Our friend and sales rep Jon Covich just returned from a 3 week trip to Argentina. Summer is looking pretty good right now. Thanks for sharing Jon. Check out future issues of Catch Magazine for more on his trip.
Jorge Graziosi is now a fixture in Argentine fly fishing circles, having now guided for more than 40 years. His lodge, Arroyo Claro, sits amongst the trees, high above the beautiful Carrileufu Valley, just outside the gates of Alerces National Park.
I have now fished with, and taken photos for Jorge three times. This latest adventure, in January of this year, was one of the best.
I love how much is available to the angler in this part of Argentina. On any given morning, Jorge might say to his guests, “ Amigo, where would you like to fish today? We can float the upper or lower sections of the Carrileufu River, or go in to the park and float the Rivadavia. Or, we can walk in to the spring creek of the Rivadivia and sight fish. And, we have the option of fishing Lago Verde and its outlet.”
In addition to all the fishing options close to the lodge, it is almost always part of an anglers itinerary to venture in to the Argentine outback. On this last trip, we floated the Chubut river for 4 days. This is a willow-lined, desert river, with fine dry fly fishing. Guests were treated to great food and drink, with the usual sit down lunches at tables under the trees. Not having wine with your meal was never an option .After that float, Jorge took several of us even further a field, traveling gravel roads at 80 miles per hour, to the famous Lago Tres and another high mountain lake.
Argentina is not necessarily for everyone. Don’t go thinking it is the norm to catch 50 fish a day. That can happen. But accurate casts and good presentations put fish on the beach, and each of them is memorable. Add to that fishing experience the great food and wine, the wide open expanses leading to a backdrop of the Andes, and little in angling destinations could be better.
Information for fishing and booking Arroyo Claro can be found at www.angleradventures.com.
Jon Covich
