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Kau Tapen 2020 Season End Report
A few weeks earlier than expected, we have finished up this year’s season for obvious reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly become the center of everyone’s lives and has put a hold on international travel in a heartbeat. While this came on unexpectedly for all of us, we are glad that our guests are safe at home, and our staff and international guides were able to return to their families without major complications. As sad as we are to prematurely end this season, we’re happy and thankful for the special 10 weeks that could not have been more enjoyable.
This season’s conditions could not have been any more different from last year’s, especially where water levels are concerned. 2020’s summer was dictated by much higher water levels and variable weather for the most part. Almost every week, the river changed – it was much higher at its lowest point this year than it ever was in most weeks of last season. During these changing conditions, we discovered that it did affect the fishing quite a bit – The contrast between good and tough fishing was more apparent, and anglers had to use their windows of opportunity when conditions aligned and gave them a chance. Despite that, the catch results at the end of each week were very consistent. The shifting conditions and the fact that these fish could turn on and off like a switch made some weeks seem a bit more random, making it harder for us guides to find the right approach and forced us to experiment more with our tactics than in previous years. While I personally believe that these high-water seasons are exactly what this river needs once in a while, it did affect the fishing and the course of the season noticeably. As the river was very high as we headed into the season, and the first big moon cycle usually pushes in the first major run of fish was much later this season, and made it feel like the season was delayed by 2-3 weeks.
More water in the system can be a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it spreads out the fish that are holding in the pool and frankly in the entire river, making it a bit tougher to pin down holding areas and hot spots, as the fish are not as confined in each spot. And on the other hand, higher water allows for much broader fishing tactics, is more forgiving for wading, casting, and presentation, and is simply blissful to fish as it allows you to swing almost every pool from top to bottom. Anglers who enjoy fishing a swung fly appreciated these extra inches on top. On the flip side, the speed of the current forced us to fish heavier tips in many cases, especially whenever the fish were not active. Looking back at this season, it was equally refreshing and challenging at the same time. It was good to see the river in this shape, with more water and a very healthy and strong run of fish.
Our efforts to improve the infrastructure around the Río Menéndez massively paid off, allowing us to access more good pools even easier. Once again, this tributary was not only a great addition to the main river, it was a saving grace on some occasions and a safe bet when conditions aligned. Once again this treasured tributary delivered the biggest fish of the season, a magnificent 26 lb buck for Brian F. in our fourth week of the season. However, the Río Grande was also in good shape and delivered solid fish throughout the entire season, especially for Gerald S. and Richard G. who both landed stunning 24 lbs fish during their stays.
The high water forced us to adapt, but whenever the conditions stabilized and the fish settled in their pools, we experienced some of the best fishing imaginable. And on a personal note, I loved the fact that almost every day threw a new challenge at us. Teamwork was of the essence and frequent communication between our team made all the difference. Every team member had their own approaches but combined it felt like we could figure this river out quickly whenever conditions shifted.
The fishing is always the most unpredictable aspect of our operation, but that’s the whole beauty of it. The predictable, or much rather controllable part is the lodging, and we take great pride in it! With a whole new kitchen staff this year, it was especially heartwarming to get all this great feedback on food and drinks from our returning guests. While we try to improve our services constantly, we try to find a fine balance between traditional and modern approaches. Our goal in the lodge is, that – no matter if the fishing is great or tough – people will have the best possible experience and our staff will always try to go above and beyond to achieve that. And we truly hope we were able to do so for all of our guests!
Personally, I am very thankful to be part of such a great team, not only amongst the guiding team but the entire lodge staff. There is always a helping hand around and no favor is too much to ask. While I am very sad leaving this place, with all its unique charm, endless skies, awe-inspiring sunsets, howling wind that will make you feel tiny, and the unlimited feeling of freedom this place always evokes in me, I am already looking forward to being back here again at my home away from home.
I truly hope we will all be able to reunite next season again – guests and lodge team alike, but until then I wish that everyone stays safe and healthy during these days of uncertainty!
Paulo Hoffmann – Kau Tapen Fishing Guide
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Report Week 10: March 6 -13, 2020
Another great week of great fishing in tough conditions, complete with ups and downs, strange weather, bright fish, and lots of laughs along the riverbanks comes to an end! We were welcoming a full house of good friends and a few new faces that we soon embraced into the Kau Tapen family. Sandy and Andy, who were starting their second week with us became an important part of our lodge life and it was such a pleasure to have them around. Dick (Richard) and Maurice, who we got to know here last year and who were such lovely chaps to spend time with, never too serious, always good for a laugh, and great fishermen to boot. Michael, joined us for his second week here and is always a wonderful person to have around the lodge. Roddy, who was here last two years ago, brought Kamal and Malcom along for their first time, who we quickly embraced into the family. And last but not least, Richard and his son Richard Jr., who mostly fished for steelhead and salmon before, but were looking to add a new favorite fish to their list.
Heading into the week, the water and weather conditions were very similar to last week’s. Fairly warm days caused the remaining snow in the mountains to melt, pushing the water level up in small increments. These small fluctuations of water level (~2 inches up and down), on top of the temperature changes, never allowed the river to settle and the fish seemed to be put down by these instabilities. Hence, the fish were fairly inactive during the first couple of days and the start of the week revealed itself as a seemingly tough one. Nonetheless, good numbers of smaller 4-9 lbs fish were around and some of them were playing along, and Malcom had a great start into his week with 4 fish landed, amongst them a great 15 lb fish just before dark to start into the week.
One could tell that these small but rapid changes in water conditions especially affected the larger fish and mostly smaller, very fresh fish in the 4-10 lb range were landed. Kamal had a great session and was able to land three good fish during his second morning! For the larger fish, one had to get a bit lucky to get the fly in front of the right fish at the right time, just like Richard, who was able to get a first good taste of a proper Rio Grande fish by landing a strong 14 lb fish. Malcom, who consistently put the fly into the right place, managed to land another healthy 15 lb male fish on his second day, and so was Roddy amongst other beautiful fish.
The river conditions remained inconsistent until midweek, with water levels bouncing up and down, and the larger fish laying low in the pools for the most part. On top of that, bright sunny skies and low wind required very delicate casting while still fishing heavy tips in most occasions. Despite these rather tricky conditions Michael was able to land a stunning 17 lb fish during his third morning, and Malcom and Roddy had another cracking session hooking into six fish. During the day, the wind slowly picked up from the east and pushed the wet ocean air towards the Andes mountains. By Tuesday evening, a thick cloud cover had built up that would soon open a consistent rain over us during the night to Wednesday. The rain persisted through the entire next day and into the following night.
