Sierra de la Ventana

Location:
Argentina

By Karina Zobolotny

Sierra de la Ventana was not my choice destination, but the bus let me off on the side of the road on a warm Argentine night, so here I was going to stay. I was escaping the Canadian winter and wanted to go to the beach, but it was summer holidays in Argentina and so did everyone else in the country.

Sierra de la Ventana is so named because of a small opening in the mountain that looks like a window. The town is 550 kilometers southwest of Buenos Aires and attracts people who are interested in outdoor activities such as hiking, camping and mountain biking. It is a quiet, picturesque town lined with rivers and surrounded by hills. After checking out the tourist information, I happened upon fly fishing. This was something I had dreamed of doing ever since I saw Brad Pitt fly fishing in “a River Runs Through It.” So I signed up with my guide, Juan Carlos, and was ready to take off in the morning.

Juan Carlos picked me up in his 1950s All-Terrain Jeep and we set off through the countryside with its views of purple flowers, cows and old railway tracks. We drove through a field of bright sunflowers and trekked through the forest with grass up to our hips to reach the river.

My first lesson was to listen to the river and watch the river, looking for quiet patches and dark spots. I was taught how to move the wrist, float the fishing line and tap the water. We spent the whole day knee-high in the water and I didn’t see another person, although insects and birds were scattered throughout the air. The sun was hot but the river was fresh. I caught one fish by the end of the day, at 3-pound, grey-brown trout. It was a great day.