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WEED ALES & BREWERY 
EASTER ISLAND INFORMATION & TOURISM SITE
CHILE!! 
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*****FUTALEUFU & RIO YELCHO SIMPLY AMAZING! THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR EMAILS AND COMMENTS BOOKED THREE MORE GROUPS FOR MARCH, STAYING NOW UNTIL APRIL! JUAN RAMOS COMES DOWN FROM SANTIAGO TO JOIN TEAM TROUT ON THIS EXPEDITION!**CLAY HASH & BLAKE LARSON IN ROUTE FOR FABULOUS A WEEK IN RIO YELCHO AND RIO FUTALEUFU!
UPDATE 02/17/06 CLAY HAS CAUGHT A 7LBER RAINBOW ON A DRAGON FLY DRY AND BLAKE CAUGHT A 6 TO 7LB BROOK TROUT PLUS SEVERAL OTHERS IN THE FUTALEUFU/YELCHO AREA OVER 4LBS!!. LAURIE SWINGHAMMER, I LOST YOUR EMAIL BECAUSE OF MY EMAIL PROBLEMS WE CAN GUIDE YOU IN CHILE IN FEBRUARY ON THE RIO FUTALEUFU/YELCHO SEE ALL THE CATCHES AND SCENES ON FEBRUARY 20TH SIZZLERS!! *****
(montains near Futaleufu, Chile)
Just like we promised we headed on our journey across the Andes Mountains, right by San Martin De Los Andes, and down through Bariloche, Argentina. The prices were great cause their peso was so low. Juan Ramos had arrived and I was so happy to see my friend from Coyhaique from years past!
What views we encountered on this trip. The mountains stared down on you like towering Gods, and we saw them in every direction as one had truly witnessed heaven on earth!
We stayed the first night in Bariloche in this great cabin, and in the morning, I brewed up some Peet’s coffee from San Francisco, California, and we started our day right!
The meals are awesome in Argentina, I suggest the Bife Chorizo done apunto (medium rare)
with a fine bottle of Argentine wine how could we go wrong? Has to be the best steaks on the planet, and we were all jolly rancher after that!
Once we got to the Rio Futaleufu, we loaded the boat and got ready for our adventures. Francisco was bringing our customer Holst, over from the Rio Yelcho, where the day before he landed many large trout, some on dragon fly dries on Lago Yelcho. Francisco asked us to check out the Rio Fu for He and Holst, for they would be floating it the next day. They didn’t have to twist our arms, we were ready for action and I always loved to check out rivers and break the code. We had all kinds of flies from Solitude Flies, to try out that
on this river and we knew the trout had never seen them before.
When we got to the border of Argentina and Chile, I took a shot of this sign so you could see where we were. Bear in mind, we started in Puerto Varas, Chile, and we were in Futaleufu after crossing in and out of two borders. I always like to get my passport stamped, and on this trip it was great for that! We are in Central Patagonia, this area is so remote, the Government makes incentives like no taxes on vehicles, or incoming US dollars, just to get people to live there! all the folks around this area were so nice and the border crossings were actually fun!
The Rio Futaleufu is called the Rio Grande in Argentina and the signifigance of the word Futaleufu, in Castaño Spanish is big river. The colors of this river are amazing, with a McCloud River look, and the size of the Lower Sacramento in Northern California.
Juan hooked up first, and I was so happy to see my friend of 11 years with a fish on! Juan Ramos hadn’t fished since his last days living in Coyhaique, Chile, and it almost brought a tear to my eyes for it had been over two years since he felt the rod bend. Juan now lives in Santiago, and his possiblities for fly fishing are nil. He is one of the elite Cope, that guard many diplomats that visit Chile, including our President Bush, when he was here. His bomb detecting skills are so good when armed with his dog, he received a medal from both the United States and Chile, so bringing him on this trip was a real pleasure. It was Juan’s time now being a great father, protector of evil and of course angler extrodinaire!
Juan’s first catch was a steelhead that fought like a steelhead should, Juan was all smiles after that!
We were switching after catches, and I then caught a Brown Trout from Scotland, introduced here in the late 1800’s. We were having so much fun it was like being gumbyed in a dream that would never end, and Rod Serling from the Twilight Zone, was there also!
What do you think of this one Sizzlers!
We floated side channels and hooked up often on our 100 fish day! I had taken 176 pictures and tried to show you the best ones. We lost some bigger fish that day also, but you know as well as I do, “Fish-Happens!”
Next was Nico’s turn, and he caught this nice steelhead that once again fought like it came from the border!
Nice trout Nico! Nico did most of the driving so he deserved his hook-ups and played the fish like a fiddler in the Grand Old Opera! Nice colors and big tail on this one!
That night we ate in Futaleufu at Mitch Sasser’s Restaurant, The Martin Pescador. I highly recommend this place, the food was always good and we plan on taking you there, The Sizzlers who watch my adventures!
