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SUMMARY OF THE 09-10 SEASON
I went down to host the first two abbreviated groups (one group of 5 and the other of 3) from the last week in Nov. - thru the first two weeks of Dec.. Unfortunately El Nino was affecting the area this year as the weather was cold, rainy and windy the first week -- in fact it had been raining since the middle of August. The lake was about 10 feet above its normal level for that time of year. There was no dry fly fishing until the last two days that I was there but the fishing was beyond normal comprehension as we have never caught the number of big fish like brought to the net during this period -- 19 trout over 10 lb.; 6 between 15 - 20 lb.; one Rainbow that was conservatively estimated to be over 24 lb.; one 28 lb. Chinook (that tasted very good); and several Atlantic Salmon. We fished the lake like we do in the fall with wet flys and the action was nonstop. The other lodge that was open caught several large Rainbows as well. Maybe we hit it just right for the prespawn of the Rainbows, or Patricio thought that possibly the ash that flowed back into the lake (from the Futaluefu etc.) may have made the monsters move up into shallower water, or all of the rain had something to do with it. At any rate, it was the most amazing fishing that I and my staff have ever experienced and we have fished these waters for many years. The last two days the fish finally started looking up and the dry fly fishing was just as spectacular as the wet fly as I caught several double digit fish and the action was nonstop-- too bad the clients had already left and the next group had not arrived yet. The Yelcho River also fished very well during this period especially from just below the lodge up to the lake.
Our waters continued to yield superb fishing the rest of the season with several of the big trophy Rainbows brought to net although not quite at the frequency noted above. The river fished very well from the lodge up to the lake. The lower portion of the Yelcho and the Futaluefu River fished excellent when there had been no recent rain but these waters did carry some residual ash when it rained and at those times did not fish as well.
The second Chinook run was the largest that we had ever witnessed on the Yelcho and the spring run had also been well above average . As usual, they took the fly better when they first came into the river and were more difficult to get to take a fly the longer and the higher that they went up the river -- at least it seemed so to us. In total 32 Chinooks were landed with most being in the 30 -40 lb range although a few were over 50 lb.. We have never offered Chinook as a target species but have noted that there seems to be more and more every year so if this trend continues we may have to rethink this.
The estuary that we travel to by horseback finally became fishable in March and April. This is the first that we have been able to fish it since the Chaiten Volcano erupted almost two years ago. The Steelheads and Atlantics were there as well as quite a few Chinooks. The Chinooks were more abundant in March. It is good to have these waters back as they had been unfishable because of a tributary to this river that originates from near the volcano making the river very off color.
The new airport at Santa Barbara (about 5 miles north of Chaiten) worked very well and AEROCORD's twin otters were full to capacity almost all the time. I met with this company after the season and they will be offering the same service next year with their schedule coordinated with the flights from the USA into Santiago with connections to Puerto Montt. The cost of this portion of the trip was about 100 USD each way (including transfer) which is much less than we have had to pay in many years -- when we had to fly into Alto Palena on other airplanes it got as high as 2,500 for a plane that handles 6 passengers. Also by offering to purchase the tickets for the Santiago/Puerto Montt travel in Chile we were able to cut that expense from about 570 USD down to about 150 USD -- these tickets are nonrefundable. Therefore saving each client almost 1,000 USD in total airfare as compared with air travel the last several years. My good friend Victor Munoz meets the clients upon clearing customs in Santiago and escorts them to the national LAN counter and gives them their ticket. In Puerto Montt Paula meets the clients and transfers them from the Tepual airport to the regional airport used by AEROCORD. They both did a superb job for us and all clients arrived happy and unstressed in Santa Barbara. Of course, if one wishes to use frequent flyer miles (AA/LAN) they can book all the way to Puerto Montt -- but those not using miles usually had us buy the tickets and reimbursed us for that segment and the Puerto Montt/ Santa Barbara segment and the transfers.
Patricio and the boys are busy closing up and making necessary maintenance and repairs for next season. We are also having a new custom built fly fishing skiff built this winter in Puerto Montt out of the strong plastic-like material that is used to make the very durable boats used in the salmon farming businesses. This skiff will be over 19 1/2 ft long and have two elivated casting platforms each with lean bars and stripping baskets. If this boat works as good as we believe that it will we will eventually replace our Chilean wooden skiffs with this type of boat when replacement is necessary.
