Kau Tapen was the first fishing lodge to open on Argentina’s Rio Grande and has made this stunning river a household name for fly anglers the world over. This year, the lodge celebrates its 40th birthday and we’ve taken a look back to see how a once modest family venture has grown into an internationally respected lodge.
The Birth of a Tradition
It all started in 1984, when the De Las Carreras family established Kau Tapen Lodge on the banks of the Rio Grande, a river already gaining attention among anglers for producing some of the largest sea-run brown trout on the planet. This occurred at a time when travelling to sporting lodges was not as commonplace as it is today. In 1984, few anglers took a leap of faith to travel to another continent, those that did were mostly men, women were not an integral part of the fly angling community, and families didn’t generally travel to fish together. By today’s standard, Kau Tapen arrived on the scene in the stone age of fly-fishing travel. Not surprisingly, the lodge welcomed just a handful of guests during its first season, but the guides netted outsized trout for them, and “fish of a lifetime” was a phrase used as liberally as it is today. As news and photos of huge trout began to appear in the fishing press, Kau Tapen gained early momentum.
Fishing was good in those early days, but Fernando De Las Carreras knew it could be better and spearheaded efforts to bring catch and release fishing – something hitherto non-existent – to Argentina. This marked a turning point in managing the Rio Grande’s trout population, and was responsible for the growth of catch and release fishing elsewhere in Argentina and Chile. Today, the lodge remains a model for sustainable fishing, committed to ensuring that future generations can enjoy the same thrilling experiences that have drawn anglers time and time again to this remote corner of the world.
Preserving Nature with Excellence
Thanks to the continued reliance on conservation practices, anglers visiting Kau Tapen catch and release multiple 15-20lb trout every week. Encountering sea trout tipping the scales over 20lb is quite common, and true trophies weighing in above 25lb are released each season. These large fish are vital to the future of the Rio Grande sea trout population, and every notable catch is recorded to continue to monitoring conservation efforts. Simply put, the Rio Grande continues to be the most productive big trout river on the planet, season after season after season.
Gracious Living
Since Kau Tapen opened at a time when many fishing lodges were not much more than rough around the edges fishing camps, the lodge also served as a trial for a new brand of great service. Kau Tapen has served as a shining example of marrying great fishing with gracious living. While fishing and weather can’t be controlled, the founders recognised that everything else that goes into a great fishing trip could be, from chef-prepared meals to comfortable living areas, good wines, loaner and rental equipment, reliable Wi-Fi and fine bedding. Kau Tapen was the model lodge for this blueprint that combines sport with the comfort of a fine and full service hotel property.
A firm favourite among the Aardvark McLeod team, it’s a lodge we enjoy recommending to our clients and as Olly Thompson says, ‘There is little doubt that the Rio Grande is one of, if not, the finest sea trout river in the world and while there are many great lodges on this fine river, Kau Tapen stands out as being the original and still one of the best. Not only is everything in the lodge run to the most exacting standards, Kau Tapen has access to much of the prime water on the middle reaches of the Rio Grande and the main tributary the Rio Menedez. For those that enjoy fishing, light and stealthy with short two handed rods and switch rods Kau Tapen has established itself as a much visit destination.’
If this report on the first 40 years of Kau Tapen has caught your eye or you would like more information about fishing in Argentina in general, please contact Olly Thompson or phone 01980 847 389