Sea Run Brown Trout Fishing
Southern Patagonia, Argentina

This lodge is the second of the Carreras family-owned brown trout fishing lodges to open in Rio Grande. Since 1994 this fishing lodge has offered small, private groups exceptional brown trout fishing on some of Argentina’s most productive rivers. This lower-river fishing lodge offers a very different fishing experience from the fishing lodges on the upper-river. Southern Patagonia's many wide-open pools make for a double-handed fishermen's dream. This fishing lodge has been called the finest sea run brown trout fishing lodge in the world. The goal of our friendly house staff and knowledgeable fishing guides is to provide anglers with the trout fishing trip of a lifetime!

The Fishing

High Season – Mid December to Mid April

In 1935, John Goodall was the first to stock brown trout in Argentina’s southern province of Tierra del Fuego. Imported from Puerto Montt in Chile, 60,000 'salmo trutta' eggs survived the strenuous journey. There the fish eggs were planted in the Candelaria and McLennan rivers, both tributaries of the Rio Grande. These brown trout eventually found their way to the sea, being attracted to the sea’s nourishing estuary. These sea run brown trout now complete the yearly migratory cycle much like salmon, spawning during the summer months in freshwater. Sea run brown trout remain in the river for a period of time which ranges between 1 and 4 years before their first migration to the sea. Once at sea, the trout will feed and grow for about 6 months before their first returning to freshwater. Average weight is approximately 6lbs. Sea run brown trout that have completed 4 cycles of returning to freshwater can often weigh over 20 lbs! The frequency with which they return to freshwater is also an indicator of the few threats that sea run brown trout encounter. This also provides a very real example of the benefits of Catch and Release. Although most of their lives are spent in the ocean, the sea run brown trout seems to retain more of the eccentricities of resident browns than, for instance, steelhead do of resident rainbows. Temperamental fish, they must be shown flies the way they want to see them at a precise time. The Rio Grande isn't a big river. Thus, it's compatible with a wide range of techniques, critical since a large sea trout may demand that a fly be fed to it on the bottom one hour but rise to the Portland Hitch the next. Water levels can change very often also, but the water levels generally drop as the season progresses.

The Lodge
This fishing lodge was designed to offer maximum comfort for fishermen while offering easy accessibility to the best sea trout fishing areas. The fishing lodge accommodates up to 6 guests in 3 twin rooms and 1 single bedroom. A large living room area opens up to a vista of the Menendez Valley and Rio Grande valley. A large roaring fire and well stocked bar welcomes the anglers after every fishing day. The lodge has a tackle shop with a good selection of Sage rods, high quality reels, flies, lines, and clothing equipment, specifically selected to suit the needs of your sea trout fishing trip. In addition, guests have the full use of the lodge's fly tying table and equipment. The lodge also has 4 wading rooms.

Location
The Rio Grande flows from East to West, from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean, through 70 km of Argentina territory. The landscape of Tierra del Fuego is suggestive of Wyoming or the Scottish flow country. It is a sparsely populated wilderness. Large sheep farming estancias share this land with herds of wild llama-like guanacos, red foxes, and condors.