Welcome to the final week report of the 2026 season.
As we began the final two weeks of the season, we warmly welcomed guests from the USA, Canada, and Wales (UK). As usual, our visitors were a blend of regular and first-time guests.
Please bear with us… this might get slightly confusing… we had three Pauls and two Jamies in this particular group!
The first week of our final fortnight was essentially split into two friendship groups.
The first was led by Carlos G from Canada and included regular guests Paul L, Matthew, and Ian. Most of these guys were on extended stays: Carlos and Paul L for three weeks, including two here at Las Buitreras and another exploring other locations in the region. Matthew and Ian joined us for a ten-day stay.
The second group arrived from Wales and were scheduled to stay for one week. They were led by Jamie H, who runs the famous Abercothi / Golden Grove sea trout fishery on the River Towy in Wales. Joining Jamie H were two more regular visitors and good friends, Paul H and Jamie T.
The remaining members of the Welsh group were first-time visitors to LB, including Paul A, accompanied by his son Louis. Last, but certainly not least, was sea trout enthusiast and part-time guide Tony L.
Although from different countries, these two groups know each other very well. Both parties have occupied these closing weeks for the last couple of seasons, and it’s fair to say we always have a lot of fun together. Their colourful personalities, hilarious stories, and relentless banter create the perfect atmosphere to close the season on a high note.
For the final week of the season, we waved goodbye to our Welsh contingent.
Replacing them were our very good friends and regular guests from the USA: Jordan, Brian, and Jeff. This year they brought along a new friend, Adam, on his first trip to Argentina.
Also making their first visit—and the final guests to be introduced this season—were fellow Americans Andrew and Liliana. Andrew came to fish, while Liliana preferred to hike and spend time birdwatching along the way.
Did we mention this is an amazing location for enthusiastic ornithologists? We have a vast range of species to study and photograph, including birds of prey such as eagles and condors, alongside rheas and numerous migratory species that pass through during their travels.
The weather over this period was, for the most part, very agreeable.
This season has delivered some very unusual weather patterns, and this period was no different—although this time in a positive way.
Normally, this time of year is very cold, with crisp mornings, frost, ice, and little to no wind. However, the tail end of this season has been relatively mild and, at times, windy.
Daytime temperatures were very comfortable for the time of year, with afternoon highs reaching 12–17°C. Overnight lows were also much higher than in previous seasons, ranging between 3–8°C and remaining well above the freezing temperatures we normally experience.
It has certainly been an unusual season for wind, particularly in terms of direction. Most seasons are dominated by moderate to strong south-west to north-west winds, but this year brought far more north through east directions. On many occasions we even experienced periods of complete calm—something frequent visitors know is highly unusual.
Throughout these final two weeks, the wind finally seemed to “normalise,” returning to the traditional moderate south-west to north-west direction. In fact, this was the first sustained period of prevailing wind we experienced all season—very, very unusual indeed.
A good balance of cloud cover and sunshine provided excellent light levels throughout.
River conditions during this period were… well… not ideal. However, the fishing remained consistently productive, with most sessions producing fish in the net.
Towards the end of the previous week (Week 12), the river had begun recovering from a large and rather dirty push of cold water. During that week it dropped significantly, losing around 40 cm over seven days and settling at approximately +25 cm, with the clarity improving to a dark tea colour.
However, during changeover day (Saturday the 4th), the river began rising again. This heavy push—approximately 70–90 cm—brought a significant volume of very cold, dirty water, most likely caused by snowfall in the Andes.
Fortunately, most of the debris from the previous flood had already been washed away. Even so, the river remained extremely high (around +1 m) and heavily coloured. A challenge indeed… but not impossible.
As the week progressed, so did the water conditions. Each passing day saw steady improvement, with the river dropping around 10–12 cm daily and gradually clearing back towards its familiar dark tea colour.
Unfortunately, when the final Saturday (11th) of the season arrived—and with it the final guest changeover—the river began to rise yet again. It genuinely felt like a Groundhog Day scenario, repeating the previous week’s events. The river had fallen back to around +40 cm, only to be hit once more by another 70–80 cm surge of cold, dirty floodwater.
Tactics during this period were far removed from the floating or intermediate setups we use for the majority of the season—although those still have their place in certain situations.
With the river running high and heavy, we waved goodbye to the single-hand rods and relied exclusively on Spey rods. These were paired with both Skagit and Scandi heads, alongside a variety of sink tips to cope with the ever-changing water levels.
When the river was at its highest, we used heavy tungsten tips ranging from T8 to T14. As conditions improved and the flow eased, we gradually reduced tip density, although rarely below 5 IPS.
Fly choice was almost always big and bright. Naturally, we have our preferred patterns for these conditions, such as Poison and Yellow Yummy—flies that have accounted for hundreds of trophy fish over the years. Alongside these Woolly Bugger-style patterns, we also used a variety of large tube flies and Intruders, ideal for swinging through the stronger flows.
There were occasions when we removed the heavy tips and returned to our trusted intermediate or even floating tips.
In dirty water, fish often sit high in the water column to avoid the heavier sediment concentrated near the riverbed. One of the best methods to target them is by swinging or stripping a lightly weighted—or even floating—Sunray Shadow tube fly. This technique can often make the difference between success and failure.
