Patagonia River Guides 2017 Hosted Trip Report:
“Another memorable and fun filled trip to Patagonia River Guides’ Trevelin lodge is in the books! This adventure marked the fifth WorldCast Anglers’ hosted trip to Trevelin and as is customary at this point, it did not disappoint in the least bit. Unlike any of our previous visits to central Patagonia, we switched it up a little bit and fished an “early season” week: December 2nd-9th. What a beautiful time of year to be in Patagonia! All the trees and fields were vivid green, the mountains still had pristine snow caps and some of the most amazing purples, pinks and reds blanketed the banks of the rivers and lakes in the form of Lupin wildflowers. We had an amazing week of weather with daily temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees. Without even factoring the fishing, it was the perfect trip to kick off a long winter!
As is always the case at PRG, every little detail of the trip is taken care of by Rance and Travis who co-founded PRG as two childhood best friends from South West Montana. With the amazing help of their wonderful, gracious lodge staff and the most versatile, professional guides in the region, the product that PRG consistently lives up to its stellar reputation and more often than not, exceeds it. The lodge at Trevelin is as comfortable as any five star hotel in Buenos Aires and I can’t imagine you can find better food in the entire Patagonia region. This is not the place you visit if your trying to tighten your figure and God forbid if you haven’t acquired a taste for Argentine Malbec by the end of the week. With their very own vineyard nestled right below the lodge, PRG has actually started a wine making operation, adding a whole new element to one of the most multifaceted fly fishing operations in the world. They do it all!
Since we were fishing one of the first weeks of the season at PRG, there was a little anxiety about the record setting snow pack from the previous winter in the Andes Mountains. This was our first time fishing this early in the season so we really didn’t know exactly what to expect. It’s safe to say that any concerns about water levels and fishing were immediately put to rest. Every day, all 12 anglers in the group were put in great positions to catch fish. The water was high and slightly off color by Patagonia standards but the fish were hungry and the guides knew exactly how get them. The central location of the Trevelin lodge with access to an amazing variety of water within an hour’s drive is worth every penny. It is very rare that you can float a big tailwater river, wade a spring creek, raft a white water free stone river and dry fly fish a lake all in the same week. At PRG’s lodge in Trevelin, that is the norm.
The streamer fishing on the Rio Grande was some of the most consistent fishing I have ever experienced in South America and when the wind laid down and the sun came out, the mayfly hatch produced blue ribbon dry fly fishing to rainbows between 14 and 21 inches.
The spring creek fishing was as consistent as ever. WCA guide Zack Barrett took full advantage of a day on the Arroyo Pescado spring creek with this immaculate brown trout taken on a hopper. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Lastly, the lake fishing provided some of the best trophy fish opportunities you can have with a 6wt rod in hand. Seeing a 24 inch brown trout slowly elevate in 8 feet of water to eat a damsel fly pattern is something every angler needs to witness in their lifetime.
My favorite part of the trip was the amazing, eclectic group of anglers that joined the trip. We had guests from Taiwan, Hawaii, Vermont, San Francisco Bay area, Idaho and Rhode Island. There were legitimate beginners casting a rod for the very first time, passionate trout fishermen who guide as their primary profession and everyone in between. By the end of the week, most of the group had a celebrity doppleganger or a nickname of some sorts. It was a special time and ultimately made possible by the amazing team at Patagonia River Guides. Hat’s off to one of the best outfits in the business for making it happen each and every time!”
