"Nearly twelve years ago, I was on the last leg of a two year long solo round-the-world fly fishing adventure. After fishing with my dad at a great trout lodge in Patagonia, I made my way by bus to Tierra Del Fuego in search of the huge sea run brown trout of my dreams. My 10 weight fly rod had been packed deep in my backpack since the saltwater of Africa, and I was aching to feel the weight of a huge sea run fish on the end of my line. I used the last of the emergency cash - hundred dollar bills that I had sewn into shirt collars and stored under the insoles of my hiking boots - to hire a fishing guide from the fly shop in the town of Rio Grande. The Rio Grande Fly Shop had access to private ranch water on which there were no lodges at the time, but a lodge was in the works. It was mid-December and the guides said it was early for sea run browns, but those that I might catch would be platato (silver platters) - fish that we call chromers. On my one day (all I could afford) of fishing this stretch of the Rio Grande in the early season, I hooked 17 fish and landed 12. The smallest fish was 10 lbs and the largest 17 lbs. Every one of these fish was a hard-bodied chromer that fought and jumped and was nearly as thick as it was long. To date, this day still rates as one of the finest days of fishing I can ever recall. After the day was through, the fly shop owner said that the reason that nobody else was fishing the river was that they don't really start fishing for sea run browns until Febraury. This little tidbit of information has long been stored in my fishing notebook, and it is now coming into play!"

Less than a week after returning from that trip around the world I met John Hazel and the rest is history. With those memories lingering in my mind, I could never fully understand why the "prime time" on the Rio Grande is always advertised as March and April. I guess it is very much like our steelhead rivers - everyone thinks that "prime time" on the Deschutes is September and October, which is a great time to fish, yet some of the very best days ever (lots of chrome bright fish) have been in July and August. Early season fish are typically brighter and stronger and very often bigger than later fish. They are fresh from the ocean, so their fat reserves are at their maximum and they have seen little to no fishing pressure which makes them aggressive to the fly. We love early season anadromous fish!

The Patagonia Fishing Company came to us this year to discuss the possibility of putting together some groups of anglers to fish for sea run browns during the early season of January. Based on my amazing fishing experiences in mid-December on the very same stretch of river, John and I agreed that this would be a great trip and a fantastic adventure for our Spey-obsessed friends.

The Rio Grande is undoubtedly the finest Sea-Run Brown fishery in the world. With only 6 lodges on the entire length of the river, Aurelia Lodge is proud to be the only one with both sides of the river, and fewer rods per mile than all of the other lodges. This insures the most secluded experience a person can have on the Rio Grande. With another 10 miles of the Rio Menendez, Aurelia is the only lodge to have fishing on 2 different rivers, on both sides, from the same lodge.

Here's a fishing video to get you excited about the fishery:

Aurelia Lodge was specially built in 2005 over the traditional Rosita ranch house, totally renovated for conversion to a fishing lodge. Guests will enjoy spacious rooms, large and appointed private bathrooms, warm and welcoming reception areas, a friendly dinning room, bar area and traditional argentine barbeque area called a quincho. The lodge has several casual sitting areas and a spacious lounge with a pool table and fly-tying area. The lodge can comfortably accomodate 12 guests, however, the number of rods may not exceed 8 licensed anglers per week. Though there is little to do if you are not staying at the lodge to fish every day (other than taking walks, doing a little birdwatching, go horseback riding, maybe just curl up in front of the fire to read a book) there is a non-angler rate to stay at the lodge. The non-angler rate is $350 per night.

Aurelia offers wonderful cuisine based on local meats, fresh vegetables, and delicious desserts. A traditional Asado (BBQ) will be held once during your stay, and you can sample different cuts of meat and wonderful local salads. A freshly prepared breakfast will be available together with fresh fruits, yogurts, home baked breads and jams, and a selection of cereals. The lodge has a wonderful selection of exquisite fine wines from different famous wines cellars from Argentina, which will be served during dinner.

John and I have reserved the entire lodge for three consecutive weeks in January. There are 6 angler spots available per week, and any angler who chooses to do so may stay for two or even three of those weeks.

Here is a 2 minute video of the lodge:

Getting to Tierra Del Fuego is fairly simple - fly directly from Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, DC, Chicago or NYC to Buenos Aires. From BA fly directly to the town of Rio Grande (a 3 1/2 hour domestic flight). The lodge staff will pick you up at the airport. The round trip ticket from the US to the lodge typically runs around $1500 but may vary slightly depending on the start point. If you plan to spend a night or two in Buenos Aires, we can help arrange a hotel for you and give you some good ideas of fun things to do. We highly recommend exploring a bit of Argentina - what a great country!