This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming guests from Australia, the USA, Poland, and Germany. Among them, Charles, a long-time friend and regular visitor to our operation. Traveling with Charles was first-time visitor Gregg, an excellent single-hand fisherman who decided it was time to expand his skill set by learning the art of Spey Casting. Before starting their week with us at Las Buitreras, both spent three days at our upstream operation, Glencross, where they enjoyed breathtaking scenery and successfully landed impressive numbers of both Sea-Run and Resident Brown Trout. These two anglers joined us all the way from the land down under – Australia!
Furthermore, it was great to welcome back Rick from the USA-based organization Swing the Fly. His group was a mix of first-time visitors and regulars, including Ed, Ray, Jonathan, and Milton, all on their first visit. Also in the group were Tom and Sam, returning for their second trip. Our German friends, the ever-cheerful Toni and Dietmar, entered the final week of their two-week stay. Last but certainly not least was Maciej from Poland, a dear friend who has visited our operation countless times. His infectious enthusiasm for fishing is always a joy to witness.
After settling into their rooms, we gathered for the traditional Saturday night steak dinner. It was immediately clear that this would be a fun and memorable week.
River Conditions
River conditions looked very promising this week, with the water level starting at -5 cm and gradually dropping to -20 cm. The clarity remained relatively clear, with only a hint of tea-colored tint lingering from the previous week’s water push – perfect conditions for our go-to tactics: medium-sized Nymphs and Sunray Shadows.
Weather forecasts predicted slightly warmer temperatures compared to the previous two weeks, with daytime highs ranging between 8°C and 20°C, while nighttime temperatures dropped to 5°C–9°C.
Wind conditions varied throughout the week. We started with strong to very strong southwest to west winds, which, due to their favorable direction, actually aided our anglers in covering larger pools effortlessly. By midweek, the weather shifted dramatically as we awoke to light northerly winds and sunshine – a welcome change at this time of year. Thursday saw the return of moderate west winds before tapering off into a light northwesterly breeze to close out the week.
Tactics & Fly Choices
To start the week, we relied on floating heads paired with intermediate tips or polyleaders. Leader lengths varied between 9–15 ft, with diameters of 0.30–0.33 mm (20 lb breaking strain).
Due to the strong early-week winds stirring up temporary color in the water, we opted for larger, more visible fly patterns, such as Girdle Bugs, Woolly Buggers, and brightly colored cone-head Nymphs like I-Bugs and Marianne variants. As the wind eased and the water quickly cleared, we adapted by switching to medium-sized Nymphs (sizes 8–10), favoring patterns like Marianne, Copper John (in various colors), and Flashbacks – along with a few secret guest-tied patterns, which shall remain confidential.
Fishing Highlights
Day 1
Despite a windy start, nearly every pool produced fish. Ray kicked things off strong, landing four fish up to 11 lbs in Zone 2 during the morning session, followed by two more that evening in Barranca Blanca. Maciej also got off to a flying start, netting three fish in Zone 3, including a fresh 12-pounder. Rick had success in Zone 5, while Tom and Ed also got on the board with catches in Zones 4 and 5, respectively.
Day 2
The wind intensified, reaching gusts of 90 kph, making conditions quite challenging. However, our anglers persevered. Dietmar delivered with a solid 12 lb fish from La Recta, a pool that really started working again this week. His fishing partner Toni landed two in the morning and backed it up with four more in the evening from Barranca Blanca and La Corriente. Meanwhile, Maciej continued his streak with three fish from Zone 4, and Ray celebrated a new PB – a stunning 15 lb fish caught on a Sunray Shadow.
Day 3
The wind eased slightly, and the excellent fishing continued, with over 20 fish landed. Toni had a stellar day, netting six fish, including a pristine 12-pounder. Maciej remained a fish magnet, landing six as well, three of which were in the 10–11 lb range. Rick fished well, landing four, including a hard-fighting 14-pounder. Ray continued to shine, landing another 10-pounder on his favorite fly – the Marianne Nymph.
Day 4
The action didn’t slow down. Maciej had an incredible day, landing eight fish across Zones 3 and U1. Ray bested his own PB from earlier in the week with a fat, healthy 15.5-pounder from Little Corner. The fish jumped several times in this small run and gave Ray an amazing fight. Jonathan netted three chromers in Zone 1, while Milton had a great day with two fish up to 9 lbs from Barranca Blanca.
Day 5
We saw nearly 30 fish landed, aided by a welcome push of clean water overnight, which raised the river by 20–25 cm. This didn’t change our tactics – Nymphs and intermediate tips remained effective, with Woolly Buggers and Girdle Bugs proving particularly useful.
The highlight of the day came from our Australian guests, Charles and Gregg. Fishing in Pool 75, Charles hooked up first but missed his strike – only to connect a few casts later with a stunning 14 lb fresh fish. Meanwhile, Gregg found himself battling an even larger fish – his biggest Trout ever – a beautiful 15 lb female fish. Just minutes later, he struck again, landing a fresh 9-pounder. It was an unforgettable moment, embodying everything we love about guiding and sharing these special experiences. Both had a celebration beer at the car afterwards, telling one of many jokes during this week!
Ray, Rick, Maciej, and Toni all had productive sessions, rounding out another phenomenal day on the river.
Final Day
The week ended as strongly as it began. Toni had a fantastic morning in Zone U1, landing three fish up to 14 lbs, then added six more in the evening, including another 14-pounder. His extensive experience on this river was certainly paying off. Maciej landed four fish across two sessions, while Rick had a blast in Zone 1, landing five fish up to 11 lbs, enjoying a special moment in Kitchen Pool and seeing the sun settle just highlighting the upper part of the cliff wall in front of him. He came back and was completely blown away—those are the moments you will remember forever. Tom, his zone partner, also got in on the action with two nice fish.
Wrapping Up
As another unforgettable week comes to a close at Las Buitreras, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our guests and friends. A special thank you to our host, Rick of Swing the Fly, and the fantastic group he brought along. Additionally, a special shoutout to Toni, Dietmar, Charles, Gregg, and Maciej—it was a pleasure to share this week with you all!
Of course, none of this would be possible without our incredible staff—the guides and lodge team. Thank you for your dedication and hard work.
See you soon for the Week 11 report!
Stats of the Week
Biggest Sea-Run Brown Trout Landed: 15.5 lbs by Ray
Average Size: 7.25 lbs
CONTACT US
Our fly fishing specialist Peter Collingsworth has been over to Las Buitreras, fishing the banks of the famous Rio Gallegos many times, so if there’s anything you would like to know about the fishing or if you have any questions you’d like to ask him, you can contact him on 01603 407596 or email at peter@sportquestholidays.com he would be delighted to speak to you.
