 Another trip to Las Buitreras lodge on the Rio Gallegos is behind me but the effects of visiting this wonderful place seem to stick with you long after returning home. The fishing is tactical and challenging complete with gusty winds and ever-changing conditions. And while the pursuit is aimed at sea run brown trout or sea trout, it is the totality of this vast unforgiving region of southern Argentina that completes the full experience.
The trip was enhanced by another stellar Swing the Fly group of Ed, Ray, Milt, Tom, Sam, and Jonathan. And like the prior year the Las Buitreras guides and staff were top notch down to the smallest detail. This year the water maintained a moderate flow with only a slight bump in the level mid-week. While the wind makes casting interesting, it also stirs up the water allowing the sea runs to feel more comfortable and less spooky. However, with mostly clear water conditions smaller flies and paying close attention to presentation was the key to success. Various hothead rubber leg nymphs in sizes 8 or 10 worked well throughout the week. But how the fly was shown to the fish was more important than the actual pattern. Long leaders and fluorocarbon tippet was the starting point. It is important to not go too light on tippet strength in case you cross paths with a 20 plus pound sea run. It was all in the angle of presentation. With a cast at a down river angle and a reach up to conclude the cast the fly shows itself to the fish before the leader or tip. A slight strip or retrieve adds movement and activates the rubber legs. Focusing on this presentation approach simply results in more hookups under clear water conditions. And therein lies the greatest challenge of the wind in consistently getting the fly to land at the proper angle. I find this style of Spey fishing quite captivating as its tactical nature requires a level of focus on each cast. It is not simply a cast, step, and hold on approach. The take can be forceful or subtle further requiring attentiveness to each swing. In the end the most memorable part of the trip occurred on the last evening. While fishing alone, the wind that had been present throughout the week, all at once fell to an eerie dead calm. The silence was heavy and strangely deafening. Senses were heightened while periodically peering around to assure that I wasn’t under the watch of a stalking puma. After landing and releasing one of the best sea trout of the trip, I looked up to see the rock wall on the opposing bank and water turn to fire from the low evening sun peeking through the cloud cover. At first it was difficult to comprehend the spectacular character of the occurrence. But immediately felt the power of the natural world – an incredible moment of spiritual awakening. And a clear lesson in the importance of finding your connection. Southern Argentina is a special place, and a small piece of this wonderful country seems to stay with you upon return.
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 Encounters with muskies that have followed the fly to within sight range provide some of the most exciting experiences in the pursuit of the fish of 10,000 casts. And having a good close-range game can be the difference between a simple encounter and putting a trophy musky in the bag.
Working the fly close in starts with rigging and consistency. After each cast I retrieve the fly to within approximately a foot and a half of the rod tip. My leader is attached to the fly line with a low-profile knot that slides in and out of the guides of the rod smoothly with no hesitation. I use about 18 inches of knotable wire bite guard and each retrieve ends with the knot between the bite guard and the main leader bumping up against the tip top of the rod. From there I perform a figure 8 movement with the rod tip deep in the water. I’ll add the figure 8 at the end of every retrieve whether seeing a musky follow or not. And instead of a true 8 movement I typically opt for a large oval made with wide turns. I have found an oval to be a bit less taxing to employ over the course of a day and provides more control of always moving the fly away from the fish. Employing the figure 8 or oval after every cast seems like a lot of effort but when performed with consistency this approach will end up with hookups on deep following fish that would otherwise have been squandered opportunities. For full control I use two hands when performing the figure 8 or oval with the line pinched off against the cork by the hand on the upper grip and held by the hand on the lower grip or butt of the rod. When I see a follow there is an immediate effort to engage the fish into locking on the fly while continuing to chase and to have it not notice the rod, boat, and my profile. This can be accomplished by rolling right into the oval and speeding up the fly at the same time. The side view of the fly as it turns and presents a T-bone attack angle that is often the trigger for a strike. I also speed the fly up into the turns. This combination of angle and speed is my most consistent producer of a positive reaction. I continue to pick up the speed until the fish eats or swims away. Make sure that the turns are wide and that the fly is never moving back toward the fish. Sometimes I’ll change my position to make sure the fly is moving away from the musky. There is never just one right way when it comes to musky, in fact the opposite is often true. Sometimes a softer approach can work as well. For flies that are fished slow or to mimic a vulnerable or half dead bait, it may not look natural for the fly to suddenly begin swimming at a fast rate. Reading a musky’s body language as it moves into sight range may indicate that continuing to move and bump the fly slowly will keep the fish engaged and tempt it to attack the fly before it gets too close to the boat. I have witnessed my good friend Joe Goodspeed work this technique to perfection. Style of the fly and how it is fished impacts the best approach for a musky that follows. It is also my experience that the behavior or reaction of a musky tends to vary from one watershed to another. While my go to approach is generally wide turns and speed, it makes sense to experiment and find the best approach for the water that you frequent. For a short video on boat side figure 8 techniques check out this video on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqXbYXexMP8&t=18s And for more on musky fly fishing check out my book Hunting Musky with a Fly and follow me on Instagram @rickkustich.  Musky fly fishing involves casting large wind resistant flies. Using a two-handed casting approach matches perfectly with the objective of making long casts with big flies. Musky anglers that are fishing with gear all cast with two handed rods and it only makes sense that fly anglers would adopt the same approach.
