Villa Maria Lodge

Sea run brown trout on the exclusive Lower Rio Grande-Tierra del Fuego

This 6-guest lodge on the lower reaches of the Rio Grande is often sold out annually and for years to come. Frontiers, however, has weeks designated exclusively for our clients. Situated on the Estancia Jose Menendez where the river broadens and pools become long slicks of “trouty” holding water, Villa Maria offers the first shot at fish entering the system fresh from the sea.

Fishing

You will encounter nickel-bright sea-runs on strictly controlled estancia water. This lower stretch appeals to confident casters, and those familiar with two-handed rods do well. Sea-run brown trout fishing is about covering water and reaching the far bank, so come prepared.

Accommodation

Villa Maria Lodge offers six bedrooms and bathrooms for just six guests weekly in a small, intimate venue. Each day, you relish traditional Argentine waterfront meals and siesta at the River House perched high on a bluff affording a stunning view of the fabled Rio Grande.

Gear

8-9 Wt two-handed rods, Skagit Versi-tip lines and various “mow tips” are often favored. Single-handers favor 10-ft. 8 wt. rods and reels spooled with weight forward floating or sink-tip lines for various conditions. A full tackle list is provided upon booking with Frontiers.

Ask The Expert

Tarquin Millington-Drake

Tom Gilliland

Ben Hoffman

Hank Ingram

Trip Specifics

The season runs December 27, 2019 - April 3, 2020. January 3 - March 13: Includes an opportunity for an overnight and Dorado Fishing at Delta Lodge – based on availability. Transfer and single supplements apply. We strongly encourage anglers to book international and particularly internal flights in Argentina with Frontiers. A one-way Ushuaia transfer may apply.
Inquire about preferred dove shooting rates at Cordoba Lodge in conjunction with a sea-run booking exclusively through Frontiers. Weather varies rapidly in Tierra del Fuego; layering is a must and prepare for fluctuations weekly

Rates

Rates and inclusions vary weekly from $5,950-$10,950 per angler on a Friday-Friday rotation. Please contact Frontiers for limited space availability and specific week costs/details.

Rio Grande fishing licenses: $450 per week/angler.

Ask The Expert

Tarquin Millington-Drake

UK Managing Director

Tom Gilliland

Senior Program Manager

Specializes in Alaska and Canada fishing, and South America fishing and big game programs.

Ben Hoffman

Senior Program Manager

Specializes in South America and Iceland fishing programs.

Hank Ingram

Department Manager

Specializes in South America fishing and shooting departments. Plus, fishing in Mongolia and Canada.

News

Villa Maria 2020 Season End Report

The 2020 Rio Grande season is officially over, and although cut a bit short, it was certainly a season to be remembered! We can say, with confidence, that this has been a very special season, especially when we compare this year’s river flows to the previous season.

December was a very wet month and this January was the wettest on record in the past 30 years. This doesn’t mean that the river was flooded over its ...

Argentina - Villa Maria Lodge - Fishing Report Week 9: February 28th to March 5th 2020

We started our 9th week of the season with pleasant weather, clear river conditions and winds coming out of the north and north-east depending on the day. In some pools, the winds made things a little tougher than usual. That did not matter to Ian and Stuart who, in their first session, landed 7 fish including a 21, 18 and 15-pound fish! A fantastic welcome for our Aussie friends who were joining us for the first time. Not to be outdone by ...

Argentina - Villa Maria Lodge - Fishing Report: Week 8: 21st to 27th February 2020

Week eight at Villa Maria Lodge is in the books with another group of old and new friends. Continuing the usual patterns of the 2020 season, this week started with tough conditions due to higher flows coming down from the upper reaches of the Rio Grande. Our anglers stayed motivated and kept at it, and we still landed good ...

Argentina - Villa Maria Lodge - Fishing Report: Week 7: February 14th to 20th 2020

At the midway point of our 12 week season, we were excited to welcome back Henrik, Jonni, Mark, and John along with a few new faces, Dan, Andrew, and Charlie. The first morning we rigged up small flies with long leaders and lighter tips, as the river was getting to its lowest and clearest we had seen all year. Once we got to the river, we encountered fairly heavy and consistent rain but the fish we active and ...

Argentina - Villa Maria Lodge - Fishing Report: Week 6: 7th to 13th February, 2020

This week we finally had the blessing of stable river conditions, something that the previous weeks were lacking. For the first time this season, we didn’t have any shift in water colouration or river depth. What was challenging, however, were the winds. This week, they seemed to blow from any imaginable direction, making the fishing a bit tough at moments. We had to be very careful in planning the fishing ...

Argentina - Villa Maria Lodge - Fishing Report: Week 5: 31st January to 6th February, 2020

For our fifth week of the season, we welcomed back Bruno, Mike, Michael, and Sandee. During our warm-up session, as we expected, the river rose from the heavy rain up in the headwaters that hit the region in the previous week. Even with the rising river, we were very optimistic about the week to come because of the steady weather that was forecasted.

As predicted the first day ...

Argentina - Villa Maria Lodge - Fishing Report: Week 4: 24th to 30th January 2020

This week we welcomed back Gerald, Marc, Gina, Bruno, Jonathan and our new friend Hans.

The week started off with a bang with the river at a near-perfect level, fresh fish in the system and some veteran anglers staying with us we had the “perfect storm”.

It seemed like every session anglers were coming back with sore arms, ...

Argentina - Villa Maria Lodge - Fishing Report: Week 3 - 17th to 23rd January 2020

This week we excitedly welcomed back our friend Axel and former veteran guide Ale Bianchetti.

When we approached the river during our warm-up session, we realized the river was still affected by the previous week’s rain. The river was high and slightly off-color but fortunately, it appeared to be dropping quickly so we were optimistic for the week to come.

Argentina - Villa Maria Lodge - Fishing Report: Week 2 -10th to 16th January 2020

We just finished our second week at Villa Maria Lodge. Once again, the week was dominated by challenging weather, strong storms, and changing river conditions.

Our opening week concluded with heavy rains along the Rio Grande’s valley, all the way up to the Andes. This resulted in ...

Villa Maria Lodge, Argentina, Fishing Report: Week 1 – 3rd to 9th January, 2020

We are back for a new season at Villa Maria Lodge! We just finished up our opening week and it was really exciting for several reasons.

The river conditions we encountered in the River were phenomenal. The water level is the highest we have seen since 2014. This is a great thing to see after several years of really low levels and a drought during ...