Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Nine years ago, Rachel and I took a two-month trip to Chile and Argentina to sample some of the region’s best trout waters and spectacular landscapes. Our itinerary included stops in Chile’s Lake District, Coyhaique (the country’s fishing equivalent of West Yellowstone), Torres del Paine National Park, and wrapped up after a boat ride across the Straits of Magellan and ten days on the Rio Grande. The trip was perfect. The fishing conditions on the other hand, were not. After fishing mostly high, often dirty water north to south, we hoped for a change on our final week. We caught our first glimpse of the Rio Grande shortly after the pavement gave way to dirt on the Estancia Maria Behety and confirmed the rumors: The unusually wet January shot the flows to a level that would test the skills of both guides and anglers.

We woke to bluebird skies that first morning, fished through our beat without a touch, then hooked one between us that evening. Back at the lodge, the allure of a drink and fine company quickly pulled Rachel and I towards the bar and, with ten other guests gathered, the wine and stories flowed freely. Over the course of the week, the wind howled, the sun shined, the flows dropped, and the fishing improved. Despite better conditions, it still wasn’t easy. High water meant long casts to the far slot, heavy current required serious tips to sink the fly and constant, head-on wind, stuffed sloppy presentations. On the Rio Grande though, brown trout under seven pounds are dismissed as runts, any cast could yield a twenty-pounder, and everyone landed a lifetime fish.

Tomorrow morning, Rachel will board a plane bound for Buenos Aires and then another to Rio Grande. She’s spent the last decade building relationships with outfitters south of the equator and serves as Fly Water Travel’s South American travel specialist. Ten months ago, we welcomed our son into the world. He pulls harder on our heartstrings than any fish pulls line and made the decision to pack her bags difficult. Yet, Rachel is an angler. She fished winter steelhead on the Rogue while nine months pregnant and gave a casting lesson hours before going into labor. She will see three different lodges over seven days and recent reports from guides and returning guests all suggest that she will be blown away. Go get ‘em Rachel.