On the Fly
Estancia San Pablo is gaining a reputation amongst fly fishers for excellent fishing. But is that possible in Wine Country? Charlie O’Malley finds out.

Patagonia gets all the attention when it comes to fly fishing in Argentina. Monster 30lb brown trout on the Rio Grande in Tierra del Fuego and lively rainbow in the pristine waterways of the Lake District have foreign anglers struggling into their waders and tripping over their rods in a frantic effort to get down there while the fish are still biting. Specialist fishing lodges dot the landscape and many charge as much as $1000 US a day for the privilege of planting yourself by the riverbank. Outfitters are willing to pay as much $5 US a click for a Google ad that appears when somebody types “I want to go fishing in Patagonia please.”

Meanwhile, to the north lies Mendoza, basking in sun and wine and dramatic Andean scenery. Not long on the tourist radar, the area is content gaining a reputation as the perfect escape for those who love reveling in the lush vineyardss and sipping Malbec whilst gorging on ice cream scenery. People believe the only fish you get here is on a plate and the lack of bugs mean a fly is just another term for a trouser zip. Yet the fact is there is a community of locals who like nothing better than pulling on rubber tights and spending their weekends dancing in mountain streams trying to catch that big one. They do it in Uspallata, they do it in Potrerillos, they do it in San Rafael and they especially do it in Estancia San Pablo in the heart of Valle de Uco.

Valle de Uco is a fertile plain 80km southwest of Mendoza city. Nestled between the low Pre-Cordillera and the towering blunted peaks of the Cordon de Plata, it is a high altitude zone producing excellent grapes, pears and peaches. It also produces a wily, intelligent, querulous trout. The valley is particularly stunning at daybreak when the snowcapped peaks reflect the bright orange and pink of the rising sun. Also bathed in such chocolate box glory is Estancia San Pablo, a 40,000ha working ranch that ripples along the Andean foothills the whole way to Chile. 3000 rust-colored cattle dot the hills, watched by monogamous condors and shy guanacos. (The estancia loses several hundred cattle a year to wild, elusive puma that stalk the higher mountain slopes).

The main draw here is the crystal clear Rio San Pablo, a fast moving mountain stream that gushes over brown stones and through a long green sliver of valley that opens the mountains to Argentina’s Pacific neighour. This river is jumping with trout - wild fighting rainbow that are small, super quick and hard to catch. They frustrate the most experienced fishermen and challenge the most adept. Skilled anglers can spend hours trying to read the river and coax something from the clear pools and out onto the lawn-like banks, yet end up troutless. Then along comes owner Walter Sibila. He shouts “lunch time!” and within 15 minutes has four fat beauties ready for the frying pan. Lunch is a riverside spectacular of that same trout, cooked in white wine sauce, accompanied by fresh salad, the finest meat and excellent wines.

Then back to the river. The somewhat humbled fishermen take comfort from Walter’s account that he fished this river for one year before he caught anything and for several years before he learned all its secrets.

“Now it’s the most convenient fish store in the valley.” he says.

They then get a crash course in fishing the San Pablo, learning that here the trout are no fools and must be approached in a completely different manner with a different fly and with a different technique. They also require effort and speed.

“The more you work, the more you catch.” he declares.

Such advice pays off. By early evening the river reveals itself as teeming with rainbow colored stone dwellers that want to come out to play. In fact the river has too much trout and for this reason Walter has no qualms about keeping some for the dinner table. The excited fisherman stalks the riverbank, willing the sun not to set anymore and reveling in such remarkable fishing.Of course the sun eventually sets and we must go home.

Home is a comfy five-bedroom lodge further down the river with a young vineyard out front. The décor is “rustic deluxe” with bare rafters, flagstone floors and decorated with estancia memorabilia. Every room has an immaculate ensuite bathroom. We join Walter’s family for an excellent dinner with most of the food grown on the farm.

“Here the chicken comes wrapped in feathers, not plastic.” he says as we sip some of the valleys finest wines. Walter is in fact a trained winemaker and studied in the Medoc of Bourdeaux, a world famous region. Later we enjoy a nightcap outside. The night sky is an incredible disco ball of infinity. The star formations are completely unfamiliar to those who are used to the northern skies and we argue over which is the famous Southern Star. Easier to see is a Magellanic cloud, a hazy cluster of galaxies first observed by the Portuguese sailor as he sailed around the world. A revelation indeed, on a day of revelations.