The weather was miserable, cold, wet, and brisk winds were still howling upstream from the east. That did not stop us from celebrating Malcom’s birthday cheerfully in the lodge, and while the conditions were tough on the fishermen, the river seemed to stabilize during midday and the bigger fish came back on the take during the evening session. Those who persisted in these unfriendly conditions were rewarded with an amazing evening session. Just like Richard Jr., who had a incredible session on the Menendez, hooking into 5 good fish, amongst them a beautiful pair of 15 lb and 16 lb fish, both on the single hander. At the same time, Sandy had an unforgettable evening on the main river with 7 fish hooked, all in the double digits, with the two largest landed standing at 17 and 20 lbs, while unfortunately losing another couple of the similar size. The big fish were surely on the take, and Sandy had obviously found his “mojo” back that he seemed to have lost during the first couple of days, landing two more unbelievable fish of 20 lbs amongst some other good fish on the next day, while Andy – both fishing together in the same rotation – was able to bring a stunning 17 lb fish to the net. What a great birthday present for Andy, who’s day of the year was just one day after Malcom’s! While most of the big fish had been in the river for a while, the cracking 16 lb fish that Dick landed during his morning session was completely silver-bright – as fresh as they could possibly come – and so was the 14-pounder that Michael managed to land in one of our upper pools. What a great sign, and what a great day! But the man of the hour remained Richard Jr. who hooked into a monstrous sea trout that, during an exhilarating fight, pulled him into the next pool where it could finally be safely netted. It tipped the scale at 24 lbs and would claim the title of the longest fish landed in our Rio Grande waters this season, measuring an amazing 96 cm. What an amazing fish, fight, and surely a memory that will not be forgotten anytime soon.
Even though this week’s fishing was very unpredictable and random, the second half of the week turned out to be very productive, both in terms of numbers and size of fish landed. Wednesday’s rain, that poured down the Río Grande’s and Río Menéndez’ headwaters, affected the rivers here with a two-day latency and on Friday morning, both rivers had come up overnight and were very colored. The visibility was limited, but just enough to fish big leeches and intruders. Although every angler had already hooked into and landed numerous good fish along the week, the last morning blessed us with very good fishing despite the murky and high water. Lots of fresh fish had entered the river on the last full moon and were now running through our beats. Roddy finished his week strong, landing 4 great fish in just a few hours, and so did most of our other anglers. Amongst the fish landed on this last day, most fish were fresh, in the low double digits, and in outstanding condition. A great sign and a happy ending to an eventful week that felt a bit like a fast roller coaster ride!
While it is challenging to adapt to new conditions every day, it makes the fishing much more interesting. One day we were casting big leeches, and the next day we were catching fish on small nymphs and green machines. There was no pattern, and experimenting was the key to success. For all of our guests who fished with us in previous years at the same time, it was a completely different river they experienced this week, and for us guides, it makes our job a bit tougher but so much more interesting!
This week was surely over far too quickly, and while I am sad to say goodbye to all these lovely people, I am much looking forward to the next time we get to fish again. Thanks for an outstanding week, where old friendships were fostered, and new ones made!
Paulo Hoffmann – Kau Tapen Fishing Guide
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Report Week 9: February 29 – March 6, 2020
Oh my, what an eventful week down here in Tierra del Fuego! This week featured ups-and-downs, good fishing and some tough sessions, and lots of hard work. Overall the week was highly rewarding, with delicious food, amazing sunsets, and new friendships forged on the banks of the Rio Grande.
We welcomed a wonderful group of anglers this week: Andy and Sandy, who we already had the pleasure to host here last year and were much looking forward to having here for two weeks. Jeannie and Ray, a lovely couple enjoying their first ever spey casting experience, but were keen to learn and appreciative of instruction from our guides. Steffan, who had fished this river many times over the last 15 years, brought René, Tim, and Colin for their very first visit. Our good friend Jim, who’d already been with us the last week. And last but not least James, who has fished all over the world, but came here for a completely new and different experience. All quite lovely people, and a great bunch of characters to spend time with on the water. After last week’s great results, we were all looking forward to another cracking week – the river was in good shape and our anglers were keen to put in the work!
The week started off with good conditions. However, fresh snow in the mountains, followed by warm weather during the days caused daily, sometimes hourly fluctuations in water level. The water stayed clear for the most part, but those small pushes washed down some debris and did affect the activity of the fish. Once stable, the fish settled down and were eager to play. Unlike last week when the winds howled day and night, this week was much more mellow and blessed us with calm evenings nearly every day.
There was no clear pattern in the fishing. The combination of relatively high, but decently clear and warm (10-14 °C) water allowed us to fish with lots of different techniques. While in some pools, fish were caught on lighter tips and smaller rubber-leg nymphs, some others were producing takes on heavy T-tips and leeches. Ray, never having spey casted before, started off into his week with a bang. His first ever sea trout, a spanking 19.5 lb fish during the first evening session, which set the bar high for the week and took all the pressure off his shoulders right out of the gate. Collin and James also opened their week with decent fish each, landing two perfect 14-pounders – James’ fish came just before dark on a glassy Menendez pool after the wind had vanished completely. A magical feeling, especially on a small river like the Menendez.
Monday’s weather conditions were just perfect with a constant overcast sky, a mellow westerly wind and a stable barometer. During the first 1-2 hours of the day, a small push of water washed some debris downriver, slowing down morning’s fishing. However, as soon as the river cleared, the fish started taking and every beat saw activity. Initially mostly smaller fish became active, and plenty of 6-12 lb fish made it to the net. The lower beats of our river section was fishing well. René had quite the eventful morning downriver with 7 fish brought to hand. Meanwhile, Jeannie was over the moon about her first ever fish on a fly rod, and so were we – a pristine 11 lb fresh, silver fish. Monday was a near perfect fishing day as every one of our anglers were able to hook and land fish that day!
Blue skies, no breeze and high temperatures – a complete contrast to last week’s apocalyptic stormy weather: Tuesday presented itself to be a tricky day indeed. The conditions demanded delicate casting, careful wading, and a touch of good luck. While the fishing was quite slow for most, Steffan had a cracking day with seven fish brought to the net, all on a fast sunray, covering lots of different water in order to find active fish. Tim was also able to land a solid 16 lb fish that easily made up for the tough fishing that the remainder of the day held. Luckily, the overcast skies returned on the next fishing day – and while it remained warm, calm and breezy, the cloudy skies dimmed the light and more stable water levels made for more consistent fishing on Wednesday. Tim and Colin were able to hook into 7 fish, amongst them another broad-shouldered 16 lb fish for Tim. Sandy, who had consistently been catching good numbers of fish, was also able to land a perfect 16 lb fish amongst some mid-sized ones.
