When our close friend and owner of Sight Cast, Chris Yrazabal, announced that they had recently upgraded their accommodations to the much touted Acuarela Lodge, I saw my opportunity.
I also had the good fortune to be joined by my wife Mia, a first time salt water fly-fisher. So in late June we ditched the kids with grandma and boarded a plane for Caracas. After a quick overnight at a hotel near the airport, we made the 80 mile flight to El Grand Roque, the hub of the 22 mile long Los Roques archipelago. With 1500 inhabitants this place is tidy, peaceful and quaint. With the exception of two water trucks, there are no cars on the island, allowing happy locals and tourists to walk barefoot on sandy streets between brightly painted buildings. All and all the trip was fantastic and one of the most pleasant and productive salt water trips I have ever taken. The very first afternoon Mia was into fish on the famous Pancake flats. Needless to say, she broke off a few getting the hang of clearing her line but by the end of the afternoon she was 3 for 6 with several fish to five pounds. Not bad for her first ever afternoon on the flats!
What made the day even better was returning to Acuarela Lodge for cold Mohitos and appetizers. The lodge is extremely tasteful, has exceptional food and is very appropriate for non angling companions. All dinners featured four courses and showcased delicately prepared fresh seafoods. Irrespective of where you live, you would be hard pressed to drive to a finer restaurant. Each day we fished a different region and a wide variety of flats. Runs in the custom, soft top, super panga type boat varied from 20 to 55 minutes. While the seas were at time rather rough and we got soaked a few times, the boat was comfortable and safe. Once the flats were reached, all fishing was done on foot. Bottom types ranged from dense turtle grass to light marl, to white sands. We also walked some remarkable beaches where big bones were chasing minnows as though they were jacks. The fish averaged about four pounds and it was rare to go an hour without taking a shot. At times we would take dozens of shots an hour. There were large schools of small fish; small schools of large fish; singles, doubles and every other type of grouping imaginable. We cast to a fair number of fish in the 10 pound class and our largest landed fish was just shy of eight pounds. The best part of the trip for me was the fact that there were lots of tailing fish and they were definitely big enough and challenging enough to keep my interest. At times fat bonefish would be slithering around on their bellies in just a couple of inches of water. The sight of their lean angular fins glinting in the sun and long tails spraying water over the shallow grassy flats was so exciting that it almost assured a tangle in my running line! All and all, this trip is a real winner with a hard to beat combination of big fish, varied wade fishing venues, exceptional meals and accommodations, and a long season. Stays of varying length are welcomed.
I was met by our outfitter Marco and we took his new Ford Explorer for a three hour drive to the town of San Felipe and Tarpon Cay Lodge. San Felipe is a charming and quaint fishing village of about 2000 people and about just as many pink flamingos. When we arrived at the lodge we were welcomed by the warm salty air, the lodge staff and an enormous plate of fresh fish salad and rice. My room was quiet and spacious with one double bed and two twins leaving plenty of space for all of my fishing gear. The oscillating fans and air conditioning kept me cool while the rooftop veranda gave great views of the waters which reminded me that I was ready to find my tarpon.
The next morning I had breakfast and met my guide Chris. Chris was extremely professional, polite, and knowledgeable. He helped me get set up and we were off to find some rolling fish in the mangroves. The mangrove coastline holds baby Tarpon and Snook that love to eat a fly. The Tarpon range from 5 – 15lbs and are great sport on and 8wt with a floating line. During the majority of my first day the tide was pushing these fish into the mangroves so most of our fish came from the mouths of different channels and sometimes way up the channels. In one tight spot that we could only roll cast I jumped 3 and landed 1. Very small sabolito (small tarpon) but nice. As the day was ending and the light was fading we returned to a mangrove bay and started seeing lots of rolling fish that were eager to hop on our flies. Great baby tarpon fishing! After a few days in San Felipe we returned back to Cancun to fish out of Isla Blanca. Depending upon where you stay in Cancun the drive to the put in is anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour away. And well worth the drive! At the docs I met Edwin, my guide who had his panga ready to go. We had about a 20 minute boat ride to our first stop where we found rolling tarpon along the mangrove coast. Plenty of shots and no hook ups but sometimes that is the way the story goes. Next we hit the permit flats. We saw dozens of fish and again I had a number of shots but never closed the deal…bummer.
