Villa María Lodge – Week 5: January 28th to Feb 4th, 2022

Another successful week is over at Villa María Lodge and we had the pleasure to receive some old house friends and a couple of newcomers.

The weather was a typical midsummer week in the Rio Grande and that means dry, with days of hard winds (we had a day of 90km/h+ West wind) but usually warmer than the prior weeks and with some days of really calm wind and breathtaking sunsets.

The major change this week came from the river. In a week its level dropped around 30cm with really clear water. This was the biggest change we have seen from the river in the whole season and we had to act according to it.

Of course, in this kind of situation, the steps to do are: reduce the size of the flies, lift those heavy sinking tips and change them for light ones, be extremely quiet wading into fish and choose casting techniques that are the least aggressive noise-wise.

With all this put together, we changed leeches for nymphs and T14 tips for full floaters or slow sinkers. So, small nymphs and rubber legs, and long leaders were the best solutions. Of course, the leeches remained used successfully, especially on those windy days and late evenings.

Single-handed rods and switch double-handed started to be used more often in these conditions as the casts are much shorter than 2 weeks ago and the presentation and stealthiness of the casts were a priority on those calm and sunny days.

Among all the great guests we have last week, we want to mention to Alan S. that with his 86 years of life decided to visit us for the first time, dealing with the conditions, accepted our suggestions, and ended the week with a beautiful 15lbs spanking fresh sea trout in his last session of the week.

Let’s hope the upcoming weeks are as good as this one!

Largest fish of the week: 21lbs

Fish over 15lbs: 28

For current updates from the river, be sure to follow our social media accounts (@villamarialodge and @nervous_waters). 

By Alejandro Martello – Villa María Lodge Fishing Manager