Strobel Lake Fishing Report By Paul Thacker

Paul Thacker
Trip Taken: Strobel Lake Fly Fishing Lodge
Fishing Consultant: Patrick Kissel | Outdoors International

December, 2019

Let me tell you a little something about this incredible fishing lodge in Argentina….

Couple of Christmas’ ago an ad for a lodge popped in my social media feed. Was instantly interested in the gigantic trout that call Lago Strobel (Jurassic Lake) home. I’d never seen so many massive trout. That very day we started joking about how cool it would be to travel to Argentina and chase these monsters. With a little help from Patrick and Outdoors International less than six months later we had deposits paid and flights booked for a December trip.

Now traveling in a chair isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s hard. No way around it. However my love for fishing vastly out weights any concerns I may harbor for travel. There were a lot of questions yet to be answered as we boarded flights to South America. How much access would I have, what were the accommodations going to be like, heck would I even fit in the bathrooms at the lodge? Upon arrival those questions were soon to be answered.

In fact they go the extra mile to make sure each guests needs are met above expectation. They had built a wheelchair friendly ramp, they had installed removable shower heads and had indeed made sure that I could fit through all the doors. They literally bent over backwards to help in anyway necessary. Without even talking about the fishing it was one of the most enjoyable weeks I have ever had.

Now fast forward to a year later. My dad and I had decided that a week just wasn’t long enough so for 2019 we decided two weeks would be a more reasonable amount of time to get the fishing fix. I actually thought that maybe two weeks might end up being too long and would be well ready to leave come the end of our stay. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

After the standard travel issues we finally made it to El Calafate and were greeted by Nicolas, the lodges manager, at the airport.

On the trip to the lodge he had made mention to the fact they had some surprises for me for this years adventure. Needless to say I was pretty excited to see what they had in store. The Barrancoso River is what feeds Strobel Lake and allows the trout population to spawn and continue this incredible fishery. Unfortunately last year the only way I was able to get to the river was literally on the back of Outdoors Internationals Patrick Kissel. So this year we get up and get ready to fish and are heading to the river for day one and I am curious who will be helping carry me this year. However to my surprise they had actually built an actual path to the river almost wide enough to drive a dang truck down! Literally brought a tear to my eye. Then I find out that they had actually made paths to more than one spot on the river! To go above and beyond to that extent is what separates this lodge from other lodges.

I’m fairly certain the two weeks passed just as quickly as one week did last year. The fishing was per usual nothing short of amazing.

In the 1st four days of fishing I had caught 4 fish north of 15lbs, two 16+, one 17 and one just over 18lbs. We caught so many 10-12lbs in fact that we stopped taking pictures after a day or so. We had tons of doubles and even a few triples. We had a handful of 30 fish days and one day where we caught 40 if we caught one.

We caught so many ten to twelve pound fish that we stopped taking pictures after a day or so. We had tons of doubles and even a few triples. We had a handful of 30 fish days and one day where we caught 40 if we caught one. There isn’t anywhere on the planet that fishes like Strobel Lake.

So many options and places to fish that even after two weeks we hadn’t even come close to fishing it all. Truly one of a kind.

So the bottom line is this, if you are looking for a once in a lifetime trout trip or even an annual father son adventure, there isn’t a better place than this fly fishing lodge on Strobel Lake. The lodge, the staff, the food, the fishing, the guides and especially the service is over the top. You won’t be disappointed.

My dad and I will be back for a third time next season with a group of our friends.

• My consultant’s communication before, during and after the trip was good. Patrick is now a good buddy of mine and fun to fish with. He is pretty knowledgeable and a great angler but I again caught bigger fish than he did!
• My consultant was very knowledgeable, and a pleasure to talk to.
• Overall, my trip was amazing, I couldn’t have asked for more.
• My outfitter’s communication before, during and after the trip was perfect, I couldn’t have asked for more.
• My guide was amazing.
• Physically, the trip was difficult.
• The food was amazing.
• The accommodations were amazing.
• Would you book another trip with us in the future? Yes
• Can we use your stories and/or photos on our website? Yes
• Can we use this in social media? Yes

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