A couple months ago, after returning from Argentina, Nico and I found ourselves in Washington state and he wanted to sample some trout fishing – North American style. I, of course, wanted to show off a bit and prove to him that we also have some pretty damn good trout fishing this side of the Equator. Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything terribly exciting in NW WA in May that would rival Patagonian fishing and impress a spoiled angler like Nico. So together w/ my friends Chris “Grizzwald” Clark & Ryan Davey, we made the LONG drive east to a desert brown trout fishery that I had heard good things about. Arriving red-eyed and tired, Nico’s crucial supply of mate (the typical Argentine herbal drink) kept us barely awake enough to pitch camp in the dark and toast a few beers to our successful journey.
A few short hours later, the first rays of the sun quickly transformed our cozy tents into incubating infernos, forcing us into sauna-like sweat sessions that drove us outside earlier than we had wanted. Groggily exiting his tent, Nico’s first comment upon taking in the surrounding scenery in the unwelcome daylight was, “it looks just like the Pichi Leufu in Argentina.” I completely agreed. There seem to be lot of parallels between Patagonia and the American West in terms of scenery and climate, and this was yet another case in point. Had it not been for the garbage bag full of PBR cans and lack of condors overhead, we very probably wouldn’t have been able to tell the two rivers apart. We had even imported the Mate ritual to this eerily familiar place, which made it feel almost like we had traveled in a bizarre circle half way around the world only to come back to the same spot. So what about the fishing? Did it hold up its South American counterpart?
The short answer is yes. But instead of stripping giant hoppers or streamers on 2x tippet, we had to bust out the finesse game. Perfect drifts w/ 5 & 6x tippet and size 16-20 flies seemed to be the only way to get these finicky fish. We tried some larger streamers & mice patterns that are usually effective on large browns, but this time it was to no avail.
I used to have a bit of a negative, even prejudiced attitude when it came to the match-the-hatch, finesse style of fishing typical to classic trout streams. I figured it was something reserved for limp-wristed choir boys who can’t cast more than 20 ft but like to pretend to be good fishermen because they can identify every species of aquatic insect known to trout. But after stalking 20″ rising browns with #20 dry flies & 6x tippet (and missing a number of fish with botched casts or poor hook-sets), I grew to greatly enjoy the challenge and delicate touch needed for success. Even though I still have a lot to learn, I must reluctantly admit that I’ve converted and joined the crowds of “limp-wristed”, techie trout nerds. But enough with my piscatorial philosophizing. Here are the photos:
Up Next: Steelheading in Southeast Alaska.
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