We would like to sincerely thank all of our clients that we had the pleasure of staying with us this passed season. For the second year in a row almost all clients caught the biggest Rainbow AND Brown that they had ever caught in their lives --and the few that didn't were clients that have fished with us several times and have caught their biggest Rainbows and Browns on passed trips. Our hats are off to DR. David Nunamaker who caught the monster rainbow; to Dr Jim Peddie who caught 5 trophy rainbows in 3 days; and France Surprenamt who caught a probable world record native fish called a Peladilla-- well done! We have received considerable inquiries and have booked several groups for next year so if you are interested in booking please contact me.
Here are a few photos of the 09 -- 10 season with more put in the photo gallery (I'M SURE THAT I PUT TOO MANY PHOTOS IN THE GALLERIES, BUT THERE WERE SO MANY EXCELLENT ONES THIS YEAR) -- REMEMBER TO DOUBLE CLICK ON THE THUMBNAILS TO CHANGE TO A LARGER IMAGE/SLIDE SHOW OF THE GALLERY:
DR. DAVE NUNAMAKER AND HIS MONSTER RAINBOW
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DR. JIM PEDDIE WITH ONE OF 5 TROPHY RAINBOWS THAT HE CAUGHT IN 3 DAYS!
STEVE SHAHENIAN WITH A TROPHY BROWN
YELCHO RIVER CHINOOK -- ONE OF SEVERAL THAT AFTERNOON
WE ARE READY FOR THE 09 - 10 SEASON
Patricio and the boys have everything ready for the season. We have an airport close by with 3 flights a week and the fish are waiting! There are a few spaces available for trips hosted by Guy Tillotson and myself in the prime dry fly fishing part of our season in Jan. and Feb. ---Please contact me for the details.
SUMMARY OF 08 - 09 SEASON
As most of you are aware, the Chaiten Volcano erupted on May 2, 08 and the secondary damage from lahars (mud, ash, and debris slides) along with the immediate post eruption rains caused the Blanco River, which runs thru Chaiten to overflow and destroy a significant amount of the town. The Negro River did the same and they both also damaged the Chaiten airport. Thankfully the residents of Chaiten including all of my employees had already been evacuated before this occurred and have had to establish homes elsewhere because the Chilean government deems Chaiten uninhabitable and has decided to move the town to a new location a few miles north, at Santa Barbara, where it will not be affected by rivers that originate near the volcano.
The volcano itself blew ash about 20 miles into the sky and, fortunately for us, most of the ash was deposited several miles to the Southeast, (in the Futaleufu area of Chile and the Esquel area of Argentina). These areas received reports of 12 to 20 inches of ash while our lodge and the waters that we fish received about 1 inch of ash. No damage was sustained at our lodge, which is two mountain ranges with valleys at right angles to those coming from the area of the volcano between us and the eruption -- we are fortunately quite safe due to this geography. We did, however; lose the Chaiten airport and had to use the airport at Palena instead. This was problematic at times when the weather was bad because this airport is situated further inland. The highway north of Chaiten was closed most of the summer due to damage where it courses near the volcano. The volcano is in Douglas Thompkins' PUMALIN PARK, which was also closed for the summer for damage repairs. The ferry service to Chaiten has continued. The volcano has quieted down and occasionally emits water vapor but no significant ash. I went down the first of December to evaluate any affect that the eruption had on our facilities and the waters that we fish (a tough job, but someone had to do it) --- see this report below.
The construction and inspection of the new mothership, PUMA II, was finally completed and it was taken from the shipyard in Puerto Montt to the mouth of the Rio Yelcho where it was then placed on a big truck and trailer by two cranes and then taken to Lago Yelcho at Puerto Cardinas -- what an expensive, complicated process. The almost year and a half past due wait was sure worth it as it turned out very nice to which Patricio is to be commended. Its maiden voyage was with the legendary salt water, shallow water guide , Captain Bill Curtis, Robert (Bobby) Jones of Glade Park Associates, Inc out of Colorado, and Guy Tillitson of Grand Slam out of Florida (the latter two associated with Templefork, Teeney, etc.). We have been having clients board PUMA II at the mouth of the Rio Futaleufu at the upper end of the lake since this is much closer to the Palena airport so it saves and hour and a half of road travel.
