Week 7 at Estancia Las Buitreras and we are almost half-way through the season. This week was hosted by Felix who had a group of friends visiting, many of whom have been coming here for almost a decade now, representing Germany, the UK, Italy, and China.
The week started with a river at -10 cm and clear water, offering good February conditions. However, as the week progressed, the river slowly dropped to -25 cm, still maintaining its super clear condition.
The weather presented an interesting challenge to the anglers. The first couple days were marked by persistent rains and gusty cold southerly winds, creating a perfect fishing scenario for our lower zones (2 to 5). Later in the week, an unexpected change surprised the anglers as the weather warmed up, reaching a pleasant 27 degrees Celsius with mostly north/easterly winds changing the fortune to the anglers fishing in our upper zones (1 & upper 1).
Fly selection was key to success throughout the week. Effective patterns included EMB flies in sizes 6/8 and various Copper John variations in sizes 10 and 8. As the water level receded, anglers found success with classic salmon patterns such as Stout’s Tails, green buts, and Silver Stouts in sizes 16 to 12.
With the calm wind conditions we faced during the last days, almost turning the river into a perfect “mirror”, longer leaders from 13 to 15 feet were mandatory. Lines used during the week were our usual Scandi shooting heads in float and float to intermediate sink rates.
One highlight of the week happened in the popular pool “Cogedero” in Zone 2, where Peter from the UK landed a magnificent fish. On an exceptionally calm evening as dusk settled, Peter, armed with his self-tied Stout Tail’s fly, engaged in a thrilling battle with one of Gallegos river’s elusive trophies. After a persistent fight, the fish slowly came to the net, and upon weighing, marked an amazing figure of 20 lbs – the crown jewel of Week 7.
Our good friend Li wrote another great story throughout the week. After not being able to travel for the last 3 years, Li finally made it back to Las Buitreras. With all that built up excitement and longing after hooking a big seatrout again, we all felt that it was bound to happen for him this week. If there is any justice in fishing at all, then this was supposed to be Li’s time. Turns out our gut feeling was right. There are these weeks where an angler can’t seem to do anything wrong, and that’s exactly what happened to Li. Fishing well, keeping the fly in the water as much as possible, minimizing splashing and wading, he was constantly rewarded, landing fish after fish each and every session, many of them in double digits. It was great to have you back Li, thank you for the show!
As the week comes to an end, we’re left with memories of good times, shared victories, and incredible stories. This group always leaves a remarkable impression of friendship and camaraderie and this year was no exception. We are blessed to be able to call you all friends and are more than excited to welcome you back again next year! Until then, we wish you happy fishing, and stay tuned for another fun week at Estancia Las Buitreras.
Stats of the week
Biggest sea-run brown trout landed: 20 lbs by Peter D. from UK
Average size: 9,3 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.
