El Encuentro Fly Fishing: A Question Answered
One question I am frequently asked, that until recently I have struggled to answer is, “if you could only fish one place in the world where would it be?” After spending 10 days in mid-January in northern Argentine Patagonia with the El Encuentro team I now have a ready answer.
Even before the trip started it felt special. El Encuentro is one of the oldest and well respected outfitters in Argentina. This year they celebrate their 40th anniversary of continuous operations, which means our trip was not their first rodeo. They proposed several customized itineraries for our visit, responded to all our questions, and in the end we selected an itinerary that allowed us to visit all three destinations, which turned out to be three mini-trips of a lifetime.
While the fishing was amazing what sets this trip apart was the Beale family’s passion for ensuring an exceptional experience for each and every guest (make sure you read A journey through Benjamin Beale´ Story: his interview with H2O Magazine). This passion was evident in the enthusiasm, concern, and attention to detail displayed by each member of the El Encuentro team. Throughout our visit we felt like we were part of the family.
Our guides, Lucho and Federico along with their assistances Rolo and Aled, were experienced, flexible and focused on us catching fish while have a great time doing it. I was accompanied on the trip with two friends and we still talk about how much fun we had with our guide team. The two transition days between lodges were two of my favorite days. Whether it was the changing scenery and vistas, stopping to fish a spring creek in Los Alerces National Park, breaks in Trevelin for ice cream and Rio Pico for cheesy bread bites or just learning about our guides and the areas we traversed, we had a great time. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the outstanding shore lunches, always featuring a delicious charcuterie board, at least one bottle of wine, and, of course, the perfect touch—a fresh brew of French press coffee.
While each lodge was unique in location and atmosphere, we were surprised at the consistently high quality of care, attention to detail and amazing food. The team at each lodge was welcoming, engaging and genuinely interested in our comfort and experience.
Our first stop was at Valle Del Carrileufu Lodge and we couldn’t have experienced a better introduction to northern Patagonia. The lodge, situated on a traditional estancia, is warm and inviting with its large fireplace, log beam construction and rich leather seating. Debora, the current owner, shared with us how the lodge was originally constructed by her grandfather as a horse barn. Our first night included an amazing traditional Asado. Incidentally the lodge is located just down the road from Cholila, home of Argentina’s annual Asado Festival. Two days of fishing on the Carrileufu river, cleared the cobwebs and got us tuned up for what was to come.
Heading south, our second stop was the famous Brook Trout Base Camp. Consisting of well appointed cabins on the banks of the Rio Corcovado. While fishing was great on Carrileufu river, things really heated up at the base camp. Our first day consisted of fishing one of the many lakes that are loaded with large and wildly colorful brook trout. While the majority of the fish readily ate black and olive leech patterns one member of our party caught a couple on a small black popper. After a full day of fishing we returned to our “rustic” base camp where we were meant by Carolina with glasses of Malbec and amazing tapas as a prelude to another wonderful dinner. Day two was spent hunting monster browns and rainbows that stalk the reed edges of a beautiful lake situated just outside Rio Pico. My second cast of the morning was interrupted by a violent eruption created by a monster brown trout attacking the large Gypsy King I was throwing. I learned a new term after we got the fish to the net. Lucho informed me that it was not a trophy fish but a treasure fish. Another member of our party caught a treasure rainbow that couldn’t resist a micro leech under a dropper. It was another great day of fishing and we retuned to base camp for pizza night.
Our third and final stop was the elegant El Encuentro Lodge, the home lodge on the banks of the Rio Futaleufu. While the fishing stayed hot all three days, the evenings were just as entertaining with a wine tasting, tango demonstration and relaxing on the deck with a glass of wine watching the rising fish and bird life. Benjamin Beale joined us for dinner one evening and we enjoyed hearing his stories and getting to know him. Ceci and Kathy were exceptional hostesses and made sure we were comfortable throughout our visit. We fished three different sections of Rio Futaleufu and caught numerous rainbows and browns each day. I even caught a small par salmon that was attacked by a large brown before we got it in the boat. In many instances, due to the clarity of the water, we could watch the fish take the fly.
This trip will live large in our memories, while we wait to return to our El Encuentro family and friends. If I could only fish one place in the world where would it be, that’s now an easy answer.
Tim Harshbarger
