The Rio Grande is renown for its massive populations of very big sea-run brown trout. In fact, some consider it to be the world’s best sea run brown trout fishery on earth. This year, The Fly Shop invited me to film Scottish angler Gordon Armstrong as he fished the Argentinian stretch of the Rio Grande at the Estancia Maria Behety Lodge. Though most of the Rio Grande is on the Chilean side, more than 80% of the prime spawning habitat, and the “best fishing” is on the Argentina portion. 32 miles of river frontage, with alternating use of nearly 50 km of more than 100 pools and a fish run population that exceeds 70,000 every season…yes, please and thank you! The Tierra del Fuego summer season is short, dry and relatively cool. But the wind is what sets it apart from most every other fishing mecca.
To film in the wind, I really needed to resign to the fact that every shot would be difficult. I ended up getting lucky and was able to fly my copter for some good aerials of this vast, open landscape. Thanks to fly fishing guide Nahuel Stauch for his awesome work with the audio and for his guiding expertise on the Rio Grande. Also thanks to Scottish angler Gordon Armstrong for making it look so easy on film. For more information on Estancia Maria Behety Lodge, see The Fly Shop for your next angling adventure. Thanks Scientific Anglers for provided the new spey kits that now have the nickname “SA Multitool” on the Rio Grande. Thanks also to Bauer Fly Reels and Eddie Bauer for their continuous and generous support of T-Motion Theater.
Experience this for yourself!
Contact The Fly Shop.
Contributed By
Todd Moen
Todd’s combined interest in film and fish began as a kid: he explored and filmed the big waters of western Washington and the blue-ribbon trout streams of his birthstate Montana. Years of traveling the far ends of the globe as a professional videographer and burning the midnight oil to design web media, Todd is living his dream with the production of Catch Magazine.