Juan took a walk over to the police station to see if we could park the boats there for a while, and he saw an old friend from the past! They went to police school together way back when, and before we knew it, we were being escorted around Futaleufu like V.I.P’s and I knew this place was like home. Isn’t it always fun to see friends you haven’t seen for years, it truly was a memorable trip for Juan Ramos, who was more than deserving of this journey he’ll never forget!
Juan didn’t waste a moment’s time out on the water almost every time I looked up he had a fish on!
Juan hooked up on this nice McCloud Rainbow and I remembered how these rainbows got here
thanks to a man named Livingston Stone. For there wereno rainbows here before that, not to mention Brown Trout. JUAN RAMOS, YOU’RE MY SIZZLER OF THE WEEK! CONGRATULATIONS SIZZLER!
Holst arrived the next day and we took him to the Restaurant Martin Pescador, in Futaleufu. He gave it an A and drank his great wine from Chile.
The next day Holst had a great day also on the river and told tales of large fish he had landed in days previous on the Rio Yelcho and Yelcho Lake, including one in the 7lb range, and one he lost bigger than that. Those adventures are coming up on my next entry!
Holst enjoyed his days in Futaleufu and plans to return next year!
We were all excited to be here, can’t you tell Sizzlers!
There’s plenty to do for the non-angler as well. Mitch from the Restaurant Martin Pescador, can take you rafting, or you can enjoy a horse back ride through the Andes Mountains. Kyaking, hot springs, tours to Chaiten that include Alerce Forest etc.
I got to row a wave train that we would call class three in the United States, you can’t see it behind me cause we weren’t interested in taking any photos then, but Nico and Francisco in the cataraft thought I was crazy, and needed to be given a saliva test after doing it in a drift boat! I had Juan bracing himself and we road the mighty rapids and waves,
knowing that every tumbler must be hit correctly or failure was imminent.
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These were the rapids below, just at take-out. After that starts the famous section of class 4 & 5’s rapids. the U.S. rafting team is based here in Futaleufu and train to get ready for the Olympics. I wasn’t that motivated though I will do it some day in a raft!
Stay tuned for that adventure folks! Trout might be one with the river???
Juan and Holst on the last night! Living Large Folks!
Some nice Huaso kids we met that live on the banks of this river on an estancia. Love the waterfall!
This is the owner of the put-in where we put our boats in daily. One day Juan, Nico and I got in such a hurry to fish, we realized we forgot our lunches. This family came to our rescue giving us fresh baked home made bread and meats. After eating that lunch, I thought we should do this more often! (Never with customers though!)
We left Futaleufu to get ready for Clay Has and Blake Larsen from California, at the Argentine Border. We picked up some hitch hikers and gave them a ride to Esquel, Argentina where they were on their way down to Torres De Paine National Park, with a dog!
El Bolson, Argentina is a hippie town right out of the 1960’s. This park was like being back Golden Park, as you could smell the incense being burned everywhere. The time was 4.20 pm, and I happened upon this nice group of Chileans, on holiday and snapped a photo of them that was timeless. PEACE! This place reminded me of hanging out with my brother Tim, at the Day On The Green Concerts, in the Bay Area. Love ya Tim!
After that I headed for an ice cream, and then went to look for Juan and Nico, who had left me in the park. Boy that ice cream tasted so good, and it helped with the 90 degree heat that day, as well as my dry mouth. The flavor I enjoyed the most was melon, so I went back for seconds and thirds……After that we dropped Juan off, and he continued back home to Santiago. It was sad but necessary as he had to return back to work in 4 days. We kept him on this trip 4 days more than he was allowed, so I would like to thank his wife Leticia and hope that Juan isn’t in too much trouble with her. Leticia, it’s my fault, Juan needed this adventure and had a great time with me and Nico…….. She’s probably planning my death as we speak.
*****DAVID AND MAUREEN’S ADVENTURES*****
I visited the day of the Kuchen event in Puerto Varas, Chile. What a munch out!
This was my winner!
Maureen and David at Pertohue Falls National Park, on their scenic tour day!
The falls are amazing and beautiful, I hope they never put a dam on this river.
The river then gets bigger and wider and heads out to sea.
David and Maureen near Cochamo, Chile out where the Rio Petrohue dumps into the ocean.
We went on a hike in Cochamo Valley, they love it!
David, Maureen, Valentina (Nico’s grilfriend), Nico and Trout.
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Stay tuned as we post photos from Rio Yelcho and Lago Yelcho, including Holst’s big catches! Next entry on Februaury 20th, 2006 **ADVENTURES CONTINUE WITH CLAY AND BLAKE, WHAT WILL THEY CATCH SIZZLERS? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT!!!**(grammer and spelling will be changed in two days, if I made mistakes) Thanks for making my web site #1 in the world for fly fishing adventures! MANY RIVERS TO YOU, JACK TROUT WE HAVE ONE MORE OPENING FOR MARCH