NOTE: "HOME" takes you to our initial home page; "UP" will return you 
to the Chile 2005 site for more exploring.

We enjoyed our second week of fishing at the Heart of Patagonia lodge ( www.heartofpatagonia.com ).  The lodge is set in a beautiful old farmhouse near the town of Coyhaique.  Our hostess, Marianna Jenkins, did a great job at making us feel welcome and she and her staff attended to our every need.

We fished the week with Ivan Toro.  He’s an excellent Chilean guide and he did his best in finding fishable waters.  Yes, the rainy weather we experienced in the fjords continued to pelt the rivers of Southern Chile.  Despite the weather, we had great fun and caught lots of fish during our stay at Heart of Patagonia.

DAY 1 (Saturday, March 5):   We arrived at the lodge in time for a delicious lunch.  We then decided to try our luck for a few hours on the Rio Simpson.  Unfortunately, it was extremely windy and rainy and the water was clouded.  We each managed to land a few small fish, including Lindy’s 5” (yes, that’s right; not 5lb.) king salmon.  Oh well!

Click on the image to display a larger photo.  Once displayed, click
  on the BACK button (first button on the left of your browser) to return to this page.

[T O P]

DAY 2 (Sunday, March 6):  Today we fished the Rio Coyhaique where we caught lots of fish.  We estimated we each caught between 15-20 browns or rainbows, most being in the 15-16” range.  The rain continued to fall so we didn’t photograph extensively.

Click on the image to display a larger photo.  Once displayed, click
  on the BACK button (first button on the left of your browser) to return to this page.

[T O P]

DAY 3 (Monday, March 7):  Today the weather cleared a bit but the major rivers (i.e., the Simpson, Mañiuales) in the area continued to be “blown out.”  So, we fished two different lagunas.  At the first, Lindy landed two browns and Ed landed one rainbow.  At the second, Ed caught a 16” rainbow and an 18” brown as well as several small rainbows. 

Click on the image to display a larger photo.  Once displayed, click
  on the BACK button (first button on the left of your browser) to return to this page.

[T O P]

DAY 4 (Tuesday, March 8):  The weather continued to clear but again most major rivers were blown out.  So, Ivan took us to the Rio Emp. Guillermo.  We had excellent fishing in terms of numbers.  Ed caught between 30-40 fish, including a nice 16” brown, a quality fish for the size of the river.  Lindy caught about 10 fish, including a 16” rainbow.

Click on the image to display a larger photo.  Once displayed, click
  on the BACK button (first button on the left of your browser) to return to this page.

[T O P]

DAY 5 (Wednesday, March 9):  Today we returned to the Rio Coyhaique where we had excellent fishing on Sunday.  We again had large numbers of fish but not quite as many as a few days earlier.  Lindy did manage to land a nice 17” brown. 

Click on the image to display a larger photo.  Once displayed, click
  on the BACK button (first button on the left of your browser) to return to this page.

[T O P]

DAY 6 (Thursday, March 10):  We decided to return to the Rio Emp. Guillermo; however, we choose to fish its upper regions.  This was a 100+ fish day.  We were continually catching and releasing fish, primarily rainbows.  Their size was small (10-12”) but the numbers were amazing.

DAY 7 (Friday, March 11):  The waters finally cleared from the heavy rains and today we were able to fish the Rio Simpson.  Ed caught several nice rainbows, each being 16-17”.  He also caught an 18” beauty.  Lindy landed both a nice brown and a nice rainbow (and unfortunately lost another three).  So, all and all a great experience on the Simpson. 

Click on the image to display a larger photo.  Once displayed, click
  on the BACK button (first button on the left of your browser) to return to this page.

[T O P]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At the end of the week (Friday night), we enjoyed a wonderful treat at Heart of Patagonia.  We attended our first “Asado”.  An asado is when a lamb is skewered and cooked over an open flame.  Ivan, our fishing guide, acted as the “Asado Maestro,” supervising the cooking of the lamb.  It was a real treat and enjoyed by everyone – guests and staff alike.  As you’ll see, we took this opportunity to photograph our new friends at Heart of Patagonia Lodge.

Click on the image to display a larger photo.  Once displayed, click
  on the BACK button (first button on the left of your browser) to return to this page.

[T O P]