Accomodations: Wood-paneled lodge that is warm and beautifully appointed. Continent: South America Cost : Call/email for current rates Country: Argentina Dates: November through April, with peak Christmas through March. Detail_Image1: detail_kautapen01.jpg Detail_Image2: detail_kautapen02.jpg Duration: 7 nights, 6 days of fishing-shorter stays available Location: Southernmost fishing lodge on earth! Physical : Moderate Provided: All transfers; hotel accommodations in Buenos Aires and fishing area (including taxes and services based on double occupancy); dinner wines; all fishing services including guiding, transportation, and fishing license where applicable. Species : Sea-run Brown Trout Technical: Some experience needed Technique : Fly Fishing (Fresh)

Kau-Tapen Lodge, Tierra del Fuego

Nothing could be more fitting than to successfully seek the rarest and most prized of anadromous fish--the giant sea-run brown trout--while enjoying a week of the "good life" that somehow belies your occupying the southernmost fishing lodge on earth. Reminiscent of the best salmon lodges on other grand rivers, Kau-Tapen, or "fishing house" in the native Ona Indian tongue, continues to hold great promise. The fishing here for sea-run brown trout is the very best the world has to offer, period. Tierra del Fuego itself is an awesome and beautiful land, and the view from the comfort of Kau-Tapen is of grasslands that roll and sweep across unbroken terrain, halted only by the jagged spires of the Andes that separate Argentina from Chile miles upriver.

The Fishing Unlike some anadromous fish, the sea-run brown trout tend to ascend the river in small schools, not in one or two large defined runs, so the fishing is productive throughout the season. In recent years, early weeks have typically produced 175 or so trout to 6 rods; on the high side, 400-600 to 8 or 12 rods. However, it should be noted that, like steelhead or Atlantic salmon, these are anadromous fish, and cycles of weather and conditions at sea still affect fishing productivity. Several days of hard rain could make the river unfishable, but it heals itself very quickly, usually overnight.

The Accommodations Kau-Tapen’s guests enjoy the exclusivity of an attractive wood-paneled lodge that is warm and beautifully appointed. Located within minutes of the best pools on the Rio Grande, it offers eight comfortable bedrooms, each with private bathroom, and is limited to twelve anglers per week. During "off" hours and between fishing sessions, guests congregate in the attractive living area, where stories are told, cocktails are served, and the productive flies of the day are discussed in comfort near a central fireplace. The dining schedule revolves around the most productive fishing hours and fine meals are served, exemplifying the hospitality of gracious Argentine hosts.

Location Built by its owners, the Carreras family, the lodge and its adjacent 25 kilometers of the Rio Grande is in the middle of the enormous working ranch that lies between the border of Chile and the sea. The Carreras property neighbors the huge holdings of the Jose Menendez and Maria Behety ranches, which are on the lower river, stretches where Joe Brooks and notable Argentine anglers first explored this fishing over forty years ago.

Season Usually November through April, with prime time considered Christmas through late March.

How To Get There By air from Buenos Aires to Rio Grande, served by Aerolineas Argentinas and LAPA with flight time of approximately 4 hours.