Rainbow Trout
Patagonia, Argentina is considered by most anglers to be one of the world's finest flyfishing destinations. Trout fishing season runs from early November through May. You will fish the famous Collón Cura River, one of the best mountain waterways for fly-casting and it's crossed by the Quemquemtreu stream, which is excellent for dry fly fishing.
Due to the vastness of the property, it encompasses almost half of the Collón Cura, providing private access to 19 miles of this beautiful river. The Collón Cura River runs due east toward the Atlantic ocean through the flat steppes of the eastern side of the Andes mountains, lending warmer water conditions, making the Collon Cura one of the most populated trout rivers in the system. The river banks are lined with willows, rosehip bushes and volcanic rock.
The average trout size is 16 inches, and it is not uncommon to catch trout over 22 inches. May is the best month for the opportunity of catching monster trophy brown trout!
Patagonia, Argentina has the perfect ecology and terrain for WILD California Quail and as Bird Hunting Report said, it is "One of the best-kept secrets in the wingshooting world." (August 2011)
You will typically find coveys of 30-60 strong, that will flush in rapid flight and challenge the most avid sportsman. Occasionally you may see a covey of up to 80 - 100 birds. With a terrain of rolling hills & rocky ground, it is for a true hunter! This is a true diamond in the rough for the ultimate wingshooter that looks for beauty, vast landscapes, watching dogs work, and an authentic experience that very few will have the opportunity to enjoy.
The Patagonia Region of Argentina is home to the largest "Free-range" stag resource in the world.
The uniqueness of the stag hunting here, is that the ranch only harvests a very small handful of trophies & management stag every year, really protecting the quality of their stag population. The rut is typically during mid-March to Mid-April and we accommodate groups of 4 hunters at at time.
Although May is not during the rut or Trophy stag season, you can have the opportunity to harvest a nice management stag & even a trophy stag if you get super lucky! 2-3 hunters per day, will have access to over 160,000 acres of hunting!!
The red stag are all free-range.
The fishing lodge can accommodate up to 10 guests and it has 5 double bedrooms each with a private bathroom.
It has a spacious Dining room, living room with cozy fireplace. A separate bar where guests often gather in the evenings.
The Stag Hunting Lodge has 4 private double bedrooms each with their own bathroom. A large dining room area and living area with fireplace for relaxing in the evenings with a glass of Malbec.
The ranch has its own garden, and most of the vegetables are from the local garden, as our the local eggs, and beef from the ranch. Everything from the drop biscuits in the morning to the pastas are all made daily from scratch.
There is daily housekeeping and laundry service.
Located in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, in the northern Patagonian Lake district, this old cattle ranch is one of few of its grandeur that is still operating in this region. The Closest town is Junin de los Andes, located in the Neuquen province of Patagonia, Argentina.
Guests fly into Chapelco (San Martin de los Andes) airport, where you will be picked up and driven to the lodge (approx. 1hr and 30 min) via gravel & dirt road. The ranch is so large, that you'll actually enter the property almost an hour before you reach the estancia!
There are daily flights from Buenos Aires' domestic airport (AEP) to Chapelco. (CPC). HookFire can assist with any and all travel coordinating as you would like.
Another option is to fly in or out of Bariloche (BRC) if it better suits your connecting flights. It is about 3.5 hours from the lodge, but we can arrange additional transportation upon request, if desired by guests.
Brown Trout are originally from Europe and Asia but migratory forms may have allowed them to circumnavigate the globe. Cover is important for them, and you'll likely find them under submerged rocks, undercut banks, and overhanging vegetation.
They are medium-size fish, having the ability to grow to more than 9 lbs. Although in most small rivers, mature browns average 2 to 3 pounds. The sea-run variations of Argentina are another story, and consistently push the 20-30 pound envelope—a challenge for flyfishermen seeking the biggest browns on the planet. Brown trout are active both by day and night and are opportunistic feeders. While in freshwater, diet typically includes invertebrates, small fish, frogs, wayward mice, and insects flying. A brown’s penchant for insect larvae, pupae, nymphs, and adult insects is what makes this trout a flyfishing favorite.
