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Subscriber George Doykos says the sea-run brown trout fishing he did on the Rio Grande River in Tierra del Fuego this past January was the slowest he has ever seen, and that view was seconded by numerous guests in the lodge who had fished this famous river many times. Doykos fished the river from Estancia Maria Behety, booking agent the Fly Shop (www.flyshop.com). “The fish were there,” Doykos writes, “but they just weren’t taking. I landed nine fish in six days, the largest a 14 pounder. My partner landed only two fish, with the largest just over 14 pounds.”
Doykos goes on to say that he understands that fishing can be slow at times. He still warmly recommends the river and Estancia Maria Behety. “This is an extremely well-run outfit,” he writes. “I cannot imagine a better place to have the opportunity to catch sea-run browns.”
Don Causey Note: So how was the overall season on the Rio Grande? Here is how Pat Pendergast of the Fly Shop replied near press time. Pat was at Estancia Maria Behety the same week Doykos was. “George Doykos and his fishing buddy, Dick Hauch, are wonderful guys and were a pleasure to have on my trip to Estancia Maria Behety Lodge. I was the host, along with Charlie White of Roxtons in the United Kingdom the week of January 12–19, 2013. Yes, fishing was tough that week. There were a ton of fish in the river and every pool we fished was stacked with mint-bright sea trout. Water conditions were near perfect and two out of the six days of fishing had little to no wind. I personally landed 26 fish for the week (fish are only counted if they are over three kilos, by the way). My biggest fish for the week was just under 18 pounds. Overall, our season (14 weeks from late December through late March) was very good, the best in three years. We are very happy with the Menendez family, the Estancia, and the talented team they have assembled and all of their continuing efforts to make their product better. At this point, La Villa Maria Behety is 100 percent filled for 2014, and Estancia Maria Behety Lodge is hovering around 81 percent booked; 86.4 percent of the clients for both our lodges on the Estancia Maria Behety are returnees.”