Fly Fishing in Argentina

 We have some more photos from our big break last December and January that never make it to the blog.  A good part of that trip was spent camping and fly fishing in Northern Patagonia.

Kristi and I started our vacation by traveling south along the Paraña River in Argentina.  The highlight of this part of the trip  for me was getting into a couple dorado one day.  I landed two smaller fish like the one pictured below.  One larger fish grabbed my fly and broke the 20lb bite wire on the take.

On our journey south I also was hoping to catch an Argentinian carp.  I tried a few different lakes near Cordoba, Mendoza, and one urban lake in Santiago.  Unfortunately I went totally carpless.  Low water clarity, and bad weather resulted in getting very few good shots at carp working  the extreme shallows or top of the water column. 

Traveling and fishing in Patagonia was a dream come true.  The scenery we encountered every day camping and fishing along the large lake and river systems was unbelievably beautiful. Some of the lakes high up in the drainages had a Pacific Northwest rain forest feel.  The vegetation and animal life was different but the unpredictable weather felt very familiar.  At times the humidity was so high, precipitation  would materialized out of the air and fall from a virtually cloudless sky.  Fishing these large lake systems sometimes required an 8wt with a fast sinking line and aggressive streamer presentation to beat the wind and waves. At calmer times a lighter rod with an intermediate sinking line and a nymph or streamer was very effective.  

Lower in the river valleys the landscape was more reminiscent of arid areas of the American west.

My brother was my fishing companion for much of the trip.  Both Kristi and Ben's girlfriend were very patient of our desire to go fishing while we were traveling together.  We spent several weeks in Chile and Argentina.  Then Ben and his girlfriend left for southern Patagonia, Kristi went back to work, and I struck out on my own.

Pancoras are a crustacean found in many Patagonian waters.  We bought some pancora flies at a local fly shop, but for me, more traditional trout streamers caught a lot more fish.

River scene near Lago Rivadavia in the Chubut Provence

Rental boat, 7 lakes loop Neuquén Province

Mystery fish, urban lake in Santiago

Ben changing his fly on one of our favorite rivers.

Rainbow

Hiking into a boca, Rio Negro province.  River mouths that connect large lakes to their rivers are a common place to seasonally target really large trout.

The aftermath of hooking into a toothy dorado.  This fly was a four inch clouser style fly before the dorado got a hold of it.

The Perca, one of Patagonia's native fish species.

Enjoying a cup of tea in Trevelin

Ben bundled up on a Chilean river.

Monkey puzzle tree.

Brown trout that went after a streamer.

Sunset on a Neuquén river.

Volcán Lanín

Rainbow trout.

My last week I spent camped mostly along a river that had awesome mid-morning mayfly hatch and corresponding  fly action.

Firewood and vino storage area.

Molting pancora and it's imitation

Badly in need of a shower and a shave.

Brook trout from a Neuquén province lake.

The sunset on my last evening of Patagonian fishing before returning to civilization.

Trekking Pictures

We have some pictures to post from last year's winter vacation. Our blog suffered last year, first from our old and quite flawed point and shoot camera and then from the untimely demise of our laptop.  We subsequently found a new camera that we love and a laptop that should facilitate some more frequent blogs.  

Trekking here works on the refuge system.  Refuges offer bathrooms and water.  For a price, you can also have a meal prepared and sleep in the refuge.

Refuges also come with a cat, presumably to keep the rodent population in check.

We came to realize trail conditions are very different from what we were accustomed to in the States.  Switchbacks were few and far between.  In areas without a discernible trail the route was well marked with cairns or colored dots on rock.

This is one of two significant ridges we went over on our second day. The prominent line going through the trees is were the route entered the forest after descending through rock and scree.  

Ben making an awesome one pot meal.

Inlet to one of several lakes we passed by.

This tiny lake nestled in the peaks was cold but attracted numerous swimmers the day we were there.

Our hike out took us through a beautiful little river valley.

Finally, our trip culminated by negotiating for a ride to the nearest bus stop in a late model Renault. 

One Year In Photos

Visiting the beach near Buchupureo Chile

We have been in Paraguay for just over a year now. Before Kristi received a job offer here we would have struggled to find Paraguay on a map. Moving here has afforded us the opportunity to get to know a county that we likely would have never thought to travel to. Living here has also allowed us to visit several places we have always wanted to travel to in Chile, Argentina, Brazil.  Below are a few photos from our last year of traveling and living in Asunción.  We now have a car, a more pleasant living space and a slightly better grasp  of the language.  With any luck our next year should be just as enjoyable as the first one.

Kristi hanging out with our friend Tigre

Paraguayan kid shows off his catch from a road side pond near Paraguarí.

Kristi and Mindy get lost in Santiago

9th grade English class with their substitute teacher

Drinking some sav blanc with our traveling companions in Puerto Montt

Kristi with our friend Ava in Bonito Brazil

Setting out for our first Paraguayan backpacking trip 

Fruit and vegetable market in Villarrica Paraguay 

Cooling off in the mountains outside of Mendoza

Habitat for Humanity project near San Lorenzo Paraguay

Kristi and Adrianne descend to visit a waterfall near La Colmena Paraguay 

Ben fly fishing in Parque Vicente Pérez Rosales, Chile

Cart in Ayolas Paraguay

Trekking in the Andes

Getting wet at Foz do Iguazu, Brazil

Muddy feet - Paso de Patria, Paraguay

Getting on the ferry near Ancud Chile

Rural scene in Chaco'i across the river from Asunción

Rio from the Cristo statue, Brazil

Sunset on the Paraná River, Paraguay 

Jesuit ruins in southern Paraguay

Kristi in front of one of many colorful murals in Valparaíso Chile

Fishing trip, Villa Florida Paraguay

Warning sign, Iguazu Falls Argentina

Lago Todo Los Santos, Chile

Kristi climbing onto the roof of an abandoned amphitheater near San Bernardino, Paraguay 

Remnants of the Paraguayan railroad, Asunción

Mountain cemetery near Tilcara Argentina

Roadside scene near Pilar Paraguay

Amusement Park in Cordoba Argentina

Roadside scene, Nuquén Provence Argentina

 Leaf cutter ants

Snail in Ybycui National Park Paraguay

Camelid crossing northern Argentina

Capybara

Cow

Caiman 

Dorado

One of several bats that found their way into our apartment last year

Roadside parrots, northern Argentina

Goat at the Asunción Expo

Stingray, Paraná River

Recently emerged damsel fly, Salto Cristal Paraguay

Kristi wine tasting in Maipú Argentina

Wine grapes outside of Santiago Chile

Vineyard Salta province Argentina

Eating at one of Asunción's Korean restaurants

Bloody Mary at our old apartment

Tamales in Tilcara Argentina

Surubi milanesa, the chicken and beef versions of this dish are a very typical Paraguayan meal.

Some piranha and manda'i we grilled after a recent fishing trip

Ceviche, Puerto Montt Chile

More grilled fish, boga from the Paraná River

Andean potatoes from the market in Salta Argentina

Curanto, a regional Chilean dish we ordered repeatedly

Asado, Posadas Argentina

Sopa de pescado, another typical Paraguayan dish found when visting towns on the river