Week 5: February 3 – 9, 2017
The House of Forstinger’s Friends visited us last week. Willy first traveled to Villa Maria Lodge in 1986, so he’s seen a lot and has plenty of amusing stories to tell. And, luckily, the fishing was in tune with all the fun. This was, so far, the most productive week of the season!
Weather has been pleasant, with light winds and warmer-than-average temps. Consistent conditions have made for reliable fishing from morning till night. The river is still low and clear and delicate presentations were key. Nymphs remained the top producers and our European friends had clearly mastered the setups and skills that led to their astonishing results. Astonishing? Yes, the group landed a total of 16 fish over 20 pounds! Barry’s 24-pound buck was the biggest of the week. The sea-run monster ate a dead-drifted prince nymph just under the surface. Chaos ensured.
Again, single-handed rods and floating lines were the weapons of choice. We also fished some switch rods lined with floaters and lighter sinking-tips. And as per usual, good presentations were more important than the line/rod combo.
Nymphs from #6-10 were the best options coming out of the fly boxes. Green machines also fooled a few finicky fish. As for streamers, long, dark and slender were musts during closer-to-dark conditions.
On Tuesday we had some furious rain for about 10 hours. By Thursday morning (our last day with this group) we noticed the river had risen by about 6 inches. The higher, off-color water forced us to exchange single-handers for our double-handed rods. Add to that fast sinking-tips and monster-sized leeches and you have a completely new game. The challenge has been delivered for the upcoming week…
Largest fish of the week: 24 pounds
Fish over 20 lbs: 16
Fish over 15 lbs: 90
—Alejandro Martello
Villa Maria Lodge Fishing Manager
