Trip Report – Chilean Patagonia
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Zach – I normally just lurk around here and keep my mouth shut…But since you asked for trip reports… Here is a report from two seasons in Patagonia. Pardon me to the few Canuks here that may have seen a couple of these shots on a local gallery.
This trip’s conception began in 2006 on the beaches of Varadero Cuba as my wife points out a lone fly angler on the beach. Francisco tells me that he is from Chile, a guide – in Patagonia. I introduce myself as a Canadian – a guide as well.
Our few days acquaintance ends with the obligatory “You should visit some time” to which I reply, “That will be awesome.” As we exchange e-mail addresses, I secretly think we will never meet again.When he said that he lived in Chile and guided in Patagonia I thought they were two different places. I associated Patagonia with Argentina not Chile. Patagonia is both. We traded email over two years.
In 2009 my wife convinced me that it would be crazy to turn down such a great opportunity to visit Patagonia and for my 50th birthday she gave me the go-ahead. A once-in-a-lifetime chance – so I though. I went – by myself.
You can’t imagine how I felt after 16 hours in planes and airports landing at the final stop Balmaceda Chile. 1 terminal – 1 line, looking for a guy I met for two days two years earlier. I needed a smoke.
My new best friend, Francisco “Pancho” casting on a spring creek on the Pampas.
Pancho took me to meet a 90 year old Gaucho. I wanted a photo of a real Gaucho and got an interview and shared Yerba Mate in his home.
Abel lived alone on a huge lake on 1200 hectares of paradise. He has not been to town in 15 years.The wind was strong but the weather was otherwise nice on the Pampas. You can’t buy a fish on this creek unless the wind puts whitecaps on the surface.
I caught bigger fish on this trip but this one was particularly memorable. I had seen pictures or streams like this and dreamt of one day fishing one.
This sign reminded me how far I was from home. Back home we fish Gowanda NY for Bows during fall and winter. It’s only a few hours from home.
“Patagonia Without Dams” – Plans to dam one of the larger rivers will not go uncontested.While doing some speaking at clubs etc I got more than a few “Hey if you go back let me know”s. This spring 2011 I returned but this time with 6 clients/friends.
This was a great fish. 23 or so inches long caught while wading a clear lake sight-fishing for cruising browns and rainbows.Pancho took one angler and I took the other. Jack from Ohio. He and his friend Jeff have come to Ontario for three days every year and I guide them on the Grand. They both came for this adventure in Chilean Patagonia.
I walked Jack along the edge of a stream that ran into the lake. A 90 degree turn in the stream meant a huge undercut that had to hold a nice fish. Peeking down in about 7 feet of air-clear water, I turned to Jack and said “That’s either a huge trout or the crack in the rock at the bottom. Let’s assume it’s a trout.” I tied on a Jig head fly and asked him to simply dapp the jig into the water above the fish and strike when I said. I did not want our heads poking over the edge scaring the fish so he dapped as I watched from downstream. The fly might have fallen 6 inches when the fish pounced on it. Hit em!
Jack’s fish of the trip – the most gorgeous 24-25″ monster.The next day Keith and I waded the water close to where I caught a good fish the day prior. I was slightly ahead of Keith looking for fish as he followed. I raised my hand to stop him. A very large Brown lay on the bottom. Keith could not see the fish from his position but I explained where to cast his nymph.
One perfect cast and three strips later Keith was into this 24″er.
Keith and and guide Diego. We went for a week to another area closer to the ocean. In a huge lake we caught several fish like this. All on dries.
Patagonia has hundreds of rivers and no people to mess them up.
Some places appear to have never had an angler add prints to the shore.
This day I went fishing with three local guides. What a coup.I could go on. As Chile’s season teeters – our season totters. I am returning in Jan/Feb 2012 with another troop.
I can’t wait.Brian – nice work. Great post. I almost could not believe my eyes – Gowanda NY! That is hilarious. Crazy how chance encounters with fly fisherman can grow into lasting friendships.
Kb
Jim, Abel is doing fine. We brought him canned food and some fruit and he invited us in for Mate (pronounced Matay). It was a priviledge that he let me use my camera inside his home. It’s the Patagon way to be hospitable to travellers.
Here is his home. Can you believe he owns 1200 hectares! You can’t help but respect a guy who can live like that. He will not sell his property. He could be a millionairre. Fox pelts were drying in the sun on the out building.
We walked down to his beach and wild browns swam by leisurely on the beach.
He owned several of these tiny goats, a couple cows, sheep and many chickens.
Abel let us fish his lake with our belly boats. We were only there for a couple hours. I lost a huge fish on my 2nd or 3rd cast and landed a good one while trolling the belly boat.The only thing better than the story are the photos, or maybe its the other way around, i don’t know.
Thanks all.
The only trouble with the whole thing was that it left me in a funk for about 6 months. (after the first trip) I did not want to leave.
I don’t mean to sound so esoteric but meeting Abel had me bent up a bit.
It kind of made me rethink some of the BS I find so critical in my life.The absence of random trash, traffic gridlock, smog and population density of .97 per sq Km meant peace and quiet. Over the two weeks I was there we might have seen 4 other anglers.
Now that I know I can go back every year and the fact that my wife knows how it is for me there, I don’t get in the funk. Just look forward to getting back and letting my soul catch up with me.
Did I mention that I have the best wife ever?As I write this my buddy down there is buying a property on a lake full of browns. 😀 I can’t wait to see it.
CheersBrian,
I think I can understand the “funk” you mentioned in your 10/10/11 reply. Seeing the way someone like Abel lives can really call into question a person’s outlook on life.
I’ve often thought about the stimulation of today – stimulation that didn’t exist even 50 years ago (i.e. iPhones, computers, the internet, crappy television) and that still isn’t readily available in some areas such as Patagonia. And here you have a man who’s reached 90 years old perfectly happy without all these things we now think we can’t live without.
I’m sure somewhere there’s a salesman or a member of the younger generation that would say he’s missing out and just doesn’t know how good he could have it. But take a closer look: he’s got his 1200 hectacres to work on with his hands, animals/food/water he needs, beautiful scenery all around and water in which to fish. What he doesn’t have are the pain in the ass traffic jams, constant barrage of emails and texts, commercials pulling at him to buy something on tv and ridiculously awful non-important news stories on the internet. It appears he’s truly got all he needs. So you tell me, who’s missing out?
A trip to Patagonia is a dream I fear I’ll never achieve. In the end, if it does happen, I fear it will cause a “funk” from which I would never recover! It’s so awesome you got to experience this!
(Oh and I too normally keep my mouth shut)
REP
Brian
great report and fantastic pictures, that helped in taking the funk out of ending the trout season for meThanks again all for the kind words guys!
Zach there’s 1 spot left for week 2!So this last shot will put it all in perspective. This is an Iphone shot through my front window between appointments. I am on it several times every day! North America’s busiest highway, the 401 through Toronto.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Highway_401
15 yes Fifteen lanes and I am crawling from 0 to 40 KPH! :-/ Please stick a needle in my eye!
I saw more cars in 15 minutes than I saw in two weeks in Patagonia.Several years back two buddies and I went for a weekend to Roscoe NY to visit the ghosts of Wulff, Dette, Jorgensen et al…a bad accident on this highway that day had a lunch truck stopped and selling Pop and hot dogs right on that highway. It was 90+ degrees out and he was making a killing.
This is where I work. Abel’s out building looks appealing, fox pelts and all. ;D
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