The anglers who had fished the Río Grande before, were eagerly hoping for improved fish activity at dusk. Some pools were literally “waking up” as the light faded, with fish jumping and rolling in the entire pool. Unfortunately the last hours of light did not turn out to be the most active on most days. Instead, the breathtaking Tierra del Fuego sunsets kept our anglers in awe and made it worthwhile to stay out longer and bask in their beauty.
The fishing was definitely a bit patchy and random this week! Keeping the fly in the water and fishing was one thing, but one had to get a little lucky and cover the right fish at the right time. James, who had experienced a bit of a dry stretch, was finally rewarded with a good tug, followed by some serious head shakes and an exciting battle. As soon as the fish was safely netted, all his previous unanswered casts were forgotten in an instant. The fish tipped the scale at 21 lb and would claim the prize of being the biggest of the week: a true crocodile – a perfect kyped-up male fish as angry as they come. The bigger fish seemed on the take that day and during that same session, Jim and James were able to hook into another two big fish of similar size that showed themselves cartwheeling down the pool, both unfortunately spitting the hook eventually. Colin, who had lost several good fish over the past few days got a bit more lucky, landing an amazing 18 lb trout in the morning, followed by a chunky 16 lber in the evening. Andy’s many casts in high anticipation of a big take were finally rewarded with a stunning 16 lb fish just as the sun was setting.
Although the fishing seemed tough, it was very rewarding. However, by the tail end of our week together, everyone had caught some good fish and the pressure was off. The fishing was more relaxed, and the last day was bonus-time. Nonetheless, the perfect conditions presented themselves one more time. Mild temperatures, very light wind, and a dim overcast sky blessed us, resulting in almost every angler managing to hook one last fish of the trip. Jim was able to end his two-week trip to us on a very good note – landing two fantastic 16 lbs fish, amongst several other double-figure fish caught by the team!
We were all a bit exhausted by the end of the week, which demanded a bit more work than others. Exhausted but very happy, was the theme for the week and all of our anglers worked very hard to achieve good results. The fishing was not easy at times, and lots of casts went unanswered, but that made the fishing so much more rewarding. It was a true team effort, and we all became a bit tighter as a group over these past few days. Every day has been a pleasure, no matter how the fishing went, the entire group was a delight to spend time with and I surely hope you see all of these faces again next season!
Paulo Hoffmann – Kau Tapen Fishing Guide
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Report Week 8: February 22-28, 2020
This last week went by way too quickly! A family-like atmosphere with lots of dear friends that we have the pleasure of welcoming back year after year. Bill, Janet, Jake, and Rodney have been coming here for over a decade and have long become part of our family, way beyond “just” sea trout fishing. Tom and Ed, who have fished with us here last year and who we much looked forward to spending time with again. Jim, who has delighted us the past years with his presence and we are fortunate to host him for two weeks in a row – great angler and great fun to have around. Our friend Paddy, who we had the pleasure to get to know two years ago and who is always in for a good laugh on and off the river. Fred, who visited us in January and had some unfinished business to address with a few trout. Fred also brought along his friend Don who we warmly welcomed into our family. Paul joined us for the last stop of his summer tour through Argentina and Chile. Our new friends Paul and Don were new to spey casting, but just as expected, were able to pick it up quickly.
While last week was dictated by inconsistent water levels and temperatures, this week was dominated by strong winds, blowing day and night. During our usual warm-up session on Saturday evening, Mother Nature gave us a little appetizer of what she had in store for us for the coming week, bringing down an apocalyptic storm front with gusts over 100 km/h. Every single day it would strongly blow – steady winds of 50-70 km/h with gusts up to over 90-100 km/h – hardly slowing down during most evenings. Although the fish are mostly not directly affected by those winds, the water clarity is, and so is our casting. Simply standing up in the river was an act of work. During the morning sessions, the water was mostly clear enough to fish smaller flies, but towards the afternoon the wind would stir it up and left only enough visibility for bigger leeches and intruders. Although quite different of what most of our guests were used to from earlier seasons at this time of the year, our approaches worked and consistently delivered big fish. That showed already on the first day, when Jake kick-started his week with a magnificent 22 lbs fish during his morning session, not to forget Ed’s great 16 lb fish to start his trip!
The nights remained cold and the fish were not very active on the surface. Even when the water was clear enough to fish smaller flies, they needed to be presented deep and rather slow. The fishing seemed off at times, with fewer fish showing themselves on the surface, but the numbers of fish landed across all rods and beats were great. Tom and Ed showed just that with two magnificent fish, 15 and 16 lb on the second morning, and so did Paul with a stunning 18 pounder that same session. Jim came back in the evening with his new PB, a fantastic 20.5 lb fish!
Tuesday was the first day that the wind slowed down a bit, especially towards the evening. While Tom managed a stunning 15 and 18 lbs during the morning, the fishing really picked up during the evening. Jake and Rodney had a fantastic session with 11 fish hooked, Bill managed to land a great 15-pounder at dusk, and Paul and Paddy doubled-up on 17 and 19 lb fish! Every day produced multiple fish over 15 lbs and the amount of big fish hooked this week was astonishing.
While the Río Grande got a bit more attention this week, as it is much easier to be fished with high winds, our little gem – the Río Menéndez – did not disappoint either. On Wednesday morning, Rodney and Jake hooked 7 good fish in that little tributary, some of them on skated dries, and just as the sun was disappearing behind the Chilean Andes, Janet landed a beautiful 20 lb crocodile in one of its clear and deep pools.
The wind kept howling, seemingly never slowing and by Thursday, it had become our trusted companion. The conditions were pretty stable along the entire week and the river kept dropping at a very slow pace, staying just above the “zero mark”. Every day, good sized fish were hooked and landed. On Thursday, Fred’s hard work finally paid off and he managed to bring in two amazing 15 and 17 lb fish. Jake and Rodney kept producing numbers, landing 6 fish just during the evening, amongst them a great 17 pounder for Rodney. Bill’s hard work and proper casting got rewarded with another beautiful 16 lb stunner.
