Salt Water Silvers in Icy Bay, Alaska

My mentor, Jake Jordan, reserved this week for himself and friends, and now he is getting his hip replaced. The week of September 16-22 is prime time for Silver Salmon (Coho) on the flats of Icy Bay. These chrome bright silvers weigh between 8 and 15 pounds. Still in salt water, they are super charged with energy and are feeding actively. Most silver fishing in Alaska takes place in the confines of rivers, after the silvers have stopped feeding and their respiratory system has adjusted to fresh water and the spawning mode. Wading flats and sight casting to salt water silvers is a unique and exhilarating experience. Because Jake can’t be there, you are offered a 30% discount if you can book right away. 4 spots are open, but not for long. Your per person price for one week of fishing is $3900. Icy Bay Lodge is located along the “Lost Coast” of Alaska 65 miles west of Yakut, at the foot of Mount Saint Elias, the second highest mountain in The United States. You will be dazzled with spectacular views while you fight some of the most aerobatic salmon on earth. Wade fishing on the Icy Bay flats is a top water fishery where anglers sight cast to cruising schools of Silver Salmon IN SALT WATER. This is Alaska at its finest. Priced to make you say YES! Questions? Call me: Austin Hepburn 610.585.7583

Kid’s Club Casa Vieja Lodge
Pacific Sailfish on fly

Kid’s Club means that for each paying adult, one child stays and fishes for free. Join me, my wife, Hannah and my three children (16, 15 & 12 years of age) in Guatemala over the New Year’s holidays to catch Pacific Sailfish on conventional tackle or fly. We will arrive in Guatemala City on Christmas Day. Our first destination will be Antigua, to learn about the Mayan Culture and the Spanish Conquest of Central America. Antigua is a beautiful city with tremendous cultural significance and is absolutely safe. Antigua was the original Colonial Capitol of Central America and today is a World Heritage Site. You are welcome to join us there, but it is not necessary. On December 29 we will arrive at Casa Vieja Lodge and fish on December 30, 31 and January 1, 2013, returning to the United States on January 2, 2013.

I will be available for instruction and all fly fishing gear will be supplied. If you have not caught a Pacific Sailfish on a fly rod, you are in for a treat. This is relatively easy to learn and requires more finesse than strength. My children and wife will start the first day using conventional tackle and then move to fly. I am excited to introduce them to “blue water” fly fishing. The energy rush of hooking a sail fish right behind the boat is difficult to describe. Watching the fish jump is really fantastic. Children between 12-18 are the perfect age to introduce “Billfish on Fly”. Other options include pitching baits to teased up sailfish and light tackle spinning gear.

Casa Vieja Lodge is a self contained compound, where families can celebrate the New Year together, without driving. The swimming pool and game room are perfect for children of all ages. The owner of Casa Vieja, Jim Turner will be in residence with his family, so expect a wonderful experience. Cost for Family of Four: $8280 for four nights lodging and three days of Fishing. Airfare approx $600 each.

Austin Hepburn 610.585.7583
ahepburn@austinhepburn.com

Red, White & Brown
Chilean Brown Trout and Wine Tour

I love good wine, tender, flavorful beef and BIG BROWN TROUT. March in Patagonia is the equivalent of September in North America; the trout are turning very hungry in anticipation of winter.

Picacho Lodge has openings the first, third and forth weeks of March. The week of February 16th also has some open beds. I will be hosting a wine tour and fly fishing trip from March 21 to March 30. We will visit two vineyards near Santiago and enjoy the rich culture of this world class city. Accommodations will be selective and we will eat dinner at a renowned Chilean Beef Restaurant. After two days of tours in Santiago, we will fly to Coyhaique/ Balmaceda and spend six days fishing for Big Brown trout and the occasional Rainbow. Dry flies work in March, as do egg patterns as the Chinook Salmon are spawning and the resident trout are feasting on eggs. We will spend a day in the prolific Picacho Lagunas, where thick, muscular trout are bottom feeding on dragon fly larva. These lagunas offer some of the best trout fishing in Patagonia. Bring floating line and sink tip line; 5 & 6 wt. rods. One week in Picacho Lodge is $3500. The combined wine tour and fly fishing trip is $4500. For airfare, budget $1200-$1500.

Austin Hepburn 610.585.7583
ahepburn@austinhepburn.com

These photographs were taken at the Errazuriz Estate outside Santiago, where some of the best red wines in the world originate

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