Sea Trout, A Shot at the World’s Largest - Joe Warren

Despite the windy conditions, I finally found my timing and rhythm for a scandi cast on my glass switch rod and was able to launch a decent cast into the tea-colored Rio Gallegos. After a brief moment, I begin very short line twitches to pulsate the size 6, rubber legged, Taxi Cab moving along the river bottom. The curved, floating line begins to straighten out; BOOM! A firm grab signaled my immediate hook set, one that only needs a tug from the wrist. I quickly pray that the little hook would hold as an enormous brown trout hurled itself completely out of the river . . .

Sea trout are not a separate species but rather an ecological form of the brown trout (Salmo trutta) that like the steelhead rainbow trout, migrate to and from the ocean. Fisherman most likely nick-named this brown trout habit that has been noted since the 17th century. Sea run browns are native to the Atlantic and Baltic coastal waters of Europe, the United Kingdom, and Iceland. Sea trout are also found in the Black, and Caspian Seas, as well as the Barents and Kara Seas in the Arctic Ocean.

In the early 20^th century brown trout were planted in several major rivers on the Atlantic side of southern Argentina. The fish were planted in the Rio Grande, Rio Gallegos, and Rio Irigoyen. The Rio Gallegos received imported eggs in 1906 from Wales though it is uncertain of its success. Eggs from Europe were introduced into the Rio Grande by John Goodall between 1935 to 1937. Scientific research has shown that if brown trout inhabit a river that does not support their feeding needs, the trout will migrate to other places, which, can often lead to the ocean to feed on rich krill and other marine fauna. No doubt, there were likely stray sea run browns roaming different rivers within the local region.

By the 1950’s, eye brow-raising reports were touting “giant” size, sea run browns being caught, most notably from the Rio Grande. Joe Brooks, an angling writer for Outdoor Life, fly fished there several times and managed to hook and land an 18-pound sea run brown, a monster of a trout back then! The rest is history as private individuals set up lease agreements from the estancias to develop accommodations to meet the needs of catch and release fly fishing anglers flocking in from all over the world! And why not with average catches ranging from 8 to 12 pounds, 20 pounders being common and behemoth sea trout reaching 35 pounds!

While on a trip to Mongolia for taimen, I had the good fortune to share my camp and fishing with the Swedish founder of LOOP fly tackle, Christer Sjoberg. It just so happened that he owns, Solid Adventures, a fly fishing destination company (his own lodges) for fly fishing adventures around the globe. One of them is located in Argentina on the Rio Gallegos where the beautiful estancia, Las Buitreras, occupies 40 km of private river access with an extraordinary fishery of wild, enormous sea run browns! By the end of our Mongolia trip chasing taimen, an invitation was extended to come to Argentina which I gladly accepted!

Having fly fished twice in the vast region of Patagonia, where wild trout flourish and few anglers are seen, the anticipation to go south again to catch salmon size, anadromous trout, was a daily count down of intense eagerness. But it comes with a price, that is, the long, arduous time and distance to travel there. “There” is on the other end of the world, dang near the very end of South America! From Portland, OR, International Airport to actually reaching the lodge is 2 ½ days with four airport exchanges. It may seem crazy, but I’m not alone when it comes to taking extreme measures to catch the largest fish of its kind. What an angler does to pursue their finny quarry can be unimaginable and to top that off with “catch and release” and there’s no guarantees catching the trophy sea run brown!

Christer Sojberg is a fly fishing maniac, who is not only a fantastic angler in international pursuits, but also an innovator in fly fishing tackle, travel and a conservationist. He is been in the sportfish industry since the late 1970’s and was one of the pioneers that opened up Russia to the fly fishing world back in the early 1990’s. When he has an interest in something, he doesn’t give up easily, if at all. Prior to 2002 while conversing with an angling friend, he is shown images of giant sea trout. The sparks were flying, as he drilled his buddy, “Where did you catch dem?” Not reluctant to share, his friend tells him from the Rio Gallegos. The river is already well known for its big sea run browns, but it was not on Christer’s radar. Christer told me, “When I see the pictures of the big sea trouts, I say to myself, oh, oh, how do I get in contact with someone; maybe there are some options to do something down there!” Long story short, after many contacts from one person to another and a lawyer who would lead him to the owner of the estancia, Las Buitreras, Christer finally had a foot in the door. He immediately conducted a scouting trip to the Rio Gallegos in the summer of 2002. His recollection of his first trip is rather humorous, especially after the owner of the estancia referred him to his trusted ranch manager, Roberto, who only spoke Spanish and shows up with two horses. Christer only speaks Swedish and English and has never ridden a horse!