The lake and the rivers continued to fish fantastically all season. Unfortuanately the river estuary where we fish for Atlantics and Steelhead in March and April was not available because of discoloration from a stream that enters this river upstream and comes from near the volcano. The lower Yelcho was off color also when it rained because of the remnants of the ash being washed into the river. Both of these areas are expected to be fine next year. The high quality of the fishing was also echoed by other lodge owners that I talked to and a group that came over from fishing the Esquel, Argentina and Palena, Chile areas -- the latter party said that the Yelcho fished much better than the other locations. The largest Rainbow caught this season was just under 20 lbs and several Rainbows and Brown in the double digits as well as Chinooks to 50 lbs were brought to net. Angler honors went to Dr Miles Misohito of Hawaii who caught the largest Rainbow and largest brown. This is the first season (since I have been involved with PUMA FISHING) that every client but two caught the biggest Rainbows AND Browns that they had ever caught in their lives -- further confirming that the fishing was as good or better than it has been in the last 20 years that I have been fishing these waters.
The government has started building a new airport at Santa Barbara
but until it is finished we will have to use other airports in the area or possibly a float plane -- which I am looking into during the off season.
You are invited to join us for the 09 - 10 season which is booking well -- so don't get shut out on your desired dates! Below are a few photos of the season including PUMA II.
MONSTER RAINBOW
PUMA II AT PUERTO CARDENAS
TROPHY BROWN
TROPHY RAINBOW
UPDATE DECEMBER 17, 2008
I have just returned from my lodge on Rio Yelcho where I was able to evaluate the affect that the Chaiten volcano eruption of 5/2/08 has had on the lodge, the waters that we fish, the infrastructure of the area, and most importantly the fish in our waters.
First, the volcano still vents water vapor but of a much decreased and variable height with no significant ash production and has been like that for 4 months. The town of Chaiten and its airport have been severely damaged - not by the eruption directly, but because the Rio Blanco which originates near the volcano and that courses through the town had its river bed destroyed by mud, ash and debris (so called lahars) and subsequently the area sustained heavy seasonal rains for 3 weeks. Thus with no riverbed, about 80% of the town was severely flooded with the mud, ash and debris. Actually the amount of ash that fell in this areas was only a couple of inches because the initial eruption went about 20 miles in the air and the prevailing winds, at the time blowing towards the southeast deposited a reported depth of ash up to 12 inches in the Futaleufu area of Chile and the Esquel area of Argentina with lesser fallout all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. The airport was affected by this scenario from the Rio Blanco and also the Rio Negro (another river that originates from near the volcano). The airport runway was initially to be cleared by the end of Sept. but the government decided not to do so. The Chilean government evacuated all residents at the time of the eruption and do not want the people to move back, but rather build a new Chaiten in an adjacent area that cannot be affected by this scenario of riverbed loss and subsequent flooding. However, the former residents strongly want to return and rebuild the town at the original site. Whether the government's desire is to keep these people from moving back in or whether they felt that it had more important tasks than getting the airport open again is of some debate among the people of the area. This decision has however negatively affected the entire region, not just the immediate Chaiten area; and complicated one of the only industries that they can realize outside income from . At any rate this town of about 4,500 inhabitants remains without water and power although the former residents are allowed into the area but cannot stay on a permanent basis. So we have no airport nor comercial services at Chaiten. The government was to decide a permanent solution by Dec. but this decision has now been delayed until at least the first of the year. However the port of Chaiten is open and there is ferry service between Puerto Montt and Chaiten 3 days a week..
I arrived by this ferry as we were bringing another vehicle and supplies to the lodge. The cost of this sevrice is very reasonable being only about 30 USD, but it takes 10 hours. Sleeping cabins with 4 beds each are also available at a small aditional cost, otherwise you sit in seats similar to business class airline seats and there are meals and a snack bar as well. I went on a Friday and the following Monday was a holiday so there were over 300 former residents returning for the long weekend to work on their homes and businesses as well as trekkers and kayakers.
