We are driving to the River Palena on the final morning of our Patagonian fishing adventure when an elegant pampas cat emerges from dense Valdivian rainforest and slinks slowly across the dirt track in front of us – an animal so rare that it’s only the second one our guide, Reinaldo, has ever seen. Like the other experienced fishing guides employed by the newly opened Rio Palena Lodge some 80 miles inland from Chaiten on the Pacific coast, much of Reinaldo’s life has been spent in the great Chilean outdoors, so I take the sighting as a good omen for what lies ahead. Not that it seems possible to improve upon the fly-fishing adventures our group of four had already sampled during the previous three days.
Our team is headed up by Cameron Davenport, a fisherman and hunter from Colorado and angling sales manager for Eleven Experience. He is here to assess his company’s latest addition to a global portfolio of luxurious adventure lodges. Davenport has brought along acclaimed photographer, Patagoniaphile and fellow American Bryan Grayson and Tom Bie, who founded and edits cult US fishing publication The Drake magazine. Consequently, the chat was peppered with unfamiliar Americanisms – beats are called sections, catches are measured in inches not pounds, trout don’t take the fly they eat it, and our normal method of fishing in the UK is so unusual on many of the large Patagonian rivers that they have a special name for that, too: walk and wade.
この記事は The Field の December 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Field の December 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Going over old ground
Forget modern tractors and minimum tillage - there is something glorious about the sight of farmer, horse and vintage plough in perfect harmony
Return of the natives
There is nothing as satisfying as creating a magical miniature woodland or conservation hedgerow using our native trees - and now is the best time to start.
Tagging the Cornish tunny
Enormous Atlantic bluefin tuna are once again making waves in UK waters almost a century after their showstopping appearance in the North Sea
In it for the long haul
It may have fallen out of favour at the elite level but long-format three-day eventing is still proving popular with grassroots riders
Unpicking the story of hunt buttons
These treasured tokens are bestowed only upon those who go above and beyond in service of their hunt but the rules around them can be complex
A place of tradition in the heart of town
Cordings has helped shape the sartorial landscape of Britain for 185 years, with its classic country tailoring a firm staple of many sporting wardrobes
Don't play it by ear
Hearing loss can have a devastating impact on day-to-day life, making ear protection a non-negotiable piece of field kit
Back to base-ics
Britain's famously unpredictable climate can make staying comfortable in the field a challenge but the right under layers can be a game changer
Stand and deliver
A good stance provides the platform for shotgun marksmanship and is fundamental to consistent success in the field or breaking clays
Heaven is a High Four
A team of guns enjoy a day of the finest sport Devon has to offer, courtesy of the GWCT and a quartet of generous shoot owners