Faraway Fly Fishing» brown trout

Volcanic Survivors II

Alexander — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:34:20 +0000

Almost five weeks passed after the beginning of the season and besides the volcano eruption fishing conditions are great, lakes and rivers remain with high and clear water. It seems that rainbows are already returned from the spawning and getting stronger and silver again. On the other hand, migratory brown are fat, silver and already entering into Limay river . We have been going to the Limay quite often, most of the days have been windy making fishing a bit difficult but that has not been an excuse for not catching fish.

We haven´t been in the Rio Manso system yet ( Manso River, Fonk, hess and Mascardi Lakes), but we have heard it´s giving great rewards, as usual by this time of the season.

If you are interested to fish the Limay river with us, we use Bariloche city as a base, the airport is being remodeled that is why flights from BA are only available to Neuquen or Esquel city, both around 300 to 400 km away, the rest of the trip has to be by ground (airlines include ground transfer to Bariloche which takes around 3 to 4 hours). Let us know at Info@farawayflyfishing.com and we can organize it together.

Check out the latest catches, hope you like them…

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Floating Limay river

Nicolas Trochine — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:49:44 +0000

We have been recently fishing the Limay river starting on Limay river mouth floating down to Villa Llanquin area and we had great success all the way. We have great offers for this season on daily trips or packages in the Lake district area. Please contact us if you have any questions! Enjoy the pics!

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More Limay Browns

Alexander — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:26:07 +0000

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Worried about the Volcano? Fear Not. Carrileufu Valley Lodge is Ash-Free and Full of Fish.

Barrett — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:40:52 +0000

Flash News from the our good friend Pancho, owner of Carrileufu Valley Lodge, regarding the volcano:

For all interested fly fishers I would like to comment about the most recent volcanic eruption in Chile and what it may mean to you. First, the fishing habitat, not the fish, is the only concern as biologists have already confirmed that in certain waters both ash and pumice have settled on the bottom. This effect applies mostly to areas north of Bariloche. Next, the Bariloche airport is still down and undergoing some major modifications, and is currently scheduled to reopen on December 20, 2011. In the meantime, air traffic has been shifted to Esquel. I believe that four flights a week are currently scheduled. It is suggested that you confirm these flight plans prior to your immediate travel departure. We will feature any important changes in future email. Our season opens in just two weeks and I will look forward to sharing timely reports with you

Tight Lines,

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Two Limay Brown Trout after the Eruption

Barrett — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:46:30 +0000

Our good guide friend in Bariloche, Rodrigo Amadeo, sent us these encouraging photos of a couple superb brown trout from the Limay river. Judging by their very healthy condition, they certainly don’t seem to be negatively impacted from the ash deposits. Rodrigo points out that the only noticeable changes in the fish are in their pigmentation, which makes sense, as the color of the water and the bottom have changed slightly. They have taken on a lighter, whiter complexion. The adaptive facility of these fish, and salmonids in general, never ceases to amaze.

“ACA LES PASO DOS MARRONES PLATIADAS DEL LIMAY 3-11-2011 , ENCONTRE ESTAS MARRONES EN PERFECTO ESTADO BUENAS PELEAS DIERON , POR SUERTE SE LAS VE BASTANTE SANAS DESPUES DE LA CENIZA ,, NOTE UN PEQUEÑO CAMBIO DE COLOR EN SU PIGMENTACION , ES LOGICO CAMBIA EL COLOR DEL AGUA , CAMBIA EL COLOR DE FONDO , CAMBIARON ELLAS TAMBIEN … ES DECIR MAS BLANCAS

SALUDOS
PELADO”

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Fishing Report from the Ground: The Aftermath of Puyehue Volcano in Bariloche and Surrounding Area

Alexander — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 06:16:23 +0000

Even five months after the eruption of the Puyehue Volcano in the Cordón Caulle Mountains in southern Chile, volcanic ash continues to fall on Bariloche. New information and conclusions about the effects of this ash continually emerge, creating confusion and pure conjecture over what the real environmental impact will be in the short, medium and long-run. The future of our area’s trout population is a source of serious concern for us, so we set out to gather the best scientific and anecdotal evidence currently available to try and answer this pressing question. Born and raised in Bariloche and having lived through the worst of the eruption, this issue hits very close to home – literally.

Since the eruption of Puyehue on June 4th, various locations and watersheds have been affected, the severity of which has depended entirely on wind direction. As of now, one of the most seriously impacted areas is Villa la Angostura, 38 km southeast of Ground Zero, and directly in line with the prevailing winds. On the opposite side of Lago Nahuel Huapi in Bariloche, ash continues to fall intermittently, but generally in lower proportions. Almost every day we can see the plume of the volcano pass just in front of our city over the opposite coastline.

