Estancia Laguna Verde, Argentina
In the startlingly bleak Patagonian outback in the province of Santa Cruz lies a special lodge perched above Lago Strobel – also known as Jurassic Lake – which teems with monster rainbows. The famed crystal-clear waters make for some exhilarating sight fishing which is unlike any offered elsewhere in the world.
The adventurous fisherman is rewarded with a vast amount of water. In addition to the 9 miles of coastline of Strobel Lake, rods now have exclusive access to more than 6 miles of the best fishing on Barrancoso river, 6 miles of the recently discovered Moro Creek and more than 12 smaller lakes and lagoons chained by the great creek. There are plenty of protected bays from which to fish when the renowned Patagonian wind is in play, ensuring that you can sight cast in the most tricky of conditions.
Improvements are constantly being made to the program and even more fishing is on offer than before. There are new vehicles and quad bikes, better roads and tracks, new comfortable bedrooms in the lodge and a wider variety of wines from Mendoza on the wine list.
A huge advantage of the fishery is that the season runs – fruitfully – from November through to April. There is outstanding fishing on offer at the Barrancoso river in the early part of the season. The size of the catches on Strobel Lake typically increase as the summer progresses, meaning that there is a chance of a monstrous catch whenever you visit. The largest fish landed last season (2013-14) was a 24lb trout with many others over the 20lb mark.
The fishing is mostly with floating lines and 6,7 and 8 weight rods using streamers, nymphs, large dry flies and mouse patterns.
Accommodation
Estancia Laguna Verde was built and is owned by Roberto Alba and his son, Luciano. They are impressive hosts; the Argentinian food and wine is second to none and a large part of the experience.
The comfortable lodge accommodates ten to twelve people in seven bedrooms which are all en-suite.
