Patagonia 2022 Trip Wrap Up

Land of trout and great scenery

We recently got back from our third hosted trip down to Las Pampas Lodge located in the heart of the Rio Pico Region. This trout-filled meca is nearly 7,000 miles away from our hometown of Spokane, WA and is littered with various waterways and lakes of all sizes and shapes, some with rainbows and browns, and others with large brook trout. It truly is a trout anglers paradise.

For half of our crew this trip was their first experience with Argentine fishing and overall the trout were welcoming to our arrival. Mixed weather and wind made fishing "off" at times, but luckily there was always a point in the day that the fishing kicked-on.

Dry fly fishing on the rivers was most consistent with beetles this time around and on a couple of warmer days hoppers could do the trick. Hatches are sparse during the late Patagonian summer in the Las Pampas region, but we did experience some mayflies (a similar variety to our PMD's) and caddis. Trout were keyed in on them anytime they hatched and it paid to deliver the right cast and presentation with matching pattern. Trout-are-trout and will still give you the middle fin no matter how little pressure they receive if they don't like your style!

A fun way to hunt big fish even on the sunny days was a floating line and a sparkle minnow style streamer. The combo of the flash and movement makes it hard for those trout to resist!

The lakes of the Rio Pico region offer unique opportunities for very large trout. Most of the lakes hold both rainbows and browns, some that could easily stretch to nearly 30" and one particular lake north of the lodge holds trophy brook trout. Everyone had at least one day on a lake, while others took advantage of a second lake day and tried their luck at the large brook trout.

A big thanks to the Las Pampas Lodge crew and guides for the warm hospitality. If you ever get the chance to visit this wonderful place you will quickly feel like part of the family and odds are will be back for many more adventures with the team.

Another thanks to the anglers that joined me on this journey down south. Getting to a location like Patagonia, especially as we exit the pandemic, was no easy feat and I appreciate everyone's efforts and laid back attitude as we all learned a few travel trips along the way when venturing out of the country during COVID times. Overall the process was smooth and if anyone has questions please shoot us a message and we can help out!

Until next time Patagonia!