By Erik Argotti
I have spent a good amount of time in Argentina since my first visit to the country almost 25 years ago. Many (months-long) extended trips from Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, to Iguazu Falls in the northeast and Jujuy to the northwest, and lots of other places in between. Just traveling around, fishing, hiking, touring and seeing the sights.
When I first visited Lago Strobel (Jurassic Lake) in 2008, it was a rough place and not very easy to get to. It was a 7-8 hour drive from El Calafate on roads that would leave you questioning your decisions to come all this way to catch a fish, and wondering why your stomach muscles were sore when you woke up the next morning. The last part of the trip was a full, 3-hour core workout. Heads bouncing off windows, flat tires, truck doors ripped off from the wind, broken windows from packing the truck wrong, dry red eyes from exposure to the elements, and sleeping in unheated dome tents that flapped in the wind and kept you up all night.
When I returned a year later to work the inaugural season at a different lodge, Estancia Laguna Verde, the drive to the lodge was easier because it was closer, but the last hour (10km) was still brutal, and the interior roads to the lake were nonexistent. For fishing we had to take trucks on rough roads to a parking spot on the rim of the lake, walk down a steep hill a quarter mile to ATVs, drive them a couple of miles, exposed to the elements, to Monsters Bay, and then fish. That was it. If you wanted to check out new parts of the lake, you walked there over boulders and rough terrain, uphill both ways :-). We ate cold lunches by the lake, in the elements, trying to stay warm in the lee of the rocky outcrops. The lodge was small, the rooms were all double occupancy, and we had an asado night outside in the wind. But the fishing lived up to the rumors and it was well worth the effort and hardship of getting there to fish it.
Fast forward to today and it is a completely different program. I just got back from a week at Estancia Laguna Verde, and the wind is still there, the fishing is still like an imaginary dreamland and the trout are as big as ever, but the program itself is so much more refined. The roads to the lodge are completely redone. They aren’t all paved but they are nice dirt roads and way easier and comfortable to drive on. And of course you can now drive all over the lake to so many spots. Roads that lead down to Fingers Bay, Sea Bay, El Puesto, Dry Fly Bay, Sultán Bay and more. The Original Monsters Bay is still producing huge fish, but now you can drive a truck right to the water and eat a hot lunch in the comfort of a protected puesto (shelter). And there is a puesto at Sea Bay for lunch as well. These additions were added in stages pretty early on, so many people who have visited the lodge are familiar with these improvements. Wonderfully, really bad roads are rumors from the past. At least at Estancia Laguna Verde.
On the lodge side of things, there have been many updates that help you unwind and recuperate from a day of casting on the windy shores of Lago Strobel. For such a remote and rugged spot, the lodge is an oasis in a windy desert landscape. Comfortable, inviting and a home away from home. The guides and staff are all veterans. Most have been there 10-plus years. Now all guests have the option of single rooms at no extra charge, rooms that are spacious with views overlooking Laguna Verde. They are nicely decorated with plush mattresses and comforters, heaters, and spacious bathrooms with toilets, bidets and hot showers. There is a new wader room, and a gear room. In the lodge there is a bar addition as well as a bigger hang-out area with three couches at which to gather at the end of the day to discuss your adventures. And other little things, like a new fancy espresso machine that puts out custom coffee drinks every morning. A big spacious wine cellar that is the perfect temperature for aging fine Argentine varietals. More staff quarters to keep your guides happy and in the zone during a long season in harsh elements.
The most recent addition is a new quincho. Yes, it was nice to have the weekly asado outside, but once you have it in the new quincho, you can’t go back. It is big with plenty of room for you to spread out and mingle. There is an enormous cooking area with a big table, and a bar top to sit and drink and be a spectator to the show of meat sizzling over an open fire. And after you have a belly full of vino and carne, a couple of the guides put on a show playing guitar and singing Argentine classics as well as some more familiar tunes. And if the wine or drinks gets you in the mood to perform, there is a new karaoke machine to bring you into the spotlight. For me, it was so good to come back and see all the improvements. Especially when so much time had gone by. Similar to not seeing your niece or nephew for a few years and then seeing them, the changes are so much more apparent after a span of time.
If you have visited Estancia Laguna Verde before, it might be time to get back and see the improvements since the last time you were there, experiencing this finely polished program firsthand. If you’ve never visited and it has been on your radar, now is the time to go. The fishing is just as good if not better, but the experience has been highly refined.
And who better to help plan your trip to Estancia Laguna Verde then their first guide, me – Erik Argotti. Give me a call or shoot me an email and let’s get you set up for a trophy rainbow trout trip of a lifetime. Thank you.
Last Minute Cancellation Special
March 25 – April 1, 2026
Rate: $7,950 for 2 anglers (single room/shared guide)
$3,975/angler – Single anglers welcome
Erik Argotti
argotti@theflyshop.com
530-222-3555 | 800-669-3474