As of October there were to be commuter flights to three airports a bit further south (Fuateleufu, La Junta, and Alto Palena) with daily flights to one ot these three and with two flights a day on weekends. But in November flights were available only on Fridays and Saturdays and only to Alto Palena. This results in a 2-2 1/2 hour vehicle trip to the lodge rather than a less than 30 minute from the Chaiten airport. I am considering shortening the road travel by 1-1 1/2 hours by receiving clients at Puerto Piedra on the Futaleufu River at the south end of Lago Yelcho (aboard PUMA II). This of course would be logical only for those clients desiring PUMA II as part of their stay. I was told by the agent handling the commuter flights that the number of flights will be increased after the first of the year. I am going to coordinate flights with the agent in Puerto Montt and other lodges in the area so we can use these flights efficiently and avoild cancelations due to under bookings. The cost of these flights are approximately 500 USD roundtrip at this time.
The highway south from Chaiten is open and has been for about 3 months. The road north of Chaiten, which passes quite near the volcano sustained lahars damage and work on it is aggressively being done including a bridge near the volcano. This road north is projected to be open after the first of the year.
As stated before, there is little ash in our area with a thin layer on the sides of the paved road (like a skiff of light, dry snow), with the pavement ash free. The trees and grass have no ash (except in the immediate vicinity of the volcano), but there are small, thin accumulations of ash in tire tracks on the gravel portions of the road and on foot paths. The air is clean except when a vehicle travels on a gravel road or when a strong wind occurs. The white/gray ash is very fine and readily airborne. I am a rather severe asthmatic and experienced no asthma during my stay nor any eye or throat irritation. Although we have very little ash it is not like a light skiff of snow that will eventually melt but rather it remains in some areas in ground depressions and probably won't be gone completely until next year's rainy season.
PARQUE PUMALIN, Douglas Tompkin's world acclaimed eco park in which the Chaiten volcano is located is closed and will remain so until next season so they can complete a total restoration of their campsites, trek trails, etc, -- which they are working on now. Unfortunately this means we will not be able to enjoy the fantastic dry fly fishing in the lake that we fish in the park. The river estuary that we reach by horseback ride up the beach of the ocean will hopefully be of good water quality by the Atlantic and Steelhead runs in Feb. and Mar..
Construction and the brand new PUMA II mothership/floating lodge has finally been completed and the boat is being inspected and commissioned by the navy. Its considerable delay in completion has been very frustrating but the final results is quite spectacular. We were going to bring it up the Rio Negro to where this river is adjacent to the highway but since that river and its mouth were severly impacted we are going to put it on a truck and trailer near the mouth of Rio Yelcho and take it to Puerto Cardinas at the north end od Lago Yelcho. Plans have been finalized for this to be done in Jan..
The land lodge and all of the equipment I found to be unaffected by the eruption, to be in good order and ready to go. There will only be PUMA FISHING and possibly only one or two other lodges open in our area this season so it will be like when I first fished the area about 20 years ago. We needed to check the waters that we fish and the quality of the fishing found post eruption -- a tough job but someone needed to do it. The waters were in very good shape and the weather Gods were smiling although it was a bit warm for this time of year. The fishing both in Lago Yelcho and Rio Yelcho was probably as good as I have ever experienced. For example, I brought to net in the Bay of Lions 18 fish in a half day (up to 8 lbs)and all on dry flies. Captain Patricio and had similar sucess. I have never caught that many fish in the Bay of Lions even with a full day of fishing the bay. The north end of the lake produced about 20-25 nice fish apiece per day as well, on drys and nymphs with a few of the legendary "monsters" escaping having their photos taken due to bad fishing luck and probably more accurately -- angler error. The river fished as good as I have ever experienced the two days we fished it. The numbers of fish brought to net was embarrassing -- without going into detail, in one morning alone I caught 67 fish as per guide Juan Pablo's count and the evening fishing was almost as good. The fish were in good shape, fought well and showed no negative affects from the eruption. Overall I had the best fishing that I have experienced in almost 20 years of fishing these waters.