Due to its proximity to the volcano and immense surface area, Lago Nahuel Huapi has received the lion’s share of volcanic ash. The most affected parts of the lake are the Última Esperanza, Rincón, Machete and Huemul arms. Relatively unaffected are the Blest, Tristeza and Companario arms, thanks to their more protected locations. In addition to Lago Nahuel Huapi, lakes Totoral, Espejo, Correntoso and Traful have all been seriously affected as well. Thankfully, lakes Gutierrez, Mascardi, Los Moscos, Hess and Roca have received almost no ash at all. Many of the streams close to the volcano have also been blanketed with ash, but owing to the heavy spring run-off, much of the sediment has already been flushed out.

So what will the ultimate impact on our aquatic organisms be? It’s difficult to say, but biologists and anglers alike have witnessed normal spawning activity from trout, percas, and other fish, suggesting that the environmental changes haven’t negatively impacted reproduction. Even in the Limay and Correntoso, which during the worst of the eruption ran color of cement, fishermen are witnessing strong spawning activity. Official surveys conducted by local parks and wildlife agencies have also captured specimens of rainbow, brown and brook trout in optimal conditions, even in the most severely affected areas such as Villa la Angostura. All signs suggest that the catastrophic eruption hasn’t been noticeably detrimental to adult trout or their primary food sources. The real question, however, is how the baseline ecological changes (e.g. oxygen & PH levels), will impact the organisms at the bottom of the food chain, and thus the long term productivity of the ecosystem.

According to a scientific study that haven’t been finalized yet, the aquatic organism most at risk to drastic change is the zooplankton, as it forms the base of the aquatic food chain. Most species of fish and various invertebrates depend on zooplankton as an important food source. In addition to zooplankton, we can include cladocera, copepoda, and amphipods – tiny crustaceans that constantly filter the water in search of phytoplankton. During this process they constantly ingest ash particles (comprised largely of silica), and it appears that this can lead to death by lesions to the filtration and digestive systems. If this proves to be true on a massive scale, then the long-run impact on our trout could be severe indeed. At the moment, however, this doesn’t seem to be the case, as indicated by the healthy condition of our fish.

Let’s also not forget that with time, volcanic ash can have a very beneficial influence on the ecosystem, acting as a fertilizer and improving its overall productivity. Numerous cases throughout history have shown this to be a very real possibility, so in the future perhaps our fishing will be better than we could have ever imagined. At least the situation doesn’t appear to be nearly as dire as one might imagine by looking out the window at the occasional plum of ash, but let’s keep our fingers crossed anyhow!

Thanks to Hugo Dezurko and Ruben Martin for the pictures from the scouting in Villa la Angostura area.

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Effects of the volcanic ash that has fallen on our lakes and rivers?

Nicolas Trochine — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:02:56 +0000

On a scale of 0 to 14 pH, a value of 0 is the most acidic and 14 the most basic.

The rain usually has a pH between 5 and 6.5. It is acidic because it has dissolved carbon dioxide and air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. If the rain water flows over soil containing minerals, the pH usually increases. Bicarbonate ions, HCO-322-HCO

As a result, streams and lakes are usually basic, with pH values between 7 and 8, sometimes as high as 8.5.
The measurement of pH of a body of water is very important as an indication of water quality due to the sensitivity of aquatic organisms to the pH of their environment. Small changes in pH can endanger many types of plants and animals, such as trout and various nymphs can only survive in waters with pH values between 7 and 9. If the pH of the water in which they live is outside this range may not survive or reproduce.

Table 1: pH levels and effects on aquatic life.

pH Effect

3.0 – 3.5 Fish are unlikely to survive over a few hours in this range, though you can find some plants and invertebrates to pH levels as low as these.

3.5 – 4.0 Is known to be lethal to salmonids.

4.0 – 4.5 Absent all fish, frogs and many insects.

4.5 – 5.0 Many insects away. Most fish eggs will not hatch.

5.0 – 5.5 Bacteria that lives on the bottom of water bodies (decomposers) begin to die. Leaf litter and debris begin to accumulate, trapping nutrients and interrupting chemical cycles. The plankton starts to disappear. Snails and clams absent. Carpets of fungi begin to replace the bacteria in the substrate.
Metals (aluminum, lead) normally trapped in sediments are released into water acidified forms toxic to aquatic life.

6.0 – 6.5 Freshwater shrimp absent. Unlikely to be directly harmful to fish unless the level of free carbon dioxide is high (in excess of 100 mg / L)

6.5 – 8.2 Optimal for most organisms.

