Gorge Fly Shop Blog: South America

Apr 18, 2017

South America Adventures - Morrison Files

Limay River

Hi Lyndsey,

Hope all is well.

I wanted to get these to you earlier but just didn’t have a chance. This was one of those trips that after twenty one days we did not want to come home. It’s the longest I’ve been away from home since I was in the service (50 years ago). The trip started on the Alumine River in the northern Patagonia region with eight of us, seven guys and Jeanette. We have fished with all but three, we met two on the trip to Christmas Island and another one on the Middle Fork of the Salmon. After the first 9 days two of them went home and we were down to six. We got in a van and went southwest to the Limay River and what a river it was. It’s about the size of the Snake, quite a bit shallower and crystal clear, a deep spot might be 20 feet or so. A couple of the pictures show how clear the water is, at 10 feet deep you could still see all the colors of the rocks. In April the big browns are in this system and get up to 30+ pounds.

Every fish Jeanette caught was on a dry and she caught a bunch. We camped on the Limay for three nights and fished it a total of four days. Then back in the van, we went on a sightseeing road trip back north, we went the equivalent of Eugene to Vancouver Canada. The scenery was unbelievable, it was an area they call the Seven Lakes Region. If you google seven lakes region, Argentina click on images and you’ll get an idea of what we saw. Anyway next year we want to find a way to spend at least three weeks there, that’s how good it was.

Good Friends...Good Times

The good news is I did not break a fly rod, that’s just about a first. In some areas we used the 8wts especially if we were fishing deep and with streamers. On the big browns you strip set the hook or they’ll get off. In one picture there are four of us, the other couple are friends from Emmet, Idaho and were working as guides for Diego the outfitter. That was another thing that made the trip, having good friends along. They also guide for Jeff Helfrich on the Middle Fork of the Salmon, and the Rogue. April 7th to the 14th we’re going to Petersburg, Alaska with Dino, Seda, Jeff and another friend from Vida (upper McKenzie) steelhead fishing. That should be a good time too. That’s when we get to try our luck with the switch rods.

So there you have it, take care,

Art

Apr 9, 2015

Monster Arapaima in the Deep Jungle of Guyana

Some anglers like to fish the same water for many years. Each time you fish there it becomes like visiting an old friend, reflecting on special days and fish from the past. Other anglers look beyond what they know and where they have been for new angling challenges and adventure. That is exactly what clients Dave Farley and Tim Youngkin had in mind when they heard about fishing for Arapaima in Guyana from my article in the Gorge Fly Shop Newsletter in the spring of 2013.

It is a very limited fishing season in Guyana, for 3 weeks in the spring and 3 weeks in the fall, with only 4 anglers per week. Outside of that the fishing for this species is illegal in these protected waters. The next available week was in November 2014. They said we are in and put their money down. There was a lot of preparation on their part with fly tying and buying as well as a lot of new heavy duty 65lb core Rio Leviathan lines. The rest of them break like trout tippet. As there is a weight limit on the charter flight into the jungle, strategic packing and planning was essential. This part was unrealistic but the reality of the situation. This is not a full service fishing lodge but the remote jungle Rewa Eco lodge reached by charter flight and a boat trip. The money they get from this tourism helps the tribe be self sustaining without selling of logging and mining rights that would destroy this rare place.

After fishing the water nearby the lodge the guides determined there were more fish up river and further into the jungle. So they left the comforts of the lodge for a hammock in the jungle under an open shelter. They spent days up there without creature comforts. It was extremely rustic but in the middle of huge Arapaima that would eat the fly. There was also a scientist along that had been studying those ancient fish for years. They both had some ass kicking action as well as landing fish. The two photos included show a fish landed by Dave and one by Tim. The largest was well over 200 lbs.