The Caddis Fly: Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

We have the week of June 10-18, 2016 reserved for a group of 6 anglers. This “prime time” date is available for a very special rate. If you want to see Cuba before it’s more like Florida than Cuba, make your plans sooner than later. Our trips on “live aboards” have been really enjoyable with excellent food and shorter runs to fishing. Tarpon, permit, bonefish and other species are available everyday. This saltwater fly fishing paradise is not to be missed!

GEORGIANA yacht, one of the latest additions on Avalon family, is a brand new yacht designed to take you to the most remote and pristine parts of the Island of the Youth. The Georgiana is 100 feet long with comfortable cabins and private bathrooms used for weekly trips inside the Marine Park of the Canarreos Archipelago, the world famous chain of islands that runs eighty miles from the Island of the Youth to Cayo Largo in Southern Cuba. It can accommodate groups of 6 anglers, in 6 deluxe cabins with air conditioning, hot water, private bathroom and wide storage space.

Rates include
Reception in Havana. 2-night accommodation in a 5* Hotel in Havana. Airticket Havana/Nueva Gerona/Havana. 6-night accommodation in the Georgiana yacht full board. 5 full and 2 half fishing days with guide and skiff. Fishing license.
Rates do not include:
International Airticket. Cuba visa voucher, personal health insurance, extras in Havana, fishing equipment and flies, staff and guide gratuities.

For more info on this trip shoot me an email at: caddiseug@yahoo.com

Jurassic Lake is nothing short of a biological anomaly and must be the most prolific trophy rainbow fishery on the planet. The lake itself is a large desert sink lake measuring approximately 20 by 15 km. It is located at approximately 3,000 ft. elevation in the wide open desolate expanse of the Patagonian Steppe. And while it looks like a saltwater body of water with its wind-chopped, blue water channels and shelves, it is teaming with small scuds and massive rainbow trout. Here the rainbow trout average over 10 pounds with countless fish in the mid-teens as well as good numbers of fish into the 20 + pound class. These fish are extremely stout and most are incredibly strong and acrobatic.

The Lodge has the good fortune of being located at the mouth of Jurassic lake’s only significant tributary. With no outlet, this is far and away the best location on the lake with anglers stacking up big numbers of big fish virtually every day of the season. There have been some reports of slower fishing in February where anglers might only catch 5-10 big fish a day, but by in large the general level of productivity of the camp water is hard to comprehend.

For more information about this trip please click here: Book Jurassic Lake Lodge

Location:
Jurassic Lake is located in the Santa Cruz Province in Argentina. The lake is roughly 6-7 hours north of Calafate by vehicle, but only about 380 kilometers (236 miles) away, and 1 hour southwest of Comodoro Rivadavia by charter flight.

Fishing Program:
All fly fishing is done while wading or standing on the bank. There are typically up to five guides on-site depending on occupancy. Anglers typically fish stations in nearby bays, on the peninsula, near the river’s mouth, and the lower stretches of the Barrancoso river and cast (often into or across the wind) with floating or intermediate lines and employ a slow retrieve. Also, there are several upper river beats that we encourage all anglers to rotate through during the week. There are a wide variety of flies that work well, with woolly buggers, zonkers, egg patterns, and especially assorted nymphs tied on heavy wire hooks being the staples.
There are certain times and specific bays where, during certain conditions (especially during the low light evening hours) the big fish (most often pods of them) come within a few feet of the banks and cruise the shallows like massive bonefish. Even in harsh wind keep mindful of sight fishing opportunities as you can often make out dark pods of fish.

The guides are a combination of camp hosts and guides. They will show you the general fishing program and fishing areas, give advice on fly selection and technique, help with landing fish, take photos, and assist you with whatever you may need. Fishing will mainly be done without a guide at your side at all times and therefore the program is best described as lightly guided.

Accommodations and Meals:
This newly remodeled and improved lodge facility can take as many as ten anglers housed in five rooms double occupancy rooms with private bath and shower. The rooms have comfortable beds, electricity, and heater. We always recommend traveling with a headlamp, water bottle and ear plugs.

Excellent hearty meals and dinners complete with wine are served in the main lodge. This is a fun gathering spot with a large dining table, plenty of light and busy cooking staff. Coffee, tea, snacks as well as beer and wine are always close at hand.

