Client Comments

1999	LARRY BATES FLORIDA "It is like going to a four star resort and for dessert you get to catch trophy trout"
2000	BILL MITCHELL CALIFORNIA RE: LAGO NEGRO - "Unbelievable, in 32 straight casts I either hooked a fish or missed one"
2001	LARRY BATES FLORIDA RE: LAGO NEGRO - "The best day of fishing I have ever had"
2002	EVERETT PEIRCE COLORADO "Juan Carlos Edwards is an excellent host and extremely accommodating and he runs a fine operation. We do not hesitate to recommend PUMA FISHING to those looking for large trout in a beautiful spot in the world".
2002	BILL CURTIS (LEGENDARY FISHING GUIDE) MIAMI FLORIDA "The lodge and service are as fine as any I have ever been to. The only place I know of to routinely have a chance at true trophy trout on a dry fly. RE: LAGO NEGRO - Absolutely the best dry fly fishing I have ever experience and I have done a lot of fishing in my 80 years! The food is amazing! The PUMA is exceptional for the physically impaired and the elderly fisherperson who can't or no longer wishes to wade and hike - but I am not there yet".
2003	SANDY MITCHELL ENGLAND "Trout? Yes, but not as we know it --- Aquatic pigs that snaffle Patagonian dragon flies is nearer the mark. Actually it is almost making the trip merely to eat aboard the PUMA. I was fishing with a light Salmon reel packed to the brim with extra backing and I watched every last inch of it zip out with the first run along the shore. This fish was wild as the wind; it was rising when we spotted it and it rose to the dry fly. I gripped my prize in the water before letting it go as if it were a bar of 24 carat gold. Half an hour later my knee caps were still wobbling from the adrenalin!"
2004	TIM BUFFINGTON CALIFORNIA "The fishing was good; we had 30 fish days. The highlights of the trip for me were the setting, the food and the gracious hospitality and comfortable accommodations. The food was the best that I have ever had at a lodge. Your staff was unfailing polite and helpful. I got such a sense of peace and relaxation at the lodge with it's beautiful setting and with the sounds of glaciers breaking after the rainstorm of the night before. I especially enjoyed the fact that there are no cars or traffic that can go by and disrupt the tranquility and ambiance of the experience".
2007	GERRY WENDROVSKY NEW YORK "Exceptional meals and wines and a genuine warmth, unlimited generosity and gracious comradeship offered by Patricio, his very able assistant guide, Polo and the warm and affectionate cook Mira. -- The big Brown thrashed on the surface, and Nicholas grabbed the net. He swiped twice, but to my anguished cry, the fish surged and was gone. This fish was a yard long, bigger than the net and with a massive head. Patricio estimated it went 15 to 17 lbs. My fishing room at home is filled with photos of large fish. Yet it is the fish that 'got away' that I remember more than the ones landed and photographed. The memory of that remarkable Brown defines why I fish --- there is endless magic and mystery that keeps me coming back for more".
2007	ROB NICHOLAS CONNECTICUT & PATAGONIA GUIDE "The lodge is phenomenal and so is the fishing and your staff. There is no question that I would like to go back with a group!!!"
2007	MARCI & BRANDON BRACCO CALIFORNIA "Amazing! What a wonderful lodge you have! If I was a travel writer for CONDE NAST or TRAVEL AND LEISURE I would have said I found a hidden jewel. Brandon and I are used to traveling first class and I have to say at first I was a bit apprehensive but you blew me away. The lodge staff and service -- spectacular, first class! Patricio deserves a medal for making Brandon's trip wonderful and trying to teach me to fly fish at the same time. His English was exceptional --- his level of service beyond our wildest dreams. With Brandon being a chef and owning a restaurant, we were not sure what to expect when it came to cuisine. We have very discerning tastes and like good food and wine. Myrta was adorable and she is truly a wonderful cook! We thought her cuisines were some of the best we had in Chile. Absolutely tantalizing! As someone who specializes in marketing for the past 20 years, I think it would be wonderful for you to market to the USA audience a bit more aggressively. Travel articles alone in top USA papers would increase your business ten fold. If you ever want help or brain storm let me know. Marketing is my specialty. I currently work for Clint Eastwood marketing Telhama, his real estate development in Carmel. But over my career, I have worked for Nissan, Infinity, Conrad Hilton, Sheraton, The Sultan of Brunei (for the Beverly Hills Hotel), etc.
2007	EARL AND MARGIT WORSHAM TENNESSEE "We had a marvelous time at PUMA LODGE and loved the area. Again thank you for the great hospitality --- by the way PUMA LODGE is the best run lodge we have ever stayed in. The attention to detail in the bedrooms, the fireplace burning when we arrived from fishing, the hot tub waiting and the flexibility of the guides wanting to please your every wish made it a most memorable and unique experience".
2007	JORGE GRAZIOSI OWNER OF LAS ALTURAS DE ARROYO CLARO LODGE CHOLILA, PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA "Thanks for your hospitality during my 5 days at EL PUMA LODGE. I really enjoyed the fishing and the facilities and as we have commented I would like to bring a couple of groups (next year)".
2007	JOE EICHERT IDAHO "Enclosed you'll find the pictures of Chinook I caught -- it was a great experience. Thanks again foryour hard work and a great trip"
2008	JOHN SIKURA KENTUCKY "I have taken three trips to your lodges at Rio Yelcho and Lago Yelcho and each trip has surpassed the others. I fins the fishing to be getting better each year with huge Browns lurking in the river and tremendous Rainbows in the lake. Watching a 10 pound Rainbow taking a dry fly is truly an amazing experience. The scenery is breathtaking and the fishing superb. This watershed is truly spectacular."
