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T
ighten down your drag and hold of fish pictures to keep things interest-
on—you are about to embark ing. Best of all, this entire book was re-
on an epic journey through searched and written by two real trout
one of the last fishing frontiers on bums who suffered untold hassle and
the planet. From sightfishing the gin- discomfort to bring you this informa-
clear streams of the North to speycast- tion from an independent and unbi-
ing the turbid rivers of the South, this ased viewpoint. So whether you plan
book covers a staggering variety of on visiting a fancy lodge for a week or
angling opportunities found through- becoming a regular at the local camp-
out the 300,000+ square miles of Ar- grounds, this book will help you make
gentine Patagonia. Inside you will the most of your trip. Sound too good
find an extensive collection of first- to be true? We’ll give you a minute to
hand accounts, logistical information, flip through the pages before you de-
tips, techniques, and of course, plenty cide... http://www.muchatrucha.com/
Barrett Mattison & Evan Jones Barrett Mattison & Evan Jones
Kaylene Jones
(1946-2007)
Acknowledgments
Argentines:
South America
who took us under their wing in the Meliquina Valley; Mariano Ravizza, the Beale family, Steve &
Antonia Twilegar, Lucas Chiappe and family, Juan at Estancia Monte Leon, Diego Flores, Nico &
Alex Trochine, Juan at Albergue de los Sueños, Daniel at Tolhuin Fly Shop, Raúl Diez at La
Colina, Juan Paritsis, Silvana Buján, Pancho & Dr. Sacco at Outdoor Adventures,
and all the nameless people who stopped when our car broke down.
Yankees:
Frazier Coe, who traveled with us for 90 days and rounded out the A-Team; Joey Lin, for hooking
us up with the Patagonia Fishing Club in Aluminé; Jake Chutz & Shaun Jeszenka, who got us gree
Argentina
access to the Rio Grande and showed us a great time; George Hill Arbaugh III, Ryan Davey, John
& Dawn Hohl, and Shawn Bratt, all of whom teamed up and fished with us at some point; Lindsay
Neuquén
Letts, who has the patience of a saint; Jon Tolbey, who voluntarily proofread every word of this
manuscript; Travis and Rance at Patagonia River Guides, everyone from Creekside Angling
in Seattle, Jon Spiegel at Front Range Anglers in Boulder, Mit Cadden for handing down
El Burro, and countless others for letting us couch surf while writing the book.
Chubut
© 2008 Barrett Mattison & Evan Jones
Rio Negro
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written
consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical
Santa Cruz
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
P.O. Box 82112, Portland, Oregon 97282
503.653.8108 • www.amatobooks.com
Photographs by the authors unless otherwise noted.
Book and Cover Design: Kathy Johnson
Map Illustrations: Kathy Johnson
Printed in Singapore
Softbound ISBN-13: 978-1-57188-437-4
UPC: 0-81127-00269-6
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Dedicated in loving memory of
Kaylene Jones
(1946-2007)
Acknowledgments
Argentines:
South America
who took us under their wing in the Meliquina Valley; Mariano Ravizza, the Beale family, Steve &
Antonia Twilegar, Lucas Chiappe and family, Juan at Estancia Monte Leon, Diego Flores, Nico &
Alex Trochine, Juan at Albergue de los Sueños, Daniel at Tolhuin Fly Shop, Raúl Diez at La
Colina, Juan Paritsis, Silvana Buján, Pancho & Dr. Sacco at Outdoor Adventures,
and all the nameless people who stopped when our car broke down.
Yankees:
Frazier Coe, who traveled with us for 90 days and rounded out the A-Team; Joey Lin, for hooking
us up with the Patagonia Fishing Club in Aluminé; Jake Chutz & Shaun Jeszenka, who got us gree
Argentina
access to the Rio Grande and showed us a great time; George Hill Arbaugh III, Ryan Davey, John
& Dawn Hohl, and Shawn Bratt, all of whom teamed up and fished with us at some point; Lindsay
Neuquén
Letts, who has the patience of a saint; Jon Tolbey, who voluntarily proofread every word of this
manuscript; Travis and Rance at Patagonia River Guides, everyone from Creekside Angling
in Seattle, Jon Spiegel at Front Range Anglers in Boulder, Mit Cadden for handing down
El Burro, and countless others for letting us couch surf while writing the book.
