My go-to dry fly rod is my Sage TXL-F 7’10” 4# (it’s my pride and joy!), which weighs in at a crazy 1.9 ounces. Finding an affordable but quality machined aluminium large arbour reel which is light enough to not spoil the balance of the rod has been a real struggle. Fortunately Wychwood Game Brand Manager and fly tackle design guru Paul Richardson appears to have solved the problem for all light rod enthusiasts with the stunning new River & Stream reels. At the time of publishing the Wychwood catalogue they are the lightest machined aluminium reels on the market, with the 2/3 size version weighing just 50 grams!

Aesthetically the reels are a little different to many others available, the main difference being very short central spindle which has been re-designed to drastically reduce weight. The curvaceous ported spool is a custom design which will not only reduce weight but also increase structural strength. The subtle matte golden leaf anodising suggests understated class, rather than many other manufacturers gold reels which can appear more like something hanging around Eric Bristow’s wrist.

The adjusta-clicker drag system provides enough torque to prevent over-running whilst stripping line from the reel without adding any unnecessary weight. My worry with any lightweight item of tackle always concerns durability, and with this in mind I chose to take the reel for a weeks fishing and camping around the stunning upper Usk in South Wales. Anybody who has fished the top stretches of the Usk will be aware of the treacherous wading conditions and I knew that over the course of a week the chances of me taking a tumble on the slippery bedrock riverbed were quite high!

Wychwood River and Stream Reel

Sure enough the reel did get bumped, knocked, dropped, fish took line from it and at the end of the week there is not so much as a scratch to be seen, a true testament to the quality of the aluminium and anodisation of these fantastic reels. Most importantly the balance of the rod wasn’t at all compromised by the super light weight River & Stream 4/5#. Priced at just £139, these reels are fantastic value, not only for anglers who own high end rods but also for those who have bought mid-priced river rods like the Greys Streamflex or the Guideline Fario.

If you’re looking for a beautifully finished, sturdy and ultra light fly reel then I can’t recommend the Wychwood River & Stream highly enough, and I would strongly advise that you pop in to Farlows to check them out!

If you’ve anything to add from a personal experience, have any questions or comments then please do share via the comments box below – it’s great to have a discussion!

This an Arcadian Public Announcement to let you know that my stall selling Vintage Fishing Tackle for the Soul shall be appearing by appointment in Farlows London Showroom at No. 9 Pall Mall in the district of London known as S.W.1 between the hours of 9am and 6pm on Wednesday 12th of June.

A paper bag advertising this kind invitation from Mr. Max Sardi the Fishing Manager of Farlows is now in circulation.

As Andrews of Arcadia I deal in Vintage Fishing Tackle For the Soul from my stall in Spitalfields Antiques Market and from my website.

I spend my life searching auction houses, car boot sales, alleyways and by-ways, street markets and backwaters, damp cellars and dusty attics, lay-bys and the classifieds for old boxes of fishing tackle.

When I am not out searching I write for the website www.caughtbytheriver.net and for a number of other publications including the Old Town Evening Star.

Andrews of Arcadia Scrapbook exists to bring you regular snapshots and postcards from the life of a dealer/writer and with it give you a glimpse of the treasure that I find.

For more information please telephone 07980 274383 or 02074841000.

Now that the cold wintry weather has finally left us (I know, shouldn’t speak too soon), it’s time to ditch the fleeces and heavy coats in exchange for bright coloured polos and jackets.

With the launch of Dubarry’s Spring clothing range we picked our favourites which are now in store and online. Below is a small selection of the key pieces we have on offer.

Carra Quilted Jacket

This jacket as a Primaloft filling which will not only keep you warm but it also makes the jacket very lightweight. The slate blue colour is brand new for Spring and is very flattering for all ages.

Listowel Linen Jacket

At only £89 this jacket is a real bargain. It is a blazer style which makes the jacket perfect for dressing up or down. The jacket looks great with jeans

Carrick Rugby Shirt

A great all round addition to your wardrobe, this shirt has a shapely, flattering, feminine fit.

This low cut stylish shoe looks great with shorts, trousers or dresses.

The NonSlip-NonMarking outsole design makes this shoe perfect for our British weather.

Available in sizes 37-41 and in two great colours, the new Fiji deck shoe is a must have for this season.

Made in Stoke-On-Trent from best Cornish clay, Fenella’s strong, slip-cast tableware combines good old-fashioned quality with modern practicality.

We loved Fenella’s designs so much that we thought we had to stock them at Farlows! We have chosen her Labrador and Pheasant designs which we hope you like as much as we do.

The mugs are a perfect size for everyday use – not thick and chunky, but fine and light.