But the week was not over yet and held a few more surprises up its sleeve. Although we were already more than happy with this week’s results, considering both numbers and sizes of fish landed, Friday would just be the icing on the cake! Fred was able to land a beautiful 16 pounder, Jake came back with another 20 lb tank – his second of the week – that was only topped by the amazing 22 lb buck that Paul brought to net – all during the morning session. Janet was able to end her trip with a healthy 15 pounder, and so was Ed on the very last cast of his stay. Jim wanted to get all the pressure off in his first week here with us and beat his PB once again, bringing a magnificent 21,5 lbs fish to the net, just before dusk. What a finish!
This week’s methods of fishing were not what most of our repeating anglers were used to – casting heavy T-tips and rather big flies, especially during the afternoon session. The combination of cold water in the mornings and stirred up visibility in the afternoon didn’t allow us to fish lighter set-ups successfully. It made the fishing seem slow at times, but at the end of the week immensely paid off. On the one hand, the catch numbers were outstanding, on the other hand the amount of fish over 20 lbs and fish over 15 lbs landed was much higher than average and every angler hooked into these big trout throughout the week. It’s easy to forget, but all of these fish can be the fish of a lifetime!
I am incredibly happy with the results of this week, and the work that every member of the group put in to achieve them. But what warms my heart most is not the fishing, but the great company that all of these guests are on and off the river. It’s not the amount or size of fish, but the fond memories and friendships that are made along the way with all these great people, that make me want to come back year after year, and I am very thankful for that!
Paulo Hoffmann – Kau Tapen Fishing Guide
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Report Week 7: February 15-21, 2020
It’s amazing how time flies as we have already passed the mid-point of our 2020 season. Another great week was in the books, and we were looking forward to welcoming some old friends, like Kjell and Dave, who have been a part of our family for quite a few years now, and spending quality time on and off the river with them is always precious. Hubert and his son Jean-Hubert were also returners who we had the pleasure to welcome here for many, many years already and were happy to see again this year. But, it was great to welcome new members for their first time, like Charles and Brian from Canada, Pierre from France (who had fished our old sister Lodge “Toon Ken” years before), and Bud from Colorado. Neither Bud nor Brian had ever cast spey rods before, would later show us just how easy it can be to learn! A great group that promised great fun ahead on and off the water.
While stable conditions blessed our fishing during the previous week, this week showed more severe fluctuations in weather and water once again. As our new guests arrived, the combination of strong winds and previous rain in the mountains started to stain the visibility in of the water. This created a tough day to get acquainted with a new technique like spey casting, as our conditions demanded heavier flies and sink tips. But, the crew managed surprisingly well, and the first good fish were being landed. Dave, for instance, had an amazing start into his week with a chunky 16 lb and another cracking 17 lb fish right off the bat in his first pool. Brian and Charles took the pressure off with a few nice fish out of the gate, as well! This hot-start was only topped by Bud’s fantastic 21-pound fish during his first evening session – his first day ever spey casting with such a stunning result.
From day one, both water level and clarity were inconsistent, changing every day, making it quite hard for us to find the right approach. On top of that, very cold nights forced the water temperatures down to 8 °C during the first hours of the day. However, on some days, the temperatures rose all the way to 16 °C during the heat of the day.
Most hook-ups were seen on rather heavy tips, and small leeches, intruders, and heavier rubber leg patterns fished very slowly. Not only was it difficult to find the right approach, but these rapid changes affected the fish’s activity and seemed to put the fishing down for some periods of time. Nonetheless, if you were in the right pool at the right time, things looked much different and you could encounter some amazing fishing. Just like Jean-Hubert and Hubert, who landed six fish up to 16 lbs in just one pool on the second evening, or Pierre, who hooked 9 fish just on Tuesday, landing some very nice double-digit fish up to 16 lbs.
Jumping and porpoising fish indicated lots of fish movement in our system. These running fish mixed up most pools and once a pool settled, the hook-ups followed. The first few days were mostly affected by small pushes of water during Tuesday night, however, the water came up another 20 cm (8 inches), and the visibility dropped down to only 30 cm with lots of debris being carried down river. Both the Río Menéndez and the Río Grande were high and colored. The low visibility made it much tougher to get the fly close to the fish, even with a big tube fly in front of your leech and a long T-17 tip. Shallow pools with good holding structure produced good results, considering the conditions. Those pools were our saving grace and balanced out the tough fishing in some others. If one was able to get the fly close enough to the fish, one would hook them. Like Dave, who was able to land three great fish in the morning session in one of our shallower runs, and so were Charles and Brian in the evening, both landing a proper mid-teen fish during their evening, as the water had just started to clear again.
With less debris being washed down and a slowly dropping and clearing river on Thursday, the visibility was enough to confidently fish most pools again, still using very big flies and heavy tips. Most beats produced good fishing and everybody was able to hook fish that day. That trend continued, although the river was dropping only at a very slow pace, it was starting to look very “fishy” again on the last day.
I was especially impressed by the amount of 8-12 lbs fish that were landed this week. The high water seemed to have pushed in loads of these mid-sized fish, who used the higher water to run upstream rapidly. They are amazing sport, and “happy takers” in these conditions. These fresh runners stay higher in the water column, are more active and easier to access with the fly. Even though it was bit tougher to reach the bigger fish, some amazing mid-high teen fish were landed along the week.
The conditions certainly were not easy – especially for our spey casting beginners, who mastered the fishing in this high water incredibly well. But fishing aside, it seemed like this group in particular was as familiar as could be, getting along so well and having great fun around the bar and dining table. Whether it was politics, fishing stories, or jokes being told – hearing loud laughter from the lodge was guaranteed and spending time at the bar was always great fun. Lots of wine, beer, and Pisco Sour went across the bar this week and time certainly passed way too fast. I am much looking forward to repeating it with these great people next year again!
Thanks to everyone for an eventful and fun week!
Paulo Hoffmann – Kau Tapen Fishing Guide
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Report Week 6: February 9-14, 2020
What a week! My hands are still shaking, and I am still trying to catch my breath. Such an eventful, fun, successful, and overall amazing week that none of us wanted to end.
A full house with some good friends returning to visit us: Vini and Luke, who we got to know last year and immediately were adopted into the Kau Tapen family. Jim and Roger both of whom have been coming here for a number of years and every season we cannot wait to welcome them back. Graeme, who had been here a few years ago and was as prepared as could be – mentally and physically.
