Rio Malleo, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016

Once again Matt and Tom of TEAM7x enjoyed a wonderful week on the Rio Malleo, Patagonia's finest dry fly trout stream. The San Huberto Lodge owns 16 miles of exclusive access to the Malleo.
With Omar "Banana" Martinez, the area's top guide, we spent dawn to dusk casting dries to rising wild trout, in tight holding areas, sometimes battling gusty Patagonian winds.

Banana readies lunch on a cool day.

Caddis were present throughout the day but largely ignored by the larger trout.  They picked off the mayflies and our BWO, adams, and floating soft hackle patterns along with occasional emergers just under the surface.

This rainbow took several fly changes before "making the mistake!"

Naturally the bigger fish, our targets, were in tight quarters along banks, blowdowns and overhanging willows but were eager to take our offerings once we battled the breezes to get the drag free drift! We'd take several rainbows on size 14's and 16's then they'd stop.  Dropping down to 18's and 20's, it was game on again.

The Browns were usually down deep and would occasionally rise to the dry.  Matt took this brown when Banana rerigged his outfit with 3x and a Chernobyl Ant and told him "put the fly there!"  Not cast, but drop the fly in a spot where he had spotted the fish hugging the bottom earlier in a tight blowdown. BANG!

With the Volcan Lanin always in the background, abundant wildlife, gauchos herding cattle and spectacular dry fly trout fishing on the Rio Malleo, Patagonia needs to be on everyone's bucket list…truly a world class destination!

At day's end around 9:00 pm, cocktail hour and a first class Argentinean  meal awaited!

San Huberto's Michelle enjoys a Manhattan!

Happy 2016 to all…keep in touch and visit with us at the CFFA Fly Fishing Expo on February 6, at Maneely's in South Windsor, CT.  We plan to have the Fly Fishing Benefactor's reels and accessories on display, some classic rods for sale and Everett and Bob will be fly tying!

DRAG FREE!
Tom/Everett/ Matt/Jeff and all the TEAM7xers!