On the Rio Pico Patagoniaone
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CHILE - PATAGONIANBASECAMP Ho36urs on the Rio Pico PatagoniaOne 2015 started off with a bang for me, as I left Cali - Lodge: “Rio Pico”, officially named PatagoniaOne (Patagonia fornia for Chile on January 2nd to start an epic 23 day fly fish - without Borders). I had been reading and hearing about the ing adventure to South America. The trip would have me Rio Pico region of Argentina, Patagonia for close to 20 years visiting and fishing three different lodges and outfitters in and heard some amazing stories from Mike Michalak about Chile, and two lodges in Argentina – all in remote and beau - fishing this remote frontier with famed Argentina fishing guide tiful Patagonia. The trip had been planned for better than a Raul San Martin. To say I was chomping at the bit to see and year out, but underwent some significant schedule changes, fish it would be a gross understatement. A couple simple ad - when Marcel of Patagonian BaseCamp, in early December, justments to my itinerary gave me six full days with Marcel, told me about his new program in Argentina at Las Pampas plenty of time to check-out his new fishery. The following is a day by day journal account of days, chucking baitfish patterns towards the banks, Marcel and I make it back to the lodge, have a Marcel and my experience at Patagonia Base Camp logs, or other structure in the hope that one of the well-earned beer, some snacks, grab a shower and and Las Pampas, “Rio Pico”- the latter an intense giants living in the area comes out and inhales the make our way to the lodge for cocktail hour and two days and one night fast-track in the Fonterra! fly. These days usually require hard work, dinner. Dinner is served at 10:30 p.m., squash perseverance, a bit of skill, and a whole lot of luck; soup, with queso and bife de lomo with locally 10 JAN 2015 - Saturday most of the time, some nice fish are seen, hooked, picked morels - delicious with great wines. All the After a wonderful few days with Jose Gorrono and even landed. Even on the best days, most of the guests eat at one table and the guides join us for and his team at El Saltamontes, I am headed to best fish caught with a streamer are hard-earned… dinner – I like this. One of the guide helpers is an Patagonian BaseCamp (PBC) , Marcel and Caro American named “Tucker”: young guy, just Sijnesael’s fabulous operation on the Palena River. graduated from Harvard majoring in Fungi Biology, Jose drives me to the cross roads to Puerto Cisnes a family friend of David Ondaatje, owner of Winston and Puyuhuapi, half way point between the two Fly Rods, going to start growing truffles, back east lodges. We take the back road over to Manihuales in Connecticut . Marcel and I hit the sack at 12:30 (30 +/-minutes ride) . The entire transfer takes one p.m. Tomorrow we go to “Africa” - the braids of the hour and thirty minutes – it is an easy drive, much Rio Pico! of it paved now. Marcel arrives at the meeting place exactly one minute before our agreed upon 14 JAN 2015 - Wednesday time, (love his attention to detail) and we transfer Today, we go to “Africa” a maze of spring creek luggage, I say goodbye to Jose and jump in channels of the Rio Pico in a massive valley, Carolina’s FJ Cruiser. It should be noted that Marcel surrounded by arid steppes and snow-peaked had to get special permission from Carolina to use mountains. The valley floor is covered by her personal vehicle and I think (hope) her thousands of braided spring creek channels, decision was due to my visit. We needed to be at So, floating the Palena River, pitching big dries aquatic vegetation and sweet grass - loaded with the crossroads before 11:00 a.m. as the road on a beautifully sunny day- typical of the height of browns and rainbows eating Caddis or whatever between there and La Junta (closest town/village our Patagonian summer - I really was not other aquatic insect is hatching. A short drive (5 to PBC) is under construction and they are blasting anticipating seeing the largest trout I have seen in minutes) from the Las Pampas Lodge has us driving their way through solid rock to widen and Chile since 2006. While Gypsy King fishing is quite through a locked gate and entering Nuñez’s 7,000 eventually pave the road. They closed the section productive, and watching trout of all sizes attempt acre cattle ranch where