The jugs look so elegant on kitchen tables or sideboards. They can be used for a range of things including flowers, milk/custard, and utensils.

Nilaqua’s revolutionary Pet Shampoo allows you to wash your pet effectively and easily without water!

• No need for water or rinsing
• Effectively lifts dirts and smells great
• No animal distress or dirty bath to clean
• Removes tough dirt, blood & faeces
• Reduces Aggression
• Wash pets in the warm during winter months
• Kind and gentle to the fur
• Ideal for showing, after operations and when they have rolled or spot cleaning muddy paws

Nilaqua and No Rinse are completely stress free for both you and your dog. Just apply to the coat, massage to a lather and towel dry - No more mess to clean up, no getting soaked trying to keep your dog in the bath, no more wet walls after your dog shakes itself dry.

You can also use the new Waterless pet shampoo for ‘spot cleaning’ muddy paws and specific areas when your dog has rolled in something nasty! Plus its suitable for horses and even cats!

The waterless pet shampoo is PH balanced, hypoallergenic and contains no alcohol. It eliminates odours & lifts dirt away from the skin.

Click Here to watch a video on how Nilaqua Pet Shampoo works

The line itself is a very, very short headed design. The head of the line is 30′, with 70′ of very thin running line and a factory welded loop at each end (I must admit I do cut the loop at the head end off and replace it with a 50lb braided loop but Simon has assured me that I really don’t need to!). It is offered in four different densities, floating, Intermediate head with a floating running line, full intermediate and a Hi-D Sink 6. All of the lines are constructed around a mono core with Rio’s Agent X super slick coating.

I must admit that the first time I used the Outbound Short I struggled to get to grips with it. The rear taper is very drastic, and as such the caster cannot afford any “overhang” (false casting with running line out past the tip ring) – the thin running line simply cannot transfer energy to the very short, thick head of the line. Rio have designed all these lines with a colour change between the running line and the head, making finding the “sweet spot” of this line very easy. Once you have got used to the idea that this line is all shoot and no carry it really does go miles!

Shooting the very thin running line is effortless; the heavy head on this line simply whips the line from your feet. It is however a little prone to tangling and I would advise that a little line management before each cast should be exercised. After an hour’s fishing generally the running line stretched out a little and I found the tangling issue went away.

I’ve used the Outbound Shorts in many different situations, from big reservoir fishing with 12″ 6/0 monster flies to a very small stream with size 1/0 baitfish patterns and not once has this line failed to carry the flies in the air. It is essential to be able to double haul to carry such flies but even inexperienced casters will find using the Outbound short will increase their distance and ability to use larger flies.

Rio Outbound Short Lines

One thing I did notice about the line is that it has a large amount of stretch to it. Ideally a pike fly line would have a zero stretch braided core, making hook setting a more direct affair. Having said that I’ve barely missed a take in twelve months so maybe my concerns here are purely theoretical. I’ve been able to try these lines on four different 9# rods, the Hardy Pro-axis, the Greys Platinum Saltwater, the Sage Xi3 and the Chris Clemes hand built saltwater 9#. The Hardy and the Sage certainly handled the heavy head most effectively; at a push I’d say the Hardy and the Outbound Short are the perfect match.

Overall I would say that the Outbound Short represents the best option for the UK pike angler in terms of user-friendly, high quality fly lines. The short, heavy head and thin running lines reduce false casting to the point that one can fish a 9# all day without fatigue, even in windy conditions. With a minimum of line management the line is a tangle free, quick shooting cannon, blasting the largest pike flies in to the distance efficiently. The line I have used the most is the Intermediate head with the floating running line, and for the occasional pike angler who only wishes to buy one line I would highly recommend this particular configuration because it offers such versatility of presentation.

Finally, after years of having to making do with lines that weren’t quite up to it, Rio have provided the pike fly angler with a range of lines that really will get the job done.

It’s hard to beat for truly testing shots, the pigeons are often high and fast and you will be snap shooting as they flit across gaps in the trees. Your ego may take a battering as you see an ever growing pile of spent cartridges build up and a quizzical look on your Labrador’s face as you discharge both barrels at some air where a pigeon used to be! But this rollercoaster ride has highs and lows – sometimes the planets align and even I can pull down the odd stratospheric pigeon from the heavens – the satisfying thud as they hit the ground is very sweet.

Another great thing about this is you are only out of the house for a few hours – so plenty of time to complete the weekend chores and be in position ready to shoot for late afternoon. In March the pigeons will starting coming in to roost at around 4.00pm and it will all be over at 6.00pm. I am lucky enough to have access to some woods in Wiltshire surrounded by fields of rape and there are plenty of pigeons on the right day. Cold weather tends to encourage the pigeons to form large flocks and the keeper is happy for me to visit once he has finished catching the leftover hens up. The wind plays an important role in the day’s outcome. Plenty of wind looses the sound of the shots and makes the pigeons flight lines more predictable. Bear in mind that the pigeons will have to turn into the wind to land. Still days are very frustrating!

