As the season progresses and the weeks pass, the fishing continues to improve, with both catch numbers and average weight increasing. The average weight surpassed 10 lbs for the second consecutive week.
We were delighted to welcome back our old friend and host, John Bilotta. As always John brought a great group of anglers, including some regular visitors to Las Buitreras, some new friends, and even family members – his wife, Eileen, and daughter, Gabby. Both displayed an impressive talent for casting and angling, just like their father. This dynamic created a wonderful atmosphere around the lodge and it was a pleasure to witness so many happy and smiling faces.
The first morning was, as always, filled with excitement and anticipation. And per usual our guides arrived extra early to assist everyone with setting up their rods and selecting the best flies for the day based on the current conditions.
For the first half of the week, we enjoyed perfect fishing conditions, with the river rising to +5 cm from a previously low level of -30 cm. This welcomed push of water gave the river its characteristic “tea color,” originating from the Rubens River, one of the tributaries of the Río Gallegos. Our tactics included using floating heads with intermediate and Sink 3 polyleaders or full intermediate lines paired with sink 3 polyleaders, allowing us to fish deeper and adapt to the slightly higher water levels. The most effective flies in these conditions were the “Yellow Yummie” and other brightly colored marabou patterns, which worked well while the water retained its tint. As the river cleared, we switched to medium and large-sized nymphs (sizes 6 to 8), with our trusted “Conehead Marianne” proving to be a good option.
The weather remained fairly stable, with daytime temperatures ranging from 10 to 20 C and nighttime temperatures dropping to 7-10 C.
During the first morning of fishing, Las Buitreras regular Louis hooked a magnificent fish while covering “Little Corner” pool in Zone 2. Worth mentioning, he hooked it in the exact same spot where he landed his biggest sea trout (21 lbs) three years ago. After a short but intense fight—which included Louis taking an unexpected dip in the river – he successfully landed an incredible female sea trout weighing just over 20 lbs. What a way to kick off the week! Well done Louis.
Over the following days, unexpected upstream easterly winds made fishing more challenging, particularly in the lower zones. However, this provided anglers with the opportunity to target productive holding pools such as “Ochenta” and the legendary “Kitchen” pool.
During the first of two visits to the upper Kitchen area, our host John Bilotta had a surprise encounter. As he swung and gently stripped his chartreuse and black mini woolly bugger across the flow, his line suddenly stopped. A slow, deliberate nod of the rod tip showed that there was something on! The fish moved upstream, using its size and weight to test John’s gear. Line slowly peeled from the reel – a sign of a big sea trout – as the fish maneuvered across the pool. This was the time to stay calm, resisting the temptation to apply too much pressure on the small size 8 hook. After an extended battle that saw several violent outbursts of speed, and the characteristic and terrifying head shakes, John landed a pristine chrome hen fish measuring 94 cm in length with an impressive 60 cm girth – that’s what a real 23 lbs fish looks like! A well-deserved catch – great job, John!
While the elusive Patagonian sea trout remains our primary target, each week brings an impressive number of healthy brown trout. This week, we recorded 107 landed brown trout. Though these fish are often caught as a bycatch while targeting sea trout, they provide fantastic sport and can be specifically pursued using light 5 or 6-weight single-hand rods with a variety of nymphs and dry flies. Their voracious appetite means that “matching the hatch” is not always necessary – here you can fish your mouse fly or the big terrestrials that have been sitting in your box for a while.
As the week progressed, the river level gradually dropped to -5 cm while maintaining its perfect “tea color.” Wednesday proved lucky for longtime friends Jaimie and Tim M., who fished Zone 1 and 4, landing a total of six searuns between them. The highlight was Tim Morton’s spectacular 17 lb fresh hen from the well-known holding pool “Ochenta”.
By Thursday, conditions returned to normal with the wind shifting to its usual westerly direction, making for ideal fishing in the lower zones (2, 3, 4, and 5). This week we welcomed Tim Lada, a first-time visitor to Las Buitreras new to the art of Spey casting. He did a fantastic job and improved steadily day by day as he absorbed the info and tips from our guide team throughout the week. As the light faded and golden hour arrived, his guide selected a black marabou-dressed intruder pattern, instructing him to strip it slowly across the surface. He executed an accurate cast towards a fish that had been showing itself several times and was suddenly into something big. The fish took his intruder without hesitation. After a thrilling battle – including a massive jump where the fish cleared the water by over a meter – Tim successfully landed a thick, well-fed silver fish with an impressive kype. A true “fish of a lifetime” tipping the scale at 21 lbs!
As we conclude another fantastic week of sea trout fishing in Southern Patagonia, we are deeply grateful for the abundant and healthy fish population in this remarkable river. We are even more proud to share the magic of Las Buitreras every week with incredible people from around the world.
A special thank you to our good friend and host, John Bilotta, his wonderful group of anglers, and our dedicated team of guides and lodge staff.
Thank you for following our weekly reports – we can’t wait to see what the river has in store for us next week. Tight lines!
Stats of the week
Biggest sea-run brown trout landed: 23 lbs by John B. from USA
Top rod of the week: 23
Average size: 10,2 lbs
