Port
Howard is the oldest and largest remaining sheep farm on West Falkland,
and a great destination for those wanting to experience all aspects
of the Falklands.
Although wildlife is not Port Howard’s principle attraction,
a Gentoo penguin colony and a large number of waterfowl can be found
at Gladstone Bay on Port Purvis, only an hour’s drive from the
settlement.
Port Howard offers one of the best golf courses in the Islands. The
nine-green/eighteen tees Clippy Hill course offers a challenge to
golfers of all standards. With no queues and just a handful of people
on the course at any one time, whilst in beautiful surroundings, this
is the perfect way to relax.
You
will have ample opportunity to see a working farm in full flow,
especially if you are visiting during the summer season when you
may be able to view the process of gathering, sheep shearing, wool
classing and baling, and even maybe the final product being loaded
onto the intercoastal vessel which also delivers stores, fuel and
any personal goods to the farms around the Islands.
In the grounds of Port Howard Lodge there is a small museum giving
an insight into the 1982 conflict when 1,000 Argentine troops occupied
the settlement. At the edge of the settlement there are some well-marked
minefields remaining from this period, and guided excursions can
take visitors to some of the areas that figured during the conflict
including the remains of crashed aircraft.
Accommodation & Facilities
• Converted farmhouse
• 7 rooms (2 double, 3 family and 2 twin)
• All ensuite
• Full board accommodation only (packed lunches provided)
• Comfortable wood panelled lounge and bar
• Full and half day guided tours to Gladstone Bay or other
settlements on West Falkland
• Walking farm tours
• Fishing guide/ghillie
Port
Howard Fishing
Undoubtedly one of the main attractions of Port Howard is the excellent
trout and mullet fishing on the Warrah and Chartres Rivers and many
estuaries and creeks around the settlement.
A ghillie is on hand from the Lodge to give you advice and ensure
your time on the river is challenging and enjoyable and leaves you
keen to return for another day's sport.
Recommendations from a Local
Fishing Guide
A 10 ft or 10 ft 6 in rod with size 8 WF line will do for most of
our rivers and conditions. I tend to use an 8 -9 line or one above
what the rod suggests to take into account our wind and variable conditions.
I suggest a floating line with a slow sinker tip or an intermediate.
Most fish are taken just under the surface in the 1 - 2 ft area generally
and just after the line lands.
As for flys, opinions will always vary, but I have been using the
General Practitioner, Stouts Tail and Teal Blue and Silver for many
years very successfully all over the Falklands; all double barbed
of various sizes depending on the wind, from size 3 - 6's. Sometimes
tube flys are appropriate too if a flood is on. Generally the bigger
the better if manageable in the winds.
The trout tend to be eating a local small orange shrimp called
krill, or small smelt and some times the blue bottle fly hence my
suggestion above. The flies you will use on the Rio Grande or typically
on Scottish rivers for example are not suitable for here. The fishing
here will be different to those rivers, for example there is not
a lot of flow downstream unless we have a flood going so you have
to make the fly move in the water with a small sharp retrieve.
When fishing up rivers deep wading will not generally be required.
I like people to stay out of the river as much as possible to avoid
scaring the fish in the pools. Wading will be necessary in the estuaries
where larger areas need to be covered.
The river conditions, water heights etc. on the day will dictate
where and when to fish, up river or in the estuary during the day.
Read more about fishing in the Falklands...
click here