Language differences aside, and Roberto’s persistence of a prompt riding lesson, Christer tells me they were able to make sense of each other as he laid out the grand idea of building a tourist fly fishing lodge. After a leisurely trail ride on the river and property, Roberto gives his acknowledgment to the owner that Christer’s proposal is a good idea. With a pending deal, it was time to test the waters for those big sea trouts! Christer admitted he and his party had no clue what they were doing when it came to presenting their flies to the Rio Gallego sea trout. His knowledge of fly fishing for Atlantic salmon proved ineffective for the sea run browns. However, their luck changed when Christer sees two guys fly fishing on the other side of the river having success in catching fish and were obviously local anglers. Christer’s attempts to wave down the anglers were ignored as he faintly hears one of them muttering something about “gringos” while hastefully departing the scene (perhaps not having permission on private property had something to do with it). However, with a prospective tip from the ranch owner, it wasn’t too difficult in the nearby village for Christer to track down Diego and Francarlos whom he saw on the river. After some persuading and perhaps along with a few Argentinian lagers, the two native fly fishermen signed on as the head guides for the first season at Las Buitreras in 2003. In fact, to this day, Christer only hires Argentinian guides for his lodge, and same goes with the lodge staff. The lodge was constructed from the remains of a foundation left from a fire occurring years before. It is now a beautiful two-story lodge comfortably housing up to 14 guests. The amenities are spectacular to say the least. Located on the river only a modest distance upstream from the ocean, the lodge is in a prime position as fresh chrome sea run browns ascend the Rio Gallegos. When I caught my first chrome sea run brown trout, it reminded me of the fresh salmon and steelhead back home. Actually, the bright, sea run browns bare a resemblance to the Atlantic salmon.

Once Las Buitreras was up and running, Christer then turned his attention to the conservation on the sea run browns. Even though the run size was relatively stable, Christer learned that there was a great deal of sport and commercial harvest going on, a practice that has proven to be fatal to fish populations if not managed properly. At the time, when Las Buitreras first opened, Christer learned there were 55 commercial fishing licenses netting the lower Rio Gallegos for the sea run trout. A stroll through the town exhibited many of these fish being sold in markets and restaurants. Also, more than 3,000 sportfishing licenses were sold locally to harvest these anadromous brown trout with minimal restrictions! Christer began his campaign to educate the locals that eco-tourism through catch and release fly fishing would generate more revenue than killing the trout. His guides were allowed to go to schools to educate the children on conservation. Not long after planting the seed of eco-tourism and fish conservation with the locals, a delegation of international dignitaries from Buenos Aires just happen to show up locally. Christer was actually able to meet with them to share his concerns on preserving the sea run brown trout using catch and release fly fishing while also bringing commerce to the local community. It was a shot in the dark as Christer never received a response or sense of agreement after these politicians left. However, something must have registered from Christer’s concerns advocating the preservation of sea run brown trout as little by little, a reduction of commercial fishing for the sea trout occurred along with a major change in the sport harvest. The province changed the angling limit on sea run browns in the Rio Gallegos to only 1 trout per year and only during the month of February (February is a big holiday month)! Also, the commercial netting dropped substantially to only 2 netters, but the primary target is now snook, which is fabulous to eat! This change in taking the harvest pressure off the sea run browns has allowed a phenomenal catch and release fishery to flourish!

The Rio Gallegos is 230 miles long with its origin in the foothills of the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean in the province of Santa Cruz. The river is named after Blasco Gallegos, one of the pilots of Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition in 1520. A treeless landscape known as “pampas” flanks the river with grassland, shrubs and gravelly plateaus with basalt and lava. It reminds me very much of the smaller, low gradient rivers in the western US like the John Day in Oregon or the Yakima in Washington. There is hardly any development along this peaceful river except for barbed wire fencing to retain large sheep herds and some cattle. In what appears to be an “empty” wilderness, it is actually thriving with a variety of interesting wildlife, such as, guanacos, foxes, armadillos, the elusive puma, the Andean condor, the lesser rhea, flamingos, swans, Magillanic horned owl, just to name a few. But best of all, are the robust numbers of resident and sea run brown trout in the Rio Gallegos.

