Although the water on the Rio Grande has remained low the height is steady. Strong winds were a factor that made fishing tough during the first part of the week. When the wind settled the conditions proved ideal and all of the lodges on the river recorded some excellent catches in the second part of their week.
Good water temperatures have allowed the sea trout to continue spreading throughout the system in numbers which has allowed the lodges in the middle part of the river to record some excellent catches. Rain is due next week which will help to freshen things us and encourage fish to continue spreading upstream.
La Villa (Estancia Maria Behety) 2023 Prime Availability
4 – 11 March, 1 rod Cost: US$9,500
Read Olly’s recent Argentine trip report HERE
Estancia Maria Behety Week 6
The start of the week was challenging because the unusual 129 km/h wind gusts made things difficult for casting and fishing. During the second part of the week reverted to normal, and fishing got excellent. At the end of the week, rain and wind from the northeast put the fish a little down. Nevertheless, we still had great fishing.
The conditions of the river have changed little in recent weeks. Despite the low and clear water, the height has remained relatively steady. Fresh fish are showing and holding in all our main pools, from our top beats to those at the bottom. As is usually the case, the best fishing has been at sunset and the last hour of the day.
Flies and tactics
Various sizes of sunray shadows, small salmon flies, nymphs: red tail, emb nymph, prince nymph, pheasant tail nymph, green machine, for the last hour intruder, leech, sunray shadow.
During the day most fish were caught using light sink tips, long leaders and small nymphs (size 10 to 14). When this didn’t work, we fished deeper with sink tips of a density of usually T14.
Water Conditions
Water color and visibility: Clear
Water temperature: 6º C to 15ºC
Weather Conditions
Air temperatures: 6º to 21ºC
Wind speed ranges from 5 to 129 km/h
Rain during the week: 6.3 mm
Catch stats
Total catch 151
Fish over 15lb 42
Largest fish 25lb
Contact Olly Thompson or call our office on +44(0)1980 847389.
Villa Maria February 3 – 10
We have finished another fantastic week of fishing at Villa Maria Lodge. The weather played a leading role in the week, but the rods enjoyed some great fishing despite this. However, we missed a fishing session on the 2nd as the wind backed up and reached speeds of 120 km/h, which made fly fishing quite tricky. The group decided to take the morning off to rest and recover strength when the conditions were more appropriate.
The weather was perfect for the rest of the week. Generally, the mornings were sunny, and the afternoons were warm and cloudy, which allowed for excellent and sustained fishing during most of the day. The wind was light and changed direction, but it never became difficult or annoying like earlier in the week.
The fishing was good in several sectors of the river. For example, we can talk about Sandy, who managed to land fish of 20, 19, and 16 pounds in his first session of the week, along with a few smaller fish. Two guests, Hans and Mark, landed their personal best sea trout with fish that tipped the scales at 23 lbs.
The equipment we used this week was the same as the previous week. Using rods between 11 and 13 feet long, floating lines, and short sinking tips between 5 and 10 feet with low to medium sinking speed. Also, the selection of flies used stayed the same. We kept choosing small flies, mainly nymphs, for the day, increasing the size to medium-sized streamers when the sun disappeared below the horizon.
Heavier rains are expected for next week, so there might be changes in the water level, which will cause the fish to reposition along Villa Maria beats.
For prime 2023 Rio Grande Availability click HERE.
If you would like more information then please do not hesitate to contact Olly Thompson or call our office on +44(0)1980 847389.