Sea-Run Brown Trout in Tierra del Fuego: Chasing the Fish of a Lifetime

How many great fishing adventures have had their inception around a table of great friends and a few cold beers? On January 19th I found myself cooking dinner with friends and MRFC coworkers, Borden Porter and Nicko Opinsky. The Montana winter cold was especially noticeable that night as we worked our way through the unofficial beer sponsor of Ennis fishing guides, Miller Lite. As Nicko and I debated the age-old argument of tastes great or less filling, Borden by no particular reason happened to read out loud an email presenting a once in a lifetime opportunity to fish in Argentina for sea-run brown trout. Two anglers had dropped out at the last minute making way for someone to take their place at the lodge. Here was the rub: You had to be in Buenos Aires, Argentina in less than 48 hours so you could catch a flight to the bottom of the world in Ushuaia. So as any good trout bums would do, Nicko and I abandoned all reason and emphatically said yes to chasing the fish of a lifetime in the Argentinian Patagonia.

Our journey began with a flight from Bozeman, Montana to Dallas Fortworth International. After a quick layover in Dallas we were on our way to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Gear was a commodity that we were certainly not short of. I brought with me a Sage ballistic spey rod tube to hold all of our two handers. The problem that I quickly ran into was spey rods don’t fit well into overhead compartments on most planes. Out of fear of what could happen if the rod tube was checked below the plane, I hid to the best of my ability the megalodon sized rod tube between my legs for the duration of the 10 and a half hour flight. Let me tell you, that was a mistake my body would not forget. Never have I been so glad to get off a plane in my life. 

Our first day was spent in Buenos Aires exploring the city and culture. We were instantly struck by the warmth and kindness of the Argentine people within Buenos Aires. During our short stay within the city, we were able to find a new love for empanadas and the regional malbec that flowed like water in the confines of the steakhouses on Paraguay street. An early night was in order as tomorrow we would be flying to the bottom of the world. 

We landed in the fairytale-like city of Ushauia and met with our fellow anglers to embark on the three hour drive through the mountains of Tierra Del Fuego. The Despedida Lodge is a 6 angler retreat located near the banks of the world-renowned Rio Grande river. The lodge is a family run operation with Danny Lajous at its helm. In operation for over 20 years, the Estancia Despedida has become a bucket-list destination for anglers all over the world in search of a 20lb sea run brown trout. The lodge operates in true Argentine fashion with a morning fishing session, a large lunch and siesta, followed by a nighttime fishing outing and dinner at midnight. After a good night of much needed rest, it was time for fishing!

The method in which the Estancia Despedida guides employ to catch these fish is truly bonkers. We used 110’ of 30lb mono running line to a 10’ or 15’ sinking tip with a 10’ to 20’ fluorocarbon leader of 0X. Casting this setup in the 60mph everpresent wind was anything but a walk in the park. Once you managed to get your fly into the water it was time to twitch that thing into motion! Of all the fishing I’ve been fortunate enough to do in my life, never have I felt a take like that of a sea run brown trout… Utter annihilation. The rod is nearly ripped out of your hand and then it’s time to hold on for dear life. Outside of the astounding weight these fish can achieve, the real fun lies in how hard these fish fight and the acrobatic performances they regularly display while doing so. 

While we found most of our success with single-hand rods, the two-hand game is a completely valid option on the Rio Grande. Sea-run brown trout are not shy about taking a fly off the surface. Seeing a 15lb trout explode on my waker was the single greatest event in my fly fishing career. Even as I reflect on that take, I still can’t believe it. Truly epic! Dry fly fishing with single handers can be a fruitful method as well. We primarily threw muddlers on floating tips as well as oversized bombers to wake against the current. Ultimately, the dry fly fishing on this river will change you. It’s difficult for me to put into words how special those takes were unless you’ve witnessed it yourself. 

The six days of fishing and seven nights at Estancia Despedida was without a doubt the most incredible fishing trip I’ve ever been on. How many places can you go in the world where you have the opportunity to catch fish after fish after fish of a lifetime? Any place that measures fish in pounds instead of inches had my attention, but you better believe that Despedida Lodge now has my every thought. 

I want to give a massive thank you to Fly Water Travel, Sage and Rio for making this trip a reality. The kindness and expertise of Mike Moore, Ken Morrish, Noël Nelson, and the entire Fly Water travel team was unparalleled in making this trip happen. If you have the chance, go. If you’re on the fence, get off it. This trip will change your life. 

Gear List:

Rods: We preferred a 10’ 7WT or 8WT with a stiffer action to cut through the intense wind. For spey rods we really enjoyed throwing switch rods for the size of the Rio Grande. The 7116-4 and 8116-4 were our most fished spey rods.

Sage R8, Sage Sonic, and the Sage R8 Spey.

Reels: Having a reel with a solid drag system is paramount. Yes you can still catch these fish on a click and pawl but I’d prefer to not leave a 20lb fish to chance. A 7 or 8WT reel with a strong will work great on the freshly chromed browns.

Sage Spectrum LT and the Sage Spey II.

Lines: We didn’t fish a regular weight forward fly line the whole week. We used Amnesia Shooting Mono to a sinking leader, 10’ - 15’ in length.

Flies: Most manufactured flies are not tied on strong enough hooks to handle these aggressive fish. A 3X hook is a necessity. Scuds, Caterpillars, and bombers were our best patterns.

Leader and Tippet: We only used 0x and 1x tippet for our leaders