 Year in Review 2005
Hello again from El Palenque Ranch! Once again we have come to the end of a fun and successful season. We were able to accomplish many new and exciting things at El Palenque this year, and we are pleased to be able to share them with you, with the hopes that you will also be able to enjoy similar experiences with us in the future.
Unlike last year, which was a very dry year, we had a more normal snowpack in the mountains and more normal rainfall during the summer months. While we still enjoyed many warm summer days to fish dry flies for great rainbow and brown trout, we also had some needed rainstorms to keep the plant and animal life in good shape. As a result, the river was running slightly higher than last year, but the water was as cold and crystal clear as ever. The higher water helped trout in some of the smaller branches of the river to have an easier time during the hot summer days, and also created new areas for us to fish and explore. Many areas that trout had vacated last year held good fish throughout the season, which made for exciting fishing in some smaller branches of the river. Stalking rising trout in small, willow lined channels with dry flies ranging from Parachute Adams to giant Hopper patterns was some of our clients' favorite fishing this year. In fact, one client picked up a 25 inch brown on a #12 Parachute Adams in one small channel on his last cast of the trip! Needless to say, he went home with a smile on his face.
Once again, the Corcovado River amazed us with the quality and duration of its insect hatches. We were able to enjoy dry fly fishing virtually every
day of the season, even during the higher water days of November and
December, springtime in Patagonia. Fishing riffles and runs with huge #6 and #8 Chernobyl Ant patterns proved fast fishing for both browns and rainbows. However, during the early season we also enjoy many insect hatches, so we don't only fish attractor patterns during high water. Caddis, stoneflies, and giant Hexagenia mayflies, which all hatched in the evening, produced some incredible fishing. Seeing a large trout slash at a #8 mayfly or stonefly pattern is enough to get any fisherman's adrenaline going. We hooked many large trout in the early season during these frenzied evenings, including one bruiser twice, a 25 inch male brown who lived in an undercut bank. Both times we landed him, we were fishing dry flies--once on a Chernobyl Ant, and once on a Hexagenia emerger. Many nice trout were also brought to the net streamer fishing. Big wooly buggers, zonkers, and some creations that our guides created out of just about anything that will stay on a hook all produced well. In fact, one of those creations brought a 27 inch brown to the net! That was one amazing catch!
Once the warmer summer months of January and February arrived, we were able to enjoy lower water levels, and continued hatches that stayed quite consistent throughout the season. Again, caddis, mayflies, and stoneflies were all on the trout's menu. Caddis were prevalent in our willowy channels and back waters, and the fish were looking for them all day long. Goddard caddis, Parachute Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, and Hemingway Caddis were all effective patterns. Our mayfly hatches were varied, with the Hexagenia finished by the middle of January, followed by Mahoganies, March browns, and PMD's till the end of February. Parachute Adams, Sparkle Duns, and Irresistibles were our best producers. Stonefly patterns, such as Stimulators and Sofa Pillow ties, were excellent fish catchers all summer long. We also had the benefit of excellent terrestrial fishing--it was a fabulous year for hoppers!! Parachute hoppers, Dave's Hoppers, Whitlock Hoppers, and Henry's Fork Hoppers were all excellent producers. The excellent hopper fishing was definitely a client favorite. Several excellent trout, including one 24 and two 25 inch browns, were landed during the evening hatches. One 24 inch bruiser was also landed twitching hopper patterns accross the surface during the day, along with many other nice trout. Knowing that hogs like that could be inspecting your dry fly makes for exciting fishing!
March brought about low water and good fishing, with a new twist toward the end of the month. We had continued success with hoppers, stimulators, and caddis imitations. The Parachute Adams was a client and fish favorite, and was one of our most consistent flies throughout the summer. Attractor fishing with Royal Wullfs and Humpys was also excellent this month. On stormy days the Blue Winged Olive hatch was good on certain sections, with this hatch increasing in intensity as the month continued. We also had a good run of Pacific Chinook salmon into the river, which is an added benefit for the trout, as they gorge on the eggs and dead flesh of the salmon. Often we would get on high banks and watch the trout follow the big King Salmon, waiting for a meal of eggs to be deposited. Fishing Glo bug patterns between the salmon proved to be fast fishing for big rainbows--a little bit of Alaska way down in Argentina! These rainbows aren't as big as their Alaskan cousins, but they fight just as hard as their northern relatives! We also hooked into several of these huge salmon on 4 and 5 weight rods, and landed a
couple, with most of those battles being won by the salmon! But, the crown jewel of the month was another 27 inch monster brown caught by a guest on a size 10 attractor pattern. He was the largest trout of the season, and took us over 20 minutes to land. He was battle scarred but healthy and had plenty of fight in him despite his age.
However, a visit to El Palenque isn't just about the fishing. It's about
enjoying the cultural experience of Argentina. Thanks to Marcelo and Isabel, our warm and friendly Argentine English-speaking host couple, fine dining and fine wines combined with the fishing to make our guests happy to come off the river to replenish their strength, enjoy a siesta, and get back into the river. Their special brand Argentine care made our guests feel right at home at El Palenque. Combine this with spectacular scenery, professional English-speaking guides, and healthy, hard-fighting trout willing to eat a dry fly, and you've got yourself the Argentine experience of El Palenque! We hope to be able to share this incredible experience with you in the near future. Best wishes and tight lines!
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