In summary, the waters we fish and the fish in them do not appear to have been negatively affected by the Chaiten volcano eruption. The infrastructure of the area unfortunately has not faired as well, particularly the town of Chaiten and its airport. The only waters that I did not fish were the upper (south) end of the lake, Rio Futaleufu, and the lake in PUMALIN PARK . The estuary that we fish for Atlantics and Steelhead was quite turbid (probably due to the warm weather - glacial melt, and because a small stream from the area of the volcano comes into this river upstream. We expect it to be in better shape by Feb. and March for the runs. The travel to/from our lodge and Puerto Montt maybe a bit of a nuisance but at least we have travel options so as to hopefully accommodate client schedules. The ash was really not a factor for health concerns but rather a short duration, transitory nuisance. I am more concerned of its affecting flights if a wind really gets strong -- which would be unlikely until April and we should be getting some rain then which will also help prevent ash from getting airborne.
Although Patricio and I traveled to the base of the volcano, no roasting of hot dogs nor marshmallows are allowed but you can take an obsidian souvenir home as the old dome of the volcano was comprised of obsidian and there is a lot of it at the base of the volcano along the road that is being repaired. In all seriousness we are very thankful and fortunate that my lodges are okay, our waters and fish are okay and most importantly my staff are okay though they have all lost their homes. So come fish the Yelcho area, enjoy this magnificently beautiful region of mountains, fjords, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and yes volcanos -- one of which erupted 8 months ago and is going back to sleep, hopefully for another 8-9 thousand years.
Here are some photos from the trip:
FERRY
CHAITEN VOLCANO
NEAR VOLCANO BASE
CLEAN WATER AND VEGATATION
ROAD WITH SKIFF OF ASH
VOLCANO FROM CHAITEN
FISHING BAY OF LIONS
NICE FISH
PUMA II IN PUERTO MONTT
BELOW IS THE "OLD NEWS OF THE 07-08 SEASON AND THE ORDEAL OF THE ERUPTION WITH SOME INTERESTING PHOTOS, MAPS, ETC.. NOTE THAT THERE ARE TWO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN US AND THE VOLCANO AND THAT THE VALLEYS BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS RUN AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE VOLCANO DRAINAGE--SO WE ARE VERY SAFE FROM LEHARS ETC..
SUMMARY OF 07-08 SEASON
First off, the fishing was as good or probably better than we have experienced in the last twenty years of fishing this area. Reports of 50-60 fish/day/fisherperson were common with some reporting 100 plus days -- truly amazing! There seemed to be more Chinooks, especially in Rio Yelcho, (but still not enough, in my opinion, to offer it as a target species). The Steelhead and Atlantic fishing at the Blanco estuary was fantastic in the latter third of the season predominantly. The lower end of Lago Yelcho was very productive with some real mopnsters (on drys), to get the heart pounding! Rio Yelcho was very productive and monster Browns made their presents felt. Due to some governmental issues we were not (nor was anyone) able to fish the magical Lago Negro in Doug Tompkin's PUMALIN PARK, but we have been told that PUMA FISHING and only one other lodge will be granted permits to fish the lake in 08-09.
The new mothership/floating lodge, PUMA II was supposed to be finished and delivered to Lago Yelcho by the end of September 07, but is just now being completed in Puerto Montt and being readied for transport to the lake. It is indeed unfortunate that we did not have it for the season but it is quite a boat and we look forward to it being operational this coming season -- as many of our clients are.
We have experimented with some new flies for the lakes and have come up with some real productive ones. I hate to admit it but they out fished the dragon flies that our guides tie -- hands down, and they even produced during days when there was little sun and no significant dragon fly hatch.
We are considering going solar for some of our energy needs at the lodge. Patricio and the boys have made a road down to the river. It is about a mile downstream from the lodge where the creek that the bridge we walk across empties into the Yelchho. Therefore, if one does not want the 20 minute walk in, a 5 minute boat ride rather than a 20-30 minute boat ride from where the Rio Michimahuida comes into the Yelcho is now available and we still keep the tranquility and solitude that so many clients appreciate.
Clients (both fishing and nonfishing) have enjoyed PUMALIN PARK (one of the finest eco parks in the world); as well as trekking to glaciers.
Now booking for 08-09 --- don't get shut out on your desired dates.