2008	JORGE HURTADO SANTIAGO,CHILE "A couple of weeks ago a group of friends and myself spent four days in your lodge at Rio Yelcho. We have been doing this for almost 20 year, sometimes twice a year, and I have to tell you that the level of service is as good as ever. To be sincere with you we had some concerns that the change of management could affect the service, but Patricio Soto is demonstrating that he is very capable of running the lodge and the only thing that we are missing is him as a guide. We were very happy to know that La Puma is about to "resurrect" and we are waiting to be one of the first groups to be in the new boat. We know that having a lodge is not easy, but we encourage you to keep going and to continue to give us the chance to enjoy such a wonderful place. P.D. I enclose a picture of a couple of Chinooks that were caught by two of our friends (28 pounds each)."
2008	PAUL THORPE DVM KENTUCKY "Having fished together on a number of occasions, we both know that describing ourselves as enthusiastic fishermen would be an understatement; fanatics is the term that best fits our level of mania. Over the years I have fished rivers, lakes, and salt throughout the United States (including Alaska), plus many fine destinations in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, New Zealand, and Ireland. Of those destinations, my favorite by far for trout is Patagonia, and I consider the Yelcho watershed to be the creme of the crop. My first visit to Puma Lodge was in November 1998, and although I regret your absence on that occasion, the trip was fantastic and still lingers in my memory. Your guide from Montana (Kurt) and I fished alone for two days in the sun and the rain, catching several great fish up to 10 lbs and many others before Johnny Sikura arrived to join me and round out another four days of incredible fishing. I have since returned on three occasions; Johnny on two. We have never been disappointed. On my last trip in November 2007, I was accompanied by wife Teresa (a non-fisher person), who is now as enthusiastic about a return trip as am I. She found the land, fauna, the culture, the accommodations, the staff, the food, and the towns of Chaiten and Puerto Montt enchanting, and greatly enjoyed the two days spent in Santiago on the way home. For me everything else pales besides the fishing, which does not seem to have deteriorated since 1998. The lake and the river hold trophy fish, which now includes a good Chinook salmon run, and the day trips to coastal rivers and small lakes are a delight. As you can see, I have saved The Puma for last. What a sad day when she was scuttled. What a great anticipation of her replacement. The fishing in the Bahia Leones, in the rushes on the Upper Lago, and in the solitude of the Lower Futaleufu (big fish) was magnificent, and the great times spent with you and our colleagues in the cozy comfort of The Puma after long days on the water stand out as a high point of my fishing odyssey. I know this is supposed to be a testimonial for the lodge, but I can't help taking the opportunity to thank you and Fran for all the great times."
2008	PETER BOUSUM VMD AND WIFE NANCY PENNSYLVANIA "My wife and I peered out of the windows on the twin engine prop plane, the fourth in twenty hours, at the then dormant volcanic peaks protruding from the clouds as we descended into the village of Chaiten near the final leg of our trip to Puma Lodge. We loaded our gear onto the back of small pickups and stuffed ourselves into the cab for the 25 mile drive to the River Yelcho. We could begin to see the massive steep walled mountains in back of the small ranches on the first fifteen miles and then we turned down a dirt road that eventually transformed into a rough four wheel path carved from six feet of topsoil and ancient loam. The jungle was amazingly thick with growth between massive hardwood trees and windfall. A few more miles and we were at the edge of the Rio Yelcho where an oxen cart waited to take our bags and plod through a jungle path to the lodge. The river banks were covered with velvet like grass for about two hundred feet into the forest where feral pigs and cows were grazing. The final gasp was in a rubber raft with a small outboard motor two miles upriver to the lodge. The world opened to some of the most spectacular scenery on Earth; glacier parted mountains with waterfalls everywhere and the tips of huge hardwood trees. Nestled on the banks of the River was Puma Lodge with two small cabins flanking. When we walked into our cabin there was already a warm fire in the dome shaped earthen fireplace in the corner. The cabin was comfortably crafted with a surprisingly large bathroom and a view of the river. It was attended to constantly (even the fire) by seemingly invisible staff. The rustic lodge was spacious and warm and decorated and appointed with large couches, fishing art and memorabillia and a large communal dining area. The most impressive aspect was that it was obviously hand crafted with native hardwoods including the doors, windows and moldings. It is always a special treat to abandon any sign of our typical synthetic surroundings. The fishing was immediate, with our own guides at our beckon call seemingly twenty four hours a day for the entire stay. Even though exhausted from the travel, we managed to garner enough energy to catch a few rainbows before sitting down to dinner with our friends at the typical times of 10 PM (the sun was just setting). The four star experience began with a wonderful meal and ample Chilean wine. It did not stop until we left Chaiten one week later. The fishing is legendary; the most striking difference is not only the size of the fish but the incredible variety -- trout, salmon, steelhead, streamers, dry flies, lakes, rivers, streams. However. the outrageously beautiful and primitive surroundings often made you unaware of the quality of the fishing. Something you have to reflect on long after leaving. My wife and I are also part time hikers and backpackers. We took advantage of day hikes in Pumalin National Park and the Yelcho Glacier. With the exception of our guide we were completely alone in some of the most spectacular beauty on the planet. We barely touched the experience in one week. I expected to see a dinosaur."