This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime fly fishing adventure.
I have fished some amazing places but none offer the diversity, solitude and hospitality of Argentina.
Floating the storied rivers of Patagonia, you get the sense of what it would have been like to be the first angler to trout fish the American west. Big brown trout and rainbows crush #2 dry flies as condors soar overhead and llamas lounge on the bank. You look around but there isn’t another angler on the river. Your boat pulls into camp and you are greeted by a goat, roasting on a spit over an open fire. A lavish island tent camp with Christmas lights strung in the trees, a full bar and cases of Argentine wine. You spend the evening gazing at the Southern Cross hanging over the river, then drift off as your guides tell fantastic stories around the camp fire. You can’t make up this kind of stuff.
The Limay is known for its big browns. It’s very common to catch fish over 20 inches on dry flies. Anglers probe the depths with minnow patterns, finding brown trout in the twenty-pound range. The river flows clean and clear across beautiful dessert hills. Riffles pour into deep pools and trees shade undercut banks. If there are small trout in the river, I haven’t seen them.
But that’s only the start of this trip.
After 4 days floating the famous Limay “River of Monsters,” we travel to the north, to the upper Parana on the border with Paraguay. For the next four days we’ll chase viscous Golden Dorado, Pacu and Pirapita as howler monkeys taunt us from the jungle.
At the Parana On The Fly Lodge we will take siesta after a hot lunch and enjoy fabulous evening meals with a view of the river. This is one of the most magical places I have ever visited. The Parana is a mighty river, the Mississippi of South America, winding through an dense jungle, by ancient cathedrals and fishing villages.
The Dorado themselves are beyond compare. They are so aggressive that the first half dozen to eat my fly scare the pants off me. Ranging well past the thirty-pound mark, these apex predators are the kings of sport fish. They inhale eight-inch streamers and rat patterns. In clear water you can sight fish to them as if you were on a saltwater flat. It’s like fishing another planet.
This trip is nothing if not exotic. The Argentine people are warm and hospitable. Our hosts, Andes Drifters, deliver unmatched service and personal attention. These guys do it right. You can not help but fall in love with Argentina. It is a beautiful and haunting place that stays in your heart. I hope you will be able to join us there.
Not sure how hosted trips work? Click here to learn.
This trip of 10 nights and 8 full fishing days has a cost of $6,400 per person.
Email me at hookups@ginkandgasoline.com for more info or to reserve your spot.
DAY 1: Saturday, February 3rd Arrive to Neuquen Airport and drive over Limay River (only 2 hours away from this Airport) and stay at the nearby town of Piedra del Aguila. Spend the night and enjoy dinner at a local hotel
DAY 2-5: Sunday, February 4th though Wednesday, February 7th Limay River 4 days Float trip. We have been doing a great option on Limay which is a stable camp for 2 nights on the same island that allow us to fish a Limay River branch where we walk and wade and enjoy great action on dry flies. Then Wednesday evening, after take out, we drive to Neuquen and stay at Land Express Hotel nearby the Airport
DAY 6: Thursday, February 8th -Travel Day Take a morning flight from Neuquen to Buenos Aires and then an afternoon flight over to Corrientes CNQ Airport to get to Parana on the Fly Lodge where you will arrive around 5:00 PM
DAY 7-10: Friday, February 9th through Monday, February 12th Four (4) full days fishing at Parana on the Fly Lodge
DAY 11: Tuesday, February 13th – Departure Day Fly from Resistencia to Buenos Aires and then back home
Check out these great videos from Andes Drifters to see the action!
Email me at hookups@ginkandgasoline.com for more info or to reserve your spot.
Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!