JURASSIC LAKE LODGE/ SILVER RAINBOW HEAVEN/APRIL 29 TO MAY 6, 2023

 

Argentina has been a favorite fishing destination for numerous years.  Battling giant dorado at La Zona is always at the top of my list.  Wetting a line at Jurassic Lake (Lago Strobel) is perhaps the greatest fishery in the world for high quality and quality of rainbow trout.  This fishery reminds me so much of the great memories fishing the Alaksa Peninsula for giant silver salmon.

I have fished Jurassic many times.  The beginning of the season begins in September when the Barrancoso River is chocked full of spawning rainbows.  The season ends the beginning of May where thousands of giant chrome rainbows start to gather outside the mouth of the Barrancoso.  These silver rainbows pack on pounds and are tremendous fighters.

Friend, Roger Lee, from California, would join me on this adventure. This is Roger's first trip to Patagonia and has never fly fished before.  At the lodge were also a few fishermen from Argentina, including a former Chicago Bulls NBA basketball player.  

The weather at Jurassic in May is normally cold and windy.  The rainbows here prefer the wind.  One morning while fishing near the mouth of the Barrancoso out in Strobel, I could see hundreds of huge rainbows "surfing" in the waves.  The action was non-stop, literally a strike every cast.  My best morning was 51 rainbows.

One morning fishing near the mouth, Roger and I both hooked into giants.  Guide Brian had the first look and said the fish were enormous.  After netting both trophies, Roger and I both had rainbows pushing the scales over 21 lbs.

  The action was nonstop all week.  We fished in the first pool in the river a few times.  There were enough rainbows to make things interesting.  Roger became a good student of Brian and was mastering the fly rod within hours.

I was using a white mop fly I tied up for this trip.  It worked very well and caught numerous rainbows with the largest pushing the scale over 20 lbs.

Roger was using a dry fly and had great action.  I told Roger in September there are so many rainbows in the first pool that you literally can walk on them!  

Brian was tremendous and sure he has sore arms and shoulders from netting all the giants we landed.  For the week, I landed 4 rainbows over 20 lbs. while Roger landed 2 over 20 lbs.  This was my best trip ever for huge rainbows at Jurassic.  

Everything went well for the week.  The winds made it impossible to fish one afternoon, otherwise, the weather cooperated.  The staff, cook, and guides at Jurassic are second to none.  So, if you are looking for giant chrome rainbows, the month of May at Jurassic Lake Lodge is the best in the world!  Already looking forward to returning this coming September and May 2024.