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Some blogging from my recent trip to Argentina and Chile. Hope it's of interest.
One of the last great sea-trout rivers I was yet to explore was the Rio Gallegos. On my usual pilgrimage to S.America this year the door opened for a Gallegos visit, so here I am sat comfortably in the lodge after my first afternoon on the river.
The river is horrendously low but the fish are here. I arrived with a blazing hot sun and zero wind – hardly what is seen as perfect weather for sea-trout or any other freshwater fish for that matter. However, things change quickly in Patagonia and after settling into the beautiful lodge at Bella Vista and taking a short siesta I was awoken by the sound of rain clattering on my window and the wind howling through the surrounding shrubs. Now this was more like it! And the weather forecast is for more rain, which should really put the trip in good order for the week ahead. Time will tell.
On the day of arrival you are taken out for a little sampler, which is great to find your bearings and get your tackle ready for the following morning.
We started on Fernandos pool with Gaston as our guide, the head guide here at Bella Vista and larger than life character. The wind was well placed, whistling down river, which certainly helped my rusty casting. Gaston was soon looking over my shoulder and told me to straighten up my cast a little and start pulling the fly eratically. Sure enough the advice soon paid off and the very next cast resulted in a beautiful 7lbs sea-trout. Not a monster, but nice to open the account with.
The prospects for the week ahead look good and I will be blogging from the lodge as often as possible and then from TDF-Lodge the following week, so plenty to look forward to.
Day 2.
The Rio Gallegos is some 300km long and certainly one of the longest rivers here in Southern Patagonia, being significantly longer than the revered Rio Grande. However, much like the Rio Grande the Rio Gallegos is a very easy river for the fish to navigate and they can traverse along the system with little difficulty, even in extremely low water.
Bella Vista is located some 70km up from the estuary. However, the fish can make it here in 2-3 days without much water, and with most fish being main river spawners virtually all fish have to run through its reaches, unlike the Rio Grande where a significant proportion are lost to tributaries such as the Menendez. Today proved this point with both fish landed being extremely fresh, certainly being present in the system for less than a week, which is quite something under these low flows.
Morning of 2 day rose with a silent, sunny start to the day. The rain from the previous night was still draining off the rooftops, and the ground looked fairly saturated. Hopefully enough had landed further upriver where it really counts, as a deluge of water arriving directly on Bella Vista would do nothing to the river levels.
Some fantastic brown trout were caught throughout the day and the river itself has an amazing average of some 4lbs! They are fat and very healthy, with obvious reach feeding in the river.
As it transpired the rain did not lift the river level. However, we are ever hopeful as the rain can take over a day to arrive at Bella Vista. Also, another 20-30mm is forecasted for the next few days which would really transform our fishing.
The fishing is very tough in these low flows and long leaders and delicate presentations are called for. I managed to land a couple of sea-trout today, but both were small by Gallegos standards. Must try harder!
The food and hospitality at the lodge is truly fantastic, better could not be found or asked for. Indeed, the Bella Vista experience itself is superb, with a very homely feel to it all. This helps explain why people keep coming back year after year, even after experiencing, at times, what can only be described as tough fishing.
Let’s see what tomorrow brings. One thing is for sure it will be another enjoyable day.
Day 3.
The rain has arrived!! It is really howling this morning and the forecasted rain has really arrived in earnest. Sitting in the cosy, warm lodge the weather doesn’t really enthuse any angler to venture outside.
Weather forecasts don’t always pan-out, but when you are faced with a low river with fish stacking up in the lower reaches and in the estuary it really is a godsend when predictions come to fruition. Again, it may take over a day to actually hit us and we may have to resort to larger flies for the first day or so, but I’m sure that it will be worth it. Time will tell.
The guides here are fantastic, constantly working away to secure good fishing. They are always there when needed but not constantly nagging in your ear, which is a positive trait for any guide. They are always smiling, always enthusiastic and always expecting fish, which certainly keeps us anglers going. There’s a team of 3 here at the moment, Gaston, the head guide, then Nacho and Corrie his understudies. You rotate between then guides over the course of the week, which is great, as each guide brings something new to the table.
