juventude, off Cuba’s souther cost.  This will be our third trip on the boat so we know what to expect.

After landing in Havana on Friday morning and being giving our hotel vouchers by the Avalon representative, we headed to our hotel and then out to get a few mojitos.

We all know Habana fairly well and did not feel the need to tour the city again.  But for anyone’s first trip it’s certainly worth seeing.  Cuba is a world of its own, stationed in time, with cars from the 50’s and buildings and cathedrals from the 1600’s.  The classic neighborhood, Habana Vieja was declared a world heritage site by the UNESCO.  Despite being run down, it’s about the safest big city in the world.

Our routine is going to a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the ocean.  We begin with classic cuba cocktails and dishes like calamari and ceviche.  Then we head to the cigar museum in the craft market, which is a small house that sells the best cigars in the city.  They know us well, as each of us buys enough for the week on the boat and to last him the rest of the year.  This is a long endeavor because we taste new cigars and drink more mojitos all while enjoying the good vibe of this spectacular place.  After a long siesta at the hotel, we head down to Ernest Hemingway’s old hang out, La Floridita for more fish, rice, mojitos and cigar smoking.

The next moring we could sleep in as the 30 minute flight to Isla de Juventude departed Havana at 2pm.  Upon arrival we are met again and shuttled 10 minutes to La Perola, where we saw Manuel, our impeccable Spanish captain. By the time we had all settled into our rooms, La Perola had left the harbor and was headed for the first set of keys. We would have been more excited had it not been for the rainy tropical storm that put a stop to any hopes of fishing that afternoon. So we set up our rods, drank cocktails and had an early dinner.

Fishing on Sunday made up for lost time, we had south winds and clouds but nothing that severe enough to diminished our fishing. The 6 of us caught bonefish, barracudas, a nice Pargo and we landed 16 tarpon, 80lbs being the largest.  One boat saw a group of 6 permit in a very unlikely place and by the time they could cast, the permit were gone.  My most exciting moment was when I hooked into an 80lbs tarpon that ended up throwing the hook at about 175 meters out. As I was recollecting the line and backing on the reel, ANOTHER tarpon hit the fly!  That one I landed!

The next day our boat ran into a school of Jacks about 8 pounds. We casted flies and lures at them and they were very willing to entertain us.  After we landed about 6 Jack and a big Baracuda on a lure, we moved to a different key and cast to some bonefish. At the end of the day we headed off to a canal to see if we could find a tarpon.  Nico and Mike were already there watching a big school of rolling baby tarpon.  All 4 of us were landing and losing tarpon anywhere from 3 to 15 pounds.  It was a tarpon party, absolutely great stuff with a popper and an 8wt.

At the end of the day our 3 boats had landed about 30 tarpon with 50lbs being the largest.

On Tuesday La Perola was now in Cayo Rosario, an excellent place to find permit, and I had decided to dedicate my day to catching one. Our guide had seen plenty in weeks past but his anglers never got one to take.  So I decided to go as light as possible.  I rigged up a 7 wt with a 13ft leader and 15 pound tippet. We actually saw several that were far away until the guide saw one quite close following a ray.  I made the case like the text book says, just on top of the ray. Shortly after the fly hit I saw this fish open his mouth and close it.  He was hooked but didn’t really realize it, but when he did, I thought I was going to loose the line and backing.  We had to chase him with the boat and after 55 minutes I brought him in the boat. 20lb!!!  A 20 pound permit on a 7 wt with 15 pound tippet!  My day was complete and I was hoping Diego, my fishing buddy that day, would find one here as well.

We didn’t however, because our guided really wanted to go for a grand slam, so after a while we left for a nice bonefish flat.  We ended up spotting bonefish fairly quickly and I was able to land one before heading back to La Perola for lunch.

In the afternoon, the guide wanted to take me to a mangrove for baby tarpon, but I had had enough baby tarpon and convinced him to take us to the reef where there would be bigger fish.  It was there I lost one before landing one between 25 and 30 pounds.  Grand Slam complete! But it was early, so now he wanted to take me to a lagoon to look for snook, which are hard to find in Cayo Rosario.  However, the Sea Gods shinned on me this day and I landed a snook. Mission Accomplished, Super Grand Slam!!  That night on La Perola we celebrated like never before.  I found out later that this was the first super grand slam that they’ve had in this area since they started in 2003.

Wednesday morning was a little slow for everyone and we didn’t launch the boats until about 10am.  We had clear, sunny weather and our day was pretty darn good. We all caught tarpon and bones but the nicest catch was Diego’s 70 pound tarpon.

