Trip Summary Detals

I’ve been fishing South America for the last 11 years. I love everything about it – the beauty of the landscapes, the people, the food, and, of course, the fish. This was not my first trip to the Rio Grande in Tierra del Fuego and the rain, snow and high water were reminiscent of previous trips. But still to this day, and with tougher than tough river conditions, I continue to find the Rio Grande the best sea trout river in the world.

Going in February means prime time – middle of their summer, perfect water conditions even for dry fly fishing, and plenty of fish in the system. Well, I only experienced the latter – plenty of fish in the system. With only a few inches of visibility, my dry flies stayed dry and my string leeches hit the water hard. I loved every minute of it, and bonded with my speyrod. The Rio Grande IS the perfect place to use a speyrod. If you are fairly proficient and like throwing tips, a speyrod is the perfect tool. These anadromous brown trout are grabby. All you need is a few inches of visibility, a good cast, and they will eat. One of my most memorable fish jumped 12 times!
Having fished Estancia Maria Behety previously, I was anxious to see what the ‘other side’ would offer. On this trip I fished on the south side of the river out of Kau Tapen, Estancia Despedida, and had a quick visit to Villa Maria. All three operations are quite impressive and have their own special waters, guides, and amenities to offer anglers.
Kau Tapen was better than I expected. I was under the impression that it is overly formal at the lodge but I was welcomed by a very casual and fun group of anglers. They fished hard and enjoyed one another’s company. I was fortunate to be matched up with a southern gentleman, Carl. Carl and I became fast friends and after watching him catch the two largest fish of his life, the shine of his smile will be hard to forget. Kau Tapen’s guides and staff are hospitable, professional, attentive, and lots of fun to be around. Kau Tapen’s guests are really spoiled rotten with lots of remarkable water.
I took a day to visit Villa Maria on the lower river, have lunch, meet the guides and staff, and check out their water. This is a very special operation on the lower river which has continued to give up most of the river’s record fish. Anglers LOVE this place and I understand why. The river and runs are quite a bit larger down near the mouth. There are various side channels, lots of swing water, and guides Jean, Lucas, and Alejandro know how to fish it. After a morning fishing session there is a short drive to the “fishing cabin” which is exquisite. It is easy to confuse it with the lodge since it is so well built and beautiful. Anglers take lunch and a nice siesta here between fishing sessions and only return back to the main estancia after dark. The main lodge is classic ranch house on the Estancia Jose Menendez. It is charming, well appointed, and now offers a private room for each of the six anglers.

My next stop was at Estancia Despedida. Despedida has been on my personal fishing list for over a decade. I had met the owner, Danny Lajous, in California in years past and I really wanted to spend time on his special waters around the lodge. Danny and Ozzie are incredible hosts and extremely knowledgeable in terms of the fishery. The ‘heart of the river’ is quite impressive and the runs are large and full of fish. My afternoon fishing session started by photographing guest Mark fighting and landing a hot 15 lb fish. To this day I will be hard pressed to capture such a great fish and such great smiles all at once. Mark had fished the Rio Grande a number of times from a different lodge. After the first day of fishing, he said he wanted to return to Despedida next year. That says it all. As my week progressed, water conditions deteriorated and the main river opportunities crumbled. One of the nice pieces of the puzzle here at Despedida is the fact that we were able to fish the MacLennan tributary during high water. This smaller piece of water offered up some super fresh, fat fish to a number of lucky anglers.
The Rio Grande is perfect in so many ways and though I have fished it under tough conditions a few times now, it continues to impress me. I pinch myself every time thinking how grateful I am to be on Tierra del Fuego’s island fishing for these incredible bright and mysterious fish.