World Class Destinations from Frontiers - Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
Kau Tapen Lodge, Tierra Del Fuego – Argentina
Kau Tapen is located within minutes of the best pools on the central portion of the Rio Grande. This attractive timber lodge boasts rustic elegance, with a well-appointed living room, bar, sauna, steam and massage room with sofas and nine comfortable bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom. The dining schedule revolves around the most productive fishing hours and fine meals are served exemplifying the hospitality of your gracious Argentine hosts.
To fish at Kau Tapen is to take part in history. This lodge, which literally translates into “House of Fishing”, was the first on the Rio Grande and boasts a rich tradition of immense trout pulled from its coveted holding waters. Seasoned guides know each pocket and glide and can expertly direct you to success while honing your fishing skills. The gravel-bottomed river is serpentine here and the flow moderate so wading is sure footed and fishermen can usually be positioned to use the infamous “TDF” wind as an ally.
Villa Maria Lodge, Tierra del Fuego – Argentina
Downstream from Kau Tapen, on the original Jose Menendez Estancia, is Villa Maria Lodge. This small and exclusive lodge caters to just four rods and accesses the productive lower reaches of the Rio Grande. The lodge has proved to be especially popular for those wanting to have their own private party in a very comfortable environment with excellent staff. The Villa Maria water is broader than at Kau Tapen and is most suited to fishing with a double-handed rod. The fish caught on the Villa Maria beats tend to be fresh in from the sea and the holding pools are unaffected by low water conditions unlike the upper extremities of the river making for consistent fishing throughout the season. This ranch is the origin of trout fishing in Tierra del Fuego and the sea-trout you hook today are the direct descendents of those brought from Europe by Jose Menendez and John Goodall in the early 1900s.
Toon Ken & Villa Maria Combined Package, Tierra del Fuego – Argentina
Renowned Rio Grande fishing lodges Villa Maria and Toon Ken have combined their fishing programmes to offer a brilliant opportunity to experience two completely diverse fishing lodges in one week. Now fishermen will have a chance to fish the more intimate higher sections of the river near the Chilean boarder with Toon Ken in addition to the broader and deeper lower sections at Villa Maria. This unique programme starts at Toon Ken for the first half of the week and on the third day, after a morning fishing, all guests will be transported to the lower sections to enjoy lunch in the spacious new Villa Maria lunch hut while your luggage is transported to your rooms at Villa Maria. This package gives plenty of opportunities to catch that monster sea trout in all water heights and the excellent staff at both lodges make sure the change mid week runs as smoothly as possible. This package caters for 6 rods and is perfect for those that want their own private party in well-catered lodges.
Bella Vista Lodge, Southern Patagonia – Argentina
Just across the Straits of Magellan from Tierra del Fuego on a 500,000 acre ranch is the exclusive Bella Vista Lodge. Just eight rods have the rare luxury of private access to over 30 miles of sea-trout fishing on the Rio Gallegos and almost 20 miles of dry fly fishing for brown trout on the Gallegos Chico. Guests here have access to more water than is possible to fish in one week. Bella Vista lends itself perfectly for those that enjoy the privacy of a private party in beautiful surroundings and we strongly recommend putting your own party together although individual rods are equally welcome. Bella Vista offers spacious bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, a living area and bar, along with an excellent solarium-style wader and fly-tying room. The hospitality at Bella Vista is second to none and guests visiting for the fist time have reported that they feel immediately at home. Such is the experience at Bella Vista that most have to return for a second time.
Tongariro Lodge, North Island – New Zealand
Tongariro Lodge is situated in 22 acres of park-like estate on the banks of the Tongariro River adjacent to the southern shores of Lake Taupo. Guests stay in well-appointed and spacious chalets each with a veranda that overlooks the river, lake or surrounding mountains. This is a year-round playground that offers old-fashioned comfort and style combined with a friendly personal service for fisher and non-fisher alike.
Tony Hayes, the owner, and his team of fine local guides have discovered over 25 different rivers and four lakes that are accessible from the lodge. From October to April, fishermen will stalk and spot big resident brown and rainbow trout in the backcountry streams and spring creeks, providing great sport for those that like to fish with a dry fly or nymph. There is also excellent raft fishing and options to camp. Helicopter fly-outs are also available, however with great action on the Tongariro and other streams you do not need to take this option. For those travelling in April to September the fishing changes slightly and you will concentrate nearer to the lodge. The rainbow trout run like steelhead, surging into the streams that feed Lake Taupo, including the Tongariro River, providing wonderful sporting opportunities.
Poronui Ranch, North Island – New Zealand
Poronui Ranch is a vast 16,000 acre high-country estate with more than 25 miles of fishable water on the property. Add to this the many rivers and streams in the surrounding mountains and Poronui offers some of the most secluded and varied fly fishing in North Island.
Due to limited access and the ranch’s remote location, visiting fishermen are assured miles of water. Nearly all of the fishing is sight casting and the emphasis is on the dry fly during the height of summer. The surrounding streams have large populations of resident wild brown and rainbow trout that average over 3 lbs. If this is not enough, Poronui has an excellent helicopter fly-out programme providing convenient access to some of the most remote and least-fished waters in the region. For the more adventurous, an overnight raft trip is an ideal way to maximise your time on a pristine wilderness river.
The lodge caters to a maximum of 12 fly fishermen at a time and under the careful eye of the manager, Eve Reilly, the service and food are superb. To complement the meals, there is an outstanding wine cellar with over 10,000 bottles available and there is sure to be something to please the most discerning palate.
For guests interested in activities other than fishing, Poronui’s qualified team can take you hiking, mountain biking and horse riding to explore some of the remote areas of the property. Expert tuition is also available at the sporting clay range, where each of 20 automatic traps simulates a different game bird.
Lake Rotoroa Lodge, South Island – New Zealand
Lake Rotoroa Lodge is one of the most famous lodges in New Zealand. The lodge, with its idyllic lakeside location, nestles in the Gowan River valley at the northern tip of New Zealand’s spectacular Southern Alps. It is a lodge that has focused not only on the needs of the traveling fisherman, but also on literally hundreds of non-fishing interests and activities within about an hour’s drive, making Lake Rotoroa Lodge a wonderful retreat for fly fishermen and non-fishers alike.
In the heart of the best of the South Island fishing, the lodge, with access to more than 50 rivers in a one-hour radius, affords fishermen reliability when it rains and often allows the guests to fish when others cannot. An outstanding team of fishing guides, who are not only excellent on the river but also understand that their job is as much about relationships with guests as guiding, ensure that rods return year after year.
For the non-fisher, the lodge can offer an array of activities. So if you just want to soak up the atmosphere or try something more adventurous, the staff at the lodge will be only to glad to plan your day. At the end of the day, the lodge allows its guests to relax in wonderfully comfortable accommodation, and the staff are dedicated to our guest’s enjoyment with an extraordinarily uplifting attitude.
For full details of these and other freshwater destinations please see the Frontiers website and tell them you saw them on Fish & Fly!
Alternatively you can also call them in the UK on 01285-741340 or in the USA on 1-800-245-1950 or 724-935-1577