Regardless of the weather conditions, you can always count on it being windy! It is very rare for there to be no wind. Everyone I have ever spoken with about fly fishing down there always brought up, “the wind”. Howling winds pushing rolling white caps on the river is pretty much an everyday occurrence. It can beat you up if you let it. Fortunately, the guides know exactly what to do to minimize getting wind whipped. Whether it’s serving hot, freshly brewed java, or changing pool positions, they work diligently to place you in the optimal casting lane. If it’s blowing hard over my left shoulder, I like the unorthodox technique of sending my fly line up in the air and allowing the wind to carry it across the river! Not a pretty cast by any means but it gets the job done. However, good casting is critical as these fish are extremely skittish. So skittish that I was told studded wading boots scraping the gravel bottom was enough to alert fish out of a holding area! Whatever the case may be, the wind can be used to your advantage. It can serve as a great mask for hiding your presence while wading, or that sloppy cast splashing on the water. During the rare occurrence when there is no wind, it may seem very comfortable and allow for smoother casting, but a windless day is actually the most challenging to entice a strike, at least in my experience!

The river is mainly composed of pools and long, slow runs. Catching the large sea run browns from a pool that’s smooth as glass takes stealth! These conditions require long casts landing as soft as possible with a small fly and quietly wading while keeping close to the shore. This is where the two-hand fly rod can really shine so long as you are a good caster. Since fishing the pools tends to be a quiet stalk, the lodge guides are big fans of the scandi fly line. Scandi lines are designed for delicate presentations of smaller flies with long, tapered leaders. In comparison, the skagit heads, which are shorter and more compact, are built for casting heavy sink tips and large, weighted flies with powerful, sustained anchor casts. Its compactness definitely has more splash on the water, a major no-no for sea run browns on the Rio Gallegos. From my experience on the Rio Gallegos, I think it’s a good idea to take both lines, especially if you are more experienced to casting a skagit head. Honestly, I think using the skagit head on the windy days works fine and was easier for me to cast than the scandi line. I had good catching success and landed my best fish of the trip while using a skagit head. But I will admit, mastering the scandi casting definitely allows a quieter presentation, so it is worthwhile to practice, practice, practice before heading to Argentina!

Two-handed fly rods are the most commonly fished on the river, be it spey or a switch rod. Seven or eight weight rods ranging in 11 to 13 feet long are the most common. When the shoreline is free of obstruction, a single-handed fly rod can be useful. I took a 10-ft, 7 weight that I knew would handle the wind quite well and afforded long casts. But more often than not, the two-hander seems to be the best choice. With a fondness for glass, my fly rods used on the trip were the Echo fiberglass switch rods; 11-footers, in 6 and 7 weights. I lined the 7-wt with a skagit line and the 6-wt with a scandi line. Overall, the two rods gave me the versatility I needed for changing weather and river conditions to present my fly where it needed to go. Being able to adapt when conditions change is key on Rio Gallegos if you wish to have your rod bent! As mentioned above, the scandi line is best used with a longer leader system. The Airflo Polyleader or Rio VersiLeader worked like a charm using the clear, intermediate sink version (20 lb), 10-ft long, followed by 5 feet of 15 lb. test leader. I used Maxima Evergreen as my leader material. When fishing in clear water, it may benefit to add a longer leader and a slightly lighter tippet as in 10-12 lb. test. It’s also a good idea to pack polyleaders in sinking rates of 2 and 3 inches per second. For the skagit tips, I like the Rio, 10-ft, Skagit iMOW tips. Be sure to take a variety of sinking tips, e.g., 2.5ft float/7.5ft T-8 and T-11, 5ft Int/5ft T-8 and in T-11.

The fly pattern list for the Rio Gallegos is crazy! Evidently, these sea run browns love rubber legged flies as just about all of the flies are fashioned with them! Patterns like the Girdle Bug, Yuck Bug, EMB, Yellow Yummy, Taxi Cab, Zirdle Bug, and the list goes on. Many of these flies have proven effective for my Western trout pursuits, so I wasn’t shocked to see them recommended for the sea run browns. The sizes range from 6 to 12, and sometimes 14’s! Assorted beadhead nymphs with rubber legs are very popular too. Christer is a big fan of the old Sunray Shadow hair wing tube fly originated for Atlantic salmon and sea trout. He is addicted to huge boils of lunker sea run browns attacking the fly just under the surface! Sea trout will take skating flies too, so if you are inclined to have a trout take on top, bring surface skating patterns like the Bomber in sizes 4-6.

