Patagonia River Guides started with two guys with an improbable dream.
Rance Rathie and his college buddy Travis Smith founded Patagonia River Guides fifteen years ago. If you’d asked these two “trout bums” as they guided their way around South America, if one day they would have the best fishing operation in Patagonia, Argentina – perhaps the world – they might have replied, incredulously, “No way!” But that’s exactly what happened. Their first season, they had only 12 guests, but every single one of them re-booked. Now that should tell you something. Today, Patagonia River Guides owns its own lodge and has arrangements with nearly a dozen other private estancias and lodges in the region.
Rance and Travis cut their teeth fishing and guiding in Montana and have a special understanding of what American guests want and expect. You can look forward to inspiring waters, varied fishing, beautiful scenery, interesting culture, lasting friendships and unrivaled service, complemented by gourmet and regional cuisine, delicious wines and first-class accommodations.
One day you’ll find yourself wading small freestone streams or spring creeks, floating bigger rivers from comfortable rafts or drift boats, stalking fish and sight fishing in gin-clear water or even spending a day in search of fish over ten pounds in one of Patagonia’s three most productive regions. Mix those soul-satisfying fly-fishing experiences with culturally eye-opening exposures that might include gauchos moving cattle and sheep or local farmers working their docile oxen as they plow fields. Nowhere in the world will you find such an available diversity of fabulous flora and fauna – vibrantly colored parrots and flamingos, rheas, and even once endangered condors catching the updrafts over rugged Andean peaks.
Whether you’re hankering for the solitude of fly-fishing alone, a “cast and blast” combination of fishing and wingshooting on the 100,000 acres leased for quail hunting, or looking for a transformative family adventure exploring the culture of Argentina, Patagonia River Guides has the best equipment, guides, bird dogs, and accommodations in the world’s adventure travel industry.