The dog loves to be out shooting!

As I’m an occasional pigeon shooter I don’t go in for a full camo outfit but use my usual shooting clothes. Starting at the ground and working up I wear my Le Chameau Verzinord wellies – these are the neoprene lined ones. They keep your feet warm no matter how cold it gets and are supremely comfortable. I like trousers rather than breeks and go for a thick lined pair that will be warm and tough enough to resist holly and brambles. I match the garments on my top half to the conditions but as this shooting can be quite athletic and often involve a long walk I try and keep the layers down and so not to restrict freedom of movement. The final outer shell is my trusty Schoffel Ptarmigan Superlight jacket and I can carry 50 cartridges easily in the pockets. The final two clothing items are very important – a head net to break up the outline of your face and a cap in a muted colour to shield your face from incoming birds. Once a pigeons sees you – especially if they have been shot at a few times they will jink and swerve as they fly – tough targets indeed.

So finally on to guns – I use my twenty year old 12g over and under, but I think the weapon of choice for me would be a semi auto – giving me the opportunity to miss with three cartridges! One day I will get round to acquiring one of these just for these pigeon forays.

So get out there and shoot some pigeons – they are good to eat, you are controlling a serious agricultural pest and great fun to shoot. Enjoy!

Written by Allan Shephard

Part 1 – Tierra Del Fuego

Our party duly assembled at Heathrow on Thursday 24^th January for what would be my third trip to Rio Grande. With Mike joining us again we had no changes from our last party – David his daughter Karen, her husband John, Richard and I. Reports from the river were positive so we set off with high hope and lots of talk of the latest creations the fly tyers had produced for the trip. We had an uneventful journey to Buenos Aires, picking up our 4 bottles of malt to entertain Alexandro. We stayed this time at Loi Suites – it lacked the ‘attractions’ of the bar at the Sofitel but was considerably cheaper and as we were departing at 4am the following morning we weren’t envisaging a late night. After a very nice empanada lunch at a small family restaurant we found ourselves at Arundo – a fantastic leather and riding equipment shop. Aside from a massive selection of belts, hats, gunslips etc it has a floor devoted to saddles, bridles tack etc which appear to be made on the premises. Tricia, Mike’s wife is a very keen rider and Mike was keen to get her something. Despite Karen (another keen rider) finding him a very swish silver mounted ‘jumping’ whip (shades of 50 shades?) he resisted the temptation and went for a very tasteful saddle bag instead!

For dinner we went again to Las Linas and had another excellent meal. Karen and John were somewhat quiet for a while as they got through the largest and strongest gin and tonics we had seen. We also managed to find an excellent Malbec and remembered not to over order on the starters – the sweetbreads with green onion is memorable and certainly enough for two.

On our early flight down to Rio Grande the next morning I was entertained by sitting next to a not so small baby who pawed her mother for three hours and breast fed for most of the journey. Meanwhile Mike sat down on a full bottle of water soaking the guy next to him and creating a nice wet seat. We were met by Federico and Colo and congratulated Freddie on his promotion to head guide following Jorge’s retirement. They had been joined by Diego from the upper lodge. As we reached the Estancia our way was blocked by hundreds of sheep being driven to the shearing shed by the gaucho’s and their dogs. We had always been too late to see the shearing on previous trips so the afternoon’s activity was settled.

It was great to see Heather back again and know the week would pass smoothly under her administration. We also had a new chef as the previous excellent one had set up a restaurant in Ushia and was, not surprisingly, doing very well. After lunch we wandered over to the shearing shed, the largest in the world. Some 20 shearers were in action. The physical effort they go through manhandling each sheep and shearing it in around 3 or 4 minutes was huge. It was clear they more than earned their $20 a day wages and I wonder how long their backs last. All the machinery was working, belt driven clippers and what I personally found most impressive the Fawcett Preston and Co Ltd hydraulic press from Liverpool. Around 90 years old and still going strong compressing around 20 fleeces into each bale for onward shipping to Brazil, China etc. Unusually it had been a very still day but as we wandered back to the Villa in warm sunshine the wind was picking up and that proved to be a feature of the week with fishing conditions ranging from breezy to strong wind.