GUIDE ALERT
This past season three USA guides were deported by Chilean authorities for not having proper papers and work visas. We expect this action to continue next season and even be stepped up. Our guides from the USA will be properly documented. Fortunately our Chilean guides are some of the very best in all of the Patagonia, have been with us for several years, know the waters that we fish very well and are truly members of our family. The same can be said for our guides from the USA, as many of you can attest to. It would be a shame to book a trip to the Patagonia and find that you have no guides, inexperienced guides, or guides that are not familiar with the waters. We feel that our clients deserve the best and we know that you get what you pay for when it comes to guides.
CHAITEN VOLCANO ERUPTION
The Chaiten Volcano located about 6 miles (10 km) from the town of Chaiten and about 20 miles (35 km) from the lodge erupted on May 2. This volcano, which has been inactive for over 9,000 years; sent ash over 20 miles into the air. Chaiten and the area of the lodge did not receive much ash accumulation because the ash was blown very high and the winds that were blowing in a Southeast direction at the time of the eruption sent the ash up over Lago Yelcho and on t0 the Chilean town of Futaleufu and the Argentine town of Esquel where it deposited over 20 cm of ash --- compared to only about 3 cm in our area nearer the volcano. There were several seismic tremors associated with the eruption.
I was informed of the eruption by my associate and manager, Patricio Soto shortly after the eruption at which time he said that they were told to evacuate Chaiten. Therefore he was going to have another employee, Adier, who was at the lodge stay there and Patricio would take his family and Adier's family to Puerto Montt on the evacuation ship/ferry as the authorities ordered. They arrived in Puerto Montt and since they had not eaten all day friends took them to a restaurant and when they came out they found that the car with their suitcases and Patricio's briefcase had been broken into and everything stolen. These poor people --- goes to show that a disaster brings out the best and worst of mankind the world over (even in the Chilean Patagonia). I sent funds to Patricio and at the present time (May 22), the two families are living in limbo in Puerto Montt where Patricio is monitoring the situation at Chaiten and the lodge while overseeing the final stages of finish work on the new floating lodge/mothership, PUMA II.
The Rio Blanco which runs through the town of Chaiten is the major body of water that is associated with the area of the Chaiten Volcano and after the eruption ash, mud, and debris in this river caused it to overflow and flood 90% of the town of 5,000 people --- Patricio since has related that the media reports of the extent of the flooding is significantly exaggerated as per conversations with pilots that have flown over the area and aerial photos that he has seen. There has been some rain which also adds to the flooding. The main thing that the flooding could do long term (other than the property damage from the flooding itself), is that if there is too high of an ash content in the flood water, when the water is gone the ash would tend to possibly set like concrete. Since ash in this area is not deep, hopefully this will not occur; but never the less the clean up is going to be a major undertaking and their will be significant property damage.
On May 6th there were two more significant eruptions and we were initially told that Adier was forced to leave the lodge by the authorities. But a week later we found out that he did not have to leave and was given an emergency network phone. One of Patricio's brothers is working at the emergency command center so Patricio has been able to communicate with Adier who reports that everything is okay as of May 22. Our water supply is not contaminated, there is no structural damage, there is less than an inch of ash, and the Rio Yelcho is okay.
The height of the eruption column has now decreased to a little over 4 miles in the air. Although it is just too early to accurately predict what is going to happen regarding this eruption, experts in the field have mentioned four possible scenarios. 1) The column of ash, molten rock and gases may continue to collapse and cause pyroclastic flows thus depositing these materials in fairly close proximity to the volcano, which may include Chaiten but most likely not the lodge. Environmental destruction in this immediate area could be severe -- one of the reasons for the forced evacuation. 2) The column may completely collapse and the dome of the volcano collapse on itself, then pressure build up and a large explosion occur like happened at Mt St Helen. The destruction from this would be severe but the area involved would depend on the size of the explosion -- another reason for the forced evacuation. 3) The volcano will continue to erupt as it has been doing -- thus keeping everyone in limbo. 4) The damn volcano will go back to sleep -- for another 9,000 years, I hope. The majority of volcano experts that I have read reports from on this eruption, including one that has been following this volcano for some years; feel that the most likely scenario is 4). I hope that they are right and that it happens soon!