Sample Itineraries:
Full Week (7 Night/6.5 Day)
Friday: Arrive to Buenos Aires in the morning. Transfer to the domestic airport, fly to Comodoro Rivadavia and overnight.
Saturday: Take early charter flight from Comodoro Rivadavia to Jurassic Lake Lodge. Arrive to Jurassic Lake Lodge after 1 hour flight. Fish upon arrrival.
Sunday-Friday: Six full days of fishing.
Saturday: Take early charter flight from Jurassic Lake Lodge to Comodoro Rivadavia. Arrive to Comodoro Rivadavia before Noon. Return flight to Buenos Aires. Transfer to international airport for late flight home.
First Half Week (3 Night/3 Day)
Friday: Arrive to Buenos Aires in the morning. Transfer to the domestic airport, fly to Comodoro Rivadavia and overnight.
Saturday: Take early charter flight from Comodoro Rivadavia to Jurassic Lake Lodge. Arrive to Jurassic Lake Lodge after 1 hour flight. Fish upon arrival.
Sunday-Monday: Two full days of fishing.
Tuesday: Fish half day. Depart the lodge and transfer to Calafate. Overnight in Calafate.

Second Half Week (4 Night/3 Day)
Monday: Arrive to Buenos Aires / Depart for Calafate / Overnight in Calafate
Tuesday: Depart from Calafate to Jurassic Lake Lodge at 11:30 AM/ Arrive lodge around 6 PM / Fish the rest of the day
Wednesday-Friday: Three full days of fishing.
Saturday: Take early flight from Jurassic Lake Lodge to Comodoro Rivadavia. Arrive to Comodoro Rivadavia before Noon. Return flight to Buenos Aires. Transfer to international airport fro late flight home.

2016 “Prime Time” Availability
Nov. 5-12 – 10 rods
Nov 19-26 – 4 rods
Dec 10-17 – 7 rods

For more information about this trip please click here: Book Jurassic Lake Lodge

Winter time in the Pacific Northwest is great for Winter steelheading but let’s not forget about planning and dreaming about your next destination fly fishing trip. This week I thought I would share some ideas for the coming year. We start with New Zealand, closest to our hearts Cedar Lodge.

Cedar Lodge’s season starts around the 15th of November. High country rivers in Mt. Aspiring National Park open the first Saturday of November. We get going roughly the week after the opening week push. Spring is variable in terms of water and weather conditions, but fish are hungry and often we see better numbers of fish during the Nov-Dec period.

One of the most common questions we get is “when is the best time to come?” The easy answer is “anytime” you can make it, but here are a few thoughts. In a perfect world everyday in February (high summer) would be blue bird weather and Cicada’s would be singing, banging into you, and struggling on the water. Big browns would be free rising and water levels ideal. But we are set at roughly the 45th parallel and the weather varies. We just had 2 feet of rain in 3 days! 3500 lightening strikes hit central Otago during that period. One night the thunder was so loud it resembled 50 trains barreling down the valley, with the odd one crashing into our house. Back to the best time of year, January and February are considered high summer and we do book these weeks roughly a year in advance. Here is my sleeper pick for the best time of year. The two weeks prior to Christmas have been the transition between spring and summer the past 3 seasons. We have seen excellent Manuka Beetle activity and the weather has been largely settled and general fishing and tourism traffic is considerably less in New Zealand. December 10-22 is a fantastic window.

The fishing at Cedar Lodge: The two truly unique aspects of Cedar Lodge are location and inclusive helicopter transport to and from the rivers we fish. We are positioned at the edge of Mt. Aspiring Park and fish numerous rivers east and west of New Zealand’s southern divide. The fact that we own our helicopter makes heli transport inclusive rather than an additional charge at retail rates. We fish with five and six weight rods, use primarily dry flies with the occasional nymph dropper. Fish generally range in size from 2-8lbs, browns and rainbows are available depending upon the days local.

What to bring: We have quite a few guests arrive without rods, reels, boots, waders, flies etc. That’s fine! We have everything you might need here at the lodge. If you do want to bring your own gear we suggest rubber soled wading shoes, wading socks, five and six weight rods, 9-12ft 4x leaders, 3-5x tippet and an assortment of flies depending upon the season. Because the weather does vary we suggest you focus on layering and are prepared for all conditions. It can be 80 degrees one day and snow the next. A fishing license with “back country endorsement”, sunscreen, insect repellent, hat, buff, day pack and good polarized sunglasses are all necessities.

Meals and Accommodations: We have really “ramped” up the garden the past few seasons and along with famous New Zealand lamb, venison, and seafood our mains include freshly picked organic fruits and veggies. Hardy breakfasts get you started each morning and stream-side lunches are served with a cup of tea or coffee. The lodge has only 4 rooms, our maximum capacity is 8 guests. Each room has an every changing view of the Mountains of Mt. Aspiring national park.

Why come to Cedar Lodge New Zealand? I will make this easy. Sight fishing in crystal clear rivers for big trout in water you can drink out of!

You will find much more info at: http://cedarlodge.net/index.html