It was his first visit and Kooi Noom fully lived up to expectation: ‘The fishing was challenging and technical but also extremely rewarding. The programme was well-balanced and we never repeated a stretch we had covered the previous day’. Consequently the fishing was diverse and deemed ‘absolutely brilliant on all days.’
The location of the estancia is a boon for the fisherman. There’s an untouched feeling to the place with an abundance of wildlife – guanacos, condors, various hawks, flamingoes, geese and hares – and the snow-capped Andes provide a stunning backdrop at this time of year.
Ben writes that the fishing did not disappoint either: ‘The upper Rio Capitan near the outlet to the lake Quiroga fished very well despite a couple of windy days. The first pools produced some great action on streamers and nymphs and many fish were hooked. From the steep hillsides you would see the fish cruising up the flats at the edge then back into the deeper channel. Casting was tricky with the high winds. Later in the week we tried dry fly patterns and found the fish willing to take which provided some great action.’
‘The Tavia Creek was a sheltered paradise. We fished the upper section early in the week, discovering various pools with numerous good sized and gorgeous trout. Up here, above the Laguna Tori, the Tavia meanders freely for about 2km, splits into sections then rejoins, forms junction pools, eddies, small runs and steep cascade waterfalls.’
‘On a beautiful lower section of the Tavia is a spring creek fanatic’s dream. A twisting dark stream full of scuds and other life, the valley is green and fertile and the fish eager. We caught stunning fish on dry flies and nymphs whilst the guides were positioned above us, spotting the trout and advising on casts.’ The guides speak excellent English and are as young, enthusiastic and professional as you could hope for.
‘On a spectacularly calm day we took the rib across the lake Quiroga to an inlet and fished the three river channels there. The weather was often against us but the fishing was intense, changeable and engaging. Sometimes the fish ran hard in all directions and other times not. Cold water was a feature of the week but when there was too much of one thing we could adapt to get the most out of Kooi Noom. When there was too much wind we headed for quieter spots and when the guests wanted to fish close we headed to pocket water and more intimate locations and always found immaculate fish of impressive size.’
The lodge is a comfortable 4-5 hour drive from El Calafate, a hub for outdoor enthusiasts and renegade travellers. Ben called it a lodge of ‘true charm and rustic ambience – comfortable and inherently interesting. Meals were of a really great standard and everyone eats together on a long table filled with Argentina hospitality.’
There are 2 day/3 night, 3 day/4 night, 6 day/7 night programs on offer to fit in with any itinerary and Kooi Noom would work perfectly as an add on to our Tierra Del Fuego programme. Please contact Charlie White or Hannah Treliving to discuss it further.