Thursday was our last full day and we all decided to go after permit.  By lunch no one had gotten one eat their fly so we decided to go after tarpon again.  Our biggest of the day was about the size that I landed yesterday.

Friday was our last day and we had only the morning to fish.  I went out with Richardo to target permit again. The day was perfect, light wind and sunny.  We got really excited when we saw a school of about 13-15 fish.  And they were eating!  However, we ended up with the same result, plenty of fish but no takers. We spent the entire morning chasing those fish.  Game over.

We caught up with La Perola at 1pm which was already on it’s way back to the port. By the time we all showered, the port on Isla de Juventude was coming into view ahead. With the boat docked we had our last meal aboard.  After lunch we said our good-byes and were taken off to the airport for our flight back to Havana where we spent one more night before heading back to Argentina.

I would say, even without my super grand slam, we had great fishing.  We seem to always have good fishing and when you combine that with being aboard a spectacular boat with a very professional crew, it’s a fantastic week.  It’s pretty much what we were expecting and why we wanted to return this year and why we’ll be back next year in April.  
Currently we have a few spaces left and you are welcome to join us.   Check out our detailed itinerary!

This is a report on our 2 months fishing all the Sea Run Brown lodges in Argentina this Feb, March and April, 2011.

Bella Vista Lodge, Rio Gallegos   -February

These were the toughest conditions the head guide, Gaston, had ever seen.  It was hot, the river was low and having no or little wind gave us a small margin of error.  Our go-to flies were nymphs with rubber legs and we used intermediate tips.  Between 6 rods, a couple 19-22lb Sea Trout and several in the 8-13lb range were released.  It was a very low fish numbers week, but the 18 inch resident browns in the Rio Gallegos broke the silence and kept you focused.   A visit to the Gallegos Chico spring creek greatly enhanced our experience.   In our opinion it’s one of the top 3 spring creeks in Patagonia.

One of the coolest experience happened to me while fishing Fernando’s pool.  My fly had just made it down to cover the honey hole when the glassy surface started to move. I could clearly see that Sea Runs had risen and began daisy chaining just under the surface.  They only did one complete circle.  And then only a few or perhaps two fish began moving off, out of the hole, cutting across the river, down from me.  They got about 25 feet off the shallow shore, did a ½ circle and disappeared. I was so excited just to see this that I was almost speechless… CORY!  I yelled to the guide, Did you just see that!?  Of course he didn’t and I was left questioning myself.  Did I hallucinate? Was it just a wind current scatting across the river surface?  No, No, No.  I’ve been fishing for long enough to distinguish fish from wind, rocks and logs.  The fact that Gaston had shown me 4 videos he shot of Sea Runs moving up the Rio Gallegos and then stopping and then Daisy Chaining! convinced me that what I saw was, in fact, that same behavior.  Check out this awesome footage!

The Rio Gallegos is such an intriguing river and my week at Bella Vista and then at Las Buitreras gave me a huge appreciation for the system and its Sea Trout population, which no one really knows much about.  The only thing that is certain is that it’s comparable to the population in the Rio Grande.

Far End Rivers Lodge, Rio Irigoyen   -March

Low water levels were wide spread through out Tierra del Fuego as well.  So our week on the Irigoyen was tough.  Again the guides said it was one of the toughest weeks they had every seen. But honestly, in such a fascinating place like that, I didn’t care.  Being amongst old growth Southern Beech trees covered in Spanish moss, a few wild bulls and horses and smelling the salty ocean air while you are casting to monster Sea Runs in a tiny river is nothing short of extraordinary.  Add in catching funky looking “sea bass” or Robalo and it’s down right exotic.

A personal plus for me was getting to fish with my old friend and guide Packet Green, a Bariloche native who I’d known since May of 1998.

Out of 6 rods, a couple big fish we lost and several smaller ones were landed and one record was landed.   The  highlight of the week were of course this Season record fish of 24 pounds caught by FFP angler, Kirk Johnson. The other major highlight was Kirk and his buddy, Brant Hasebe, landing a double in the same pool.  The photo of these two old friends holding their fish says it all.  Glory comes to those who persist. 

Las Buitreras Lodge, Rio Gallegos   -March 

By the time we hit Las Buitreras, the water levels had come back up on the Rio Gallegos, temperatures were normal and we had just the right amount of wind.  All 11 rods week caught fish and either made the 20lb club or barely missed it.

The Rio Gallegos is a longer, shallower river than the Rio Grande and therefore more technical. You have less fish in each run or pool and your presentation needs to be right. Luckily all the guides have been fishing the river for years and are top notch instructors.  One of our favorite aspects of Las Buitreras is that anglers get to fish will all the guides at least twice because only the anglers rotate.  Each guide stays on one beat all week and guests change beats each session.  This system benefits angles in two ways; it ensures that guides know exactly what is happening on his beat throughout the week and anglers inevitably learn something new from each guide.

