About US

 

At Magic Waters Patagonia, our main and first fly fishing operation in Patagonia, we are always looking for new adventures, and always looking to find new waters for our friends and clients. For long time we were looking at Blanco River. We were wondering about the fishing and mainly about how to set up an operation in this pristine and untouched 30 miles of river. So, between Eduardo Barrueto and Andi Manstein we decided to go forward and start setting up this fantastic dream, that we called The River of Dreams.
We are very proud of our fantastic team of guides at the River of Dreams. Yes, we are a team. We all work together, to try to give our guests the best experience they can have.
Andi Manstein is the host, manager and head guide at the River of Dreams. Andi is a German computer engineer who came to Patagonia almost 20 years ago, and decided to change his city life in Germany, for a peaceful life in one of the most beautiful places on the planet. He and his wife Yvonne found a beautiful and remote piece of land at the end of Caro Lake, where Blanco river starts. They decided to stay and went ahead and built a beautiful house at the lake and started a new life and a family in Patagonia. Between both of them they built everything they needed to live a comfortable life right in heaven. They have 2 beautiful children, Luna and Felix. Andi became a carpenter and fishing guide.

 

The Guides

Andi Manstein


Andi Manstein started fishing when he was a kid, fishing for different species of coldwater and warm water, traveling all over Europe competing in several tournaments. He started fly fishing when he was a teenager and he found his dreams fulfilled when he came to live in Patagonia. Andi and Eduardo met almost 15 years ago working for a different fly fishing operation. After working for a few different outfitters they decided to go further and they both started Magic Waters Patagonia, setting new standards in fly fishing and lodging in Patagonia. Andi became one of the most famous fly fishing guides in Coyhaique area mostly for his hard work and fly fishing knowledge.

  

His building skills and his engineering background made Andi the perfect guy to start developing the River of Dreams Base Camp. Andi is one of the fishiest persons we have ever meet and people really enjoy being around him. Andi loves to explore and is always ready for a new adventure. His fly fishing addiction has being taking Andi almost all over the world chasing fish and new adventures.



Monte Becker


Monte Becker is another of our great guides at The River of Dreams. Monte Becker is an Wyoming cowboy, born and raised out west in Thermopolis area, who later in his life decided to make Patagonia his home. Monte is one of the most famous guides in Patagonia. He was the first guide with a boat and a trailer in Coyhaique. He was a rafting guide before becoming a fishing guide and a lodge owner, working for a few years at the Colorado River Canyon and then rowing into the most spectacular and wild rivers all over the planet. The myth says that he came to experience the Bio-Bio and Futaleufu river before anyone else and then he decided to stay in Chile and form a family. Monte has 2 children, Pascal and Lucas Becker, and they both share with Monte the passion for whitewater and fly fishing.

Monte is also a boat builder, and he has built some of the most beautiful wooden drift boats in Patagonia. Before he joined us at Magic Waters, he owned Patagonia Drifters, one of the most successful fly fishing operation in Patagonia. Today Monte divides his time between guiding at Magic Waters Patagonia and the River of Dreams Base Camp in Patagonia, and then during our off season, he guides in Alaska for the Intricate Bay Lodge in Lake Iliamna. His rowing skills are famous worldwide, if you drop his name in a fly shop or a fishing bar, most will know him or of his reputation that is larger than life. Monte is an excellent guide, very passionate, an excellent teacher, very patient, and the most important part, a gentleman.

  


Jose Marti


Jose Marti  is another of our famous guides. His experience guiding in the US, in Alaska and in Patagonia, makes Jose one of the most famous guides in Coyhaique area.  Jose is Cuban-American, born in Colorado. During the 90´s, after working for several Lodges in the US and in Alaska, and for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, he decided to come to guide in Patagonia for one of the Lodges in Coyhaique area.  As many of the people that come to work in Patagonia, he decided to stay and form a family. Jose has 2 children, Fernanda and Benjamin, both excellent students.
Jose is an excellent fly tier, and during all his years guiding in Patagonia, he has developed many fantastic fly patterns that trout here really loves.  He is also one of our most fishiest guides, very energetic, always keep our clients well entertained.

  

Jose divides his time working in Alaska for the Alaska Rainbow Lodge and in Southamerica he guides for Magic Waters Patagonia and the River of Dreams Base camp. Jose´s knowledge about the waters in Patagonia is incredible, and that makes him one of the favorite guides for our clients, always catching big trophy brown trout.



Ben Kittell


Ben its one of our great newest additions to the staff of guides  of Magic Waters Patagonia Lodge and the River of Dreams BaseCamp.  Ben is born and raised in Colorado, He graduated  from Environmental Communications at Colorado State University.  He started working in the fishing industry while he still was a teenager, and his guiding career has being always focused to help people to get a great experience of the rivers and ecosystems and to create conscience  about conservation and to protect our fisheries.Ben has being working for a few years for the Fly Fisher´s Place in Oregon, guiding mostly on the Metolius , Deschutes, and McKenzie  Rivers and the Cascade lakes.

  

Ben it’s a very patient and relaxed guy, so that makes him a great teacher for beginners and also for more experienced anglers that want to learn a little more about fly fishing techniques. Ben started guiding for us last year, and he didn’t took very long to gain all the respect from the rest of our team. He is very well educated and always has a very positive attitude, so clients enjoy a lot his company. His knowledge about enthomology and about the fishing makes him one of the favorites in our staff for old and young clients.