As far as the watersheds that we fish are concerned, I believe that we are okay (barring a massive explosion). We should be okay at Lago Negro and Lago Blanco and their rivers as they are not fed from the area of the volcano (but they are only about 6-10 miles from the volcano so could be secondarily affected by some of the scenarios mentioned above). The Rio Yelcho should be okay as well and is no closer than about 10 miles near where it enters the ocean, and at its halfway point (from the lake to the ocean -- where the lodge is), the distance is over 20 miles. There is a remote possibility that heat from the volcano may cause some increase of melting of the Michimahuida Glacier/Volcano and this increase flow of the Michimahuida and Amarillo rivers which come into the Yelcho about 7 and 2 miles respectively above the lodge. . It is coming into winter so this will help offset any increased melting. The fish in the lake should be okay because the lake is deep and the fish are deep since it is winter.
Hopefully this will give you an overview of the eruption and its aftermath as well as some insight into how it will play out. The Chilean Government has went all the way from a scenario that the town of Chaiten is lost and all the people will have to be permanently relocated elsewhere -- to 2 years before they could go back to Chaiten -- to now saying that it will be up to 3 months before they can return. I imagine that this time frame will continue to shorten barring scenarios 1) or 2) explained above. These people want to get back to their homes, they want to assess the damage, and they want their possessions at least with them if they have to wait out the volcano elsewhere. Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to our employees, their families, our friends and all of the people of the area including Chaiten. The same goes for Mr Tompkins, Mr Guzman, and the entire PUMALIN PARK personnel. Mr Tompkins has done so much for this area and I am sure that there will be a considerable amount of work necessary in the aftermath of the eruption of the Chaiten Volcano which is in PUMALIN PARK.
I will keep you informed of any significant developments -- good or bad. At least at this time, (May 22) it looks like my property is okay, the environmental impact on the areas that we fish is minimal, and my employees are safe. Thank God!
Chaiten Volcano is upper center; Lago Blanco is in upper center; Rio Yelcho is at lower left; and the lodge (not shown) would be about one inch below the lower right hand corner
Yelcho River where the Amarillo River enters it (about 2 miles above the lodge. Aerial photo taken about middle of May 08. Note ash is minimal.
Chaiten Volcano about the end of May (4 weeks after initial eruption
Chaiten taken towards the end of May. Note damage from flooding,ash and mud debris, but no new ash.
ERUPTION UPDATE---MAY 31
Unfortunately on about May 19, Adier was ordered to leave the lodge -- for what reasons we do not know. He reports that everything is fine at the lodge, (no ash, water not contaminated, all structures okay. There had been an increase in the magnitude of the seismic activity during the third week in May but the frequency of these tremors was down. Rio Yelcho was in good shape and no fish kill was observed. Adier has joined his family in Puerto Montt and his children are back in school there. Volcano experts say that the crater continues to dome more and a new eruption area has shown up at the margin of the primary crater that was formed when two areas joined earlier. The mandatory evacuation area has reportedly been decreased, therefore we hopefully will be able to return to the lodge soon (but will probably have to fly into another airport as the Chaiten airport will not be usable for some time). Again, I will keep you informed.
ERUPTION UPDATE---JULY 20
Unfortunately the volcano continues to rumble on, though at a much lower magnitude. As far as the damage to the town of Chaiten, the news is not good. The initial flooding of mud, ash, and debris was bad enough, but with the Rio Blanco's riverbed destroyed the normally heavy seasonal rains essentially about finished what the eruption started. Reports estimate 70-80% of the town severely damaged and the water, sewer, and electrical systems destroyed. There is serious question whether Chaiten can or will be rebuilt at its present site. Governmental decisions will probably not be made until the volcano goes back to sleep. Patricio and Adier were able to go to the lodge and also enter Chaiten about 10 days ago and begin removing possessions from their homes. I told them that we can build a building on the land near the lodge to store their items along with those of PF which we have to also remove from Chaiten. At that time they informed me that the lodge, Rio Yelcho, and Lago Yelcho are in good shape---THANK GOD! There is a no enter (now controlled enter) zone check point where the highway crosses over Rio Amarillo south of Chaiten. Our turn off to the lodge is less than a km north of the Amarillo bridge.
