Angling for the Big Fish That Breaks Hearts

People fall in love with Patagonia for many reasons. The breathtaking landscape. The gauchos. The Malbec For me it was the thrill of fly-fishing in a mountain stream near the bottom the world. On my latest trip would I finally hook that elusive trout worthy of my majestic surroundings? By David Coggins

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THE RÍO TRAFÚL FLOWS FOR TWELVE MILES, BRILLIANT mountain blue, between two lakes. On the north side of the river is Arroyo Verde, a majestic, ten-thousand-acre estancia. The matriarch, Meme, lives in Buenos Aires and comes south for the summer. The low-lying stone house is more modest than grand, with a library, walls of sporting prints, and a beautiful old map of the property drawn in blue ink, back when fonts meant something. There are photos, variously faded, of family and friends smiling, sometimes next to startlingly large fish.

This is not a lodge, it's a house, and the house is run by two ladies. They are referred to by the residents of the valley as the Ladies. When we meet them we realize that they are indeed the Ladies and can be referred to no other way. The first is Marina, Meme's daughter, with an engaging, gracious manner and an easy smile that immediately puts one at ease. Katrena, whose title is head of hospitality, is a horsewoman who spent time in the army. A Scot who came to Argentina and stayed, she has a healthy tan, sharp blue eyes, and a theory about how to make a gin and tonic.

Marina apologizes for not being at the house to greet us. "I was in the barns," she says. "I didn't hear you arrive." We're not worried, we're thrilled to be here.

"I was," she searches for a word, "working on the male cows."

"Castrating?" Markley asks.

"Claro," Marina replies, eyes twinkling.

Marina tells us that after fishing we'll see her for cocktails and then dinner: the late anglers' dream schedule. At Arroyo Verde we feel like guests in a country house. Not everything is about fishing-the siesta is an implicit part of the schedule, which puts matters into perspective.