Lake Strobel, aka “Jurassic Lake” – Argentina

In a remote corner of the Argentinian Patagonia, in a wild inhospitable land of incredible beauty exists a very special destination for the adventurous fly fishermen – Lake Strobel, also known as “Jurassic Lake”. There is a growing consensus that this may in fact be the best trophy rainbow trout destination in the world. Rainbow trout in the five to ten pound range are just average fish here while on every cast you have real a chance of catching a 20 pound+ monster.

With its prehistoric landscapes and its rainbows of incredible proportions, its no wonder that sport fishermen have re-christened these waters with a name like Jurassic Lake. It is all the unforeseen result of the original 1996 stocking of rainbow trout in the Barrancoso River, the only river which feeds the lake. It is what happens when you combine a hardy strain of rainbow trout with a unique cocktail of crystal clear waters super oxyginated by Patagonian winds that whip the lake, an obscene amount of food in the form of fresh water shrimp and snails in an isolated environment with minimal fishing pressure. This combination has resulted in an exceptionally strong and feisty rainbow trout that grows a tremendous rate reaching great sizes in a very short time. Stories of battles with enormous trout, blazing runs, amazing jumps and flips, hooks bent open, leaders and even rods broken, come out of every new group to visit the lake. Luckily, there are also many stories that end with photos of trophies unrepeatable anywhere else in the world.

There are a couple of camps that operate on the lake, but ours is the only one that runs a genuine lodge, the Laguna Verde Lodge. This is an oasis of comfort in a tough inhospitable environment. The structure is simple and rustic, but offers comforts found nowhere else within many miles in any direction: electricity and water 24 hours a day, bedrooms with good full size beds and on suite bathrooms, a cozy dining and lounge area with comfortable sofas for relaxing, watching the television, connecting to the Internet, or just enjoying a cocktail before dinner. Meals are composed of a variety of delicious national and international dishes acompanied by excellent Argentinian wines. These are comforts that are appreciated after a hard day of fishing.  In order to give guests a more varied experience Estancia Laguna Verde Lodge has purchased Lake Strobel Lodge located on the opposite shore of the lake. With this addition guests will have the option of spending a couple of nights at this smaller lodge from which they will have 24 hour access to the lake. This purchase has also added many kilometers of shoreline to make this offering far and away the  largest selection of water available at Lake Strobel. From the beginning of the season on November 1st until Christmas, Lake Strobel Lodge functions independently.