Honor Roll Report Patagonia One Program Gets a Big Thumbs-Up
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A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER August 2016 Vol. 29, No. 8 DateLINE: SOUTH AMerica California, and it’s the third time we what I believe is an unrivaled combina- have used them. As before, working tion of small-water, walk-and-wade fish- Honor Roll Report with Pat Pendergast and his team at the ing in Argentina with float fishing the Patagonia One Program Fly shop was a true pleasure, and he was big mountain rivers of Patagonian Chile. spot-on letting us know what to expect We flew overnight from Atlanta on Gets a Big Thumbs-Up and, importantly, providing us with flies Delta, arriving in Buenos Aires at ap- that worked exceptionally well in all the proximately 9 AM. We were then taken Editor Note: We’ve been looking hard through the city to the regional airport, for a report on the new Patagonia One where we boarded a two-and-a-half-hour Program in South America. It involves flight to Esquel. From there, we were fishing in both Argentina and Chile. The driven another two and a half hours to good news is subscriber Cort Frohlich Las Pampas Lodge, which would be has stepped up to the plate with an al- our home for the next four nights, with most rapturous report. We are putting three days of fishing, before crossing the him on our Subscriber Honor Roll for border for six days of fishing in Chile. taking the time and making the effort to The lodge, managed and partially owned share what he experienced. His Honor by Augustine (Augie) Fox is lovely, Roll Fishing Cap is already in the mail. having accommodations for only eight y wife and I were fortunate anglers, with very comfortable rooms enough to be among the first various waters we fished. And what a and beds and private bathrooms. Morn- Manglers to experience Pa- variety of waters they were! ing and evening meals, and they were tagonia Base Camp’s Patagonia One The Patagonia One program is a excellent, were taken communally in the program, now in just its first full year of 10-night, nine-day collaboration be- main lodge. Breakfasts always included being available. Our trip was arranged tween Las Pampas Lodge in Argentina fresh juice and eggs and bacon if you so for us by The Fly Shop in Redding, and The Base Camp in Chile. It provides desired. Lunch was served in the field and always included a fine Argentinian SUPPORT OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS Malbec, which we really enjoyed. At dinner, which is usually served about 8:30 PM, everyone eats together, guides and guests alike, which makes for some interesting and sometimes highly amus- ing conversation. The bar is always open and well stocked. Unlimited fine Argen- IN THIS ISSUE tinian varietals are provided with dinner. The fireplace was usually roaring in the Sudan South Carolina morning and again later at night, adding Triggerfish, Anyone? Is This Redfish Spot to the ambience. Views over the moun- This May Be THE Spot Worth a Second Look? Pages 4–5 Pages 7–8 tains were spectacular. We saw five mas- sive Andean Condors circling overhead Florida Subscriber-Written Reports one morning. This Almost-Snook Trip Australia, Bolivia, Idaho, Became a Tarpon Outing Whipray Caye in Belize & More! As for the fishing, it was as good Pages 5–6 Pages 8–13 as advertised, if not better. On our first day, we fished Terremoto (earthquake) New York Oregon a spring creek, with Pancho and his Sight-Fish for Stripers This 46-Mile Float Trip 2 Hours from NYC! Pays Off Big Time! American assistant, Kevin, who were to Page 7 Pages 13–14 be our guides for the entire three days. THE ANGLING REPORT They were fantastic. Terremoto was had ever seen, much less fished. Every quite an introduction to the wonders of one of those spring creek channels was the waters available at Las Pampas. My loaded with big, healthy browns and first fish here, in slow-moving, crystal- rainbows that were feeding on caddis. clear spring creek water was a 20-inch We had constant action all day fishing to rainbow. I took it on a size 19 Purple huge, free-rising trout. This was classic Haze. I then took four 18- to 20-inch spring creek fishing. It was a day never bows on a size 10 yellow-bellied hop- to be forgotten, capped off when two per. The takes were incredibly slow and huge condors landed in a meadow right THE ANGLING REPORT visual, and the fish, when hooked, went behind me as I was landing yet another EDITOR ballistic. I ended the morning sight- 20-inch rainbow, and then spread their Don Causey casting to a 21-inch brown that took a wings. Even Pancho was impressed! size 16 