The last week of the season is suddenly upon us and it’s hard to believe that the season is coming to an end. After the almost two year global lock down and waiting for what felt like an eternity to come back here, the season somehow just blew by in a flash. However, with all the initial uncertainty and concerns regarding both the local and global covid situation we can’t be anything but pleased when seeing how it all played out for us down here.
This week started with a near perfect water level and we were treated to some really nice temperatures in the 18 C (64 F) range with moderate winds. This is quite normal for April which normally offers way less wind and comfortable temperatures during the day.
We saw an enormous amount of fresh fish in the system and by the end of week we had landed more chromers than coloured fish. Again, nothing unusual as we see big schools of fish entering the river all through April but we do hear from time to time that people seem to think late season down here is for colored fish. The fact is that the chance of catching colored fish increases with every passing day throughout the season as there is more and more fish in the river. You will have fish that have been in the river for some time as well as fresh runs pushing up.
Our group for the week was a great mix of old friends and new faces, all from Sweden and the UK. Our dear, long time friend and host of the week, Ola, brought along his wife Nina and a very nice group of friends. With a relaxed and laid back attitude, always ready to pick up the camera, Ola spent a big part of the week coaching and supporting Nina on her first ever fly fishing trip. Not a bad place to get your spey career started. With the help of Ola and our guides Nina picked it up quickly and managed to land a couple nice fish during the week. Ola on his part landed plenty of really nice fish during the week, but also, unfortunately, lost two nice ones; one in Wagon wheel, a pool that really came alive these last couple weeks, and one in 75. We know it sucks losing fish but hopefully there will be an even bigger one waiting for you next season!
David and Sarah have been visiting us here at Las Buitreras for years and it was so nice to catch up with them again after a long break due to the pandemic. They usually visit us in early January but had decided to try out April for a change. They were pleasantly surprised with how the schedule differs this time of the season compared to early January. As the days are shorter in April than in January you get an extra hour of rest in the morning, have a shorter break for lunch and are back at the lodge for dinner and drinks around 8 pm. In terms of fishing though David needed no reintroduction to the familiar waters of Las Buitreras and landed a stunning 18 lbs fish in Little corner. David’s fishing partner for the week Lasse, now onto his second week and more than comfortable with the fishing, hooked up almost at the same second in the upper part of Little corner and we had a nice double. We had quite a few double hook ups in Little corner in particular during the season, where both anglers have hooked up at almost the exact same time. Lasse with his casual and relaxed approach really found his groove and landed 17 sea trout this week. His most memorable fish came on the last day when he decided to walk down to Lawson pool to make a couple last casts before flying back to Sweden and was fortunate enough to hook and land a really nice fish on his last cast of the trip. A perfect ending to his 2 weeks at Las Buitreras.
Working colleagues and fishing buddies Carl and Niclas were visiting Las Buitreras for the first time. Although they have fished many destinations together this was their first fishing trip to this part of the world and they were very eager to get started. We all know how exciting it is to fish a new place for the first time and these lads were determined to make the most of each session. On the first morning the car had barely made it to the first pool before they were both out of the car, grabbing at their rods while simultaneously staring down the pool, trying to read the water and take it all in. And as if their excitement was not high enough, Niclas managed to hook a fish after just a few casts.
A nice 10 lbs fish from Raquel was in the books and they had barely started. Carl didn’t want to be outdone this first morning and followed Niclas lead by landing a nice fish in Limits. And on it went, with them taking turns and landing several fish already on day 1. Unfortunately the biggest fish hooked of the day is one we had to add to the lost fish account. It was Carl who hooked into a real chunker in Turning bank. A pool where we have lost some really really big fish this season, and even though this was not in the 1 meter plus category it was still enough to have Carl shaking for several minutes after it came off. Again, it was a Sunray shadow that enticed the fish to attack the fly on the surface.
Our last team of the week was a familiar one, Annakarin and Christer.
Here for their third week straight, happy to reconnect and share this magical place with old and new friends. In between planning for the next season and socializing with everyone they found some time to fish as well. Knowing how precious every minute you get on this river is, they are good at making the most of their chances. Annakarin, to no one’s surprise, landed a beautiful 17lb cock fish in her favorite pool Little Corner.
Christer, always up for a challenge, immediately got to work trying to up Annakarin’s 17lb fish. After some close calls he thought he finally had her when a nice fish attacked his Sunray. Fishing La Curva at last light the fish took the fly right on the spot and immediately took to the air. After a good fight where Christer was more cautious than usual, hoping to upset Annakarin in their family fight for biggest fish of the week, he could finally guide the fish in between weeds and rocks. Although a stunning fish, it came in just short at 15 lbs. Still a great fish and the excitement of seeing the fish take his sunray on the surface certainly outweigh the disappointment of not beating Annakarin. Sporting only a shirt in the warm evening weather, almost feeling like a January session, Christer admitted defeat to Annakarin, again. One last hero shot for the season, capturing the magical evening light of April in Southern Patagonia before we closed the books for the 2022 season.
What a week to finish off a fantastic season. With perfect water level and color, near summer temperatures, and a river full of fish. Although it’s always sad to conclude a season, we’re still happy it ended on such a high note. A big thank you to this group and for everyone that has visited us throughout the season. Time flies and we’ll be back here at Las Buitreras for more stories to be told in no time.
Hope to see you in 2023.
Stats of the week
Biggest Sea-run Brown Trout landed: 18 lbs by David R from UK
Top rod of the week: Lasse F with 17 sea-run brown trout landed
Average size: 6 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.