The Santa Cruz: The Last Untouched Steelhead Fishery!

Located in the south of Argentinean Patagonia, the Santa Cruz River shines crystalline and bright like an oasis in the middle of a desert. The river teems with big steelhead, but in light of the fact that all Southern Hemisphere trout and salmon are introduced, the question remains: Where does this Steelhead strain come from?

By JUAN MANUEL BIOTT

The Santa Cruz River steelhead strain was originally derived from California’s McLeod River Steelhead population. These fish were introduced in the early 1900s, and they have thrived here in Patagonia in relative secrecy ever since. The river has been a sanctuary for these fish with very few people in the area and a fishing pressure that is almost non-existing.

Chasing Atlantic Steelhead in the Santa Cruz River has been compared to fishing some other major rivers like British Columbia’s Skeena River.

It’s because of their unusual migration into the Atlantic Ocean that these fish have recently come to be known amongst fishermen as “Atlantic Steelhead”.

Chasing Atlantic Steelhead in the Santa Cruz River has been compared to fishing some other major rivers like British Columbia’s Skeena River. But what no other salmon river on earth can compete with is the solitude that anglers feel when staying in the surrounding area.

The Santa Cruz is more than 250 miles long from its mouth in the Argentino Lake to its estuary and outlet in the Atlantic Ocean, and along that stretch there’s nothing besides Guanacos (lamas), Rheas and some other native animals of this region.

The overgrazing in this area, which was done by uncontrolled sheep farming during the sixties, seventies and eighties is the reason why there are very few Estancias (ranches/ farms) in operation today.

Los Plateados is the base for Tres Amigos Outfitters - the only fishing operation on the river. With a cabin located on the riverside, inside an Estancia with the same name, approximately 50 miles upstream from the sea, it provides accommodation for up to 6 guests. An Argentine chef is in charge of the meals where beef, lamb and pasta are part of the typical menu.

The story behind running a project in the Santa Cruz area started around 2005 and 2006 when our associate company Solid Adventures (www. solidadventures.com) (Loop Adventures at the time) decided to try it as a destination for their clients. Shortly after, the company left the project due to the developing of other destinations, but it remained our favorite river. We kept fishing and scouting it throughout the decade until we found Los Plateados as the strategic spot to do it right.

The reason why Los Plateados looked like the perfect place was the location and close proximity to some of the major holding runs and pools in the river, hardly accessed before. Part of the investment in the first year was to make a road parallel to the productive stretch of the river, in case the conditions were not good enough as to go out on the zodiacs. This idea made the operation safer, in order to be able to fish as much as possible.

The season in the Santa Cruz River is short, compared to other rivers, as it only has a fall run, with a prime time of 8 weeks from mid March until mid May. During that period, anglers always have a chance of hooking into a fresh silver fish as well as colored males that arrive earlier than the rest and display the most beautiful colors.

The Program

A normal day begins after breakfast, leaving the cabin at 9:00am with a planned rotation that allows anglers to visit and fish the different beats during the week. Fishing around three pools/runs per session is the normal procedure, with lunch being prepared by the guides on the riverbanks with the flexibility of going back to the cabin for lunch and a little break or perhaps a short siesta.

The operation is run and guided by the three Amigos who developed the program and who now personally manage the cabin and the fishing.

Weather

The one thing that makes this place different from the rest of the south of Patagonia is the microclimate it has. The Santa Cruz valley has mild weather during fall and early winter with little wind and warm middays, allowing anglers to take most layers off and enjoy the sun.

During late March and April, bright sunny days with temperatures of 72ºF are normal. By May frost in the morning is normal but the temperatures picks up rapidly, again reaching up to 60ºF. The sunsets in Patagonia are legendary by now and this place is no exception.

Fishing Techniques

The way to fish these Atlantic Steelheads can be compared to winter steel heading in the Pacific North-West. As for the tackle involved (normally 8 and 9 wt. Spey rods, set up with Skagit lines and followed by a variety of T-tips), most of the times you would cast square across or slightly upstream to let the fly sink and get close to the bottom to make long controlled swings afterwards.

The flies, most of the time, are Intruder-type-patterns, Leeches, and other articulated flies, in a range of colors that go from Blue to Orange and of course always some Black and/ or Purple.

Even though this river is huge –some stretches exceed 200 yards in width - most steelhead go upriver close to the banks, avoiding the main stream and normally using any little bump or rock to rest behind, in water that normally goes from 3 to 6 feet deep.

Reaching the right depth and speed of line in the swing is the key to get a take, so mending the line correctly is certainly a must.

Species & Statistics

Together with the Steelhead, the Santa Cruz is home to smaller poerch, native to this region, and among the introduced species, sea-run brown trout and lake trout are occasionally found as well.

The number of steelhead that run up the river every year is unknown and difficult to even imagine but clearly immense considering the fish caught and the dimensions of the river.

In our experience in the last two seasons, the average number of fish caught has been around one fish per angler per day, where sessions with half a dozen fish for one angler happen as well.

This exotic steelhead destination is slowly gaining its place on the angler’s map, where a huge part of the experience happens in between the fishing sessions with a quality of service gained after 15 years in the business.