We also had the pleasure of welcoming some new faces: Piggy and David, two good fishing friends who have fished this river before but never here at Kau Tapen with us, both are amazing fun, on and off the river, and were such a great addition to the group. Last but not least we have Charly, his brother Russel, and son Nick, along with their good friend Jorge, all of whom started the week as sea trout and spey casting rookies.
The previous week’s fishing had been a bit difficult with variable weather and water conditions. Our fingers were crossed, and we were hoping for more consistent conditions this week. And so it was – the river settled, cleared up even more and dropped at a very, very slow pace. The consistent water conditions enabled the fish to settle in their pools and as soon as that happened, they became more active and miraculously “switched on” again.
Slightly warmer water (14-16 °C), thanks to warmer days and mild nights caused the fish to be more surface oriented. All of these factors combined, made for some of the most amazing fishing we’ve had so far this season. Despite seemingly tricky conditions during the first three days (only a little wind from a strange north-easterly direction and bright skies), the fish were very active. During the very first session, Jorge and Russel, who were “just” practicing how to spey-cast, were able to land 6 amazing fish on light sinking tips and small flies. During their evening they kept going, hooking into 9 more fish (!) and Russel was able to end the day on a stunning 17 lb fish. Most fish were chrome bright and in outstanding condition, fresh from the ocean and full of strength. Roger and Graeme also experienced a good start to the week, both managing to land a 16 lb fish, amongst some very nice specimens.
While we could not have asked for a better first day, the fishing gods were kind and gave us an even better second day. Almost every pool was working and literally every one of our anglers was able to land multiple fish! Just over 60 fish – an astonishing number that the group managed to hook in just that day, most of the fish in outstanding condition. Piggy alone managed to land 8 fish that day, including two 16 pounders and two 14 lb fish.
Graeme brought an astonishing 9 fish to the net! Jim also took care of business quickly and landed a perfectly chromed-up, 19 lb fish within his first 10 casts of the day. The quality of the fishing during these days was simply outstanding – most of them fresh, incredibly strong and full of stamina!
While we were taking it all in and enjoying the ride, we were expecting that the fishing would slow down again at some point, but we were blessed with one more day. Tuesday especially produced some larger fish than the previous days, such as David’s outstanding 16 lb fish, Nick’s 17 pounder, Piggy’s amazing 18 lb fish, another stunning 18 pounder for Charly, and Russel’s fantastic 19 lbs. And Graeme – Well Graeme simply did not stop and kept riding his wave, landing 12 fish that day, including a perfect, kyped-up 19 lb male and hooking into even more!
While we got the catching part out of the way during these first three days, the rest was just easy riding. The atmosphere around the lunch and dinner table was great – relaxed, fun, happy, and a bit tired from such eventful days. Long nights with maybe the odd drink too many and hilarious stories that will stick in our heads for a long time to come. It all added to the fun and made this week as special as it was. We could not have asked for more – but the week was only half over. And, while the fishing eventually did slow down a bit, the bar had been set very high and to be quite frank, the fishing remained pretty dang good for these last three days, at least judging from a “normal” standpoint.
Although this week was dominated by amazing fishing and lots of activity, it was also the week of the lost battles. Just like the four monstrous fish that Vini and Luke hooked into but unfortunately were not able to bring to the net after some spectacular fights. As painful as it is, those are the fish that fuel the need to come back more than the ones landed, and they surely make for some great stories.
During these last days, still great numbers of fish were hooked and landed, and Graeme finally managed to achieve the well-known “20/20”: Landing 20 fish during the week with one over 20 lbs, with the exception that did it twice! He landed over 40 fish and two stunning fish of 20 lbs, something that only very rarely occurs on our beats. As well prepared as he was, Graeme surely came, saw, and conquered – incredibly well done and congratulations from all of us here at Kau Tapen!
I feel like I could keep writing countless more lines after a week like this one, but I will let the attached images do the talking and leave the rest to your imagination. Not only am I incredibly happy with the fishing results of the week, I simply had an amazing time on and off the river and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with every single group member, sharing unique moments and making new friends. This has been a very special week and I am sure I am speaking on behalf of the entire Kau Tapen team.
Here’s hoping we get to repeat the week next year!Paulo Hoffmann – Kau Tapen Fishing Guide
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Report Week 5: February 1-8, 2020
A strange, but very eventful week comes to its end. As we began our fifth week of the season, we were all expecting very consistent weather and water conditions. Especially with the amount of fish now already in the system, these weeks are usually very predictable and consistent. While the river was in absolutely great shape as we headed into the week, constantly changing water level, wind direction, light condition, and barometric pressure, ultimately affected the activity of the fish and made the fishing quite challenging on some days, however. Luckily, we were welcoming a fairly intimate group of “only” six this week, including some experienced Río Grande anglers such as Gerald and Irwin. Dave, another of our anglers this week, was a keen spey caster who could efficiently cover the water from the first day on. But even our new friends Michael, Jarod, and Tom, all picking up the spey rod for the first time, had a good understanding of what the fly is supposed to do in the water, listened carefully to their guide’s advice, and picked up the methods we use here very quickly.
As we started the fishing week, the river was just starting to drop and clear after it had come up on Thursday night. Heavier tips and more visible, water-pushing flies were the trick of the trade. However, it was merely a push of water that would drop back to almost zero within just a day. A severe thunderstorm with hail, heavy rain, and lightning bolts crashed down onto the pampa as it passed us on Monday afternoon. It only took these few hours of downpouring rain to push the water level back up about 10 inches (25 cm) overnight, leaving us with only a few inches of visibility in the water the next morning. Being just a “push” of water, the level would drop down quickly, but the rain that precipitated in the mountains kept the water fluctuating. All these very rapid changes in water level and barometric pressure, in combination with some very hot and sunny days that pushed the water temperature up to over 18 degrees, noticeably affecting the activity of the fish, making it really hard to move any of them throughout long periods of some sessions.
Luckily, the Río Menéndez was once again a saving grace, as it was less severely affected by the changes occurring in the main river. Still slightly off-color and with comfortable flow, the conditions looked great, and Irwin managed to land three nice fish in his very first session, including a cracking 18 lb, kyped-up male. Just two days later, this little river again blessed us with incredible fishing, while the main river remained tough. In just Tuesday evening’s session, Jarod and Tom were able to hook into an unbelievable number of 15 sea trout, all on small nymphs and single-handed rods. While unfortunately some very big ones were lost, both were able to land multiple beautiful double-digit fish. Dave also put a good ending to a tough day, landing a 16 lb fish just before the last light faded. Content and happy, he left it as the last cast of the day.