Mike and I fished for the first 2 days with Freddie and Gonzalo. Gonzalo is a young lad, son of a gaucho who has shown a real interest in fishing and is being encouraged by the guides. What he lacked in English, but he is learning fast, he made up for in enthusiasm changing flies, making coffee and getting very excited when we hooked fish. The party had a slow first morning but in the evening Mike and I were on Alesandros. The wind had got up and we crossed the river and fished of a high bank into the side. I swapped to a skagit set up and 15’ of t-14 and on my first cast with a big double mend had a solid take. For 10 minutes the fish stayed deep cruising around in a small are and every time I lifted it it promptly took line and returned to the bottom. Finally it began to move down to the bottom of the pool before ‘ping’ and the hook came out. Freddie who had said nothing cheered me up with ‘that was a very good fish’ oh well! We went up river and Mike was soon in the action landing 3 fish. I was still thinking about the one that got away but when we returned to Alesandros. I had a beautiful 15lb fish on a leech, my first book fish of the week and some compensation. Karen also landed a 15lb fish that evening so things were looking up. On our second day I asked Freddie how Jorge was enjoying his retirement. He told me he was actually still working in Rio Grande ‘he’s not as old as you might think!’ a one liner I must remember.

In anticipation of my Antarctica trip I had bought myself a new Nikon DSLR with a couple of lenses and some filters. Freddie is a keen photographer and I had been encouraging him to have a go with it and take some photos. After a fishless morning (Mike landing 4!) on our final session Freddie suddenly appeared in the water in front of me squatting down taking photos with my camera held about 6 inches above the water, I endeavoured not to look worried. I landed 2 small fish that evening as Freddie snapped away. He got very excited about one of my filters a 50/50 neutral density number that really heighted the sky and he was very proud of a sunset picture with Mike in the river ‘in the distance looking like a little dot’  - there are many descriptions of Mike but I’ve not heard ‘little dot’ before. I was really pleased I had encouraged Freddie to use the camera and would recommend it to others. Colo also used it later in the week as a result of which Mike and I have a great collection of pictures that we would never have taken ourselves. I particularly like one that proves that I can produce a ‘D’ loop on my cast. After 2 days we said cheerio to Freddie and Gonzalo when we were dropped off. As we walked up to the rod room Mike said “what was the name of the young lad?”

“Gonzalo” I replied.

“Oh dear, I’ve been calling him Thomas for the last 2 days” Hopefully Gonzalo isn’t too scarred by the experience and just regards Mike as another rather mad Englishman.

John soon settled into the role as resident barman and surveying the well stocked bar had us drinking ‘pink’ gins that evening. Not a drink I’d sampled before but it did become my drink of the trip

On our next day with Diego we started at the bottom of the seagull island pool on the far bank. On my second cast with a gold headed EMB a very nice fish jumped and I felt the line tighten and then go slack seconds after it landed – quite a start. 2 casts later I hooked up on the bottom. When I finally hand lined the fly off the snag I felt the solid pull of a fish, 3 jumps revealed it to be over 20lbs before it ran down to the tail of the pool and then wallowed confirming that it was foul hooked. I returned to the top of the pool again and started a further 15 yards down the pool as Mike moved down to the hotspot. Unbelievably next cast I was into another fish Diego quickly pointing out ‘and your cast didn’t even reach the far bank’. After 10 minutes we were able to get a good view of a 12 to 14lb fish coming to the net which then shook its head and shed the hook! Yet again I returned to the top of the pool, again a good 20 yards down and promptly hooked another fish on my second cast. I played this fish very, very carefully. This time a 15lb fish was safely netted – it had been an incredible 40 minutes. However I failed to get another touch all morning, nor did Mike following me down using the same fly.

In the evening the leech delivered a nice 17lb fish for an enjoyable day and Richard broke his duck with 3 fish including 2 of 15lbs and 19lbs.

We were joined for lunch and dinner by Felipe who has taken over from his Uncle Alexandro as the Angling operation manager. We learned that as well as being a very serious polo player he had twice been World Taekwondo champion and Heather found us a great YouTube clip of him knocking a block from a 6’ victims head with a spinning kick – very impressive. He also told us breaking wooden blocks, concrete etc with his bare hands is all in the mind!

On learning of my plans for later in the trip he gave me a card for his brother’s restaurant in Buenos Aires and encouraged me to pay a visit.

All the guides are great casters and good teachers which I for one need in the wind. The next morning we fished a pool with an almost perfect wind for casting and I managed to incorporate most of the tips I had been given. Holding 2 large loops both going well beyond the rod tip the line flew out between 50 and 60 yards – very satisfying!  The other 2 groups had good mornings David landing the first 20lb fish of the week with Karen and John getting 6 fish including 2 each above 15lbs. That evening as we donned our waders Karen couldn’t find her new watch. John who was always last as he frantically tied another special fly for the next session was despatched to search for it but to no avail. They thought it would be in the guide’s car but John took great delight in telling us later that he had found it Velcro’d to the seat of Karen’s trousers where she had sat on it.

