The plane banks into a landing over the urban sprawl of Buenos Aires, and I smile despite the lingering exhaustion of the day of travel and then the red-eye flight from New York. I’m about to be back in Argentina, and I can’t wait. More than three weeks of travel lie ahead: I was hosting two weeks of anglers, one far south on the famed Lago Strobel (Jurassic Lake) at Estancia Laguna Verde—one of my favorite lodges on the planet—and one at the Golden Dorado River Cruiser, a mothership operation on the Lower Paraná. Both places I’d visited before, staffed with guides and teams I thoroughly enjoyed.
The third stop was slated for after the hosted clients went home; I was heading to check out a new (to me) operation in northern Patagonia near the town of San Martín de los Andes called SET Spring Creek Lodge, scouting it out for potential hosted trips in the future, as well as photographing and penning a magazine article or two.
It was a busy line-up. But it was all in Argentina—a proper escape from the snowy, cold Montana winter—and I was happy.
Estancia Laguna Verde
First off was another flight from Buenos Aires to the southern town of El Calafate, then a half-day drive out to Estancia Laguna Verde. This is one of my favorite lodges for a reason: the sheer remoteness, coupled with a best-in-class team of guides and staff, a homey feel, and the chance to catch pristine 20+ lb. rainbow trout, makes for a compelling combination. Our arrival day happened to be my birthday, and I could hardly think of a better place—or better company—with which to celebrate.
The famed Lago Strobel didn’t disappoint. Within the first ten minutes of fishing guests Les and Scott doubled up on a pair of healthy rainbows, and that appeared to set the tone for the week. Les had a very well-deserved big fish of the week at 20.2 lbs.—enough to get him into the lodge record book—and Scott had many that were very close to that marker. We had a taste of all kinds of weather, including Lago Strobel’s traditional high winds, but the team were troopers and fished well throughout the week.
I even got to fish more this trip; putting the camera down to pick up a rod myself. And landed a nice rainbow in the exact same place I had the year prior… there’s something nice about “coming home” and knowing that, after a wild year last year, some things haven’t changed.
One thing that hasn’t changed at Laguna Verde is the wonderful team. They took stellar care of us, making the little outpost feel like home, and we shared what seemed to be an endless amount of laughter on the water with the guides. I can’t wait to return next year and visit friends once again.
Golden Dorado River Cruiser
After flying north once more and a night in Buenos Aires, we headed out toward the Lower Paraná River. This muddy, sprawling body of water is part of the Paraná River system—a massive river which flows throughout south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some 4,880 kilometers (3,030 mi). The operation is based on the Paraná Gipsy, a comfortable mothership which serves as hotel, restaurant, and fishing home base for the week.
We had a challenging weather week, with seasonal low-water conditions and then including getting rained out for the majority of a day due to massive thunderstorms rolling through. But the team made the most of it and fished hard, with everyone catching fish (dorado as well as several species of piranha) on the fly. The lodge team—including epic chef Alan, who is perpetually ready with a smile and some kind of delicious creation—took wonderful care of us. Golden dorado remain one of my favorite species to chase, and I look forward to the next encounter with these gleaming critters.
SET Spring Creek Lodge
After the River Cruiser I said goodbye to the hosted group, had another quick overnight in Buenos Aires to catch up on emails and a bit of photo editing, and then flew southwest to the town of San Martín de los Andes and the SET Spring Creek Lodge. This part of Argentina was new to me, and I was surprised how much it felt like the Montana I’d grown up in… including the scent of wildfire smoke heavy on the summer air. Large fires had kicked off in a nearby national park, and if I closed my eyes I could pretend it was twenty years ago, when I was a kid watching wildfires consume large swaths of Glacier National Park.
SET’s program is different to most lodges I visit, in that while they have an exquisite fishing program, they also offer non-angling activities such as horseback riding, cooking classes, town tours, and more. But I was there for the fishing, so while I eyed the “menu” with interest, my focus was on the water.
Spring Creek Lodge fishes a variety of rivers, reservoirs, and lakes in the region. Guests are treated to a luxurious (aka “glamping”) overnight camp on the Río Chimehuin, which was a wonderful break and kick-started the week with a bounty of healthy rainbows and brown trout. Throughout the week we fished the Aluminé River the Collón Curá River, the Río Chimehuin, the Upper Río Chimehuin, and a local reservoir. The diversity of water—and the landscapes surrounding that water—kept things interesting, and I was astounded at the diversity both in the landscape and the fisheries. One thing each location had in common, however, was a bounty of rainbow and brown trout ready to rise to a well-managed fly.
The Gear
I used my Epic gear throughout the trip, and guides at all three lodges were eager to test out the rods—especially the FastGlass. (And they were always pleasantly surprised; several wanted to know how to get their hands on one!) For Estancia Laguna Verde and the Golden Dorado River Cruiser, the 8-weight FastGlass, paired with the Backcountry Reel, was a workhorse, even in high winds. I alternated between floating and intermediate lines pending conditions.
At the Spring Creek Lodge I fished the 6-weight FastGlass for streamers and the 5-weight Carbon rod for dries, both with floating lines. The two made for a very effective combination, and rumor soon spread around the lodge about the fiberglass rod, which was fun to see.
Argentina, Te Amo
I’m always grateful that this job allows me to dip in and out of a lot of countries; to “sample” ways of living and fishing, and to learn from them what I’d like. Argentina has always felt inexplicably familiar; from the beginning it was a place I knew I’d like to return to time and time again. And, thankfully, that seems to be happening. Something about the combination of big, open country, dotted with a few interesting big cities, plenty of quality water loaded with fish, unique—and wonderful—food, and even better people is rather addicting.
I’ll be back to Estancia Laguna Verde (and perhaps other locations—stay tuned!) for a hosted trip in 2026. If you’d like to join (or simply want more information) be sure to follow along on Instagram, or keep an eye on my Hosted Trip Page here.
