Villa Maria Rio Grande -Tierra del Fuego
Hello Steve,
Just thought I’d drop you a line and let you know how things went…..
Best weeks fishing in my life!!!
24 fish in all from six days fishing; couple of resident browns and a Rainbow but also…
1x23lb; 2×22; 1×21; 2×20; 1×19; 3×18; 4×11; 2×10; 1×6 – all of which were better than my best (Sea Trout that is) and a 3lb fish that was so perfect you could see through its fins.
In true fisherman fashion, I also lost a few big fish but in a strange but pleasing way I hooked a fish that sprung the hook and then bounced back into its pectoral fin. After 15 mins or so I landed it and the guide would not let me touch the fish, photograph it or weigh it.
Should anyone ask you, the Lodge was superb and the Guides along with the entire Team were exceptional The weather is absolutely as predicted – windy beyond belief and when it rains it rains!!! The jacket did its trick admirably and I’m certainly glad you helped me with that and getting the right boots.
Rubber legged bugs/nymphs and articulated leeches (light in the sun when it appeared and big and dark at night) were the killing patterns mainly on #10 or #8 hooks.
I’m attaching a photo of the 23 (sorry it’s dark) and one of the others which I have to say were like peas in a pod.
I used my own Sage Z axis with a 10Wt Snowbee Spey line until the wind really got up but in honesty I feel I should have had an 11Wt or 12Wt handy as the 10 did not load the rod adequately. I also used a couple of ‘loan’ rods from the villa which I believe to have been a Loop 12ft and another Sage Zaxis but 14ft. They were both using Skagit (Either Rio or Airflo) heads with non-integrated running lines. At the business end I was using poly leaders fast or super-fast sink and Seaguar fluorocarbon tippet. I found the Skagit ‘system’ to be really, really easy to use (at the end of the day it’s only a shooting head) when roll, spey or double spey casting hence my desire to get sorted with the right rig for the 16footer.