The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a favorite among fly fisherman because of its beautiful coloration, hence the reason for its name. Wild rainbow trout typically have green olive-colored backs, tails with dark spots, and silvery sides with a pink and crimson shimmer.
The rainbow trout is a member of the Pacific salmon family, and has been stocked on six continents. It can be found in freshwater streams, rivers and lakes, also in saltwater bays and open ocean as steelhead (the sea-run form of the fish, which returns to freshwater to spawn). Trout prefer cold, well-oxygenated moderately moving creeks and streams with plenty of cover and pools, although they also do well in food-rich backcountry lakes and rivers. A rainbow's size generally relates to the size of the water they can be found in, as well as the available forage base. Smaller creeks are usually home to smaller fish, while bigger rainbows inhabit bigger watersheds. Generally speaking, a three-year-old rainbow trout in a general trout stream grows to 12 inches but can exceed 20 inches if food is abundant and water temperatures are stable throughout the year.
The red deer is the fourth-largest deer species behind moose, elk and sambar deer. Red deer stag inhabit most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, Iran, parts of western and central Asia, and are also in northwestern Africa, being the only species of deer to inhabit Africa. Red deer stag have been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. Generally, the male (stag) red deer is typically 69 to 100 inches long and weighs 350 to 530 pounds. Mature red deer usually stay in single-sex groups for most of the year, but during the mating season, or rut, mature stags compete for the attention of the females and will then try to defend those they attract. Rival stags challenge opponents by “roaring” and walking in parallel. This allows combatants to assess each other's antlers, body size and fighting prowess.
Your passport must be valid for six months following the last day of your South American trip. If your passport expires before then, please renew it right away.
DOMESTIC FLIGHTS (flights within country of travel, ie. Argentina, Bahamas, etc.)
IF BOOKED WITH AMY CROCKER YOU CAN LEAVE THIS SECTION BLANK.
ANY FLIGHTS BOOKED ON YOUR OWN PLEASE FORWARD YOUR ITINERARY VIA EMAIL TO INFO@HOOKFIRE.COM
International Flights (flights from and departing to the U.S.A.)
IF BOOKED WITH AMY CROCKER, YOU CAN LEAVE THIS SECTION BLANK.
ANY FLIGHTS BOOKED ON YOUR OWN, PLEASE FORWARD YOUR ITINERARY TO INFO@HOOKFIRE.COM
Our Hookfire experience in Patagonia was incredible. The travel arrangements, food, lodging, fishing and quail hunting created an experience beyond compare. Incredible & well-trained English pointers, the optional hunting on horseback, coupled with high volume California Quail in coveys of 50 to 150 plus birds is an site to behold. You said the coveys were big, but that is HUGE! We were surprised to shoot at birds as they peel out of a bush in rapid secession. We quickly adjusted as we discovered that missing the first one, was no big deal as here comes the second, third, forth and so on one right after the other in coveys the size that we have never seen. Hunting on 150,000+ acres with in the high plains near San Martin de los Andes is a lot to take in. From the beautiful clear rivers with 3 species of trout to the volcanos and snow covered mountain tops, the pine trees and dessert without cactus, our trip was an outdoor lovers dream. Waking up to a high volume quail hunt in the morning and super fly fishing in the afternoon, I never wanted to leave. The food, lodging and great company, nothing could have been better. Will, you and Lauren exceeded our expectations. Thank you so much for a great and memorable time! We will be back. Marcia Zimmermann & Dr. Kevin Wheelan. Texas - USA Patagonia and Estancia Quemquemtreu were the perfect setting for some much needed time afield with close friends. The Zimmerman’s have done an exceptional job maintaining an authentic estancia, and ideal venue for discerning wing shooters. Your pointers offered us covey as big as the country we covered. The wild California quail gave ample sporting challenge, often exceeding that of the Bob’s taken south of Falfurrias, and in the Piney woods of the Southeast. The historic lodge supplied warm, comfortable surroundings to revisit the day’s highlights over cocktails, enjoy Paula’s wonderful local fare and rest our tired legs. Many thanks to Will & Lauren Cowan and the entire HookFire team for a quail hunt of a lifetime! Looking forward to my next adventure with you two. O.D. - Texas, USA