Chile: There's more to it then just the fish..

Spending four months in Chile is something I would have never been able to do without fly fishing. I have some very seriously cherished memories from my time spent there. That said, I think it's time someone spoke of the realistic expectations for trout sizes in that region. The lodge I worked for was in the Aisen region which is about a two and half to three hour drive from the nearest "city" of Coyhaique. We primarily fished the Rio Cisnes which is yearly in Patagonia's best rivers to fish, and to be completely honest I really was not that impressed. In my opinion it fished about as well as some of the lower tier Montana rivers. There was plenty of fish, most days, but there was no real size to the trout. The average was probably 12-14 inches. The winds were 98% of the time up river blowing 30 mph and sometimes gusting up to 60 mph. So much so that on several occassions I could only have one client casting at a time to avoid tangling and hooking each other.. and me. 


All that being said there are some big fish in Chile, you just need to find the right places, and be there at the right time. The big deep rivers where you are ripping streamers and sink tip all day. Or the lodges that have expansive spring creeks with tons of terrestrial insects (who also get a special diet of pellets) are your best bet. There is also a place on the Argentina side called Jurrassic Lake, if you get a chance to look that up you will be thoroughly impressed with the size of the trout over there. 


The rivers we fished held some larger fish as well, but I don't think for one second that it is a better fishery than the Missouri River, the Snake River, the Gibbon River, or any other big name rivers out in the western part of the United States. 

Cattle Drive traffic jam.

Love the colors on this brown. Not to mention the backdrop. (Renaud, Lago Los Torres)

The important thing to realize that with every good fishing trip there is more than just the fish to appreciate. Sure the majority of your time should be spent enjoying what you are after, another fishing memory and journey shared, but the most breathtaking part of Chile was what surrounded me day in day out, with the exclusion of the "guide shack." The backdrop while fishing in Chile is really something remarkable. Mountains all around you, water everywhere you look, flowers blooming, active ranch land full of sheep, goats, and other livestock, just nature at its purest; untouched, clean, majestic. There isn't a better way I can describe it other than to simply say it looks like technology hasn't scoured the landscape. There aren't highways running every which way, there aren't highrises in the background, there aren't people talking on cell phones and texting their friends in between fish. When on the river there are not any of the distractions we have in our everyday life. It's you, the river, the air, and a desire to catch your next fish. If I were to ever go back, I would spend some time fishing of course, but I would also allow myself to spend some time hiking and exploring because it truly is a beautiful country.