Thursday, December 25, 2014

DIY Fly Fishing Patagonia Argentina: Drift Boats, Float Tubes and Wading

The Swedes are back in Junin de los Andes.  Once again, their drive to fish Patagonia hard was unyielding and very productive. Sture and Mikael planned a 30 day fishing vacation and here's a brief summary of how they did it.

  • They spent $35.00 USD per night, for lodging.  There's cheaper lodging options in town, but for the quality they received, this is a good price.  Their quant cabana, complete with kitchen and dining area, was more than adequate for two fishing buddies.   
  • They rented a Volkswagon Gol, out of Bariloche, and paid $38.00 per day.  This is a good price, but expect prices to be a bit higher during the tourist season (after December 25th and unttil early March).  In San Martin de los Andes, during the high season, for a small compact car, you can expect to pay between $45 and $60 USD, per day.  Either in Bariloche or San Martin de los Andes, I recommend shopping for the best competitive price. There's plenty of information on the internet.  
  • They took advantage of our discounted float trip pricing.  If you float 4 consecutive days or more, we offer a healthy cost savings.  We believe in rewarding customers.
  • They chose to do a few days of DIY walk-wade with us.  We took them to some places that have not been fished this season.  The fishing was fantastic and on almost every cast, fish were eager to strike their flies.
  • They are repeat customers and veterans of the surrounding waters.  In other words, they asked to do something new.  The answer?  We took them on a few adventures with our Water-Master float boats.    


Day 01 and he catches this; time to pack your bags and call it a trip!
We all love to walk-wade and float rivers, there's no argument here.  But, experiencing something new and wonderful, in the heart of the longest mountain range in the world, in our opinion, is worth it.
Time to target large Brown Trout feeding in the reeds.  When I say large, I am talking about 2-5lbs fish!  Folks, for all you die-hard dry fly fisherman, this is an experience worth exploring. Be ready to get thrashed amongst the vegetation and lose a few flies in epic battles.
Ever wonder what it's like to float down a river and work the oars? We can put you on beginner, class 0.5 waters and let you enjoy the freedom of floating and fishing.  The benefit of this program = you stop where you want to fish and you fish the water exactly how you want to.  This is one of the most fun and relaxing fishing experiences you can have in Patagonia.  
Looks like a GREAT place to stop and target large Rainbow Trout, but we missed a spooky 30" Brown Trout. This program is 50% float and 50%, stop, walk-wade.  Given the utility of these they offer the greatest flexibility for a DIY walk-wade angler.  Each boat is rated up to 750lbs and class 4 rapids.  The design offers maximum stability and maneuverability is amazing.
Christmas Eve colors in Patagonia.  

Final Word

We take great pride knowing that we offer unique fishing programs that allows us to meet your personal fishing needs.  For example, if we need to leave Junin de los Andes at 5:00 A.M., to put you in the right spot and the right time, we'll do it. If you want to combine our services, floating-walking-tubing; no problem. This is one of many reason why we see the same customers return year after year.

When we get repeat customers, it always provides us feelings of pride and self-worth.  It's a statement that tells us that we do a great job working with our clients.  More importantly, in the extremely competitive world of destination fly fishing, we are simply grateful that we continue to earn their respect and business.  We thank the Swedes and we hope to see you again...you and your friends are always welcome in Patagonia.

Muchas Gracias Amigos,

Mark