Entering the season’s final quarter, the lodge was filled with a wonderful mix of new and returning guests, organized under the guidance of two wonderful hosts.
The first of these was our dear friend Glenda Powell, beginning the final week of her annual two-week stay. Three of Glenda’s guests travelled from the UK and were visiting us for the first time – among them partners Noel and Nicky, along with Tony, a true gentleman. Completing this group, and the only non-UK guest, was our very good friend Göran from Sweden, enjoying the final week of his annual fortnight stay.
Our second host this week was Alister, whom we first met last season. After enjoying a highly successful visit, he returned this year with a group of friends so they too could experience fishing for sea-run browns on the famous Río Gallegos.
The group consisted entirely of UK anglers — Simon, Brett, Patrick and Alastair C, all on their first visit to Las Buitreras. Also part of the group was James, whom we met last season. Back then, James was completely new to Spey casting, but with guidance from our team he quickly found his rhythm, landing an impressive number of fish, including a superb 17-lb specimen.
Weather conditions this week were generally comfortable and typical for autumn in southern Patagonia — what we might call a “temperature sandwich”… warm at the beginning and end, with a cold spell in the middle.
During the first two days, daytime highs ranged between 12–18°C. Tuesday and Wednesday saw a sharp drop, with temperatures reaching only 8–9°C. Combined with strong winds, it felt particularly cold. By the end of the week, conditions returned to more moderate highs of 16–18°C.
Night-time temperatures remained consistent, ranging between 3–8°C.
Winds were predominantly from the west or south-west, varying from light (0–10 km/h) to very strong (70–85 km/h), with everything in between. The only exceptions were Monday and Friday, when winds shifted to a more northerly direction.
Light levels were very agreeable throughout the week. Early on, we experienced a good mix of cloud cover and sunshine. By Thursday and Friday, skies cleared, bringing bright, sunny conditions. At this time of year — with cool, stable water temperatures and a slightly coloured river — this was actually very welcome.
River conditions were excellent.
Following a substantial rise at the end of the previous week, the river started high (around +20 cm) and carried a noticeable tea-stain colour — not muddy, but dark, with visibility in the 60–90 cm range.
As the week progressed, the level gradually dropped to around -10 cm, with clarity improving each day. This allowed us to steadily adjust our approach.
Towards the weekend, we received another report from our upstream operation at Glencross, warning of an incoming push of fresh water. They weren’t wrong — by Saturday it arrived in force… but that’s a story for next week!
Tactics this week required a combination of larger flies and higher-density tips.
We primarily used Spey rods in 7# and 8# line classes, rigged with floating or intermediate heads, paired with tips of varying densities. Early in the week, we used tips in the 6–8 IPS range. As conditions improved, we gradually reduced density — first to 3 IPS, and by Thursday back to our standard intermediate setup.
Fly selection followed a similar pattern. We began the week with large, bright marabou patterns such as the “Poison” and the ever-reliable “Yellow Yummy” (sizes 2–6), along with mobile Scandi-style tube flies and intruders.
As the water cleared, we reduced both size and brightness — moving to patterns like large “Girdle Bugs”, medium-sized “leeches” and conehead nymphs such as the “I-Bug”.
There are few flies that perform consistently across all conditions, but one stands out above the rest — the legendary “Sunray Shadow”. Whether in bright sun, low clear water, darkness or coloured flows, it delivers time and time again — and this week was no exception.
It was another highly productive week, with over 110 fish recorded — and likely a few more that went unlogged!
We begin with Noel and Nicky, a wonderful couple who took a relaxed approach to their stay. Some sessions were spent enjoying the lodge with a good book, while others combined fishing with scenic hikes across the Patagonian pampa.
Despite limited time on the water, they enjoyed good sport, landing over ten fish between them. While they didn’t connect with the larger specimens, they certainly had opportunities — losing a couple along the way — but still experienced plenty of action.
Glenda herself took advantage of a rare opportunity to fish this week. With a rotation spot opening up, she balanced time between her guests and the water.
As expected, her experience showed. Over three days, she landed more than fifteen fish — mostly in the 6–8 lb range — including a double-digit fish from Zone 5’s “Barranca Negra”.
Next up is our good friend Göran, enjoying the final week of his annual two-week stay.
After landing twenty-two fish the previous week, he continued his strong form, adding another sixteen to his tally. Once again, it was a case of plenty of action but fewer big fish — with several larger specimens lost during the fight.
He did, however, land a fresh 10-lb fish from Zone 3’s home pool, “Bridge”.
His zone partner this week was Tony, visiting for the first time. Fishing alongside such an experienced regular was a great opportunity, and Tony made the most of it — learning quickly and adapting well.
He finished the week with a very respectable total of ten fish. Like Göran, he had chances with larger fish but was unlucky not to land one.
Simon was another standout story this week.
Prior to arriving, he had never held a Spey rod, having only fished with single-handed setups. Paired with Alastair C, who also needed to adapt to the challenging Patagonian conditions, both anglers made impressive progress.
Simon proved to be an exceptionally fast learner. Within hours, he was confidently casting from both his dominant and non-dominant sides — with more than enough distance to cover most pools effectively.
His breakthrough came during his very first session in Zone 3.
Fishing high, tea-coloured water with a size 6 “Yellow Yummy”, he hooked into something serious. What followed was a classic Río Gallegos battle — powerful runs, heavy head shakes and explosive surface action.
Simon held his nerve and played the fish superbly, eventually landing a magnificent specimen of nearly 18 lbs.
An incredible achievement — especially on his first morning with a Spey rod.
Alastair C also had a great week, landing a good number of fish. His best came from Zone 4’s “Tiura” — a beautifully coloured female of just over 11 lbs.
Alister and Brett formed another productive pairing, landing close to thirty fish between them.
While both fished well, luck favoured Alister — particularly in terms of size.
Brett still enjoyed solid success, landing ten medium-sized fish and losing a few larger ones — a familiar theme this week.
Alister, however, had an exceptional session in Zone 5.
Fishing “Barranca Negra” with a “Yellow Yummy” in heavily tea-stained water, he connected with a truly powerful fish. After a long, intense battle, it was finally brought to the net.
Measuring 90 cm by 54 cm, it tipped the scales at 20.1 lbs — a true Las Buitreras trophy.
Outstanding achievement — congratulations, Alister!
Our final pairing was James and Patrick.
James, returning for his second visit, continued to improve his casting but had limited luck this week, landing a handful of smaller fish while losing several good ones.
Patrick, a highly experienced and well-travelled angler, landed sixteen fish, mostly in the small to medium range.
One highlight came from the rarely fished “One Cast” pool in Zone 5. Despite its reduced popularity in recent years, it proved its worth once again.
A well-presented “Sunray Shadow” produced a beautiful 14-lb fish — a great reminder that every pool has potential.
Well done, Patrick!
As we move into another week, we would like to extend our thanks to everyone who joined us.
To our great friend Glenda — thank you for another fantastic visit. Your energy and enthusiasm bring so much to the lodge.
Thank you for bringing such a wonderful group. We hope to welcome many of you back again in the future.
From all of us at Solid Adventures — thank you!
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.
