Big Browns, fierce Rainbows, great guides, beautiful scenery, wild boar, soaring condors, magnificent eagles, swans, flocks of wild parrots, pretty horses, beautiful rivers, great dinners, lovely people -- a trip of a lifetime!
My wife and I just returned from an outstanding week of fly fishing in Patagonia courtesy of Jack Trout Internatonal.
We have fly fished extensively in America from Wyoming to Idaho Montana, California, New Mexico Colorado, Alaska -- and this trip with Jack Trout International, Patagonia, Argentina was by far the very best ever!
Jack and Carola put together a customized trip specifically for my wife and I. It included the lodging, the restaurants, the very best guides, the very best gear -- everything was top shelf.
Not a package deal where you pay $5-7,000/ per person and you're still just a number. Jack customized everything just for us and we literally saved thousands of dollars.
We stayed eight nights in Junin de los Andes, and we fished with guides five days. We floated four days and waded one day. Our total cost was right at $4,000. ( FOR BOTH OF US ) That included eight nights of very comfortable, modern three star accommodation with ac/heating, hot showers, good wifi, cable TV etc. . . five days of excellent guided fishing, and delicious dinners every night at the best restaurant in town.
Compared to the "Lodge Packages" my wife and I figure we saved at least $8,000 perhaps as much as $10,000 by organizing the trip through Jack Trout.
Forget about this camping along the river nonsense. My wife and I are great camping and outdoor enthusiasts. We are happy to hike in or go in on horseback and camp in the wilderness in order to reach remote, untouched areas when it's necessary. But in Patagonia it's just not necessary.
You are never more than an hour drive from your hotel to the launch site. It's the same river, the same water that the high priced "Lodges" use. You just don't have to camp in Patagonia, because there aren't that many fishermen. It's not Montana where you are on the same stretch of river with 15 other drift boats fishing under an indicator.
The guides: We have been blessed to fish with some of the best guides in the world and the Jack Trout guides in Patagonia where 1st class. In fact our guide was friends with our old friend and guide, Ed Adams and his daughter Rita from Taos, New Mexico fame. It was just sensational!
The gear: We drifted four days on the Collon Cura, Alumine and Chimehuin, Rivers. The guide was a total expert at rowing and negotiating the river in the inflatable pontoon boat. Very safe and stable. We never went through any dangerous or uncomfortable rapids.
We were provided with Simms waders, Simms boots, Sage One rods, Loop reels etc. . . everything 1st class and in excellent condition.
We waded the Malleo River for a phenomenal day catching Browns and Rainbows. The Malleo River is off limits to boats of any sort. We never saw another fisherman all day. In fact, out of the five days of fishing we only saw two other boats fishing the entire time. We are proud Americans-- but try to find that in Montana.
The fishing: ALL of our fishing was Dry Fly. Let me repeat that -- all of our fishing was dry fly.
We fished from the boat using dry flies -- none of that fishing under a bobber.
Sometimes two dry flies, occasionally a hopper-dropper combination, but only rarely. Ninety per cent dry flies. It was almost all sight fishing. See the fish rising, put the fly on him and hold on.
The first day on the Collon Cura River we caught a 22" Brown on TFO 5wt. We caught a 20" Rainbow, a 19" Brown and more fish in the 15 to 19" category then we could count -- mostly Browns.
And that was just the first day. It went on and on from there.
On our next trip through Jack Trout we will take a little bit more time and spread the fishing out a bit as we were catching so many fish and the days were so long, we were a bit exhausted mid week. But we pushed on just through pure adrenaline and excitement at catching so many great fish in such a gorgeous environment.
And speaking of environment, we never saw a single speck of litter the entire time we were in Patagonia on the river's. Not a single beer can, not a single plastic bag, not a single cigarette butt -- nothing, zip, nada -- absolutely pristine. What a pleasure!
So what's for lunch? The guides set up a table with folding chairs and served us hot lunches everyday. I'm talking about heating up gourmet roasted chicken, Milanesa, delicious roasted potatoes, marinated eggplant, fresh garden salads, fabulous brownies and cakes for dessert, wines and beers of your choosing, coffee's -- just 1st class.
Oh, and Patagonia is not Central America. It's not Mexico on the US State Dept travellers warning list. We felt completely safe all the time. We rented a car and drove everywhere. The roads were fine -- especially recommend the Seven Lakes Road from Bariloche up through charming San Martin de Los Andes -- spectacular Andes Mountains. Only the Himalayas are higher.
We could go on and on. Better yet go live it, see it for yourself!
THANK YOU JACK and CAROLA TROUT --Woohoo!
