A fishing trip to Southern Chile is much more than a bit of piscatorial madness that will see you pack your bags and travel half the way around the world just to feel the convulsive shake of a trout’s head and the bend in your rod. Of that you will have plenty but there are many places closer to home where you can experience that. What makes Chile a quite extraordinary destination to visit is the unbelievable scale of the wilderness surrounding you and the emerald clear waters that trace their course from the Andes to the ocean.

Until you have visited Southern Chile it is difficult to put words to the unbelievable backdrop that surrounds you however the image that kept on coming to my mind was of Jurassic Park! All around you are vast towering mountains, many of them raw and jagged and often capped in snow. Volcanic peaks spring up everywhere but rather than the usual barren landscape that comes with such features here they are coated in an unbelievably thick, temperate jungle of rainforest.

Although the rivers teem with both brown and rainbow trout they are not native to the region. Like their larger sea run relatives on the Argentinean side of the Andes, they were introduced sometime in the mid 19th century. They have thrived in the fast flowing clear water and surprisingly have been one of the major net beneficiaries of the aqua culture business for which Chile is now a world leader. The escapee fish, which wrecked havoc to native salmon stocks in Northern Europe, have now occupied the virgin waters all along the length of the Chilean coast. These rivers now harbour growing populations of not just mighty King Salmon, which can be seen in increasingly large numbers and often weigh more than 50 lbs, but also sustain runs of all the various types of Pacific salmon as well as Atlantic and even Sea Trout. But it is the King salmon that are dominant.

In terms of the fishing styles and techniques required they are match the huge variety of waters that are available to fish. The larger rivers, which generally run clear with an emerald green tinge, are fed by large lakes, which in turn collect glacial melt-water from the Andes - the only method of fishing these effectively is to float down them in a raft. On the smaller streams and rivers it is possible to walk and wade. Led by a local guide wearing traditional sheepskin chaps and poncho it makes for a remarkable fishing experience and it is hard to feel more at tune with nature in this wild environment.

Entire article available on Where Wise Men Fish.

Written by  Justin Maxwell Stuart.

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Fly Fishing in Coihaique

Locals call Coihaique “the heart of Chilean Patagonia fly fishing.” Countless lakes, rivers, cascades, and lagoons are all brimming with German brown and rainbow trout, and you can occasionally hook a Big Silver or King salmon. Coyhaique is surrounded by the Southern Andes and vast wilderness, and the rivers and lakes remain untainted. Use a variety of fishing methods, ranging from small nymphs and dry flies to Hoppers and Chernobyls, and the fish will bite.

 

Review posted 14th March 2008 by Tara Fuller.

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