tan Elk Hair Caddis. I landed it The following day it was time to MARKETING DIRECTOR after a great fight that included several leave Las Pampas and cross the border Michael Lyons jumps. My wife, meanwhile, took sev- into Chile. The “road” into Chile has to COPY EDITOR eral nice rainbows and missed a brown be seen to be believed. To put it mildly, Gary Hamel that Pancho estimated at 24 to 25 inches. it is just a wee bit bumpy, and the bridg- What a start! es you cross have certainly never seen an LAYOUT & PRODUCTION The lodge has a number of scenic, OSHA inspector. All part of the fun! The Ben F. Badger Jr. fish-filled lakes available, and the next crossing was seamless and took only ILLUSTRATIONS day we fished Lago #5. Unfortunately, about an hour and a half. It was clear Gordon Allen as occurs in Patagonia, it was quite that not many people cross at this remote windy, and fishing the reed beds and location, as the three soldiers manning rock walls of the lake produced only a the crossing on the Chilean side were fish or two. When the lakes are on, how- obviously excited to have something to The Angling Report ever, I was told, they can be spectacular do, squabbling over who would have the 202-770-9942 for some really big browns and rain- honor of stamping our passports. We had bows. We switched to the Rio Pico in the been told that a gun and carbine belong- The Angling Report (ISSN: 1045-3539) is published monthly by Oxpecker Enterprises, Inc., 4431 afternoon and caught several respectable ing to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Greenwich Parkway, Washington, DC 20007. rainbows. Kid, who lived in that very area before Periodicals Postage Paid at Washington, DC. and On our third and final day at Las moving to Bolivia, where they were at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Angling Report, 4431 Pampas, we experienced a very special killed, were at the border crossing but Greenwich Parkway, Washington, DC 20007. The day of fishing in a maze of spring creek could only be seen with the comman- Angling Report is not a booking agent, nor is it channels of the Rio Pico that is locally dant’s permission. With Pancho translat- affiliated with a booking agent, outfitter, or guide. known as “Africa.” The channels occur ing, we asked politely and were allowed How can we help you? on a stunning, 7,000-acre ranch, sur- into another room, where we saw and rounded by snow-capped peaks. My photographed the weapons. Pretty cool. New Subscriptions: A one-year subscription costs $49. Add $11 per year in Canada/Mexico. $29 wife and I both agreed it was one of As we entered Chile we were met overseas. Visa/MC/Amex accepted. Contact us on the the most visually stunning places we by Courtney and Fabian from Patago- Web (www.anglingreport.com), by phone (202-770- 9942), by e-mail ([email protected]), or by mail (The Angling Report, 4431 Greenwich Parkway, Washington, DC 20007). Honor Roll Subscribers Online Extra Upgrade: One year costs $24, in The Angling Report encourages the Page 1 report in this issue on the addition to regular subscription fee. Puts one on list subscribers to file reports on great new Patagonia One Program in South to receive e-mail invitations to go fishing FREE in return for filing a report. Unlimited access to our trip- places to fish and important news devel- America. It’s a must-read report on an planning database also included. Plus, e-mail and hard opments that help the rest of us decide usually interesting and diverse fish- copies of monthly newsletters. Same contact details where to go—or not to go—fishing. ing experience. If you have been on an as above. Subscribers who file unusually impor- interesting trip recently, send a letter- Trip-Planning Materials: Same contact details as above. By phone, fax, e-mail, or mail. Do your own tant and useful reports are placed on length report to see if you can get on searches on our website, www.anglingreport.com. Click our Subscriber Honor Roll and sent a our subscriber Honor Roll. E-mail it to on “Trip-Planning Tools.” Thousands of pages of sub- complimentary Angling Report Honor [email protected]. You scriber reports and previously published articles. Roll fishing cap. Honor Roll subscribers can find the complete list of Honor Roll Subscription Questions: Same contact details as also get special consideration for FREE subscribers on our Web site, www.an- above. On our website, www.anglingreport.com, click on “Subscribe.” trips. Our new Honor Roll subscriber glingreport.com. Click on “Honor Roll this month is Cort Frolich who wrote subscribers.” August 2016 -2- Volume 29, Number 8 THE ANGLING REPORT nia Base Camp.