From: 01/19/2015
To: 01/24/2015
Type of Water: Freshwater
Species: Brown trout, Brook trout
An Argentina lover and good spanish speaker, Mr. Lars Ivarsson was joining me and my family for the Route of the spring Creeks. Lars is one of the most relaxed fisherman I know, and at the same time a person that is very interested on learning about our patagonic culture. So half of the time we were trying to get some fish and after that training spanish with parents and brother. It was definitely one of the most warm weeks of the season, up to 30 degrees without wind, ugly horse flies trying to bite you!
We started with sight fishing in Pelke river. When there is no wind and the water is so clear you just pick the fishes in the pools. It was very nice to see how they behaved with different patterns. Brownies were very keen on terrestrials on death drift, and brooks prefered moving patt View more...An Argentina lover and good spanish speaker, Mr. Lars Ivarsson was joining me and my family for the Route of the spring Creeks. Lars is one of the most relaxed fisherman I know, and at the same time a person that is very interested on learning about our patagonic culture. So half of the time we were trying to get some fish and after that training spanish with parents and brother. It was definitely one of the most warm weeks of the season, up to 30 degrees without wind, ugly horse flies trying to bite you!
We started with sight fishing in Pelke river. When there is no wind and the water is so clear you just pick the fishes in the pools. It was very nice to see how they behaved with different patterns. Brownies were very keen on terrestrials on death drift, and brooks prefered moving patterns, popping on the surface!
We got some action on a five weight sage, with an old multi reel that I had setted with a opti stream and a long leader with a 3x tippet. Wadding by this time of the year is barely done, you just cross the river when the wind is bothering to cover a pool.
Back home we have some good steaks inspired on Francis Malman book cooked on the iron plate by my father. Onions, garlic, bacon and tomatoes over the beef... no more words needed!
Fishing in lower water was technical but very exciting, one of the pools on the coyle reminded me of that famous video called "damsels in distress". I noticed that browns in dry periods are crazy about damsels, they jump acrobatically on the banks trying to get them, and even more when they are starting the reproduction, couples of damsels rapped together - promise to film this next season!!
When we were fishing one the pools I saw a huge brown coming out of the water, chasing a damsel (I suppose), so I moved Lars almost aggressively to try on this fish. He made the perfect cast against the bank and bang!! hooked it, the fish jumped right in front of us and it was at least 3 kilos! Second jump and bye bye!
Our next stop was Estancia Chank Aike, only brooks on this place! Robert, the owner was waiting for us in his house made of wood and plate. This house has a lagoon on the front view fed by a freshwater creek that comes from high land. Along with an awesome work of many years Robert has setted up a semi natural irrigation with this creek that kept me obsessed every time I visit. It waters all the garden sheltered by trees old willows.
In this place brooks average is between 700grs and a kilo, and some of them go up to 2 kilos. Landscape is typical from the middle section of Santa Cruz, very dry with no much declination in the land, just the river cutting the land and producing life.
We went for the first time in the season to the highest point of the estancia, 40 minutes ride. We found places were no fly was tried before as Robert said! full of brooks, but the temperature was so high that fish weren't active at all.
After lunch I took the chance to help my brother with casting instruction while the sun was getting down and temperature was a bit cooler. The pool in the garden has a visitor that its been living here since the channel was made, some years ago, its a 2 kilos brook, very tempting, but we didn't bother him! Along with a family of wild upland goose keeps you very entertained even though you are not fishing.
After the temperature dropped, we tried one big pool that I knew that held some big brooks on the bottom. This time we tried a sinking line and some big streamers to see if we could get one those. We got some smaller fish and right before we finished the day a huge male went into Lars fly, short and aggressive strips made this big one strike on the fly. It gave a really good fight, trying to go deeper as brooks usually do. Perfect end for a short afternoon!
Fish caught: 22
Biggest fish: 2,3 kilos brook
By Juan Manuel Biott