The fishing was patchy and unpredictable. Short periods in which the fish became active gave us windows of opportunities, and one had to get a bit lucky to be in the right pool at the right time. Michael was able to intercept a phenomenal, fresh 13 pounder amongst some other good fish. But within this randomness, consistency was key to take the chances given to one. Gerald remained consistent, putting the fly into the right spot on every cast, even if they were not rewarded. But, his consistency eventually paid off. A fresh 17 lb stunner on the second to last day, and then landed another cracking 17 lb male on the next morning, only to be outdone by an unbelievable 24 lb fish he was able to bring to the net at the start of his last evening session. Gerald stopped fishing after that fish, happily leaving it as last cast of the trip. Just as Irwin kicked off his week, he ended it on a high note, landing a great 14 pounder during his last morning session, and two more nice fish during the evening – he also stopped after the second one, and both Gerald and Irwin peacefully called it a trip and headed back to the lodge before the sun went down. Our universe was back in order, conditions seemed to have settled, the fish seemed more active, and the fishing was once more predictable.
Looking at the plain numbers of this week, it ended up being much more prolific than expected. As random and patchy as it was, some anglers intercepted good numbers of fish, while others had to experience dry periods in between. But despite all of its highs and lows on the fishing side of things, there is so much more to a week down here than “just” catching fish. Getting to meet new crazy people from completely different parts of the world that share the same passion, sharing precious time on the river with old friends, feeling the unparalleled freedom that only the wide-open skies of Tierra del Fuego can give you, and letting it all sink in over a good glass of Malbec. Even if the fishing is challenging and unpredictable on some days, it is very hard to let that get in your way of having an amazing experience in this very special corner of the world!
Paulo Hoffmann – Kau Tapen Fishing Guide
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Report Week 4: January 25-31, 2020
Here we go again! Another amazing week was upon us and we could not be more excited. Promising water conditions together with a full group of very capable anglers, most of them here for their very first time: Brian and Kevin (UK), Keith and Laurence (UK), Claude (CAN) and Jon (USA), Teresa and Martin (ARG), as well as Marina Gibson and her mother Joanna (UK), together with Stephan (GER) who came by to take photos along the week. While only Martin, Teresa, and Stephan had been here in recent years, all group members had experience with 2-hand rods in one way or another.
What a great group, we had lots of interesting and bright conversations during the first “tapas night” that would promise a week full of fun ahead, no matter what the fishing might bring.
The water conditions looked great. Although the river had been dropping constantly during the previous week, it still had a comfortable water level that allowed us to swing every pool from top to bottom. The pools were filling up with fresh fish day-by-day and when conditions aligned, some exceptional fishing would await us. While some days were blessed with those perfect conditions, on some others the fishing was troubled by harsh winds with gusts up to 100 km/h out of all kinds of directions, making it hard to even stand on some occasions.
The very first session started rather slow for most. Strong winds did not make it easy to find a rhythm and get the casting sorted at first. However, that did not keep Kevin from getting a head-start, landing four beautiful fish in his first session, including a cracking 17 lbs chromer. But it wasn’t long until everyone else caught on in the evening and by the end of the day, everyone had already hooked fish. Jon and Claude, for instance, had a special double-up in the evening with two beautiful 16 lb fish. What an amazing start into the week.
It wasn’t until the next day, that the fishing really picked up. Monday was one of those moody days with a constant cloud-cover and a slight drizzle. There was only a little wind, but it was just enough to make casting a bit more forgiving. You simply could not design a day that felt “fishier” – and the fish seemed to agree. Close to 50 fish were hooked on that single day and some groups came back from their session reporting to have hooked into a dozen fish. Joanna doubled up with her daughter Marina, two stunning fish of 18 and 10 lbs respectively. Keith managed to bring in another immaculate 18 lbs fish, while Kevin would land a great fresh 16 pounder amongst four other fish. Jon experienced the Río Menéndez from its possibly best side, connecting to fish in virtually every pool, including another muscle-packed 16 lbs fish on his light single-hander. Stephan topped this day off with two (!) amazing 19 lb fish in their evening session. That day was special for everyone, fisherman and guides alike. Although an above-average percentage of fish was lost during battles, it surely was a day to remember and once again proof of how strongly weather and water conditions, with all their various factors, can affect the activity of those incredible fish.
From then on it was just easy riding for most. Everyone had already landed some good fish after only two days, which takes the pressure away, makes you fish more relaxed, and quite frankly allows you to enjoy the ride experience even more.
While Monday would remain the most prolific day of the week, we could not at all complain about the following days either. On some days the wind would make it incredibly tough to put the line where you wanted, and simply standing or walking demanded a lot of energy. But that’s part of this wonderful place and everyone should experience the unleashed force of Mother Nature down here at least once – it is a humbling experience and makes you realize you are “only” a very small part of nature and never in control. I personally love it!
During the next few days, great fish in the high-teens (weight) were landed every day, including a cracking 18 lbs for Teresa out of the Menéndez, another 18 lbs for Brian, and two beautiful 16 lbs for Laurence and Marina. The very last day, however – Friday’s morning session – left us all with an open jaw. Brian managed to hook, fight, and land an unbelievable fish of 26 lbs, that would be the biggest of the season so far and possibly hard to beat in the weeks to come. Hooking a fish like this is one thing, landing it a completely different game, especially in a little, stump-filled river such-as the Río Menéndez. Yes, that is correct, this incredibly fish was caught in our favorite tributary and is yet another testament to how lucky we are to be able to fish this amazing piece of water. Brian worked hard, grinding every day, hooking plenty of fish but also losing many. This fish was well deserved and especially hard- won! Well done, sir and congratulations to a fish of a lifetime
In the end, we could not have asked for a better week. While the fishing was great – and we can all agree that this is a great factor – it was simply incredibly fun to spend time with each angler out in the water. Around the bar and dinner table friendships were formed and fostered, along the river-banks emotions shared and memories made. I cannot wait to meet and hopefully fish with these great people again soon.
Thank you all for an outstanding week!
Paulo Hoffman. Kau Tapen Lodge Fishing Guide.
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Report Week 3 : January 18 – 24 , 2020
Another fantastic week comes to an end! We were happy to welcome another great bunch of anglers in our realm giant sea trout, good wine, endless skies, and hearty cuisine, to battle the elements at the end of the world and chase dreams in the troubled waters of the Río Grande.