Throughout the final third of the season, we received regular pushes of fresh, cold water. Sometimes these rises were only 20–30 cm; on other occasions they exceeded a metre. These events occurred at least weekly and sometimes every few days, meaning the river rarely had enough time to properly recover its level or clarity between floods.
Across southern Patagonia, rivers were heavily affected by the unusually high rainfall and snowfall towards the end of the season, although some systems coped better than others.
Despite the difficult conditions, they were never quite bad enough to stop fishing altogether. In that sense, Río Gallegos remains remarkably forgiving.
We didn’t lose a single fishing session due to conditions this season, and fish were caught almost every day. During these final two weeks alone, we landed over 120 fish, recording only two fishless sessions.
Although conditions were far from ideal, most guests achieved fairly similar results in terms of numbers landed. The guests who stayed during the first of these final weeks fared slightly better, as the water clarity was significantly improved compared to the heavily coloured conditions that dominated much of the final week.
Many of the fish landed during this final fortnight were small to medium in size, although—as always—there were still a few standout specimens.
The first week began slowly, with muddy and fast-flowing water hampering efforts during the early sessions. As conditions gradually improved, so did the fishing.
Our Welsh guests excelled in terms of numbers. Jamie T and Paul H with more than twenty-five fish between them. Tony and Jamie H also enjoyed excellent sport, landing over twenty fish.
Among the Welsh group were father and son Paul A and Louis, both experienced and enthusiastic sea trout anglers making their first trip not only to LB, but to Argentina itself.
They enjoyed a fantastic week, recording impressive numbers and four double-figure fish between them. Louis, in particular, showed his father how it’s done during the middle part of the week, outfishing him by almost two to one.
Included in Louis’ fifteen-fish haul were two fish over 10 lb—one from Zone 3 pool “Limits” and another from Zone 2 pool “La Recta.” Both fell to the Poison pattern fished on a 7 IPS tip.
Paul may not have matched his son’s strike rate, but he certainly surpassed him in size. He also landed two fish over 10 lb. The first, an 11.5 lb fish from Zone 5 pool “Barranca Blanca,” took a black Snakefly pattern.
The second—and biggest fish of the week—also fell to the same Snakefly. A beautifully coloured-up male from Zone U1 pool “Shelf,” weighing an impressive 16.5 lb.
Our Canadian friends Carlos, Paul, Matt, and Ian experienced varying degrees of success.
Carlos enjoyed an especially productive fortnight, landing an excellent number of fish, including a very nice 13.5 lb specimen from Zone U1 pool “Big Man.” We would tell you the fly pattern… but apparently it’s classified information! Hahaha.
Several more fish came very close to the double-figure mark, giving him an excellent average size overall.
Matt and Ian didn’t quite achieve the same catch rate as some of the other guests, but both succeeded in landing fish over 10 lb.
Ian tempted a fish just over 10 lb from Zone 4 pool “Puesto,” using our favourite low-clarity pattern, the Poison.
Matt enjoyed a particularly memorable result early in the week while fishing Zone 5 during the worst of the conditions.
With the river extremely high, the guides were limited to only a certain amount of suitable pools. Fortunately, at Las Buitreras we have several areas reserved specifically for these situations.
One such location is “Parapool.” Under normal water levels it sees little use due to the lack of current, but in high water it often comes alive.
That proved to be the case for Matt. Fishing a 6 IPS tip and an undisclosed fly, he was rewarded with a cracking 13.5 lb fish.
Our final guests of the season all came from the USA, with most residing in Oregon.
Brian and Jeff are regular faces across several of our operations, while Jordan is a true Las Buitreras veteran, having visited more times than we care to remember.
Joining this fun-loving group were Andrew and his partner Liliana.
Conditions deteriorated significantly on the day they arrived, with the river pushing hard and flooding the system with cold, dirty water.
Despite the difficulties, all of our guests managed to find success.
Jordan certainly benefited from his extensive experience on the river. Among his ten fish were three over the 10 lb mark, including a stunning 16 lb female from Zone U1 pool “Chrillos.” He also landed another double-figure fish from nearby “La Curve.” Every fish he landed this week came on his self-tied variation of our famous Poison fly.
Andrew also impressed greatly. For a first-time visitor dealing with such challenging conditions, he adapted extremely well. While he didn’t manage a double-figure fish, he still matched Jordan fish for fish.
Liliana mostly watched the action unfold—at least when she wasn’t behind the camera bird spotting.
For the final time this season, we would like to show our appreciation—especially to the wonderful guests who shared these closing weeks of 2026 with us.
To our Welsh, Canadian, and American friends: thank you for such a fun, interesting, and memorable time. Your patience and positivity in difficult conditions were admirable, and your success on the river was a testament to that attitude.
Your stories, humour, and personalities remind us exactly why we continue doing what we do year after year.
We are incredibly fortunate to work in an environment where we get to spend time with such special people and create so many unforgettable memories together.
Finally, a few words for our fantastic staff.
We are humbled to work alongside such a professional, dedicated, and focused team. Your daily energy, hard work, and commitment never go unnoticed. Thank you!
Stats of the week
Biggest sea-run brown trout landed: 18lbs by Christer, 16.5lbs by Paul Adams, 16lbs by Jordan.
Best fly: Sunray Shadow, Black Leech, Yummy, Poison.
Average size: 6.7lbs
