Weekly Round-Up: A Week Back at Estancia Laguna Verde
In which we meet an' greet with big trout, catch up with friends, and enjoy wind over the lunar landscape.
Week one in Argentina is wrapped! The crew has had a solid week here in Argentina, and the team at Estancia Laguna Verde has taken very good care of us. We’ve seen a proper mix of weather: from windy days with gusts topping 60 knots to sunny and just a light breeze.
Rainbows, Wind, and Trout Nirvana
It’s been a stellar first week back in Argentina.
By the time this hits your inboxes, I’ll be in a van heading out to the second destination for this trip: the Golden Dorado River Cruiser, about four hours from Buenos Aires. We’ve had a wonderful week at Estancia Laguna Verde—it’s a lodge which feels like home, with some of the best staff and guides I’ve seen in any lodge around the world. The small details matter, and they’re taken care of beautifully here, from homemade soaps in the bathrooms to hand-tied flies ready to catch big rainbows.
Les and Scott, who joined me on the hosted trip this week, both caught big fish on Wednesday, with Les’s topping more than 20 lbs. and Scott’s just under. The asado that night was the perfect celebration! We’ve had no shortage of “medium” trout which would be the fish of a lifetime in any other fishery. These fish are pristine, chrome-y and silver, and some with green backs of varying colors. Gorgeous and a lot of fun to shoot.
Guides Martín and Esteban, who I was lucky enough to meet last year, have been a lot of fun this week. It’s an absolute pleasure to work with guides who are that rare mix of extremely competent and then relaxed and fun conversationalists… it makes my job as a photographer much easier and a lot more fun.
We were even able to get an afternoon on the water with lodge manager Karina, who landed this gorgeous trout below. The lodge was filled with fun, relaxed guests this week—a true blessing—and it made for delightful group lunches, where we’d all meet in a shelter along the shore, enjoy a hot meal, and catch up on the day’s fishing report.
I turned 37 the day we arrived to the lodge, and the team even spoiled me with a cake and a round of “Happy Birthday.” After spending my past few birthdays in airports and on the road, it felt an awful lot like a home celebration. Not a bad place to mark another trip around the sun.
This is a wonderful fishery for anglers looking for trophy-size rainbow trout, and who are willing to put in the work in various conditions. The weather is part of the adventure, and in any given day fishermen might experience sun, breeze, outright gusting wind, rain, and anything in between. But the fish are there, and in good numbers, and we’re cared for exquisitely by the guides and lodge crew. Truly a home away from home, and a fishery I look forward to returning to.
If you’re interested in a future hosted trip to Estancia Laguna Verde, please message me to get on the short list:
We’ve had a lot of wind this week, but Estancia Laguna Verde is set up for the creature comforts. Our rooms are toasty and warm every day when we return, the food is excellent and bountiful, and the team’s ready to take care of any needs which might come up. Asado night on Wednesday was a proper celebration, and Friday night empanadas were a solid farewell for the wrap-up of the week.
Next week I’ll be reporting from a week on the Golden Dorado River Cruiser. We have an interesting weather week ahead, it seems—looking at temperatures topping 114F one day, and then big thunderstorms forecast. It’ll be an adventure, regardless! Excited for another week in Argentina in a very different fishery, and to catch up with friends on the water.
See You In Denver This February
For those of you who are planning (or maybe should be planning!) to attend the Denver Fly Fishing Show this year, I’ll be teaching a couple different workshops during the February 21-23, 2025 show. (And I’ll just have returned from Argentina two days prior, so the odds are good the presentations will be jet-lagged and entertaining.) I’ll be teaching on the following topics:
Capture Better Fishing Photos With Jess McGlothlin: Saturday, 22 February, from 2-4:30PM | A 2.5-hour intensive workshop with in-class “assignments”, $95 for the session and limited attendance. Sign up HERE (scroll down to find the class).
Travel Tips and Tricks With Jess McGlothlin: A 45-minute presentation designed to help anglers be more prepared—and feel more confident—traveling solo or as part of a group. Free with show ticket, time / date TBD.
I hope to see many of you in Denver at the show!
Q&A
Keep on sending in your questions via Instagram or by commenting by clicking the button below. Each week I’ll pick one and give a longer, more thought-out answer here than those I give on Instagram.
This week’s question came in via email.
Q: I’m heading to Alaska this summer to fish and I’m nervous about staying warm enough in cold, wet weather. How are you dealing with the wind and cold in Argentina?
A: So glad you’re heading to Alaska! It’s a very special place. And this is a great question; I run cold so am always looking for better ways to stay warm. Layering is a key strategy; the past few days here at Estancia Laguna Verde I’ve been layering a sun shirt, a wool hoodie (midweight merino), a puffy jacket (synthetic so when when sleeves get wet it stays dry) and a wading jacket (for the wind and spray). On the bottom, I’ve been wearing lightweight, insulated pants from Patagonia (these ones are awesome) and warm socks (I like wearing compression socks for long days on my feet) underneath my waders. Then add on a buff or neck gaiter, good fingerless gloves, and a warm hat over my baseball cap.
Recently Published
Pick up the winter issue of The Fly Fish Journal for words + images about fly-fishing off Colombia’s Darien Gap.
The Field Ethos Journal recently ran this piece about having a beer on a stormy night in one of Pablo Escobar’s former bars… a life goal I didn’t know I had.
Hook & Barrel has a gorgeous feature about fishing for large rainbow trout at Argentina’s Estancia Laguna Verde in their latest issue.
It’s not all fishing. I recently penned a hotel review on the exquisite Langham in Boston for travel industry B2B publication Travel Market Report.
Read the latest issue of Fly Fisherman magazine for an article and images on the Golden Dorado River Cruiser, as well as a series of images from Colombia’s Darien Lodge accompanying an article from fly-angling great Jeff Currier.
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