The Other Side of the Rio Grande

A return to untouched water

Las Segadas Lodge and a return to untouched water

For decades, the world has fished the Argentine side of the Rio Grande. Now, a new Chilean estancia offers access to the same legendary sea trout — but with lighter rods, quieter water, and a rugged wilderness few have ever seen.

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For more than half a century, the Rio Grande in Tierra del Fuego has defined what it means to fish for sea-run brown trout. Its name alone evokes long evening shadows, two-handed casts guided by a steady wind, and the pulse of chrome fish returning from the South Atlantic.

But for all the fame and folklore, few have ever seen where it all begins — across the border, in Chile.

Just west of that invisible line lies Estancia Las Segadas, a 200,000-acre frontier of windswept pampas, lakes, and tributaries that feed the headwaters of the Rio Grande. Until now, its waters have remained almost entirely closed to visiting anglers. That changes this February, when Las Segadas Lodge unlocks the farm gates and opens its doors for its first season — marking the start of a new era on one of the most storied rivers in fly fishing.

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Why This River Matters

Every summer, tens of thousands of sea-run browns push upstream from the Atlantic, spreading through the main stem of the Rio Grande and its tributaries to spawn. They are descendants of a handful of trout stocked in Tierra del Fuego nearly a century ago — fish that adapted, migrated, and evolved into the remarkable anadromous strain known today for their power and size.

When they reach Las Segadas, these fish have only travelled half the length of the river. The water here is narrower, clearer, and more intimate — a far cry from the wide, wind-scoured channel of the mouth and lower sections downstream. Anglers can fish it differently: with 8-weight single-hand rods or Trout Spey setups in 4- and 5-weight, casting Scandi heads with lighter tips and smaller flies into clear water.

It’s a subtler, more technical expression of Rio Grande fishing — where presentation and patience count more than brute distance.

It’s also refreshingly quiet. There are no other lodges within sight, no convoys of guide trucks moving between beats. Just you, your guide, and a river that has never known daily angling pressure.

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A Chilean Reawakening

Las Segadas Lodge sits deep within the historic estancia, encircled in a clean white picket fence, on a thicket of green grass shared with the other support buildings. The lodge itself — a restored ranch homestead — feels timeless: thick-walled, warm, built for Patagonia weather. After its 2025 refurbishment, it now hosts just six anglers per week, each with private or twin rooms, ensuite bathrooms, and communal fire-lit dining and lounge rooms that serve as the nightly gathering point for stories, local wines, and Chilean asado.

Beyond the main river, the property hides a network of smaller waters: spring creeks that snake through the vast grasslands, clear tributaries like the Rio Blanco and Rio Chico, draining several lakes into the growing Rio Grande. These streams house resident brown and rainbow populations. Future early-season guests will find runs of King Salmon moving up the Rio Grande and turning into Rio Blanco — an increasingly strong run that hints at what’s possible within this unique fishery.

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The Experience

A typical day at Las Segadas starts on sunrise, with the wind still asleep. After coffee and a cooked breakfast, you’ll wade through low, glacial light, watching the river come alive. The first cast across the current swings quietly, the line draws tight, and suddenly you’re attached to something heavy and alive — a sea-run brown in the upper Rio Grande.

Guides will rotate guests through a mix of main-stem pools and smaller tributaries, with flexibility to fish long days, or take a midday break at the lodge to maximize the evening twilight session. Expect to wade on stable gravel beds, with sight-fishing chances when the water drops clear.

In the evenings, you can fish until the last light fades — which in February might mean casting past 10pm — before returning to the lodge for a glass of Carménère and grilled lamb by the fire.

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Techniques & Tackle

Fishing on the estancia rewards finesse over force.

• Single-hand rods: 8-weights with floating or sink tip fly lines, smaller flies and delicate mends.

• Trout Spey: 4–5 (DH) weight setups with Scandi or Skagit-lite heads and intermediate tips for effortless swings.

• Flies: Green Machines, smaller leeches, EMBs, Girdle Bugs — tied light and sparse, always on single barbless hooks.

Everything on the Chilean side is single barbless hook, catch-and-release only, ensuring this fishery remains as wild as it is today.

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Beyond the Fishing

This far south, nature feels new and raw, even imposing. Guanacos graze on the horizon, condors spiral overhead, and the wind carries the raw scent of the steppe. You’re almost as likely to spot a grey fox on the riverbank as you are to see a fish porpoise within the pools.

After days spent on the water, the evenings at Las Segadas Lodge slow down. Dinners are social and unpretentious — local lamb, garden vegetables, and wines from Chile’s central valleys. There’s a constant supply of hot water, electricity from on-site generation, and Starlink internet for the essentials — though most guests are happy to leave the world behind for the week.

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February and March 2026 — Limited Season

Las Segadas Lodge will host anglers for only eight weeks next year, from early February through March, closing before the April spawning season begins. Two hosted launch weeks mark the opening:

• February 1–8, 2026 — Opening Week (two rods available as at publication)

• February 8–15, 2026 — The Sea-Run Sessions

Each week is limited to six anglers. Packages include seven nights accommodation, six days of guided fishing, all meals and beverages and, for 2026, will include charter flights to Aeródromo Pampa Guanaco, just 35 minutes from the estancia, used to shuttle guests between the lodge and Punta Arenas.

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Why Choose Las Segadas

Because this is what exploration angling in Patagonia can be like — not finding a new river (although that is possible on this estate), but discovering the wild parts of a legendary one.

Because casting a line in the upper Rio Grande, into beats that have never seen a fly, is a rare privilege in the modern fly-fishing world.

And because when you stand alone on that river, with the mountains behind you and the wind at your back, you’ll remember what drew you to this pursuit in the first place.

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Booking & Availability

Las Segadas Lodge — Chilean Rio Grande
Season: February–March 2026
Capacity: 6 anglers per week
Hosted Weeks: Feb 1–8 (two rods only) & Feb 8–15, 2026
Contact: Isolation Outfitters for details, gear lists, and travel assistance.