Catching Rainbows

Jurassic Lake | Argentina
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Great People
Great Moments

The long journey to Argentina/Tierra del Fuego is quite a challenge. All the hardships for just six days of fishing on the Rio Grande? No! Helmut Alleze, my angling buddy from Munich, has never been to the Jurassic Lake. You have to visit it at least once, so we decide to travel there before heading to the Rio Grande. The size and number of rainbows at Jurassic Lake are truly unique.

As expected, the journey is extremely strenuous once again: The drive from El Calafate to the lake still takes seven to eight hours and involves rough terrain. For the first two days, we have the lodge all to ourselves, and then two American couples and the Loop team from Sweden arrive.

Jurassic Lake | Argentina
19. - 25. January 2014
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Our Accommodation

The Accommodation

In the evening, the food is usually alright; really good when it's barbecue. Unfortunately, breakfast is very modest and simple this time. Of course, one doesn't have to suffer from hunger, but it's more like camp food than lodge food.

The accommodation is functional. The toilets are mostly not clean, the showers are in need of renovation. The shower areas are unheated, sometimes the water only comes out in drops, and it's difficult to regulate the temperature: the water is either boiling hot or icy cold.

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    Nice buddy
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    Our Camp
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    Big Catch
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    Work, work, work,...
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    Dinner Time
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    Camp-Life
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    Great catch
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    Team Work
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    In Action
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    Proud
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    Mmmmhhh...

The Flies

 The Wooly Bugger isn't working as well this time. It's usually better to fish with small nymphs and finesse. Successful choices include: white Wooly Bugger, Prince Nymphs size 6-8, and various Rubberleg Nymphs size 4-6.

We're having fun. After the three days, we're looking forward to the upcoming week at Rio Grande. The return journey from the camp to El Calafate and the onward flight to Ushuaia are proceeding as planned.

Fishing Times

The fishing is quite different this time compared to last time I was at Jurassic Lake in November. Back then, the river's water level was high, and I was able to fish the Rio Barrancoso several kilometers upstream because when the water level is high, the rainbows migrate upstream. I remember: It was an incredible river fishing experience with big fish in a small water body.

This time, the river can only be fished in the immediate estuary area; we catch the good, fresh fish only in the lake. With only three days of fishing, this isn't a big issue: We can really enjoy these days at the lake and have great success.

We're catching a lot of trophy rainbows. It seems that my friend Helmut has luck with the big ones: He's really landing some hefty ones. Most of the time, we have great weather with the usual strong winds, but we often have an incredibly beautiful blue sky.

In the Wild

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Gallery

All images
of the trip