Patricio is overseeing the final stages of finish work on PUMA II in Puerto Montt-- this is work that we had intended to do at Lago Yelcho. The big question is going to be how to get PUMA II into Lago Yelcho. The highway north of Chaiten (which passes close to the volcano) apparently has significant damage; thus bringing the crane and truck from the north is now impossible. Therefore we will have to bring them from the south if possible. The other option that we are exploring at this time is to operate PUMA II in the fjord area between Puerto Montt and Chaiten, fishing the coastal rivers in this essentially unfished area. The few reports of fishing this area are truly mouthwatering to say the least! But there would be many logistic and scheduling problems to work out before I can offer it to clients. We most likely will not be able to fish Lago Negro this year and fishing the estuary of the other Rio Blanco is questionable at this time unless we go there via our covered catamaran or PUMA II. We may replace Lago Negro with another river/lake watershed further south. So we have several options which I believe is one of our biggest advantages and assets when compared to other lodge operations, and it is all close at hand.
I certainly am thankful that PF's assets are in good order, the fisheries appear to be fine, and my employees and their families are safe. Again, hopefully the volcano will go back to sleep as we are eagerly awaiting the start of the new season and look forward to sharing our amazing fisheries with our clients. I will keep you informed of our geologic drama.
UNDATE AS OF OCTOBER 10 AND PLANS FOR THE 08-09 SEASON
Finally the Chaiten Volcano has quieted down significantly and for the last several weeks water vapor is about all that is coming out. The road (Pan Am Highway) is now open again for travel to and from Puerto Montt and the south.
The Chilean government was going to remove the mud and ash (from Rio Blanco) off the end of the runway at the Chaiten airport and open it by the end of Sept., but have now changed their mind: apparently because they are afraid that the former residents of Chaiten will flock back in -- which the government is strongly opposed to. The government has not decided what to do about Chaiten and won't make a final decision until Nov. at the earliest; but most likely the end of the year -- if then. Not having the Chaiten airport open is an inconvenience because we will have to use 3 airports abit further south to fly clients into --- Futaluefu, La Junta, and Palena. So instead of a 30 minute drive to the lodge it will be a 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hr drive. But at least our clients won't have to endure any significant "road trips" after they arrive as is often the norm with many lodge operations.
The lodge is in excellent shape and all the equipment being readied for the season. The waters that we fish are in excellent condition as well (remember that we received very little ash), with the possible exception of a small lake in Mr Doug Tompkins' PUMALIN PARK that we have had boats in for several years. This lake is closer to the volcano and Patricio will be checking it out in a few weeks.
Patricio is now busy with the final finish work detail on the new mothership/floating lodge, PUMA II, at the shipyard in Puerto Montt. Once this is completed all that is left is some final painting and testing of all systems. We hope to have the new boat travel to the Chaiten area and be brought by land up to its berth at Pto. Cardenas at Lago Yelcho in December. We are working on the details at this time as we are unable to bring the boat up the Rio Negro and load it on a truck with a crane next to the highway as originally planed because of silting in of the mouth of the river at the Bay of Chaiten. PUMA II is over a year behind schedule for its deployment in Lago Yelcho but it is a beautiful boat and we eagerly await its service, as do many of our clients that enjoyed the original PUMA so much in years past.
Therefore, since the volcano is finally quieting down, the road is open, we have airports to fly clients into, our lodge is in good order, PUMA II is almost done, and most importantly the waters that we fish are in good shape; we have decided to open for the 08-09 season. The first of the Chinook (King) Salmon have already been observed in the Yelcho River.
I will be getting the exact daily scheduling of the flights between Futaleufu, La Junta, Palena, and Puerto Montt soon and will post the schedule (and cost) here when I get it from Mireya.
There apparently will only be 1 or possibly 2 other lodges open in our area this season. So it will be like "the good old days" when I first came to the Yelcho as we will have everything pretty much to ourselves.
I am in the process of booking the clients that I have had to put on hold because of the volcano eruption as well as accommodate clients for lodges that will not be open this year. So I invite you to come and enjoy all that we have to offer, PUMALIN PARK, the glaciers, AND view an active (but quiet) volcano. Where in the world can a fisherperson experience this high quality fishing, beautiful scenery, AND a volcano? PUMA FISHING!
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HOPEFULLY THE CHAITEN VOLCANO IS IN ITS SUNSET MODE AND WILL STAY THAT WAY FOR ANOTHER 9000 YEARS!