Fortunately, for the absent-minded angler who forgets something in their fishing arsenal, lost it, broke it, or just doesn’t have the right one, Las Buitreras has a mini fly shop! And when you’re in Timbuktu, you’re very grateful to have it on site. I found the fly selection most amazing as there were many patterns and sizes to choose from. Popular flies sold fast, especially when the guides are boasting about the “hot” fly of the day (with 11 other anglers, the flies can go quick)!

In the Pacific Northwest, my presentations for trout, steelhead and salmon range from swinging the fly, dead drifting a fly, or simply stripping the fly aggressively. None of the common techniques apply to the Rio Gallegos. There’s a reason why rubber legged patterns are so popular. It’s because they wiggle and jiggle and the sea run browns love the action! After you make that 45-degree downstream cast, and wait briefly for the fly to sink, you then, “twitch” the line. Twitching or stripping the fly line in 2-to-4-inch lengths at a not-so-fast rate as directed by your guide. If there is enough current that swings the fly through the run without hooking the bottom, you then “jig” the fly in the same short intervals but you’re not retrieving the fly line.

There are two major defects I struggled with on this trip that prevented me from catching more fish. My casting and hook sets suffered. On the spey or switch rod casting, if you expect to catch sea run brown trout in Argentina, make it worth your while and properly learn to cast a scandi line. Do whatever it takes to learn the cast! Don’t limit yourself to just a single hand fly rod. Even though I battled through many windy days with the two-hander, it was still the best choice of rod to use. If you become frustrated, take a break and shorten up your cast or ask to fish a different place. Secondly, ask the guide for his help on your casting. They all cast very well and sometimes a demonstration can put you back on track.

I will be the first to admit that I have screwed up more hook ups on different types of fish because of my muscle memory and habitual reaction to the “Western trout set” (a very aggressive yank while lifting the rod up). This does not work at all to hook the sea run browns nor does strip setting! On the Rio Gallegos, setting the hook is a simple lift of the wrist as in a few inches. You’d think a western trout angler could adapt to that simple technique, but not me. Being pumped with adrenaline, every time I felt the tug, I just wanted to rip its head off! Only when I calmed down after constantly being reminded from the guide, did I finally hook fish. The physics of a small hook penetrating into the trout’s jaw takes very little force, even on these large browns. Once again, doing what your guide tells you, can make all the difference on your success!

Las Buitreras estancia on the Rio Gallegos is a heavenly place that offers the most spectacular sea run brown trout the world can offer. You can dream about catching the largest brown trout in your life and there’s a very good chance for it to happen! Incidentally, Christer’s wife holds the lodge record with a sea run brown over 32 pounds!

. . . the Ahrex #6 hook held firm as my monster brown plunged back into the Rio Gallegos. The mighty fish then raced upstream while I held on with a death grip to my fly rod praying that nothing would fail; by me or the gear. The big brown was now into some serious backing, the more that goes out, the more I worry. Finally, the commotion stops and the fish finally pauses. The drag on the line is too much on the big fish as he makes a turn for downstream. I reel frantically and try to keep as much tension on the rod as possible. I’m gaining on the fly line which is a huge relief, but it’s still not over as the heavy brown trout blasts by me now heading downstream. What a powerful fish! I’m getting my butt kicked as time goes into slow motion while I focus on not losing this huge sea trout. Good fortune is in my favor, the large trout has finally tired and only has enough muster to shake its big head for the last attempts to rid the hook. The guide has the net ready and I’m finally able to tow my trophy to shore. One big scoop and he’s in the net! I’m shaking like a leaf caught by the pampas wind as I admire the incredible size of this sea trout! The guide is excited too and many high five’s are delivered. After some quick measurements, the Rio Gallegos sea run brown trout is estimated to weight over 17 lbs! A trout of a life time has happened.

For more information on this sea run brown adventure at Las Buitreras on the Rio Gallegos, Argentina, visit www.solidadventures.com

About the author: Joe Warren is a freelance fly fishing writer and photographer from Carson, WA, who enjoys casting a fly wherever he finds a willing fish. You can follow his adventures at www.flyfishpursuit.com

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