Chubut
© 2008 Barrett Mattison & Evan Jones
Rio Negro
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written
consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical
Santa Cruz
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
P.O. Box 82112, Portland, Oregon 97282
503.653.8108 • www.amatobooks.com
Photographs by the authors unless otherwise noted.
Book and Cover Design: Kathy Johnson
Map Illustrations: Kathy Johnson
Printed in Singapore
Softbound ISBN-13: 978-1-57188-437-4
UPC: 0-81127-00269-6
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Fly Fishing in Patagonia: A Trout Bum’s Guide to Argentian Part I: Preface
Preface
10 11
Preface
10 11
others of the realities of Argentine from the fishing when you get there.
fly fishing, while helping to avoid the There are many other resources to
many pitfalls that we had to learn the help you with the more commercial
hard way. aspects of a trip.
Roderick Haig-Brown once said, At the same time, this book is not
rather self-deprecatingly, “I am a meant to be an exhaustive treatise on
writer who happens to fish, not a Patagonian fly fishing. Not in many
fisherman who happens to write.” It lifetimes could one fish every section
might already be apparent that we of its myriad fisheries, not to mention
are the exact opposite. Patagonia, covering them sufficiently to claim ex-
and fly fishing in general, has a rich pertise. We make no such claim. Nev-
history of writers infinitely more el- ertheless, we have tried our best to
oquent and talented than ourselves, fill the large gap of information that
and we have no illusions to the con- hangs over much of Patagonia. Given
trary. What we lack in literary prose, the sheer amount of fishable water
however, we strive to make up for available in Argentina, it was impos-
with pragmatic information for fish- sible for us to personally gain season-
ermen conveyed in a straightforward long, day-in, day-out experience on
manner. Having fished the major- any single river or lake. To overcome
ity of Argentine Patagonia, we feel this, we relentlessly sought out and
we have a solid background from questioned the most k nowledgeable
which to provide an objective view fishermen and guides we could find in
on how its various regions and wa- each area, thereby supplementing our
terways differ, and what each has to comparatively brief experience with a
offer. While absolute objectivity is more holistic and comprehensive per-
obviously impossible, operating in- spective—something we are in turn
dependently has freed us from the passing on to you. In sum, this book
obligation to promote any one area is a mixture of extensive first and
simply because a lodge or outfitter second-hand research, personal anec-
catered to us (something you won’t dotes and observations, and practical
find in most magazine articles or TV tips on how to navigate this uttermost
shows). corner of the world.
Even though this book may be Most fly fishermen traveling
written from the perspective of un- to Patagonia should bring a gen-
abashed trout bums, we realize that eral guidebook on the region, such
most anglers considering a trip to Pa- as Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. We
tagonia don’t have the luxury of stay- have therefore tried our best not to
ing for six months at a time or the duplicate information already provid-
desire to sleep in a tent every night ed in those books. Subjects such as
and will therefore go through a lodge history, culture, flora, fauna, tourism
or outfitter. Only on a few occasions and generally all things superfluous
did we use these types of resources, to fly fishing are not included or are
so while we have chosen to recom- mentioned only in passing. Our hope
mend a handful of those with whom is that this information will help fish-
we had an excellent personal experi- ermen decide when and where to go
ence, this book cannot address which based on their personal preferences.
are “the best,” only what to expect See you there…
T
ighten down your drag and hold of fish pictures to keep things interest-
on—you are about to embark ing. Best of all, this entire book was re-
on an epic journey through searched and written by two real trout
one of the last fishing frontiers on bums who suffered untold hassle and
the planet. From sightfishing the gin- discomfort to bring you this informa-
clear streams of the North to speycast- tion from an independent and unbi-
ing the turbid rivers of the South, this ased viewpoint. So whether you plan
book covers a staggering variety of on visiting a fancy lodge for a week or
angling opportunities found through- becoming a regular at the local camp-
out the 300,000+ square miles of Ar- grounds, this book will help you make
gentine Patagonia. Inside you will the most of your trip. Sound too good
find an extensive collection of first- to be true? We’ll give you a minute to
hand accounts, logistical information, flip through the pages before you de-
tips, techniques, and of course, plenty cide... http://www.muchatrucha.com/
Barrett Mattison & Evan Jones Barrett Mattison & Evan Jones