I thought Diego was a great addition to the team. Really enthusiastic and very helpful. He also ‘sold’ me on the lodge where he guides for Dorado from May to August in Bolivia on the Upper Amazon. (See Devil’s Gold on YouTube) I landed fish each session with Diego and also lost good fish each session.

Thursday marked the anniversary of last year’s epic Manchester United versus Leeds battle when Man U had run out 5-4 victors with a final fish in ‘Fergie time’. In memory of the anniversary and perhaps because we were fishing with Colo – ‘Red’   it was nice to wake and see the Argentinean flag on the flagpole had been replaced by a Manchester United flag! John and Mike proudly stood underneath it with Colo and had their photographs taken.

Mike and I had a slow start to our 2 days with Colo whilst David landed a fantastic 24lb fish – his biggest ever. Karen continued her run with nice fish of 19 and 16lbs following up in the evening with another 15lb fish and John landing a 20lb fish. In the evening the pattern of my fishing with Mike continued – he got numbers – 5 to 15lbs and I had quality 12lbs and 16lbs!

On the final day we started on Nirvana where Karen and John had had such a good morning earlier in the week. After I had a nice 13lb fish quite early on Mike again got stuck into the numbers landing 3. Colo was keen on one particular spot and with 30 minutes to go and with us having covered it around 6 times already I had a very solid take. The fish cruised around deep rather like the fish I lost on the first evening before finally jumping – a really nice fish. Colo grabbed my camera and snapped away as I began to worry that it would join my lost fish tally. Worries heightened when Colo missed on the first netting attempt. Finally after 20 minutes it was in the net.  It looked huge and I immediately said to Colo “how big?”

“16lbs” he said – then seeing my crest fallen look said “OK we’ll all guess the weight $10 each nearest gets the lot – you first”

It had to be bigger than 16 so I said 17. Mike who had joined us said 18 at which point with great glee Colo said 22!! It duly weighed in at 21lbs for a very happy and poorer angler!

I suspect that’s a trick Colo has played many times before. 21lbs equalled my previous biggest and I could happily have finished then. In the event we had a pretty quiet evening with 3 fish between us before heading in for drinks and eats with the guides and a summary of the week.

Mike was top rod with 20 fish closely followed by Karen who had 8 fish in the book. David had the biggest fish at 24lbs. whilst we had less fish than out previous year conditions were harder and I was really pleased to have had much more consistency than previous years. Only 3 blank sessions and ‘book’ fish on 4 days out of 6.

Despite Karen’s encouragement we did not manage to finish John expensive whisky and indeed there was quite a surplus which Heather has put away for us so we will all have to return next year. Another memorable week, thanks to everyone who makes it such a special one.

Part 2 – Torres Del Paine

We left Villa Maria together and then I bade farewell at the airport and Freddie took me to Rio Grande bus station. With no Spanish and the staff at the bus station speaking no English the 90 minutes before I caught the bus was interesting to say the least. I reluctantly handed over my passport but did manage to persuade the driver to get my extensive luggage into a separate compartment as I was getting out before the final destination. I settled into a seat and then had a small altercation with a couple who finally got through to me that I was in their seats. Settled into my correct seat the journey started. I was hoping it would take around 5 hours to the other side of the Magellan straight but we were not making very fast progress.

Things looked up when ‘Manuel’ our coach attendant brought round the passports, a form to fill in and a black coffee – sadly very sweet and with no where to dispose of it – it had to be drunk.

After 90 minutes we came to a halt in a petrol station by the Argentinean Chilean border. Manuel collected the forms and checked them. We then pulled up to the border post and he left the coach with the forms. My hopes that this would be similar to a straight forward European border crossing were not fulfilled. All luggage had to come off and go through a scanner and then we had to queue for passport stamping – it appeared to be a justification for lots of jobs and a resulted in an hour’s stoppage. We finally arrived at the ferry – an open car ferry with a long passenger cabin at 3.30 some 5 and a half hours later. We crossed the Magellan straight in around 30 minutes. I said hello to a young backpacker carrying a rod tube on his rucksack and he was keen to see all the Rio Grande photos – unlike most non fisherman. He was hoping to do some trout fishing as he headed north up the Chilean coast. My car and drivers were thankfully there to meet me and we had a civilised 4 hour drive to the hotel with a quick pit stop for a toasted sandwich and, in my case, a very welcome beer.

