Fly Fishing Destination Travel with Alyssa Adcock: Part I

Editor's Note: This year we'll continue to hear from Riversmith Ambassadors about their travels and adventures here in the States... and around the globe. We mentioned in Part I and Part II of our Destination Travel Series that the Riversmith team loves to fly fish… but we really love to travel and fish. Enjoy Part I of a three part series from Riversmith Ambassador Alyssa Adcock.

Words and Photos Courtesy of Alyssa Adcock

I had always heard about fly fishing in Patagonia; I remember when I first got into the professional outdoor industry, watching videos and reading about pristine rivers with unpressured trout and a stunning backdrop and culture to match. For the longest time it was simply an out of touch dream for a broke college student to think about traveling to the epitome of trout fishing. Close to 10 years later, with a lot of quiet work and help from some good friends (shoutout to my girl Giselle!!!) I was able to manifest that dream into one of the most epic trips I’ve put together.

While the fishing, incredible food, diverse culture and scenery were 100% worth it, international travel is not for the faint of heart. In between you and Argentina brown trout lies 3 plane rides (one of which is 17 hours), 4 security checkpoints, 3 TSA checks, 2 baggage checks and a possible 1 hour taxi ride through Buenos Aires (and that's one way). I took my time preparing, making sure to have all my travel essentials (Listed in Part 2!), knowing this would be a marathon rather than a sprint. Twenty four hours later, after leaving North Carolina as a snowstorm hit, I touched down in Junín de los Andes where it was a balmy 80 and sunny. We headed directly from the airport to the Chimehuin river for a cold swim which I would find out later, would characterize every day I spent in Patagonia- in, on, and with the river.

The purpose of my trip was to scout for future trips I plan to host and was scheduled to visit most of the major watersheds in the Junín de los Andes area.  Argentina boasts a variety of geographical diversity and topography; arid, sun scorched flatlands, alpine rain forests, pristine watersheds, barrier mountain ranges, and volcanic lakes. Thanks to exposure from a wide range of weather conditions, the area of Junín has been shaped into a menagerie of topography, a sort of pick your own adventure that has the ability to encapsulate any angler’s dream- all within a two hour drive.

In a testament to the interconnectedness of the ecosystem, to understand Patagonia’s rivers, you must trace your way back to the source. The Andes mountain range is the longest international border within the South America continent, separating the humidity filled Chile from the dryer regions of Argentina.

This range acts as a climate barrier, catching most of the precipitation from the atmosphere and depositing it into what is considered an alpine rain forest and more importantly helping to feed the volcanic lakes that serve as the headwaters for most of the major river systems in the area.  Here lies the beginning of a large network that feeds some of the most renowned rivers in Argentina-the Limay, Collon Cura, Chimehuin, Malleo and Aluminé.

Next up... the fishing. Check out Part II HERE.