Visit http://estanciasanpablo.com.ar/

this article is reprinted by kind permission of www.wine-republic.com

And further north…… Mario Capovía Del Cet writes about fishing in the Dorado River

Present situation

Thanks to the growing promotion of fly fishing, many curious anglers have started to investigate and confirm the amazing dorado fly fishing potential in the Northeast of Argentina. Unfortunately this area has always been subject to predation, pollution, the cutting down of trees, and even fishing using dynamite in rivers and springs where dorados usually spawn. The projection of just a fraction of the province economy, based on sport fishing, might make the local authorities open their eyes to the true importance of protecting these spectacular locations.

Dorado River

After thirty years my dream came true when my friend Daniel Beilinson invited me to fish Dorado river, in the province of Salta, where he opened a fishing lodge three months ago.

Only fly fishing is allowed in the Dorado River in the province of Saltat  and catch and release is compulsory. It is also recommended to avoid the use of the hook barb. Less fish are hurt in this way and good fishing is assured for an indefinite time.

Only one area can be reached by car; the rest is accessible through paths and by horse. The fear I felt for this " I have ridden a horse only once in the past thirty years " vanished away with the tameness of the gentle animals and the comfortable saddle. The journey to get to the different stretches takes from one to two hours. These horseback trips are an experience themselves, riding among beautiful flora and with chances of spotting toucans, parrots, magpies, charatas and a wide variety of endemic birds.

Dorado River is amazing. If it weren’t for the temperature and the dense subtropical vegetation, you would think you are in the south. The water is very clear and the river-bed is small at this time of the year, with high beige hillocks or reddish soil defining the color of the sandbanks downstream. These sandbanks hold schools of sabalos and some breams, that come and go when they notice our presence. They are also found in the rocks, eating the plants adhered to their surface. Sometimes we might be surprised at a loud splash just at our feet when they don´t notice us until they are a couple of metres away. It is a real aquarium.


Outfit

As temperatures are usually high and deep wading is not necessary, waders have proved to be useless here. The best is to wear light weight pants. Light weight long sleeved shirts will protect you from insects, such as gnats and mosquitoes don´t forget insect repellent- and from the sun. I suggest you wear socks to protect your ankles. As you will be constantly walking on rocks, it´s better to bring rubber soled shoes. They don´t need to be nonslipping because the rocks are not so smooth; I personally wore tennis shoes.

Also, a wide brimmed hat to protect neck and ears and polarized sunglasses to let you enjoy the presence of fish in such pristine waters even more.


Fishing equipment

Fishing the Dorado requires a much lighter weight equipment than the one used in Paraná river, where the current, the size of the fish and the depth demand tackles for line #7 or #8 and large weighted flies.

Tackle for line #5 or #6 and floating line with a leader of no longer than 1.80 meters, what makes fishing much more exciting. The flies should be in hooks 1/0 and 2/0 (always with the steel wire), with or without muddler head; olive, yellow, brown and black with red, green, orange and some shine.


The fish

This river holds "impeccable" dorados due to the absence of piranhas. In addition to this, the continuous current they are exposed to makes them a fighting species. The average size ranges from two to six pounds and they fight as dynamite if we use light weight equipment. An over-10 pounder surpised me when casting a fly four meters away. Without giving time for a second thought it bowed the rod and the cut was instantaneous. Leaving my disappointment behind, I learnt that this river might be waiting to give us a great surprise at the other end of the rod any time.

The fishing

It is the same as in any river in Patagonia: casting in front of and behind the rocks, in deep-watered riffles and the edges of the sandbanks. Wading is not complicated because the shore can be trodden on all along the river (except for the hillock bank) and the stony soil allows casting easily.

One word of caution: the water is so clear that we have to be very careful when we get close to the shore and fish from a distance, as fish might spot us easily. This is not a river to catch a lot of fish; a good angler might land from three to ten dorados a day, with some chases and rejections (it´s great to see the dorado darting towards the fly and then turn back without attacking), unsuccessful hookups and fish that let go of the hook after some leaps.

Apart from the fishing results, walking along the banks of Dorado river justifies the trip. Its sandy shores are full of footprints of different animals like tapir, peccary, guazuncho. The flats hold thousands of tadpoles and aquatic birds start getting ready to fly just a hundred meters away from us, before we can get a closer look.

If you really appreciate wild landscapes and you travel there some day, you will realize that the images you get there will remain in your memory for good and the wish to go back the following season will always be in your heart.

For tailor-made fishing in the north contact http://www.flyfishingcaribe.com As well as accommodation at the fishing lodge they can arrange use of a luxury apartment in Puerto Madero, overlooking the marina should you wish to see the sights of Buenos Aires.

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