8.2 – 9.0 Unlikely to be harmful to fish, but indirect effects occur at this level due to chemical changes in the water.
9.0 – 10.5 Likely to be harmful to salmonids and perch if present for long periods.

10.5 – 11.0 To rapidly lethal for salmonids. Prolonged exposure is lethal to carp and perch.

11.0 – 11.5 Rapidly lethal to all species of fish.

This occurs under normal conditions, it is important to know how this particular type of ash that has fallen affects on our lakes, streams and how is altering the pH of the environment.

What kind of composition has the fallen ash?
What you can find in INVAP and CONEA preliminary work http://organismos.chubut.gov.ar/a mbiente/files/2011/06/Informe-Cenizas-Puyehue1.-INVAP.pdf who express the composition of falling sand is mostly silica, stone bone Pomes, with low concentrations of substances harmful to health and the agencies that come into contact with it.
With data from pH of 5.2, whereupon the pH of the water level could drop from 7 or 8 to 6, where as the mass amount of water relative to the amount of ash fall is considerably less and that there would be a important solution, so the pH could fall below 6 (which is almost impossible).

Conclusion
I don’t think the ash due their composition will affect the life of the trout, it is likely to affect the benthic organisms (insects) and part of the spawning, is likely to affect or diminish the effectiveness of this. We won’t be able to see the effects the next season, we would be able see the consequences in a couple of years or maybe there won’t be any negative consequences. We all hope fishing in the area keeps on giving us rewards like every year.

Thanks to Lucho Bacci for the great article! We are looking forward for more info about this.

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The end of a great season in Patagonia.

Alexander — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:35:39 +0000

Fishing season has finished in most of the rivers. Once again, it has been very good all over Patagonia. We have been fishing in many lakes and rivers trough this season, in all kinds of weather and water conditions. Fishing in Patagonia can be tricky, it happens when we are in the wrong place at the wrong time. That´s why there are people like us trying to show and recommend the right time for each fishing place. We would like you to keep following us in our adventures. Season might be finished in Patagonia, but, South America has many different regions where we can find very good fishing for many exotic species like Golden Dorado, Pacu, Pira-Pita, Yatorana, etc., and the season for this species is just starting !!

If you want to plan your trip to Patagonia we recommend you to do it in advance and please, don´t hesitate on contacting us for information and rates at Info@farawayflyfishing.com. We are already booking for the next fishing season!

Thanks again,

Alex Trochine, Nico Trochine and Barret Mattison

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Incredible end of season!

Alexander — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 02:06:20 +0000

We are 7 days away from the end of the season at Limay River, the runs of fish from the Nahuel Huapi lake have been consistant and most of them are good size fish. Myself and many fishing friends have been in the Limay constantly, once you get the timing of this river… you want to fish it every day until you find THE BIG ONE.

Besides bad weather and some rain and snow, Rodrigo from Big Fish Patagonia and I have been Trying hard these last days, luckily, with really good results, many fish on the double figure range. I have landed one of my biggest freshwater Migratory Brown trout!!.

If you are interested on coming next season and catch one of these monster Browns send us an e mail to Info@Farawayflyfishing.com, March and April are the months… we´ll be your guides.

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The Eagle Has Landed – Roadtrippin’ in the casa rodante

Barrett — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:49:12 +0000

It’s a curios sensation to be trout fishing in two different hemispheres on opposite ends of the globe, just a few days apart. Immediately upon returning from Patagonia, I grabbed my motor home, infamously known as the “Eagle 6″ among those familiar with her exploits, and set off with several friends in search of more rising trout. A few blizzards, a couple cases of beer, and 12 hours later, we finally arrived at our destination. I couldn’t help but notice the many similarities between certain parts of Patagonia and the western US. Of course the fishing is generally much better in Patagonia, but the scenery and climate are nearly identical in most aspects. In the week prior I had literally spent 24 hrs on a bus followed by 16 hours on a plane, and another 12 hours driving, seemingly only to end up exactly where I began. It was like a weird fishing episode from the Twilight Zone or something. Only the use of English instead of Spanish, Rainer instead of Quilmes, and size #20 dries instead of #8′s reminded me of where I really was. For what it’s worth, I’ll take the fishing in Patagonia over the US any day of the week, but we definitely have better beer here. Kinda a toss up.

Lastly, big thanks goes out Seth Berling of PebblePedalers.com, who successfully navigated the Eagle 6 through the blizzard over “Dead Man’s Pass,” and then showed us how to catch finicky browns on #26 midges. I met Seth and his brother, Parker, in Argentina a couple months ago. Over the course of 18 months they pedaled their bicycles from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia – fishing the entire way down. If that’s not impressive I don’t know what is. It was an honor to have him along for the ride.

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