Highlights
Bella Vista fishing report - 23 lbs the biggest one
Bella Vista Fishing Report : Feb 6 - 12
At the beginning of the week, the river conditions were excellent, high waters but still clear even though the river had risen one inch in a matter of hours. In those four days of fishing, with four customers, we caught 20 sea trout, the average weight being 12.13 pounds. 13 of the sea trout landed were bigger than 10 lbs and we lost another 6 fish. Anyway, the weather was less than accommodating this past week; we had two days with strong winds. Sometimes it was blowing as hard as 45 miles an hour.
But then in the middle of the week we had heavy rain for two days and two nights throughout the Andes and this brought about a very sudden rise of particularly muddy water. Bella Vista Lodge is affected by the coloured water coming from the Turbio River. All this resulted in a rise of over 42 inches!!!
Consequently, after studying both the level and color of the river, we found ourselves obliged to stop fishing for the rest of the week.
The good news is that with high water we should get fresh fish from the sea in no time. This was supported by the larger number of fish we saw moving as the river rose.
Depite the disappointment of being moved off the main river, one of the rare advantages that our lodge has is the possibility of going in search of resident brown trout in the Gallegos Chico River with dry flies, which it is still an incredible experience!! This ensured great sport for our guests for the remainder of their stay.
River Conditions: Great shape at the beginning of the week, but due to rain and snowfall in the Andes Mountains, the river rose 42 inches in the last two days of the week. It is still dark for the moment.
Water temperature was between 7 ŗC and 11 ŗC. The water clarity was Quite dark because of the big rise in the middle of the week. Much higher water levels than normal for this river.
Fishing Conditions: The first three days of the week we caught large numbers of big fish and we ended with an average weight of 12.13 lbs. We caught 13 sea trout bigger than 10 pounds and we also caught plenty of resident browns in the Gallegos Chico River.
Fly lines used: We used only floating lines (PowerSpey Versitip and Skagit Heads) with type eight tips. The last day we could fish before the flood, type fourteen or super fast sink tips were necessary.
Fishing Techniques: The water was flowing fast enough that simply jigging or stripping the line slowly imparted plenty of movement.
Flies Used: We used big flies during the day and many different kinds of leech patterns when the sun went down.
Big fish for the week: 1 of 23 lbs, 5 fish between 15 and 19 lbs, and many smaller fish . Average weight: 12.13 lbs.
Conditions of the fish: All sea trout were females, and only one male . The majority where very fresh.
Tight lines!!!!
If you want to get into some Rio Grande action, contact..
Axelo axelo@lax-a.is
Direct office nr is +354-531-6108
Direct mobile nr is +354-895-5202
