Waiting Around to Fly
A few Americans find themselves casting to big trout in Patagonia.
A few years ago, while guiding down in Patagonia, Chile I had two gringos, Matt Smith and Cole Brittain walk into my life. Literally. Aloft in Patagonia with fly rods and everything else they owned situated firmly on their backs, these two gringos were hell bent on soaking up all that this area had to offer. With the help of a few Townes Van Zandt tunes, red wine, and the right flies, a few gringos had a wonderful time chasing trout in the land down south.
The Back Story and Lessons Learned.
In full disclosure, I already knew these gentleman and considered them friends. We had met in a little mountain town, where all three of us were baptized in the magical waters of the Gunnison River. We were part of a loose nit community of friends that enjoyed the outdoors and explored it often. Each person in this group brought a unique set of skills into the collective and as a result, we all became better outdoorsman.
At the time, Cole was working for Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Matt was a local news reporter for the local paper in town. Unable to muster the strength to get through another brutal high altitude winter Matt and Cole hatched a plan that would take them out of the frigid montane sagebrush country of SW Colorado and into the heart of the Patagonian wilds.
While on the expedition, they came through the area I was working. We were able to get together and have ourselves one hell of time. Matt was documenting their travels across the region and was able to capture some of our fishing adventures.
Word from the not so wise, always check to make sure you have a net in the boat.
Matt is one hell of a photographer and I would encourage everyone to check out his work.
Enjoy.