Cheryll and Peter, our old friends who have been coming here for over a decade; Jim and Robert, who we had the pleasure to already get to know here last year and truly embraced into our family. JR and Spain, two friends and very keen fishermen for their first time down here in Tierra del Fuego; and finally, Juanjo’s friend Eduardo from Argentina. An intimate group of “only” seven guests that gave us all a bit more space to roam freely around our beats, to rest some pools in between, and of course get to know everyone a bit better and refresh old friendships.
The water conditions were not easy, for the first time this season, the water dropped rapidly – approx. 4 inches along the week – and stayed crystal clear. Although we had reached a normal water level now (+/- 0cm), if the wind dropped, one had wade really carefully and cast as quietly as possible. Luckily, the fish that had entered the river with the big tide early last week and were filling up our beats now and you could feel that more fish were around. Even though the river conditions were not easy, for the first time this season we were getting the feeling of consistency. The fishing was far less patchy than in previous weeks, and the usual “hotspots” would start to produce more takes.
Due to some rather warm days and then chilly nights in between, the water temperature fluctuated between 10 and 16 °C. With these temperatures, the metabolism of the fish is working fast, and if aligned with the right weather conditions, they will be very active. Some of the fights that these fish were putting on (even the smaller ones) were unbelievable – acrobatic, strong and fast – and the overall quality of the fishing, outstanding. We even saw the backing a few times this week, which (considering the size of most pools here) is rather unusual. Cheryll hooked into an 8 lbs fish during one evening that made her Tibor reel scream like a banshee on a set drag and went straight into backing in one run.
The amount of 8-15 lbs fresh running fish that we saw, hooked, or caught leaves us very hopeful and they are amazing sport to hook into! More and more big fish were hooked and seen as well. The first day already showed us that, with Spain and JR landing two incredible fish in their first session on Río Menéndez, a 15 lbs and a stunning 17 lbs fish. Spain kept going with another great 17,5 lbs in the evening and also Cheryll got a head start into the week with a cracking 16,5 lbs fish amongst some others. Most of these high-teen fish were very fresh and fought like freight trains. While Sunday produced good-sized fish, Monday produced numbers – only six anglers hooked into a stunning number of 31 fish (!!) and everyone was able to land at least a couple that day. Cheryll managed to land an incredible 19 lbs fish, Robert was able to bring in a few double-digit fish, amongst them a cracking 15 pounder, and Eduardo was able to finish his evening with two amazing fish – a 14 lbs and a 16lbs. While Cheryll was in charge of the numbers this week, it seemed like Eduardo was picking out the big fish, just like the 19 lbs he landed on Tuesday morning, and then topped by an outstanding 20 lbs on Thursday night. This great specimen would remain the biggest of the week!
Spain and JR were taking care of consistency – they would come back from almost every session with at least one mid-teen fish, and just like they kick-started their trip on the Río Menéndez, they finished it off on two beautiful 16 lbs fish during their last evening session.
Just as we saw many great fish make it to the next, it was also a week of lost battles. Such as the fish that Jim hooked on Thursday, that – after some deep and heavy headshakes – took off downstream, went into backing, and finally snapped the line. While landing a fish is what we aim for, losing a giant is what makes great stories and fuel the urge to come back!
These fish were incredible this week – not easy to hook, but in such great condition – and I am very confident, that (if the river keeps this water level for just a bit longer) we will have some outstanding fishing ahead.
It always amazes me how fast the time flies by down here. It still feels like the season has barely started, but our third week is already in the books. I am not complaining though, time that goes by fast is usually time very worth its while – and if everyone else is having as much fun as I do, this season is going to go by in a heartbeat. Thanks for a great week, to be repeated next season!
Paulo Hoffmann – Kau Tapen Fishing Guide
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Report Week 2 : January 11 – 17 , 2020
Another fantastic week comes to an end!
We were happy to welcome another great bunch of anglers in our realm of giant sea trout, good wine, endless skies, and hearty cuisine, to battle the elements at the end of the world and chase dreams in the troubled waters of the Río Grande.
Cheryll and Peter, old friends who have been fishing with us for over a decade; Jim and Robert, who we had the pleasure to get to know here last year and have been truly embraced into our Kau Tapen family. JR and Spain, two friends and very keen fishermen for their first time down here in Tierra del Fuego; and finally, Juanjo’s friend Eduardo from Argentina. An intimate group of “only” seven guests that gave us all a bit more space to roam freely around our beats, to rest some pools in between, and of course get to know everyone a bit better and refresh old friendships.
The water conditions were not easy, for the first time this season, the water dropped rapidly – approx. 4 inches along the week – and stayed crystal clear. Although we had reached a normal water level now (+/- 0cm), if the wind dropped, one had wade really carefully and cast as quietly as possible. Luckily, the fish that had entered the river with the big tide early last week and were filling up our beats now and you could feel that more fish were around. Even though the river conditions were not easy, for the first time this season we were getting the feeling of consistency. The fishing was far less patchy than in previous weeks, and the usual “hotspots” would start to produce more takes.
Due to some rather warm days with chilly nights in between, the water temperature fluctuated between 10 and 16 °C. With these temperatures, the metabolism of the fish is working fast, and if aligned with the right weather conditions, they will be very active. Some of the fights that these fish were putting on (even the smaller ones) were unbelievable – acrobatic, strong and fast – and the overall quality of the fishing, outstanding. We even saw the backing a few times this week, which (considering the size of most pools here) is rather unusual. Cheryll hooked into an 8 lbs fish during one evening that made her Tibor reel scream like a banshee on a set drag and went straight into backing in one run.
The amount of 8-15 lbs fresh running fish that we saw, hooked, or caught leaves us very hopeful and they are amazing sport to hook into! More and more big fish were hooked and seen as well. The first day already showed us that, with Spain and JR landing two incredible fish in their first session on Río Menéndez, a 15 lbs and a stunning 17 lbs fish. Spain kept going with another great 17,5 lbs in the evening and also Cheryll got a head start into the week with a cracking 16,5 lbs fish amongst some others. Most of these high-teen fish were very fresh and fought like freight trains.
While Sunday produced good-sized fish, Monday produced numbers – only six anglers hooked into a stunning number of 31 fish (!!) and everyone was able to land at least a couple that day. Cheryll managed to land an incredible 19 lb fish, Robert was able to bring in a few double-digit fish, amongst them a cracking 15 pounder. Eduardo was able to finish his evening with two amazing fish – a 14 lbs and a 16 lbs. While Cheryll was in charge of the numbers this week, it seemed like Eduardo was picking out the big fish, just like the 19 lbs he landed on Tuesday morning, and then topped by an outstanding 20 lbs on Thursday night. This great specimen would remain the biggest of the week!
