Welcome to week report Nr 4 from Las Buitreras!
This week, we welcomed guests from Sweden, the UK, the USA, France, and Norway, including a couple of guys testing out potential new fly lines for Solid Tackle.
The week began with the river level at -20 cm, which is considered normal for this time of year. As is usual in these water conditions, a stealthier approach was adopted, where we mainly fished full floating lines or floating heads with intermediate heads. Slightly longer leaders were recommended but we try to stick with leaders no thinner than in the 0.30 to 0.33 mm range. For our low-water setups, we used bead head nymphs in sizes 8-10, along with salmon doubles in sizes 12-14. During golden hour, we switched to small-to-medium-sized leeches in sizes 4-8, as well as the ever-reliable Sunray Shadow, measuring 6-9 cm in length.
A small rise in water levels on Monday helped maintain excellent fishing conditions, giving the river a slight tea-colored tint. This allowed us to increase fly sizes on cloudy days with lower light levels, incorporating mini woolly buggers, girdle bugs, and size 6 nymphs. We also observed an increase in our annual sea lamprey run – an encouraging sign of the Rio Gallegos’ healthy ecosystem. Many guests reported frequent sightings of these lampreys in various pools. Interestingly, sea trout despise them and are often seen aggressively chasing them around the holding pools at sunset, making them more susceptible to long Sunray Shadows or snake flies.
Alistair from the UK wasted no time on the first day, landing a 10 lb sea trout in one of our favorite pools, “Little Corner,” within minutes of getting started. Later that day, he added two more fish from Barranca Blanca in Zone 5. His fishing partner, Oyvind from Norway, also got on the board with a fish from Barranca Negra. Meanwhile, in Zone 4, our longtime friend Chris T from the USA scored a hat trick, with his largest catch being a stunning, chrome-bright 17 lb hen. His fishing partner, David B, also from the USA, landed three fish, the biggest weighing in at a solid 14 lb.
Day two saw continued success, with Chris landing two more fish, the largest just over 10 lb. Not to be outdone, fellow American Chris W. struck silver with a spectacular 16 lb male from “Cogedero”, a pool known for producing big fish on a regular basis. Chris had felt two gentle takes in the upper part of the pool and decided to back up for another try with a bigger fly, a tactic that worked out perfectly. His wife Kara had a memorable moment in Zollers run. Kara was covering the pool to perfection when she suddenly hooked into something solid. Moments later a beautiful, chrome colored 14 lb fish went straight up in the air and the fight was on. The fish jumped several times and gave Kara a great fight in the faster current. Kara eventually managed to guide the fish over the scary weed bank that has been the demise of many potential PBs in this pool and land her biggest seatrout so far. Well done Kara.
Day three brought an unforgettable moment for our French team, Jean-Luc and Jean-Etienne, who experienced a “double hook-up” in Little Corner in Zone 2. It was incredible to see them coordinating this, running back and forth in the pool, before managing to guide both fish in the net. The fish were both fresh and weighed in at 15 and 17 lbs. A moment to remember for Team Jean! The duo continued with Jean-Etienne landing two more from the same pool, the best weighing in at 12lbs, and Jean-Luc adding another from Barranca Blanca in the next session.
Day four turned out to be a memorable one for Alistair. Fishing in “Cogedero pool,” he connected with a very aggressive 15 lb sea trout, which took the fly at full speed, ripping the line out of his hands, something seatrout are famous for. After a successful landing and release, Alistair moved on to hook an even angrier 19 lb male who put up an incredible fight. The fish put on a real airshow, jumping several times in an attempt to spit the hook. Each jump was followed by a deep run and aggressive head shakes, the stuff that gets your heart rate up to well above healthy levels. However, his patience and skill won the battle, landing the fish after a thrilling 20-minute fight. Well done Alistair! Oyvind also had a successful session, securing two fish, the largest weighing 13 lb from Lower Island Stream.
Day five was also productive, with Annakarin landing a fantastic double with a 12 lb and 13 lb fish. Tomas had a fantastic time in Zone 1, catching two chrome-bright sea trout of 17 lb and 15 lb from “C Pool” and “Turning Bank”. Both Tomas and his wife Petra were happy to escape the Swedish winter for a while and join us down here at Las Buitreras. Jean-Etienne continued his fish streak by landing a 16 lb and 12 lb fish in Turning Bank and 75.
The final day of the week saw more fish being landed in most zones. Tomas finished the week off with another 15 lb seatrout from Little Corner, caught on a rubber leg nymph pattern, and Petra had her highlight during the last session of the week when she hooked into and landed a beautiful 13 lb fish in Barranca Blanca.
To sum it all up, this was another great week with good fishing and tremendous people. With a full catchbook and an average weight of over 10 lbs, we are curious to see what next week brings. As the water level continues to be on the lower side we’re hoping for some rains in the mountains and cooler temperatures to help keep the fish active. Thank you all for reading and stay tuned for week report Nr. 5.
Stats of the week
Biggest sea-run brown trout landed: 19 lbs by Alistair R. from UK
Fish over 10 lbs: 32
Fish over 15 lbs: 10
Average size: 10,1 lbs