My next stop was Ascension Bay Bonefish Club. After the long dreaded three hour drive to Punta Allen I was happy to arrive at the Club. ‘That road’ is well known – but I have to say that it is so much better than before. They even have a new bridge at Boca Paila Lagoon that actually looks like it will hold up. ABBC has always been one of my favorite lodges in Mexico. They have great guides, intimate lodge setting, and wonderful flats to fish in Ascension Bay. I was greeted by Natalie and Aaron. They were delightful people who made us feel welcomed and got us excited about our upcoming days fishing at the lodge. Ascension Bay Bonefish Club is a small, private house on the edge town and close to the water. Bedrooms are large and airy, with overhead fans, and a full bathroom complete with hot-water. Screened windows provide views of the Caribbean and garden as well as cross ventilation. A combination lounging-dining room and its adjoining patio are the natural focal points of the lodge. One thing I love about the lodge is the fact that you have two guides per 23 foot panga who both work to find fish with you. My guides Manuel and Christian were professional and knew the waters well.
We were in the heart of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve that contains well over one million acres stretching along the beautiful Caribbean coast of eastern Mexico. Sian Ka'an ("birth of the sky" in Mayan) is the home of over 300 species of birds, and many rare or endangered species of land and aquatic animals such as the manatee and jaguar. Plus plenty of Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon, Snook and more. Fishing Ascension Bay always excites me as one minute you can be poling for permit (and seeing plenty) and the next you are wading in white sand flats for bonefish. I then moved on to Casa and Playa Blanca lodges. Casa Blanca is located on the southern tip of Ascension bay and close to some very productive flats. The fishing at Playa Blanca Lodge is also remarkable. You essentially have the Espiritu Santo Bay AND the Santa Rosa Lagoon to your self. The area is home to many permit, bonefish, and tarpon as well as big Snook. During my stay a young man landed a 25 lb permit, good size Snook, and about an 80 lb tarpon. I was unexpectedly surprise by my average size bonefish being in the 2 – 2.5 lb range. Most in the area are more like 1-2 lb fish. The 16 foot Dolphin skiffs are great to fish out of and very comfortable for the runs you make to the flats. The flats vary but one could spend time in and out of the boat if requested. The guides speak great English and have extensive guiding experience on the waters. Traveling back down to the Yucatan is always a treat and I really enjoyed the new friends I made along the way as well as seeing some familiar faces from my last trip. I continue to feel as if Mexico offers some of the best diversity in the saltwater world and is a great destination for advanced anglers looking for a grand slam and just as wonderful for those just starting their saltwater fishing carrier.
After a rather hideous flight schedule and delays we finally made it Toon Ken on the upper Rio Grande not far from the Chilean boarder. As far as setting and service were concerned, this place really impressed us. Our guides were also exceptional and during our first evening session we hooked nine fish and landed four. To our delight, they were all big with one over 20 pounds lost and several in the mid teens landed. Each day we fished a morning session and evening session separated by a big meaty gourmet lunch, red wine and hearty siesta. Some sessions were really tough and others were great and that seems to be the way of the Rio Grande; when the fish were on, we were all into them, when they were off we fished hard in vein. After three days we transferred to Villa Maria Lodge on the lower river. The water was low but there were lots of big fish around. During our three days there we all hooked fish over 20 pounds but landed none! During one session I had the good luck of landing a 17, 18, and 19 pound fish. Most of them jumped numerous times, some were hotter than pistols and we estimated that our average fish weighed in at about 13 pounds. By the end of our six days, the four of us had landed roughly 60 fish which was a slightly higher number than the number steaks and of bottles of red wine which we consumed!
