Remaining Hosted Trip Availability: 2026 and 2027
Most of my 2026 and 2027 hosted trips are full, but here are two that still have rods open.
I’ve been hosting trips for private groups for more than 10 years, but in the past couple years I’ve opened up a few of these trips to the general public, and you’ve all surprised me with your interest. A big thanks to everyone who has traveled with me in past months; I’m grateful that many of you have chosen to book again, onward to new fisheries and new adventures!
Most of my 2026 and 2027 trips are already booked up (enough so that we had to add a week in Iceland for July 2027, which filled within a week!). I do still have a few rods open for these two trips, however. Both are to lodges I’ve visited, and I’m working with the destinations to ensure we have the best possible experience (they are both stellar destinations, so there’s no doubt we will!). The world is weird right now; if you’re keen to get an escape on the books, take a look and send me an email or reach out on Instagram with questions. (I’m penning this from the Amsterdam Airport after an overnight flight, en route to Italy for a job. Replies might be slightly delayed, but I promise I’ll get back to you!)
Argentina With El Encuentro Fly Fishing, November 2026
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know Argentina continues to draw me back time and time again. And you know why. I just returned from Argentina, and every trip reminds me of why this place (especially Patagonia) is so special. It’s an angler’s paradise, to be sure, but it’s really the people, the culture, and the place itself which brings me back year after year. It’s an experience I love to share.
That’s why I’m excited to announce I’ve opened up dates for a November 2026 Hosted Week split between the lovely Valle de Carrileufu Lodge and the Brook Trout Base Camp and I recently spent a week at both operations, and you can expect prime trout fishing (on dries, streamers, and nymphs) on both lakes and rivers, wonderful guides, and comfy quarters. This is Thanksgiving week in the USA, making this a wonderful getaway for couples or families. These November dates are prime time—I’ve heard from many locals this week it’s their favorite part of the year for fishing this region.
We’ll be fishing for browns, rainbows, and brookies throughout the week, both from boats and while wading. There are plenty of opportunities for non-anglers as well (with truly lovely guides), such as cooking classes, horseback riding, hiking, and more, which makes this a wonderful trip for non-angling spouses or families with grown-age kids.
This is a special program where you are teamed up with a guide for the week, and you’ll fish and drive together through the week. It’s a great taste of Argentina with lovely Argentines, and a wonderful way to experience some of the world’s best trout fisheries.
The Patagonia Experience: Valle del Carrileufu Lodge (3 nights) & Brook Trout Base Camp (4 nights)
November 21st - 28th, 2026
- Double Occupancy: $8400 angler, $6370 non-angler
- Single Occupancy rate available upon request
Included:
Trip hosting and pre-trip help from Jess
6 days of fully guided fishing in Argentina Patagonia
4 nights at the Valle de Carrileufu Lodge
3 nights at the Brook Trout Base Camp
Chef-prepared meals
Guide and boat
Transportation to and from Esquel to the lodge
Fishing license
Not included:
International flights
Any additional tours / nights in Argentina or transfers beyond the group
Rental equipment (waders, rod, etc.) and terminal tackle
Tips for lodge staff, guides, and transfer drivers
Trip insurance
Brazil’s Kendjam Lodge, August 2027
If you follow along on my social media (or have been reading these newsletters for the past few months), you were treated to several weeks of fishing stories, images, and videos from Kendjam Lodge in Brazil this past September. I’m excited to be returning to Kendjam to host a group at the end of August 2027—and then heading right to the Rio Marié Headwaters Camp to host the week after (I still have two spots available on that trip, so if you’re looking for two weeks in two very different fisheries in Brazil, consider a combo trip of the two!) Right now this trip is nearly full, with only two rods remaining.
I wasn’t certain what to expect, coming to Kendjam for the first time. The Kayapó Indigenous Lands carried the same allure I’d felt in jungles around the world, from Africa to Asia to Central America, as well as other countries in South America. This was big country, wild country, and I figured the fishing would follow suit.
What I didn’t anticipate, however, was the dry fly fishing paradise that awaited. The Iriri River winds through this countryside, providing an important highway system for the indigenous people but also serving as home to a myriad of fish species primed to take a fly. From the very game peacock bass (Cichla melaniae are endemic to the Iriri River Basin) who favor streamers but also are more than happy to come slash at a topwater popper presentation to the strong- fighting matrinxã which reminded me of some strange hybrid of maybe a bonefish and a trout and would happily eat a terrestrial fly when the drift was right, this could be a sportfisherman’s heaven. And once we add in some of the other stars of the river: the payara or “vampire fish,” three species of pacu (rubber, silver, and seringa), bicuda (basically a freshwater barracuda that loves poppers), and the prehistoric-looking wolfish, it’s a fishery set to entertain.
I was lucky enough to spend two weeks at Kendjam Lodge this past season, fishing the Iriri each day with newfound friends. For a girl who grew up fishing Montana trout at home, it felt downright novel to tie on a bigger version of some of my favorite dry flies and chase these jungle species. Each day I marveled how it felt like I could be in parts of Africa; the scenery right out of the old cartoon version of the Jungle Book and felt somehow oddly familiar to landscapes I’d seen in the past throughout parts of the dark continent.
But we were very much in Brazil, as was evidenced by the Kayapó native guides we worked with each day on the river. Each day we motored from the home pool in front of the lodge either upsteam or downstream to our assigned beat, and the drive ended up being one of my favorite parts of the routine. It was a wildlife safari each time; over the course of two weeks we see jaguar, puma, tapir, giant river otters, capybara, caiman, turtles, rays, electric eels, red water snakes, macaws, and more.
Fewer than 100 visiting anglers get to come to Kendjam each year during the season, and every night when I crawled into bed I listened to the jungle sounds outside and thought how happy I was to be there, to see that place.
The world is losing some of its wild corners; the places that still hold a good adventure and the promise of fish who haven’t seen a fly in a good long while. Not many people get to see or fish a place like Kendjam, yet it’s a place every adventurous angler should visit at least once. Especially for some of those “dry fly only” trout aficionados I come across often enough at home in Montana… this is the perfect jungle playground.
KENDJAM LODGE: August 28 - September 4, 2027
$7,950 per person (plus a $740 native fee)
(7 nights / 6 full days fishing, shared room and guide)
Included:
Trip hosting and pre-trip help from Jess
6 days of fully guided fishing the Iriri River
7 nights in jungle comfort at Kendjam Lodge
Chef-prepared meals
Pro guide, native Kayapo guide, and boat
Air and boat transfers from Manaus to Kendjam Lodge
Group transfers to / from Manaus International Airport
Starlink Wi-Fi at the lodge
Fishing license
Not included:
International flights
$740 native fee to the Kayapo
Any additional tours / nights in Brazil or transfers beyond the group
Terminal tackle or fly purchases at the lodge
Tips for lodge staff, guides, and transfer drivers
Brazil e-visa fee
Trip insurance
I hope to see you soon in either Argentina or Brazil! Please reach out with any questions on either of these destinations—and watch for 2028 destinations to be released in the coming months.
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