Good morning from San Martin de Los Andes in Argentine Patagonia where we just finished another nice week of fishing with some wonderful guests from back home in Oregon. As can be expected in Patagonia we saw some windy days, but we also enjoyed a lot of warm sunny days and good fishing. This area suffered a distinct lack of snow fall last winter and the rivers are running lower than average. The Rio Chimehuen is in great shape though, with cold water and healthy fish. I did a lot of sink tip streamer fishing with good results. A lot of the group either stuck with dry flies (parachute Adams or chubby’s) or the guides like to add a brown or red perdigon off the dry fly. Everyone caught plenty of fish on most days. My favorite 2 days were a visit to Lago Filo HauHum and the walk and wade trip to the Rio Caleufu. The lake was a 1st time visit for me, and it was stunning scenery. We didn’t catch a lot of fish, but my largest brown trout of the week came from here, and it came up to a big beetle right along a rocky cliff reminding me so much of my favorite Oregon lake (East Lake) and that was awesome. The Caleufu is always a huge surprise at how big fish sit in very shallow water to eat minnows! Some of the rivers are getting mossy and it requires a lot of patience to clean the flies off, kind of like the Crooked at certain periods of the season at home. Especially with streamers.

From home I got some really good reports from Jesse, Seqouia, Chester and Phil on the Metolius River and what’s happening there to share with you. There have been some good Blue Wing Olive hatches in the afternoon, with good dry fly opportunities from Allingham to Gorge, and in some of the major pools near the Wizard Falls hatchery. Fish the cycle of any hatch, and on the spring creeks make sure that you have emergers and cripples to show the fish, along with duns and a spinner just in case. Mostly #18 but supplement the fly box with a few 20’s too. Sequoia and Phil both reported good nymph action using Caddis pupa, eggs, perdigons and Frenchies. Some other flies that are important to you for this week should be golden stones, blue perdigon and soft hackle PT.

I didn’t get a report from the Crooked River from anyone this week, but water levels are good and with the unseasonable temperatures it is a great opportunity to fish there. In the winter it is very much a midge game, so think small black midges as larva, pupa and adult. Scuds, perdigons, cased caddis, soft hackles and small mini jig streamers are also good options.

Fall River is fishing well too, as is so often the case in the winter. There have been some frustrating tiny midges on the menu! #24 with 7x tippet is the solution. Look for BWO’s here too, and good nymph fishing, especially with heavy jig streamers, frenchies, eggs and both brown or olive perdigons. Remember that the river is closed below the falls but from the falls up to the headwaters there is a lot of water to enjoy (and no sense in all crowding the same spots and fishing on top of someone already there)

I’m heading to meet a new friend Chris at his lodge on one of the big lakes near here in the mountains tomorrow, and then back to the city for a few days where the next group starts to arrive on Wednesday and Thursday before we come back to Patagonia next weekend.

I had my first tinge of homesickness yesterday…. You know what did it? A post from the Sisters Bakery. When I get home in Mid March I’ll honor that connection with a chocolate doughnut from my favorite bakery!

Thank you so much to all of you who have been supporting us in the shop, and doing your guide trip bookings earlier this year. It means the world to all of us at FFP to have your support.

Until next week!

Jeff