For the majority of our trip, the wind was very reasonable and we were able to catch fish on skated dries, little nymphs swung on intermediate lines and big leeches. All and all it was a super trip made all the richer by seeing two very different and interesting sections of the river. The bird life and wildlife was also far more abundant than we had expected. We are currently holding the same week for our clients for next season (March 7-14, $5,795) and feel this is an exceptional venue as it really helps negate the risks of extremely high or extremely low water conditions. Next year the flights will all go in and out of Ushuaia which makes the prospect of returning far more appealing. Please free to call us if you have an interest in learning more about this remarkable region! Ken Morrish
On my latest trip to Argentina I was fortunate enough to share my experience with a talented and entertaining group of friends and anglers Stephen, Tom, Al, and Diane. We were on a two week trip that would start at Spring Creek Lodge in the San Martin region fishing the Collon Cura, Chimehuin, and the Malleo rivers. After that we would move south to meet Esquel outfitters to fish the Rio Rivadavia, Gualjaina, and the Rio Chubut.
We arrived into San Martin de los Andes to be met by my friend head guide at Spring Creek Lodge, Tuqui Viscarro. After our short drive to the lodge and quick stop to pick up our fishing licenses we had a beer in hand and we toured the lodge grounds which included a wonderful new hot tub complete with stunning views of Mt. Lanin. Things were starting out great. One memorable morning on the Chimehuin River, Tom and I cast to rising fish for what seemed to be hours. We had caught the inch worm fall the day prior and this just seemed like icing on the cake. It was not easy but that is what made it so fun. Tom is a great caster and was able to bring some nice rainbows to the net. On our last night at the lodge the owners Franky and his family and friends gave us a traditional asado complete with lamb, beef, salads, wine, and helado (Argentine ice cream). Spring Creek Lodge took great care of us all and we were sad to depart. Next we took a long, dusty, yet scenic drive to Bariloche to meet the Esquel outfitters guides who took us to our first nights lodging, El Trebol Lodge. It was so nice to return and see some familiar faces… Marcos, Yiya, and staff. We had a wonderful dinner with our guides and planned for upcoming days of fishing. Our guides Patricio, Richard, and Juancho were all very experienced and helpful and each day offered such a wonderful diversity of fishing. These guys did a spectacular job with our three day float trip on the Chubut. The Chubut is a river lined with mature willows that hold an endless number of fish. The dry fly fishing was spectacular with rainbows and browns eating hoppers, and caddis. I think Stephen and I caught over 100 fish one day. Each night we would float into camp and be greeted by our camp hosts, Marcos and Marcos. They had pre-set all the tents, cots, appetizers, beverages, shower, toilet, and had a fire ready to warm us for the cool Patagonia evenings. Dinners were magnificent with Argentina steaks, vegetables, local wines, booze, desserts, and coffee. The next day on the Gualjaina was a day I could not believe. We all landed numerous beautiful fish and missed some incredible fish as well. There is still one big rainbow I wish I would have landed. It was sitting under a few blades of grass in about 3 inches of water and ate my Quigley hopper as it drifted by him. Seconds later he turned into the bank and slid into the undercut bank unhooking my hopper on the way. It was a painful loss and I even tried it again a few hours later but was not successful. After that I continued up river and had what turned out to be a dream day catching 16-19 inch rainbows one after another. That day our trip ended with our guides singing to us while we enjoyed a final meal- complete with lamb, wine, and a celebration our wonderful time together.
For several years I have been haunted by photos and stories from anglers who had fished a place called Jurassic Lake. Located in the desolate heart of Argentina’s Patagonian steppe, the lake was reportedly loaded with football shaped wild rainbows that averaged 10-15lbs and were thought to top 30lbs. If this was true, I needed to know. Being an avid steelheader (i.e. a masochist), I also needed to know the truth about the Rio Santa Cruz and the world’s only established race of Atlantic Steelhead.