My wife Rosie and our friends Amanda and Stuart had flown out on Thursday to Santiago and after a night there had flown down to Punta Arenas early Saturday morning. They had then been transferred to the hotel and arrived around an hour before me. The Tierra Patagonia is a great hotel. Designed by a young architect Cazu Zegers from the quirky Santiago Architectural School it sits low and wide at the end of Lago Sarmiento. Built largely of wood from a distance it sits in the landscape almost invisible whilst inside full height windows in the rooms and public areas give great views. We had a good dinner that evening and there was some interest in my fishing photos, but not much. Each day at the hotel there is a program of walks and trips either half day or full day.

Torres Del Paine is an absolutely stunning area. Mountains, rivers waterfalls and lakes with no buildings and few roads and people. Similar in some ways to the Lake District but ‘turbo-charged’. On our first day we did a memorable walk up and along Condor Ridge with its many visible nest sites of cracks and holes in the rock marked by great white splashes. Not surprisingly they use a different site each year. We did not see condors that day but we did on subsequent days – with a 3.5 metre wingspan they are a majestic sight. That evening in the bar we met Stephen and Lance from San Francisco who had been there for a couple of days longer. Over Pisco sours they gave us a run down on some of the walks they had done. We were joined at the bar by an American couple who proceeded to give us a total run down on their trip around South America. This seemed to consist of a lot of driving, one night stops obtained at massive discounts and a general tick done mentality without any great memory of what they had seen or done.  He did pause briefly in his monologue to ask me “has anyone ever said you look like Dustin Hoffman?” (Actually yes) “But you have better teeth than him”. I’m still trying to work out whether that’s a compliment or not! They left us and Stephen commented that they represented all that was bad about Americans abroad. He then introduced us to the concept of the ‘Bickersons’ the couple you invariably meet on holiday who do nothing but argue with each other, fortunately they didn’t join us.

The next day we had a very enjoyable ride through the forest with some Gauchos and horses that were a little livelier than some of the plodders I’ve been on. We had a number of different guides at the hotel some of them students working in their holidays but they were all incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable and really keen for you to get the most out of each excursion. On our final day we had a full day trip to Lago Grey and a boat trip to the Grey Glacier. It’s a strange and memorable sight to see large icebergs floating down the lake and at the head of the lake the two tongues of the glacier entering the water. Following a final dinner and a memorable bottle of Carmenere we bade farewell to Amanda and Stuart and headed south to Punta Arenas and Antarctica.

Part 3 – Antarctica – Ocean Nova

The first night of the trip was a welcome dinner in Punta Arenas and instructions and briefings about the trip. I had done quite a lot of research into Antarctic cruises and spoke to a number of people. Trips fall into 2 categories – cruising from Ushia in Argentina and spending 2 days each way crossing the Drake Passage, a notoriously rough piece of ocean or cutting out the Drake Passage by flying from Punta Arenas to King George Island which was the route we decided upon. Because of weather conditions the timing of the flight out and back can vary. We were told over dinner that the wake up call would be 4am for a 6.30am flight and to be dressed in full Antarctic kit, boots etc with a maximum of 20kg of luggage. With all my fishing gear duly packed and left at the hotel we were all on the coach and ready to go at 4.45am. We then had an announcement that the weather had changed and the flight window had closed. Leaving the luggage on the coaches we returned to bed awaiting more news at breakfast. With weather still poor we then embarked upon the contingency plan and had a tour of Punta Arenas including the museum. With no positive news from any of the updates we headed back to the hotel after lunch. We arrived around 2.30pm and George told us to head for the conference room for a very important announcement. It was said in such a way that I was convinced we were in for another night in Punta Arenas. Instead we were told to be back on the coach in 15 minutes for a 4pm flight. Everything then moved smoothly and our BAE 146 touched down at Frei station at 6.20pm. We then walked back down the runway past the base and down to the shore for our first trip on a zodiac to our boat Ocean Nova.

The Ocean Nova is a relatively small boat. Cabins are clean and comfortable but small as befits an ‘expedition’ boat. There were 53 passengers on our trip with 31 crew and 14staff.

Our first morning was spent cruising in the zodiacs amongst ice floes populated by penguins and leopard seals. In the afternoon we landed at Brown Bluff on the Antarctic continent. If it was your 7^th continent (as it was in my case) tradition dictates you kiss the ground on landing. I now just need the tee shirt. Walking amongst the penguins and their chicks was everything I imagined it to be and more. They are fantastic creatures to observe, ignoring you and getting on with their lives unless you are in their way, in which case you get a sideways look saying ‘move’. The other surprise is the noise and the smell – not obnoxious but certainly potent. Dinners were very enjoyable affairs – very good food and guests moved around so that we all met one another. In addition the staff spread themselves amongst the tables and I had some fascinating conversations notably with Nigel, a fellow Mancunian and veteran of 20 years in Antarctica and Nigel another Brit who is now an assistant history professor in Colorado specialising in Antarctic history. All the staff are massive Antarctic enthusiasts who go out of their way to ensure that your experience of the trip is as great as possible.