The morning fishing session proved eventful with Mr.Pfeifer landing a beautiful 8lb’er, which gave a fantastic account for itself. It was an early run fish, as such, it had already turned, but these colourations give a new beauty to the fish, totally different to the fresh run torpedoes. I then latched into a decent fish on a temple dog, that just continued to run upstream and finally threw the hook, much to my bemusement! The rest of the session was left chasing brown-trout, most of which were certainly in the 2-3lbs bracket and gave a great battle even on the heavier 13ft rods.
The evening session was very quiet. We saw some fish role, but nothing was touched, sadly. The night came in cold and we continued to fish until gone 11pm. Alas, with nothing but brown-trout to show for our efforts.
Are the fish sensing some rain? The barometer is very inconsistent, so this may be the case. We had literally an inch rise over the course of the day, but the ground is still very saturated so hope is held for the third day.
Day 3.
“The Fishermans River”
The Gallegos is nicknamed ‘the fishermans river’. With two unproductive days I started to believe this was an ironic label. However, day three gave me an insight into this nickname and greater understanding of why anglers keep returning and why I would want to return in the future.
Let’s not beat around the bush here, it’s not an easy river, it’s technical, especially so in lower flows. The brown-trout provide fantastic sport in between the sea-trout and I can honestly say that they are the hardest fighting brown-trout I have come across. The sea-trout are not here in huge number like the Grande, but what are present are quality rather than quantity, and I’m fine with that.
Given higher water I’m certain that the fishing could be prolific. And we are currently seeing a good rise in the river level so hopefully we get to test and savour this theory. It will be nice to try some deep down and dirty tactics too with some big llech patterns as opposed to 20ft leaders with small nymphs, which are called for in these low, clear flows with ultra spooky sea-trout.
The fish average a staggering 13lbs on the Gallegos, which is quite something. Again, come here for quality not quantity. Expect 0-3 fish a day in the low flows, but when you do get one chances are it will be a fish of a lifetime.
Today gave me the insight and persuasion I was waiting for. A fantastic hen of 18lbs in the
morning session and a beautiful hen of 13lbs in the afternoon session. What a day! Immense fighters, just full of vigour. Not fresh from the sea, but certainly within the last 4-6 weeks so still carrying a silver hue. Now I understand the label of the fisherman’s river...
Combine the fish with the asado (traditional Argentine barbecue) that we had today that has certainly done nothing for my ever expanding waistline and very few fishing days in memory are more memorable.
One of the last great sea-trout rivers I was yet to explore was the Rio Gallegos. On my usual pilgrimage to S.America this year the door opened for a Gallegos visit, so here I am sat comfortably in the lodge after my first afternoon on the river.
The river is horrendously low but the fish are here. I arrived with a blazing hot sun and zero wind – hardly what is seen as perfect weather for sea-trout or any other freshwater fish for that matter. However, things change quickly in Patagonia and after settling into the beautiful lodge at Bella Vista and taking a short siesta I was awoken by the sound of rain clattering on my window and the wind howling through the surrounding shrubs. Now this was more like it! And the weather forecast is for more rain, which should really put the trip in good order for the week ahead. Time will tell.
On the day of arrival you are taken out for a little sampler, which is great to find your bearings and get your tackle ready for the following morning.
We started on Fernandos pool with Gaston as our guide, the head guide here at Bella Vista and larger than life character. The wind was well placed, whistling down river, which certainly helped my rusty casting. Gaston was soon looking over my shoulder and told me to straighten up my cast a little and start pulling the fly eratically. Sure enough the advice soon paid off and the very next cast resulted in a beautiful 7lbs sea-trout. Not a monster, but nice to open the account with.
The prospects for the week ahead look good and I will be blogging from the lodge as often as possible and then from TDF-Lodge the following week, so plenty to look forward to.
Day 2.
The Rio Gallegos is some 300km long and certainly one of the longest rivers here in Southern Patagonia, being significantly longer than the revered Rio Grande. However, much like the Rio Grande the Rio Gallegos is a very easy river for the fish to navigate and they can traverse along the system with little difficulty, even in extremely low water.
Bella Vista is located some 70km up from the estuary. However, the fish can make it here in 2-3 days without much water, and with most fish being main river spawners virtually all fish have to run through its reaches, unlike the Rio Grande where a significant proportion are lost to tributaries such as the Menendez. Today proved this point with both fish landed being extremely fresh, certainly being present in the system for less than a week, which is quite something under these low flows.
