Welcome to the Week 5 report from Las Buitreras!
For this fifth week of the season, we welcomed back our good friend and host, Sylvan Gagnon from Quebec. His group was made up entirely of French-speaking Canadians, most of whom we had the pleasure of meeting last season at our Greenland operation, “Two River Valley.” For the majority of the group, this was their first visit to LB.
Our guests included Jean Benoit, accompanied by his son Samuel. Joining them were Ronald and Sandra, old friends Donald and Bertier, along with another long-standing duo, Yves and Louis. Completing the Canadian contingent was Andre. To round off the week, we were joined by a USA trio — Kevin, Thomas and Mike.
For most of our guests, this week would be a learning curve. Almost the entire group was new not only to the art of Spey casting, but to Sea Trout fishing in general. Not a problem down here — your guide is right there with you every session. There’s something pretty special about sharing that moment when a guest lands their very first fish — often the beginning of a whole new journey.
The weather remained stable, continuing the more seasonal temperatures we experienced the previous week. Daytime highs never rose above 18–19°C and nighttime lows hovered around 6–7°C — a pattern that stayed consistent throughout the week.
Winds were mostly moderate to strong, predominantly from a westerly or southwesterly direction. The exception came on Sunday, when an uncomfortable northeast wind blew straight upstream. Strong gusts made casting and fly presentation considerably more challenging.
Skies were a mixed bag. The early part of the week was dominated by bright sunshine and very little cloud cover, while the second half brought more overcast conditions.
River conditions remained low. Clarity remained “gin clear” for the most part. However, during sessions with strong winds, the water took on a slight color — which actually allowed us to increase fly size and tippet strength to breaking strains we’re far more comfortable with!
Tactics this week remained consistent with the previous two.
We rigged floating lines and heads in the usual 7# and 8# weights on both single- and double-handed rods. Generally, we fished full floating setups, but when covering some of the deeper pools, an intermediate tip or polyleader proved the better option.
Fly choice was a familiar one — small bead-head nymphs such as “Copper John,” “Flashback,” “Vitamin,” and of course the ever-reliable “Marianne.” The evening period — the “Golden Hour” — brought opportunities to fish larger patterns. Black leech-style flies such as “Silver Shadow” and “Electric” came into play, including everyone’s favorite, the “Sunray Shadow.”
Our first pairing this week was Canadian couple Ronald and Sandra — both well-travelled, seasoned anglers. This was their first visit to the windswept pampa of southern Patagonia, and fishing in the sometimes persistent breeze can take a little getting used to.
Not that it took Ron long! He wasted no time hooking his first Sea Trout from Zone U1, pool “C,” using a small “Girdle Bug.” This talented duo were consistent throughout the week, catching fish across almost all our Zones.
The best of Ron’s came from the holding pool “Seventy Five” — a beautiful 12lb chromer taken on a tiny size 10 “Girdle Bug.” Good job, Ron!
Sandra landed several quality fish of her own, the best coming from Zone 2, pool “Lawson” — a super-fresh 9lb Sea Trout taken on a size 10 “Copper John.”
Fellow Canadian guest Andre was partnered with American guest Mike.
Andre is a highly skilled and competent fisherman, but this week luck wasn’t always on his side. He still managed to get a few good fish in the book. Fishing a “Prince” nymph during the day and black leeches in the Golden Hour, he landed several fish.
His Zone partner Mike was here very much on a learning expedition. Having only recently taken up fly fishing — and especially Spey casting — he chose the right place to learn more about it.
Relatively inexperienced or not, Mike proved to be a fast learner. He covered the pools well and was rewarded with several fresh South Atlantic bullets. The best of these was a superb 12lb fish from Zone 2, pool “Old Bridge,” once again taken on a small “Girdle Bug.”
Another Canadian pairing this week was the ever-enthusiastic father-and-son team of Jean Benoit and Samuel.
They experienced very different weeks. JB landed an impressive amount of fish. He was consistent throughout, catching fish in most sessions and pushing his tally well into double figures. Rubber-legged nymphs were his key to success, with the famous “Copper John” accounting for the majority of his success.
Samuel, while landing fewer fish overall, made up for it in size. He connected with several double-figure Sea Trout, the best being a stunning 13lb bar of silver from Zone 1, pool “Seventy Five.” A few fish got away, such as a big one in pool 79, just after the take and a very big swirl on the surface the fly popped out. You’ll get them next time, Samuel!
Our host Sylvan spent most of the week assisting his group with casting and fishing tips, but he still found time to wet a line himself. He managed several fish up to 9lb, with “Girdle Bugs” and small bead-head nymphs doing the trick.
Americans Kevin and Thomas were another pairing trying their hand at pursuing sea-run Brown Trout. Both were on an extended stay, combining their week at LB with a half-week at our add-on program, “Estancia Glencross.”
Spey casting was again relatively new to both guests, but they adapted quickly and put up some solid numbers. Each landed double-figure fish — Kevin a lovely 11lb Sea Trout from Zone 5, pool “Barranca Negra,” and Thomas a 10.5lb fish from “Barranca Blanca,” also on Zone 5.
Donald and Bertier decided to take a more relaxed approach to the week. More accustomed to swinging flies for Atlantic Salmon on the rivers of eastern Canada than stripping for aggressive Patagonian Sea Trout, they kept a good balance between fishing the right session on the river and enjoying the cozy lodge atmosphere with a glass of Malbec in between. Even though Donald hooked a proper chromer in pool 79 on his single-hand rod—which unfortunately came off—their duo still managed to land a good number of fish by the end of the week.
And finally, our beat buddies Yves and Louis. Both new to Sea Trout and Spey rods, they embraced daily tuition with plenty of fun and laughter. Yves in particular had a standout moment, using his newly acquired skills — and a “Girdle Bug” — to tempt a beautiful 12.5lb fish from one of everyone’s favorite pools… “Seventy Five.”
As another fantastic week draws to a close, we’d like to thank this amazing, fun-loving group for the positive vibes they brought to what was, at times, a challenging week.
A special thanks goes to our host Sylvan for bringing over a fantastic group.
Big thanks from everyone here at Las Buitreras!
Stats of the week
Biggest sea-run brown trout: 13lbs by Samuel
Average size: 7.27lbs
Best fly: Copper John, Girdle Bug and Sunray Shadow.