Spain and JR were taking care of consistency – they would come back from almost every session with at least one mid-teen fish, and just like they kick-started their trip on the Río Menéndez, they finished it off on two beautiful 16 lbs fish during their last evening session.
Just as we saw many great fish make it to the next, it was also a week of lost battles. Such as the fish that Jim hooked on Thursday, that – after some deep and heavy headshakes – took off downstream, went into backing, and finally snapped the line. While landing a fish is what we aim for, losing a giant is what makes great stories and fuel the urge to come back!
These fish were incredible this week – not easy to hook, but in such great condition – and I am very confident, that (if the river keeps this water level for just a bit longer) we will have some outstanding fishing ahead.
It always amazes me how fast the time flies by down here. It still feels like the season has barely started, but our third week is already in the books. I am not complaining though, time that goes by fast is usually time very worth its while – and if everyone else is having as much fun as I do, this season is going to go by in a heartbeat. Thanks for a great week, to be repeated next season!
Paulo Hoffmann – Kau Tapen Fishing Guide
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Week 1: January 4-10, 2020
The opening week of this season. Needless to say, we were all pretty excited to get the ball rolling, welcome our first week’s guests, and kickstart our fishing year 2020!
We could not have asked for a better bunch of anglers for this first week, an amazingly homogenous group, a lot of familiar faces, as well as some new members to the Kau Tapen family: Timo and Iver, our long-time friends together with their buddies Lars and Ian; Mike who has been with us for the past three years brought his good fishing friends Jim and Woody along, who we dearly got to know and hope to be welcoming soon again. And last but not least David, also here for his third time together with his mate Peter, who unfortunately could only get a taste of this place, staying just 2,5 days. All in all, we had five nationalities gathered around our dinner table, but the common language everyone spoke was “fishing”.
Starting into this week, the water conditions were near to perfect. A comfortable water level of +10 cm rendered almost every pool fishable from top to bottom and temperatures stayed stable between 10-13 °C (50-55 °F) along the week. Although the wind would come from all imaginable directions over the course of the week, it blew rather mellow, allowing us to efficiently cover most of our pools. While the water and weather conditions were on our side, it was still a hit-and-miss kind of fishery in some beats that did not follow a clear pattern, yet. With this season being rather late, it seemed that the bigger fresh fish were just starting to enter the freshwater in the estuary in the beginning of the week and although it is fair to say that all pools are already holding fish, the main run of fish has yet to arrive.
Luckily, all of our anglers were keen fisherman and handy with a spey rod. Those, who fished for sea trout for the first time picked it up incredibly quickly which made our job as guides much easier, allowing us to focus on finding fish and cover the water very quickly and efficiently. Already in our short warm-up session on Saturday evening, the first fish were hooked and landed – a promising start into the week. By midweek, we had already racked up numbers much higher than expected considering this year’s delay of the run. And although we were still hoping for the main run of big fish to enter our beats in better numbers, we saw more and more silver bright fish in that 6-12 lbs range and every group member had already landed fish. These midsized fish were in perfect condition and thanks to ideal water temperatures, were fighting incredibly hard, putting angler and equipment to the test.
Finally, we received the big news from Villa Maria that the first big and spanking fresh fish were caught on Tuesday evening and sure enough, after a full day of rain that pushed the water level up a couple of inches, these fish reached our waters on Thursday. And although during these last two days it was still about finding the running fish in the right place, we saw significantly more large fish being hooked and landed: an incredible fresh 18 lbs chromer for Jim, a two 17 lbs rockets for David, an angry kyped-up 16 pounder for Mike, and a mean-fighting 15 lbs freight train for Woody, amongst other great fish.
An incredibly fun week comes to an end, and although the fishing did not seem easy with lots of casting and pool-hopping, searching to find the right pieces of water that were working, we are very happy with this week’s final results. Despite of the fishing, we could not have asked for a more pleasant and joyful week to start into our 2020 season. It was great to see our old friends again, and to make new friends along the week – we surely hope we can welcome everyone (ideally in this same constellation) next year again!
The good water level that we have now, the feeling of more and more consistency in most pools, and the fact that the big full moon will push up the tides in the beginning of next week to hopefully drive in a major run of fresh fish into the river give us great confidence about the coming week(s). Stay tuned for more – as always, you will get our weekly updates about the course of the season here in our River Diaries!
Paulo Hoffmann – Kau Tapen Fishing Guide
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Guide’s week: Dec 27, 2019 -Jan 3, 2020
Kau Tapen Lodge fishing guides: Hernan “Nanchi”, Lucas, Paulo, Juanjo and Nick
The very first week of the season, the first opportunity for all of our Guides to see the water for the first time before our opening group with guests. This year, we’re excited to welcome a few new faces to the team, Lucas and Juanjo both from Argentina, and Eugene who will arrive here a few weeks later. Hernan, Paulo and Nick remained part of the team from previous years.
Guides week is not only a chance for all the new Guides to learn their ways around the river, get to know every pool and the way we approach them, similarly this time is needed to see how much certain pools change, how they fish and if holding areas have shifted. Hence, regardless of the years spend in this place, it helps all of us massively to start into the new season with confidence.
The overall conditions were great. The weather was stable while bright and overcast days took turns. Mild climate kept the water temperature at good 12-16 °C and the also the water level remained fairly stable, only dropping at a very low pace. A newly installed watermark will help us track changes in water level much easier from now on. Starting into our first week with guests, we are having a comfortable 10 cm above what we’ve established as “zero” or “normal”.
While our 2019 season was a very early one with plenty of fish in the system already by the end of December, the 2020 season seems to be slightly delayed, and the main run of fish has yet to arrive with the next full moon. The river is in great shape, however, and fresh fish will have no problem running into our beats once they have entered the river. The clear water in combination with mild temperatures already allows us to fish a variety of flies. While the fish are still spread out over the many pools and one has to search them a bit, completely different approaches have broad fish so far. But especially in the lower part of the river, more and more fresh fish are being seen and caught, and our hopes are high that the run is entering just in time for the new season!
All of us here at Kau Tapen wish you a happy new year and are very excited to start into this 2020 season together with you guys. May it be a memorable one!
Paulo Hoffmann – Kau Tapen Fishing Guide
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