SEA RUN BROWN: Argentina - Tierra del Fuego

Far End Rivers Lodge is the epitome of an exotic fishing adventure.  We loved our stay in 2011 and will be back!

On the remote, 45,000-acre Maria Luisa Ranch, 180 kilometers south of Rio Grande, Far Ends Rivers Lodge sits within the Southern Beech forests of Tierra del Fuego, over looking the Irigoyen River.  The fishing lodge is a log cabin facility that can accommodate 7 guests in 4 double rooms all with private baths.  It has what the international angler expects such as electricity, heating, telephone, and satellite Internet (although connectivity is irregular).  Guests also enjoy some outstanding cuisine from a professional chef.  The Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the Irigoyen River are only a short walk away.

From Buenos Aires, anglers will fly 4 hours to Ushuaia and be driven 3 hours (150 miles) to the lodge.  Almost half the trip is on dirt and some places are quiet bumpy.

Fishing at Far End Rivers Lodge
The Irigoyen River is the main river that Far End Rivers Lodge fishes, however, the Malenguena River can be an option for smaller Sea Run Brown Trout.   The Irigoyen is about 30 yards across and winds through the valley floor through forests and grasslands.  The Andean foot hills and forests protect the valley from the strong austral winds.  The narrower width and minimal winds allow the angler to use single handed and lighter weight rods.  We do recommend however, anglers use a fast or stiff rod as you may need to steer these bruisers away from submerged logs.

The average size Sea Run Brown Trout in the Irigoyen River is around 9 pounds, however, fish as large as 28 pounds have been caught.  The average catch per rod per day is 2.5 fish in the 10-20lb class.  However, come March, the  catch rate goes up to about 12 fish per day with a large number of smaller Sea Runs infiltrating the river.  During March, the Irigoyen is undoubtedly the most action packed Sea Run Brown Trout river in Tierra del Fuego.   Although the Rio Grande, 80 km to the north, holds all the records, the Irigoyen offers diverse fishing situations rather than the traditional quarter downstream cast, swing, step, repeat routine.  With eddies, logs, riffles, cut banks and pools, the Irigoyen River lets the angler high-stick a hole or riffle and cast upstream to an eddy line or log jam.  To shake things up, anglers can even head up stream to cast stimulators at 18″ resident Brown Trout .  The bilingual Argentina fishing guides at Far End Rivers have years of experience fishing the Sea Run Browns of the Irigoyen River and will prove invaluable to your success on this technical river and fascinating river.

Far End Rivers Lodge allows only 6 rods per day on the Irigoyen River and with multiple and expansive beats, it’s not likely a pair of anglers will see the other guests from the lodge on any given day.

We recommend anglers bring an a stiff 8-9 wt rod for the Sea Runs and a  5 or 6 wt rod for the smaller Sea Runs and resident Browns which provide great entertainment in between catching bigger fish.

Since it is impossible to drive to the beats, the lodge utilized amphibian All Terrain Vehicles called Argos.  The 6 wheel ATV is used to drive across gravel beaches, bogs and float/drive across river channels.  The actual wading is relatively easy however.

The daily fishing routine is composed of morning and evening sessions with lunch and siesta at the lodge mid day and dinner served around 11:30pm.

The season is Nov – April with peak time being early February to late March.  Optional fishing for robalo (Falkland Mullet) can be had during in coming or high tide.  These brown skinny bottom feeders won’t win any beauty contest but are a blast to catch.  They are one more reason that Far End Rivers Lodge is the perfect option for anyone looking for a unique and varied experience.

The lodge fills up quickly so advance booking is recommended.  Contact us for real-time availability.