Amongst the passengers we had a film crew, 2 American football players, some travel experts and others from a variety of countries and backgrounds. Over breakfast the next day with the journalist/cameraman who was doing a story on the NFL players I was asked for the second time in a week whether anyone else had ever thought I looked like Dustin Hoffman – worrying. The camera crew helped me out with a problem with one of my lenses and I got to find out their background. Rene Araneda tad taken a total career change to go from being a graphic designer in Santiago to take a trainee safari guide course in the Kruger. He filmed himself during the course and, on his return, produced a documentary that has been shown on Chilean TV. His safari guide teacher Wayne – another keen fisherman, was also on the trip. They were shooting film for a documentary which they will be screening later in the year at one of the larger festivals with a view to selling it to television companies.

On our second day in the morning we landed at O’Higgins Station, another Chilean base. The staff on the boat were excited as only one of them had been there before. The base commander came on board to explain the workings of the base before we embarked for our 2 hour tour. The staff were extremely hospitable and interestingly took as many photographs of us as we did of them, they do not get many visitors during their one year stay!

In the afternoon we landed at Astrolabe Island and had our first encounter with Chinstrap penguins.

Day three saw us at Orne harbour and a hike up a steep slope of around 200 metres to see more chinstraps and their chicks. There was a steady stream of penguins going up and down the slope to feed and then return to feed their chicks and consequently significant pink stripes in the snow marking their routes. We later had a picturesque landing at Cuverville Island, our furthest point south and then a cruise in the zodiacs to try and get close to some humpback whales that had been spotted.

The evening proved to be the most memorable of the trip. A barbecue on deck in freezing temperatures with some great food was followed by a talk about the next day. However whales were spotted and we crowded to the windows and outside. 4 humpbacks had been spotted a few hundred yards away. The captain reported that we were over a huge shoal of krill and stopped the boat. Each subsequent surfacing of the whales was closer until they were literally next to the boat. To see those huge creatures so close was stunning, it was also noticeable how quiet everyone went when they surfaced and ‘blew’. We returned spellbound to our talk. During the talk it was noticeable that Dr Sergio’s translation into Spanish appeared to be twice as long as the English version and considerably more humorous judging by the laughter. Lucas one of the passengers then gave us a very professional magic performance with a pack of cards and much audience participation. Lucas was on the trip with his mother to celebrate his 21^st birthday. His mother treating each of her children when they reached 21 to a holiday of their choosing wherever they wanted to go in the world- a great idea.

We were then ‘subject’ to the Doctors Antarctic quiz. Our team, the sealers, thought we had done quite well but we hadn’t appreciated the nature of some of the good doctor’s questions as in

Question – Which nation consumes the most krill? Answer Wales!

Question – What is the longest word in the English language? Answer smiles! – there’s a mile between the first and last letter! We took solace at the bar.

Our final day saw us at Deception Island an active volcano and a landing at Whaler’s bay. Much of the whaler’s equipment remains including the storage tanks and burners. Nigel took us around and told us the history. At one point before they worked out how to process all the carcass there had been 3,000 whale carcasses on the beach. Having seen those magnificent humpbacks the night before I hope we never again allow commercial whaling to return and pressure continues to be brought on Japan and Iceland to cease their ‘scientific’ culling. Because of the volcano there are warm springs in the bay and we were encouraged to have a dip, amazing several did including at least one bikini!

Our final landing was at Yankee harbour where many of us having got every photo we could possibly need sat and watched the penguin world go by as the colony of 4000 pairs of Gentoos went about their business.

We had a very enjoyable final evening – firstly a great slide show of the trip put together by the crew, then a presentation by the film crew and a showing of some of their footage and then the photo completion. I was pleased to get one of mine into the top 10 but it was clear that it wasn’t a winner. Lucas’s seal was a deserving victor. The event was hosted by Doctor Sergio and during one of the intervals I decided to get my own back on his ‘misuse’ of the English language by producing a limerick in his honour. It brought a few laughs from the English speakers and the doctor himself and it was amusing to see him try and explain what a limerick was and translate it into Spanish. For those of a nervous disposition skip the next section

On a voyage to Antarctica, not Malvinas,
The doctor came from Punta Arenas,
If you hit your head and saw stars
You might think you saw Mars
But the good doctor would look for Uranus
Well I did warn you.