Overhead casting with two hands and a shooting head is an efficient way to generate significant line speed resulting in impressive distances. Engaging both hands as well as using the body’s core in the process results in less fatigue over a day of fishing, allowing for effective casts right up to quitting time. If you Spey cast with a two-handed rod you already have the basic skills to apply to overhead casting with a two-hander. And if not the basic two hand approach can be learned easily by someone that is already a proficient one hand caster. While any two-handed rod can be cast overhead, I prefer shorter rods between 9 and a half and 10 feet for this style of fishing for better line and presentation management when the fly is fished close to the rod tip. There are a limited number of rods on the market specifically designed for overhead casting, but almost any rod with an extended butt section can be cast with both hands. Effective two-handed overhead casting requires both hands to be fully engaged in the cast. You must pull with the bottom hand and push or guide with the top hand, moving around a fulcrum to create line speed and distance. Pulling in and down with a heavy bottom hand replaces the double haul when overhead casting with a single hand rod. This movement generates impressive line speed that can easily shoot the 50 to 60 feet of running line. The ease in making long casts and reducing the strain on the body are two notable advantages of this style of casting. But the efficiency in getting the fly back in the water with a minimum of false casts may be the most prominent. Musky fishing is a statistical game, as more good casts and quality fly presentations increase the likelihood of a musky encounter. After retrieving the fly back to the boat, the fly is easily delivered back to the water using the longer lever of the two-hander and one or two false casts to complete the cast. There are some basic casting elements needed to maximize distance and performance of the rod. The rod should move in an accelerated manner on both the forward and back cast. In other words, it should be moving slowest as the stroke begins and fastest just prior to an abrupt stop. When delivering the forward stroke, aim high for distance. After making a distinct stop, drop the rod down to reduce running line friction on the guides and promote greater distance. The running line is pinched off by the index and middle finger of the top hand. Getting a feel for the pressure to apply to the running line as more of the head of the line passes through the tip of the rod provides the biggest challenge in mastering this style of casting. Time and practice is required for setting up the cast and shooting the running line. In future blog posts we’ll take a look at lines for two-hand casting and for getting the cast started after retrieving the fly back to the rod tip. See my video on YouTube for more on this cast - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA8VtE2ypZ0 And for more on musky fly fishing check out my book Hunting Musky with a Fly and follow me on Instagram @rickkustich.  A thermometer is an important piece of a steelheader’s equipment and will help to unlock some of the mysteries of a river. The optimum water temperature range for steelhead is 42 to 58 degrees F. Within this range, 50 to 55 is ideal. What this means to an angler is that within the optimum range, steelhead tend to be most aggressive and capable of moving a long distance to intercept or chase a fly. This temperature range can be found on most Great Lakes rivers from late September through November. That is why I prefer that time of year for steelhead fishing. In the fall, steelhead are spread throughout the river in a wide range of water and are susceptible to a range of angling techniques. Normally, fall water temperatures need to fall into the mid 60s before steelhead enter the stream or river.
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