I knew full well that both of these trips worked well as a combined week, but to be honest, I was not brave enough to initiate this trip myself. That changed though when friend and client Ken Dayton committed to making the journey. I knew that hooking an Atlantic Steelhead on Southern Patagonia’s second largest river was going to be tough. As I reached out to Dave Mitchell and Dale Jessup to join in on our adventure, all I could promise them was massive glacial water, high winds and possibly an Atlantic Steelhead merit badge. And after three days of steelhead fishing I promised them a grueling drive into a barren lake that would forever change what they knew about fishing for trophy trout. As for the Rio Santa Cruz and the sprawling no-frills Estancia San Ramon, it was much as we had expected. The water was massive, semi featureless and an intriguing milky blue. The landscape was harsh, the winds strong and the steelhead were harder to come by than in previous seasons. During our three days my crew of four landed three, lost three and had roughly six other “pulls”. From the tentative elastic nature of the takes, the fish were clearly on the move and there just seemed to be very few of them around. Typically anglers catch 1-2 fish a day on the river with additional takes but for us that was not the case. Does that sound strangely familiar?As for the fish that we caught, they ran from 8-14 pounds, and they were bright, handsome and hard-fighting. While many of the guides encouraged that we retrieve or strip the fly during the swing, we chose not to and are happy to report that fishing the way we enjoy at home also works in Argentina. Lastly, while a massive river, the Rio Santa Cruz is an interesting place and there were several key runs that were laid out in such a way that you could really recognize and feel the potential. Is a week there too much? For most anglers I would say yes, but three days in March or April is just right especially when coupled with a sure thing like Jurassic Lake.
So, what is Jurassic Lake? In simple terms, it is the most prolific trophy rainbow fishery in the world and a tough place to get in and out of. The infamous and aptly named “Drive from Hell” takes 10.5 hours from the Rio Santa Cruz and 8.5 hours from Calafate. The last four hours of the drive are very intense 4x4 travel and provide a core workout that you will never forget. Measuring 20km by 20km the lake itself is like a massive inland ocean complete with a rocky shoreline, deep blue cuts, high winds and white caps. The lake has no outlet and a very small but important inlet where our camp is located. Fish spawn in this inlet throughout much of the year and great numbers of fish tend to congregate in an area about twice the size of a football field where the little inlet enters the lake. The last note of significance is that this lake has an overabundance of scuds and was first planted with rainbows less than 15 years ago. As a result, the growth curve has been exceedingly steep and the lake has not yet reached its carrying capacity. In simple terms what this means is that these are the good old days of Jurassic Lake and that things will in all likelihood, continue to improve (if that is possible) for an unknown number of years to come.So how good is it? Let me start by saying that we hit it under poor conditions, meaning that there was a brutal cold snap, complete with ice in the guides, multiple inches of snow, and temperatures so cold that the diesel jellified in the truck engines. Yet with that being the case what we experienced blew our minds and exceeded our expectations. We hammered fish that averaged 11-12 pounds and the vast majority of them were HOT! All of us landed at least 12-15 big fish a day and our top rod landed closer to 30 a day. In two days of fishing I was personally broken off twice on 15 pound Maxima (which I would have previously thought impossible), I snapped a #4 heavy wire hook in half, witnessed countless blistering runs, spectacular aerial displays, as well as a number of fish landed by our group that were in the 20 pound class. There were larger fish lost (some which I would bet beat 30 pounds), there were fish hooked while the spey casters swept into their D-loops, and throughout the days, sometimes as far as the eye could see, there were massive trout free jumping in the middle of the lake like sailfish. Everyone caught more than their fair share and for a driven angler, landing 300-500 pounds of truly wild rainbow trout a day would not be a problem. What made the trip for me were a few sessions where I was able to stand on the bank and sight cast to dark forms and nervous water and hook monstrous fish on a super short line in shallow water. I can still hear the mono snapping as those fish cart-wheeled away!
Given my love of small streams and any fish that go to sea, the call I received last fall seemed providence.
The message was from Alex Trochine, a young Argentine fishing guide I had met on the Rio Grande a few years prior. The note was brief and said he had found a small river south of the Rio Grande. It was intimate, interesting fishing, with decent numbers of sea-run browns and best of all they were BIG. Along with the note were a dozen images from their scouting trip in the fall of 2007. After reading the letter once or twice and then flipping through the photos once or twice (actually it was more like a dozen times), I knew this was a very special place that I needed to see.After a series of messages that bounced between Argentina and Iceland, where Alex and his twin brother Nico guide as well, we were able to set dates and come up with a plan. 2008 would be a full exploratory season on the Irigoyen and on March 1st – 8th I would lead the 5th group to get a shot at the system. All I had to do was find a few hearty souls who would follow me to the end of the world, quite literally, too see if the river was all that the initial report made it out to be.