Our last day found us back at Frei station. With a heavy swell and sleet falling the landing was interesting. We saw our plane come in, said our farewells to the crew and staff and bid farewell to Antarctica. It was a really memorable trip – definitely up there in my top 5 and one I may well repeat at some point.

Part 4 – Buenos Aires

After a night in Punta Aires we flew to Buenos Aires and our final stay at the Hotel Faena where we met up again with Stuart and Amanda. They had travelled up through Argentina staying at some very nice locations in Baraloci, Mendoza and Cordoba (although sadly they did not take advantage of the dove shooting – at some point I might!) I had picked the hotel because of its location and outdoor pool. We discovered the rooms were large but slightly quirky in layout but the pool was excellent and it was nice after 3 weeks of activity to have a doss by the pool. We had a wander around Sant Elm on our first day and I looked up Felipe’s brothers’ restaurant Amici Miei. Alfonso his brother was behind the bar. He was pleased to hear the news from Villa Maria and we booked for the next night. That evening we went to the tango show Tango Rojo at the hotel which I had been to before and enjoyed. It was even better than before; a better menu for dinner, different dancers and choreography but the star was still the old boy with his flickering fingers.

The next day Amanda asked whether there was an alternative room as theirs was noisy and the bed creaked on every movement. They were very impressed when they were moved to the $4,000 a night tower suite a fabulous room with great views but on 3 floors with stairs so not totally practicable. Our meal at Amici Miei that day was extremely good. Alfonso and the chef took us through the menu in great detail and recommended some excellent and not expensive wine. As we were finishing a gentleman on an adjacent table got up, went to the bar and music started playing. He then sang 3 beautiful arias before returning for his main course. It turned out he is Gianni Summa a tenor from the main opera house who eats and sings at the restaurant every Friday. We had a final drink and he sang 2 more arias before we left, a memorable evening.

I further visit to Arundo brought me a belt and a very fetching hat which I think will look great in the shooting field although my family have cast doubts.

On our final day I thought I recognised someone at breakfast. On reading the paper by the pool, at which point he was on the next sun bed, I realised it was Fat Boy slim who was playing Pacha that night. I resisted the text suggestion from my son to ask for some VIP tickets and instead we went for a final meal at Las Linas and another great Malbec, interestingly cheaper that the 2 bottles I asked the waiter about!

Our flight home proved eventful as we realised after takeoff that neither of our seat controls worked. There were no spare seats but the crew managed to fiddle underneath the seats to incline them a little. When it came to sleep time we had a pantomime performance as two of the female cabin crew trampolined on the seats in howls of laughter to try and get them to incline. After around 25 minutes they exceeded to some extent. The senior purser said she would report it, gave me her card and encouraged me to fill in a complaints form. After a couple of days at home I duly completed one on line and within 24 hours received not only an apology but 2 very decent vouchers against a subsequent trip. Clearly I will have to return again next year.

Another memorable trip made as always by my companions, the guides and staff at all locations and the organisers Charlie and Hannah at Roxtons and Sara at Ultimate Travel, many thanks.

Chris Batterham 1.3.13

Fly fishing the Varzina River for Atlantic Salmon is one of life’s truly remote wilderness experiences. In the middle of this rugged beauty sits the finest salmon fishing camp in Russia the Varzina River Lodge. Within a radius of 24km are some of the most productive fly pools ever fished.

Many 33+ lbs fish are hooked, some are even landed. This is the true spirit of Atlantic salmon fishing. While most of the fishing is reached by a helicopter, some of the very best pools are within a comfortable walking distance from the Lodge. Many an evening outing after dinner has produced a trophy salmon within sight of the Varzina lounge bar!

You will have the opportunity to fish the Varzina and Penka Rivers during the weeks trip.

Dates 8th – 15th June 2013

Cost £3500 Per Rod – Reduced from £4850

Limited Spaces Available

Price Includes:

• 6 nights full board accommodation at the Varzina River Lodge

• 6 days guided fishing

• Return transfers from Murmansk to Varzina River Lodge.

Price Excludes: Return flights/Accomodation in Helinki/Russian Visa and Gratuities/Alcoholic Beverages

Itinerary

• Friday 7th June – Fly to Helsinki with an overnight stay at an airport hotel.
• Saturday 8th June – Depart on a 9am private flight to Murmansk with Finnair.  Then a helicopter flight to the Varzina River Lodge.
• Sunday9th – 14th June – 6 Full days fishing.

For more information please contact:

Steve Hunt on 01544 327111 or 07810 523700 or email steve.hunt@sportfish.co.uk

Sean Clarke on 0207 4841000 or email sean.clark@farlows.co.uk