Estancia Maria Behety Lodge, Rio Grande  -March

On our first morning fishing the Rio Grande at EMB, our guide Jiraro raised our hopes with the good news that water levels were pretty much back to normal and that they’d been catching more fish the past two weeks.  I don’t recall catching any fish our first morning, probably because we dilly dallied with lines and rods for an hour and I spend another hour drinking mate and chatting with Sanchez, the river watchman.  Also the guides want to adjust your cast and retrieve to how they like it.  By the afternoon we were in the Rio Grande rhythm and things started to happen.

All 12 rods caught fish and the constant west southwest winds certainly helped us.   There were 13 fish between 15 and 20 pounds and only one fish over 20 pounds. 

My most memorable day was fishing Nico’s pool.  After what seemed 15-20 minutes, I had lost a 22-24 pound fish which could very well have been snagged.  Then I landed an 18 pounder.  So I decided to goof off with a dry.  Diego our guide understood why, but had very little faith.  But it didn’t take long for me to raise a fish with an explosive strike. Of course I missed him (or he missed the fly), but it made me a believer in the uncommon practice of skating dry flies on the Rio Grande.

Kau Tapen Lodge, Rio Grande  -March

By the time we arrived at Kau Tapen, it turned cold, the mornings were frigid and it was threatening to rain. The first few days I was learning to cast a different rod and line.  On our second day the river became slightly off color but we still caught fish. One angler landed a 22 pounder.

It must have rained a good bit in the mountains because the river temperatures seemed to be dropping and fish were harder to find.  The river became a little more cloudy and contributed to our minimal success but it was mostly the water temperature.  Despite the adverse conditions I still landed some nice fish, one of 21 pounds.

I particularly enjoy fishing at Kau Tapen because the waters are smaller then down river, you have shorter casts and I think more control over your fly.  Also having the smaller Rio Menendez tributary available is a nice change from the Rio Grande.  I also like having more and higher cut banks and more structure and hills along the river corridor.

Most anglers would say they don’t need or even want the kind of luxury experience that Kau Tapen offers, but once dropped into it, they suck up every last drop, gleefully. 

It had rained on and off while we were there, but it wasn’t until the day I left that it really rained hard.

Estancia Villa Maria Lodge, Rio Grande  -April

When I pulled up to Villa Maria Lodge it was still raining, very cold and not the weather anyone likes to fish in.  But I stubbornly did anyway.  The river was blown and it wasn’t worth catching a cold. So we cut it short.  The following morning was no different so I opted to forgo fishing until conditions improved. Other anglers did go out and caught I think, one fish.  Since I had been fishing for several weeks straight I was just as happy to catch up on work. 

This is the same section of river that Maria Behety fishes only Villa Maria has fewer kilometers. With a maximum of 6 rods this works just fine.  As much as I enjoyed meeting all the anglers at the larger lodges, being at an intimate lodge certainly has its benefits.  There’s more of a relaxed family atmosphere at Villa Maria and it is perfect for a close group of anglers or even a family. 

I never got a good day of fishing at Villa Maria partly because of the conditions and partly because I was splitting the week up between there and Despedida Lodge.

Estancia Despedida, Rio Grande  -April  

Ah the beloved Despedida!  If one can’t feel comfortable here, they won’t feel comfortable at any lodge.  As they say, it’s a lodge designed by fisherman, for fisherman.  Here you are immediately amongst friends.  With a 6 rod maximum, it too is the perfect place for a small group of anglers or a family.

I knew the river would still be dark tea colored when I got there, but to my surprise it didn’t discourage Tomas the head guide.  Or maybe it’s just that nothing discourages Tomas, the guy has an endless supply of positive energy.  When you are casting into a dirty river and your feet are freezing, you need that extra enthusiasm.  The only angler at the lodge was a gentleman who comes every year solo for two weeks. When I left, the river was still blown out and he as headed to the McLennan tributary to fish.  I heard later that he did very well there which was not a surprise really. This is Despedida’s ace in the hole. Whenever the river blows out, Despedida is the only lodge with a clear water option, the mouth of the McLennan River.  Its here they can usually find several big fish per session. 

Like almost anywhere, you can’t predict conditions, but you can assume two things, the river will most likely be high until mid January and April tends to bring the rains. This year we had 3 anglers fishing well into April and we rightly put them in Despedida.  We choose lodges for our anglers depending on a lot of factors.   We certainly don’t have a personal favorite, nor even a top 3.  I just know that I want to go back every year and stay a long as possible.