THE OTHER SIDE OF STROBEL, by CLEM BOOTH

I love Argentina and absolutely adore Patagonia! Great people, breathtaking natural beauty, stellar wines and steak to die for. After 6 visits in 5 years, I just know for sure that it’s a place I will return to!  

And then, there’s the trout of Lago Strobel and Rio Barrancoso. It’s hard to adequately describe what many - myself included - consider the world’s premier wild Rainbow Trout fishery; it’s an adventure one really needs to savour in person. Massive, peak of condition, brutally strong, quicksilver chrome missiles; please believe me, this is a trip belonging in the calendar of every serious flyfisher. It could be a once in a lifetime treat, or, as in my case, somewhere to return to every year. But please get there!  

I’ve discerned a few things traveling to this this wonderful country. One is that the politicians are no better than elsewhere! Ordinary citizens have to work around the incompetence of their leaders in much the same way as they have to do all over the world. Happily though, this has no effect whatsoever on your trip; Argentinians are welcoming and very friendly so don’t worry about any negative media reports. It’s a great country to travel to! 

 

Another is the wind in Patagonia. Make no bones about it, it blows quite a bit. And if it isn’t blowing, suck every last drop out of the moment as very likely it soon will be. It’s not called the “Roaring Forties” for fun; but, as head guide Martin at ELV Lodge always says: “You have to make the wind your friend.” What he means, and he’s dead right, is that you need to find “corners” where the wind isn’t directly in your face and often this is possible. Not saying it’s easy, but mostly it’s doable.  

 

And let’s not forget the Patagonian roads; they can be, well, challenging. If someone offers to drive you to ELV Lodge in a vehicle that isn’t obviously a Toyota 4x4, politely decline! You might just not get there! My cherished BMW X3 is great for parking on the pavement in Ascot or nipping down the motorway to my beloved Avon, but it wouldn’t survive a week in Patagonia!  

If it rains, expect to have double the fun on your drive! It can be and often is wild country! But look, the wind, the roads, the people, the giant fish, they’re all part of what was for me a life-changing experience. Patagonia is a magnet that draws me back time and again. As I reflect on it, a good part of the attraction is actually the “wildness”; that’s just how I like it!  

 So, in my case, we fly overnight from London to Buenos Aires and connect to El Calafate where we stay overnight. Great place for a stopover; spare a couple of minutes to stop to show respect at the war memorial Plazoleta Heroes de Malvinas. It doesn’t matter which side you thought you were on; a moment of reflection at any war grave grave or monument around the world enriches my life. Young people losing their lives or being injured is to my mind always a tragedy and I for one like to remember their sacrifice.  

The next morning, you head off to ELV Lodge; after five hours, the last two of which are on a track mostly hewn from rock, you will be welcomed by Luciano, Roberto and the wonderful ELV Lodge team. You will be treated like royalty for a week and will perhaps you will shed a tear when it’s time to head home. I know I do. Over the years, the emotions are heightened on arrival and then when leaving this wonderful place.  

Lago Strobel, Rio Barrancoso and the Lagoons are all quite close to the lodge, so why on earth would you, after a two day trip to get there, then travel over an even rougher track than to spend two days on the other side of Strobel?  

I’ll tell you why! Because the recently opened “new waters” on the north shore offer off the charts fishing! Over the past two years, I’ve ventured over to “The Dark Side of the Moon” as Pink Floyd might have dubbed it and to say I’ve been gobsmacked by the fishing is a monumental understatement. I’ve fished a bit in my 65 years but this is right up there with the very best of the best.  

And, here’s the neatest bit, on the north shore the Patagonian wind is mostly at your back! If that’s not enough, there are also fewer rocks on which to lose those monster trout. It’s transformed the Lago Strobel experience and is now firmly on my agenda.  

The Lago Strobel Lodge is now up and running and, yes, as you’d expect, it’s super comfortable; actually it’s an absolute must. I’m going to let you experience this yourself rather than write copious words about my own almost surreal visits to “the other side”. Suffice to say, my best Strobel fish, a 33 inch torpedo of 20 pounds came from over there. And what a fish that was! We’re not competitive but hell, I do like seeing my picture on the “Wall of Fame”. Oh yeah!  

And this past January, there was a morning with a dozen fish to the net, none of which were less than double digit weights. It can be that good, yes!  

Ask Luciano or Roberto to get you over to Lago Strobel Lodge! Be prepared for a bit of a drive, but it’s worth it. But careful, you will need to book early as you might very well find me ensconced already! With either an 8 weight or glass of Malbec grasped firmly in my paw and a faraway look in the eyes! Or perhaps both when I finally lose it altogether!