Week 3: January 13th to 20th, 2023
By Alejandro Martello – Villa Maria Lodge Fishing Manager
As we were expecting, this week the weather settled, and everything started to work as it should. Compared to the first two weeks of the season, we didn’t experience rain, very high winds (just half a day of +80km/h), or very high air/water temperatures. We had an overcast sky most of the day, and the fish were loving the conditions. To top things off, we had some new moon-high tides putting the fish in the lower beats in a very good fly-taking mood. All the fish caught were in fantastic shape and as silver as they can be!
Didrik had probably his best week ever on the Río Grande and armed with all his experience and accurate casting, he managed to land well over 30 fish ending his last night with the 20-pounder he was looking for.
We also have to mention Louis who after very hard work, and also in the last session of the week, we managed to land a beautiful 21 lb male. Well done, Lion!
As the river maintained its low and clear water levels, we kept using the lighter setups that were productive in previous weeks. Rods under 13’ and sinking tips as short as 10ft were the most effective options. Taking all of that into account, long leaders and flies like nymphs, small rubber legs, and green machines were the best options to fish during high sun hours and when the sun dipped below the Tierra del Fuego horizon, streamers with bigger silhouettes took their place.
The forecast for next week is very similar with a few more moments of bright sunshine so we expect another great week at Villa Maria Lodge.
Fish over 15lbs: 12
Fish over 20lbs: 2
