Highlights
Villa Maria fishing report - New season record fish to land
Villa Maria Fishing Report : Feb 4 - 11
This week we welcomed a group of familiar faces from Austria and Germany, with group leader Willy F. Most of them had fished the Rio Grande before and were experienced anglers having fished all over the world.
We started the week with high expectations, with the high water from the previous week dropping and clearing fast. We had a great first day and landed 13 fish, the majority fresh and hard fighting. Our gusts presented the fly perfectly and generally fished well. On Sunday the fishing got tougher and we felt like something was going on. Later that afternoon we noticed that the water was rising again due to some heavy rain on the mountain and the water was colouring. The fish felt it much before us and on Monday when we arrived to find the river very high and dirty, with the Largo Island (home pool) underwater.
We have got used to the variability of the weather on the Rio Grande this season and knew exactly what to do. We arranged some alternatives to keep our guests busy. That afternoon we went to fish the Candelaria river, one of the Rio Grande’s tributaries, and also booked two days on the famous Lago Fagnano. Our guests welcomed this idea with enthusiasm, so off we went!
Two zodiac boats were waiting for us at the dock and drove us to a hidden paradise, the “Bahia Torito”, where we spent one night and two days of fishing. The place is gorgeous, very well cared for and the team there are warm and personable. The lake itself is huge, more than 110 km long and 8 km wide. It is famous for it´s big trout and looked incredibly fishy.
We spent a full day and a morning fishing the lake, both from the bank, where little tributaries enter the lake, and from the boat casting into the shoreline. We all have great fun and landed a good numbers of browns, lake trout and some fantastic brookies. All of our guests really enjoyed themselves and despite being ´plan B´, the trip was a great success!
For the last day of the week, we decided to return to the Rio Grande, despite the water still being very high and quite dirty. To our surprise we quickly found that the river was full of fish and they were willing to take our flies. We had a great day of fishing and landed a lot of big fish!
By trying new spots or pools that we wouldn´t normally fish with lower water levels we found a new “hot spot” where the current was not too strong and pool not too deep, making it easier to cover and present the fly. By fishing big leeches very deep, we had a lot of pleasant surprises for “our last try”!
Willy, the group leader, who knows the river pretty well having fished it many times over the past 20 years, hooked a strong, fresh fish. After a hard fight, and many long runs, the head of a huge fish emerged?and after many failed attempts to bring the fish to the net, we landed a new season record, a huge fresh 26 pound cock fish! What an ending!! Both Willy and the guide were more than happy after having battled against such tough conditions.
That same afternoon we also landed a 23, 21, 18 pounder, all of them straight from the sea and very aggressive!
This fantastic day has given us a lot of hope for the upcoming week. There is clearly a large number of fish in the river and if the water continue to drop and clear we should be in for a great week. There is every chance that we will once again break the Villa Maria record for this season!
Once again the Rio Grande has taught us that even when conditions are against us, there is still the chance of catching the fish of a lifetime. The season is far from finished and there are still a few spaces available. Come and experience this unique river for yourself!
By Jean Baptiste Vidal
Villa Maria guide.
In terms of numbers:
23 fish caught, Biggest fish 26 pounds, a new season record!
5 fish over 20 pounds, and 7 over 15 pounds;
The average weight is 13,09 pounds;
And the Top rod and the biggest fish of the week goes to Willy F.
For all bookings to Rio Grande seatrout, contact..
Axelo axelo@lax-a,is
Direct office nr +354-531-6108
Direct mobile nr +354-895-5202