After making a handful of calls my group was set. The small group of competent anglers would consist of Paul Martzowka, Cary Pugh, Andy Horowitz and me. We would all meet in D.C. on Thursday Feb. 27th. From there we would fly to Buenos Aries, Argentina and finally to Ushuaia, the southernmost town on the South American continent. In Ushuaia we would be met by a member of the Far End Rivers staff who would drive us three hours by four wheel drive to the end of a dirt track and the quaint Irigoyen Lodge.The lodge consists of a small refurbished rancher’s cabin for dining and sharing the days fishing tales as well as a new three bedroom guest cabin. The facilities were completed just hours before the first guests arrived in January. The dining cabin was complete with new furniture and satellite internet and each bedroom had new beds, storage shelves for gear, and on-demand hot water. The guides and co-managers, Alex and Nico Trochine, took great care of us on the water while the rest of the staff took care of us in typical Argentine style, serving us great meals, delicious wines, and a never ending supply of warm hospitality.
The river itself is just steps from the front door of the dining cabin and truth be told, it is as perfect a trout stream as I could imagine. Flowing 28 miles from source to sea, the river winds relentlessly through a forest of mossy Lenga trees. The river bed is small cobble, with grass banks, smooth runs, and countless deep pools created by downed trees and log jams. The nature of the river made all of the fishing quite interesting. All week long we swung small nymphs on single hand rods with floating lines on a virtually windless river. And the big question everyone wants to know is, did we find fish and were they big? The answer is yes we did and yes they were. We each landed good fish every day and by the end of the week we had hooked 58 and landed 39 sea-runs that averaged just over 10 pounds. Of these, three pushed the 20 pound mark. For the statistic conscious, this was to be compared with a earlier week where four anglers hooked over 120, but only landed 44 sea runs with the same average weight. I would say that our trip as well as the whole exploratory season was a great success. The river is a true winner and absolutely holds solid numbers of fish. Moreover the fish are big, with the largest of the season conservatively topping 24 pounds. In our opinion the Irigoyen may well win top honors as the smallest stream with the largest trout on the South American continent. And as a topper the river is absolutely beautiful and completely private. Needless to say we are looking forward to the system's future and all that it will bring!
Having known, fished with and promoted Mark Kniprath for many years (as a long time pilot guide for No-See-Um Lodge and owner of Chile’s only fly out operation Heart of the Andes) I was struck by the fact that Mark had sold his lodge near the Rio Baker and relocated to Chilean Tierra del Fuego. With aid of his float plane, Mark has long been the leader in Chilean exploratory fishing and the fact that he had given all that up for TDF was hard to understand. The one thing that we did know was that Mark knows what good fishing is and he (as well as some of his guides that we spoke to) felt that this was the best and most interesting fishing that had seen in the country. So in mid-February I packed my bags and made my sixth trip down to Chile for a closer look.
So what exactly did I find? Well, in short I found a place that I was not ready to leave. There were trees and lots of them. The wind was very reasonable and we saw condors, guanacos, rheas, beavers, and Magellan geese. There were small spring creeks and rivers with big resident brown trout and there were intimate wadeable lakes loaded with big cruising browns which would tail like bonefish. In all honesty in three days of fishing I never caught a single fish under 16 inches and I had fish upwards of 24 inches. In short, it was incredible!Is it sea run brown trout fishery? Well yes and no. Despite having access to 27 miles of the upper Rio Grande (where I did boil a great big sea-run) and several other adventuresome sea run venues, I really consider the fishery to be based on resident brown trout. Sea runs can figure into the equation (especially after February and through March) but they should be seen as a dessert option rather than the main entrée. Where this place really shines is for intermediate to experienced anglers who want to fish on foot and in complete solitude. If you have good walking legs and like big fish in smaller water all the better!
The lodge itself is simple and comfortable with food to match. Nothing fancy here but everything is solid and well thought through. Is the destination worth the long trip south on its own fishing merits? Absolutely and it also makes a great addition to a week on the better know Argentine side of the Rio Grande.