our fishery awaits. It’s an we needed to navigate between 1 and 5 p.m. every to eat this massive dry is unbeatable fun, it is quite amazing resource of small water sight fishing to day to blow stuff up. As we pass the construction rare to see the largest trout in the river come up to free rising wild trout, exclusive to Las Pampas crews working on the road, we see them packing play. Big fish eat little fish right? guests. My first good shot at an eating fish, lands explosives in drilled holes and I comment to Needless to say, when this giant brown came up a 23 inch rainbow taken on a Missing Link - thanks Marcel, “…I sure hope they know what they are for a look, it caught the attention of everyone in Mike Mercer! It’s all I can do to navigate the fish doing….” Marcel and I make the drive with no the boat. The water was walking speed, the shelf through a maze of obstacles as she leaps and runs issues or long delays. We stop in La Junta to top along the bank was littered with structure, and the in every direction – all seemingly at once. Marcel, off Caro’s rig with fuel and drive onto the lodge. fish just appeared, hovering under the fly, following fishing with Anka, lands a fat brown that is easily We arrive at the lodge just in time for a super it downstream, all the while providing quite the 23 inches just upstream from me, minutes after my lunch. It’s worth noting that all the vegetables, show. He opened his mouth on the fly twice, turning bow is released. We sneak along the banks, crawl meats, milk, all the staples that can be, are away disinterested each time, all the while on our bellies and wade between channels organic and grown or produced on the ranch in a moving away from his spot, and swimming sight fishing to sipping trout the next “Africa” sustainable manner. It’s a total commitment by with the boat. Kudos to angler Pat couple hours, (we each have our own guide) Carolina in offering the very best table fare made Pendergast as he retained his composure is classic until the hatch finally quiets and the fish go with the freshest, home grown and produced all the while, not moving the fly or setting spring creek rest. It should be noted that this is not tiny ingredients. I get settled into my room, unpacked the hook, and talking the fish into eating spring creek fishing in a channel that is and got organized, as this will be my base for the just one more time… fishing – three feet wide, five feet deep (which is not next 6 days. Marcel gives me a tour of the ranch, Finally, after what seemed like an the real that uncommon in Patagonia) . This water is and we check out his new boats, rafts, etc. – a eternity and with the fly partially wide, up to and over 40 feet in width in couple container loads of equipment he ordered submerged, he ate it with a slow, deliberate, deal and some spots and with good current, cold from the States, which arrived a week or so before. confident eat, and Pat set the hook! With a lot of fun! water and hard fighting fish, that won’t He purchased new 17’ deep v-hull LUND boats for the fish putting the tippet, knots, and drag suffer being lined or a bonked on the head the lake fishing. They’re nice boats, super stable to the test, I moved the boat away from the by a sloppy cast. “Africa” is classic spring and clean for fly fishing, and able to safely and bank to the deepest part of the run. Ten minutes creek fishing – the real deal and a lot of fun! comfortably navigate and fish Lago Rosselot and later, we were on the gravel bar, taking photos, We meet up with Rob and Ted that have been Lago Verde and other lakes, much better than the shaking our heads, and grinning ear to ear. floating the main Pico, once the myriad of braided flat bottom jet skiffs. New jet motors, new rafts, An amazing fish, a painstaking eat, and a great spring creek channels combine to form a single life jackets, frames, oars, two new Toyota Hilux fight- nothing more to ask for.” channel and enjoy a quick and delicious lunch pick-ups, (one was crashed the week before, so he steam side, then Rob and Ted head to Africa and ordered another) …lots and lots of stuff! Marcel The rest of the afternoon we fish Gypsy Kings we jump in the raft with Martin to continue the continues to invest in his infrastructure and and Fat Alberts with some action. We switch to Rio Pico float Ted and and Rob were on this program, like no other outfitter we work with.