This week, we had the pleasure of hosting guests from around the world, including both familiar faces and new visitors. Joining us were Karl, Michael, Piers, and David from England; our regulars Michael from Germany and Fred from Sweden; our good friend Marius from Lithuania; Carl from the USA; Steini from Iceland; and, last but not least, Jose from France. It was wonderful to have such a diverse and welcoming group with us!
We began the week with a river level of -35 cm, which we consider slightly below normal for this stage of the season. The weather forecast predicted dry and bright conditions ahead. Our tactics required a stealthy approach, utilizing floating lines paired with hover/intermediate polyleaders and long tapered-down tippets (12-15ft). Fly choice and size were key to success in low-water conditions. We typically start sessions with lightly dressed, rubber-legged nymphs such as “Copper Johns” and “Flashback Nymphs” in various color combinations and sizes. To minimize the risk of losing big fish—a problem we’ve encountered too often—we avoid using single hooks smaller than size 10. When opting for an even smaller fly, we prefer traditionally dressed salmon doubles in sizes 12 and 14.
On the first day, Karl K and Michael D enjoyed outstanding fishing, successfully landing four fish between them in Zone 3. After landing one fish each in the well-known pool called Heavyweight they moved on to fish Outer Limits where Karl managed to land a new personal best with a stunning 14lb fish. Their final catch of the session came in Bridge Pool. All their fish were taken on small nymphs and girdle bugs.
David M, their host for the week, found success in Zone 1, landing three smaller fish in pools “75” and “79.” Meanwhile, Fred S had a productive session at the ever-reliable “Little Corner” in Zone 2, while Carl B got off the mark in the evening with a Sunray Shadow capture in “Chrillos Pool.” There’s probably no better way to catch your first sea trout in Argentina!
Traveling with his friends Karl and Michael, and fishing with well known reel designer Steini from Solid Tackle (previous Einarsson Fly reels), David enjoyed a fantastic week reconnecting with everyone. Both David and Steini had great moments in Zone 1, with David landing three fish in a single session and Steini bringing in a fresh double digit chunker.
Day two proved to be another productive day for Michael D as he caught three fish in total. Marius B had an outstanding day, landing five fish in Zone 5. The biggest weighed in at 12 lbs and all caught on very small rubber-legged nymphs. Marius has been here many times before and that certainly helped him on this day. Carl B landed two fish in Zone 1, both on small girdle bug patterns, with the biggest, a new PB, weighing in at 14 lbs.
Day three was another highlight for Karl K, who worked his fly through Little Corner using our Marianne nymph to land a very fresh 17lb fish, breaking his PB once more! Felix had a great morning swinging his fly through Barranca Negra during the morning session. On his fifth cast he hooked into something heavy. Wild headshakes followed but the fish didn’t show at all, always staying down and taking line once it got close to the bank. Fortunately, the fish could be maneuvered into the lower part of Barranca Negra where there is less weed. After around 15 minutes of going back and forth the fish got close to the net and in the 3rd attempt Cristian could net a magnificent ocean-fresh seatrout weighing in at 21,5 lbs. The fish measured 92cm x 55cm – a true Rio Gallegos specimen! It was caught on a size 8 black/orange version of the “Copper John,” a fly that has proven highly effective over the past few seasons. We always try to improve our fly collection, whether by designing entirely new patterns or refining classic ones.
That same day’s evening session turned out to be quite the session for Rick. His first catch of the evening came from a pool called “Cogedero” – a super fresh 13 lbs fish that almost cleared his reel, was eventually landed. The fish took a small green rubber-legged nymph. Later, at the holding pool “Old Bridge” as the golden hour approached, it was time for a larger fly. Normally opting for a bigger size Sunray, Rick decided to put his faith in a smaller leech pattern, the well known to our guests here, Silver Shadow. Fishing in the upper part of the pool, he stripped the fly through the surface layers, when suddenly a huge swirl put an end to the line retrieve. A couple deep head shakes followed by an insane run, Rick managed to get some sort of “Fish On” call out. Felix, fishing the lower section of the pool recognized the sound of panic immediately, reeled in and ran out of the water. Watching the fish take to the air against the massive rocks in the background all doubts about the size of the fish were answered. Rick managed to lead the fish down towards the main part of the pool but couldn’t move the fish for several minutes. When the water is around the 11 degree C mark these fish seem to thrive and display powers we don’t always see. At some point the fish got close to the bank and Felix could get a hold of its tail. Hearing Felix break out in a high pitched laughter Rick knew this was a special fish. Running down to the bank he could finally rest his eyes on a stunning, real 20+ lb Las Buitreras seatrout, measuring 93 cm x 53 cm. With two fish over 20 lbs and another 3 in the 10-13 lbs range between them, this was a day to remember for Rick and Felix.
The following day, the fishing gods smiled on us once more! Fred S from Sweden was fishing in Zone 1 at “Pool 75” when he first connected with a smaller sea trout. Just a few casts later and basically his last cast of the day, swinging a big Sunray he hooked into something way bigger. After a long, patience-testing battle, during which the fish made countless runs and acrobatic jumps, it was finally netted – much to Fred’s joy and relief! The fish weighed 9.4 kg (20.7 lbs), marking another PB and our third fish of the week to break the 20lb barrier. Congratulations, Fred!
The rest of the week was a bit slower with light upstream winds and bright sunny skies, not the conditions you want down here for seatrout fishing. However, this did not stop our American first-timer, Carl B, from improving on his PB set earlier in the week. This time, he landed a 16lb fish on his very last cast of the week in “Old Bridge”. A good way to end the trip, Carl!
It definitely was a week of superlatives and we thank everyone for coming down to Las Buitreras and spending a week of seatrout fishing in Patagonia!
We hope you enjoyed reading this week’s report, and we look forward to sharing the next one!
Stats of the week
Biggest sea-run brown trout landed: 21,5 lbs by Felix
Fish over 20 lbs: 3
Average size: 10,1 lbs
