"The Angling Report"

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THE ANGLING REPORT
14- April 2007 Volume 20, Number 4

Want to see some amazing photos of huge Patagonia trout? Fish up to 22 pounds? They’re posted on our web site (www.anglingreport.com) under Patagonia Dream and reportedly were all taken with Salmo Patagonia Lodge, an operation we just learned about from J.W. Smith at Rod & Gun Resources (Tel. 800-211-4753. Web: www.rodgunresources.com). These are the same kinds of photographs that caught Smith’s eye when he ran into some anglers at the Balmaceda airport in Chile showing off shots of big trout they had caught. Indeed the photos caught our attention as well, which is why we followed up with Smith and learned the fish were all caught on exclusive waters in Patagonia. That’s right, exclusive, private waters.

Salmo Patagonia Lodge is owned by Luis Antunez, who we’re told has spent the last 20 years acquiring properties and fishing rights in Patagonia. He currently has 24 locations where his clients enjoy casting to fish that nobody else can pursue. Smith says Antunez has concentrated mostly on the European market all these years and is just now targeting North American anglers. He operates in the Aisen Region of southern Chile, and his lodge is located just outside of Coyhaique atop a mountain cliff adjacent to a national park. Fishing areas include miles of rivers, streams and lakes from five minutes to almost two hours from the lodge. The various waters offer fishing for brown, rainbow, sea-run brown and steelhead trout as well as king, chum and silver salmon.

Smith says he and his wife checked out Salmo Patagonia Lodge this past season. After being in the fishing business most of his life, Smith says that nothing impresses him anymore, yet Antunez’s operation did. Smith says he and his wife fished one stream for only 1½ hours and caught seven browns from six to eight pounds. On two lakes Antunez owns and stocked numerous years ago, Smith says they caught 16 rainbows from 16 to 22 inches in only 1½ hours of fishing with dry flies. On one of those lakes he witnessed a hatch that had fish rising to the surface “like popcorn.” Smith says they also drove almost two hours over bad roads to a stream he doubted would be worth such a trip. But after finding pool after pool of browns from eight to 20 pounds, he says he would drive there anytime.

During his stay at Salmo Patagonia Lodge, Smith says some anglers reported catching 100 trout from 10 to 17 inches in one day, and one client successfully landed a 22- pound trout. Smith says he did not get to check out the salmon fishing, but other clients caught a 50 pound king salmon while he was there. During his last two days, he and his wife caught seven trout over 10 pounds.

So, is this place really all its cracked up to be? We’d like to hear from angling clients who have been there, and hope to have a report from one next month. In the meantime, Smith says he is working with Antunez to send North American anglers to his lodge. Antunez currently has five guides, including two local guides, himself, his brother and his father, former head engineer for Ferrari. All speak at least enough English to communicate with anglers and are skilled guides. As for the lodge itself and the operation’s equipment, Smith says Antunez is top-rate all around. He says the vehicles are all good quality trucks and
that he provides four wheelers for anglers who cannot walk to the streams and lakes. He has boats at some lakes, two float boats for streams, numerous float tubes, and he plans on adding two jet boats in the near future. Smith describes the lodge itself as opulent, with good services and excellent meals. A 6½-day trip with seven nights of accommodations goes for $4,250, based on double occupancy.