Morning of 2 day rose with a silent, sunny start to the day. The rain from the previous night was still draining off the rooftops, and the ground looked fairly saturated. Hopefully enough had landed further upriver where it really counts, as a deluge of water arriving directly on Bella Vista would do nothing to the river levels.
Some fantastic brown trout were caught throughout the day and the river itself has an amazing average of some 4lbs! They are fat and very healthy, with obvious reach feeding in the river.
As it transpired the rain did not lift the river level. However, we are ever hopeful as the rain can take over a day to arrive at Bella Vista. Also, another 20-30mm is forecasted for the next few days which would really transform our fishing.
The fishing is very tough in these low flows and long leaders and delicate presentations are called for. I managed to land a couple of sea-trout today, but both were small by Gallegos standards. Must try harder!
The food and hospitality at the lodge is truly fantastic, better could not be found or asked for. Indeed, the Bella Vista experience itself is superb, with a very homely feel to it all. This helps explain why people keep coming back year after year, even after experiencing, at times, what can only be described as tough fishing.
Let’s see what tomorrow brings. One thing is for sure it will be another enjoyable day.
Day 3.
The rain has arrived!! It is really howling this morning and the forecasted rain has really arrived in earnest. Sitting in the cosy, warm lodge the weather doesn’t really enthuse any angler to venture outside.
Weather forecasts don’t always pan-out, but when you are faced with a low river with fish stacking up in the lower reaches and in the estuary it really is a godsend when predictions come to fruition. Again, it may take over a day to actually hit us and we may have to resort to larger flies for the first day or so, but I’m sure that it will be worth it. Time will tell.
The guides here are fantastic, constantly working away to secure good fishing. They are always there when needed but not constantly nagging in your ear, which is a positive trait for any guide. They are always smiling, always enthusiastic and always expecting fish, which certainly keeps us anglers going. There’s a team of 3 here at the moment, Gaston, the head guide, then Nacho and Corrie his understudies. You rotate between then guides over the course of the week, which is great, as each guide brings something new to the table.
The morning fishing session proved eventful with Mr.Pfeifer landing a beautiful 8lb’er, which gave a fantastic account for itself. It was an early run fish, as such, it had already turned, but these colourations give a new beauty to the fish, totally different to the fresh run torpedoes. I then latched into a decent fish on a temple dog, that just continued to run upstream and finally threw the hook, much to my bemusement! The rest of the session was left chasing brown-trout, most of which were certainly in the 2-3lbs bracket and gave a great battle even on the heavier 13ft rods.
The evening session was very quiet. We saw some fish role, but nothing was touched, sadly. The night came in cold and we continued to fish until gone 11pm. Alas, with nothing but brown-trout to show for our efforts.
Are the fish sensing some rain? The barometer is very inconsistent, so this may be the case. We had literally an inch rise over the course of the day, but the ground is still very saturated so hope is held for the third day.
Day 3.
“The Fishermans River”
The Gallegos is nicknamed ‘the fishermans river’. With two unproductive days I started to believe this was an ironic label. However, day three gave me an insight into this nickname and greater understanding of why anglers keep returning and why I would want to return in the future.
Let’s not beat around the bush here, it’s not an easy river, it’s technical, especially so in lower flows. The brown-trout provide fantastic sport in between the sea-trout and I can honestly say that they are the hardest fighting brown-trout I have come across. The sea-trout are not here in huge number like the Grande, but what are present are quality rather than quantity, and I’m fine with that.
Given higher water I’m certain that the fishing could be prolific. And we are currently seeing a good rise in the river level so hopefully we get to test and savour this theory. It will be nice to try some deep down and dirty tactics too with some big llech patterns as opposed to 20ft leaders with small nymphs, which are called for in these low, clear flows with ultra spooky sea-trout.
The fish average a staggering 13lbs on the Gallegos, which is quite something. Again, come here for quality not quantity. Expect 0-3 fish a day in the low flows, but when you do get one chances are it will be a fish of a lifetime.
Today gave me the insight and persuasion I was waiting for. A fantastic hen of 18lbs in the
morning session and a beautiful hen of 13lbs in the afternoon session. What a day! Immense fighters, just full of vigour. Not fresh from the sea, but certainly within the last 4-6 weeks so still carrying a silver hue. Now I understand the label of the fisherman’s river...
Combine the fish with the asado (traditional Argentine barbecue) that we had today that has certainly done nothing for my ever expanding waistline and very few fishing days in memory are more memorable.
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