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PATAGONIA . . . IN THREE PARTS
PATAGONIA - PART
1
The question “what is Patagonia?” is one I hear
often. Patagonia is a loosely defined general
geographic area that encompasses the southern parts
of Argentina and Chile. From the fly fisher’s
viewpoint, it includes three different
environments: the Chilean Fjords, the Chilean
Andes, and, in Argentina, the pampas and eastern
side of the Andes.
This is the first of three articles briefly defining
those different sections of Patagonia. We’ll start
with the western-most of the three, the Chilean
Fjords. If you look at a map of Chile, you’ll see
hundreds of small islands just off the coast. Those
islands create the Fjords of Chile. Many of them
have their own rivers and streams created by
springs, rainfall, and, in some cases, glacier
melt. While the fjords themselves are salt water,
there is lots of fresh water entering them via the
aforementioned waterways.
The fly fishing targets in the fjords consist of
rainbows, browns, and silver salmon. These fish
roam the fjords, entering fresh water from time to
time. Several of the rivers have good numbers of
trophy sized fish, but not all hold fish – and some
only on certain days when the whim of the fish cause
them to enter the fresh water. It’s this
unpredictable nature of the fishery that is both
exciting and frustrating. During our two weeks
exploring the fjords and its streams, we found
rainbows as large as the 8-10# range. We did take
several browns also, but while I’m certain there are
large browns in the fjords, we didn’t release
anything over four pounds. Sometimes we found
concentrations of large fish in a river and
sometimes streams that looked like they would be
sure to hold fish held nothing but pretty water.
Fishing river mouths was often productive as were
certain flats where giant rainbows could be fished
like bonefish on the right tides.
A
wonderful spot to base yourself for a fjord fishing
adventure is the Puyuhuapi Hotel and Spa. A 3 or 4
day stay here is a terrific complement to a week at
an Andes fly fishing lodge and a real hit with
non-fishing spouses. The fishing program is limited
to four anglers per week from Puyuhuapi so
reservations usually need to be made far in advance
during prime time. (DVD on the Puyuhuapi Hotel and
Spa is available – just hit reply).
PATAGONIA - PART II
THE CHILEAN ANDES
The Andes rise up from the edge of the Pacific. The
glacier capped spine of the Andes in much of
Patagonia is the border between Chile and
Argentina. You may remember how skinny the country
of Chile looked in your geography books. In some
places, it’s less than 50 miles from the Argentina
border to the Chilean coast. Packed into that
narrow countryside is a dramatic array of peaks and
valleys.
When Chile’s trout fishing was first discovered, it
was the Lakes District in the general area of Puerto
Montt and north that grabbed all the attention.
Next, the center of interest moved south, using the
town of Coyhaique (and the airport at Balmaceda) as
the jump off point for a Chilean adventure. Soon,
the waters in this area got a lot of attention and
with the attention, came the people, mostly from the
US. Our favorite area of Chile remains one of its
most rural and least visited – the area between
Puerto Montt and Coyhaique.
There are many lodges and ways to approach Chile.
One of the special lodges rests in the Andes south
of the village of Chaitan and offers a variety of
Patagonian experiences. First, it’s a small
personal operation that hosts a maximum of six fly
fishers. Additionally, there is an eco-tour program
for the non-fishing traveler. In addition to many
rivers, streams, and lagoons they float and wade,
they do horse back trips into the Andes, overnight
float trips through the Andes, and have an outpost
cabin on the Argentine border.
The main attraction is the rainbows and browns with an average
size fish that exceeds the Argentine side of the
Andes. There are many three to five pound fish
taken in this area and a seven or eight pounder is a
real possibility. It is an area of stunning beauty
and a great backdrop to cast a fly.
PATAGONIA - PART III – THE ARGENTINE SIDE
The crest of the Andes marks the border between
Chile and Argentina. To the west, the Chilean Andes
drop into the fjords and the Pacific Ocean. To the
east, the “backside” of the Andes level out onto the
dry, grassy, plains of Argentina. In some places,
if you venture 10 or 20 miles east of the Chilean
border, you have two distinctly different views: if
you look toward the Pacific, you see the spectacular
peaks of the Andes and if you look east, you see the
flat and mostly treeless plains of the Argentine
pampas.
While there are some good waters near the Andes
crest, one of the major attractions of fishing
Argentina are the estancias. The Argentine
estancias are large, privately owned ranches. Many
of them have their own rivers and streams and, best
of all, these are privately held waters and access
is limited to guides who have arrangements with the
land owners. Also, there are some waters which can
host a wonderful three or four night float trip.
Patagonia’s Southern Hemisphere summertime provides
wonderful options for a wintertime getaway when our
skies are gray and cold.
TRIP REPORT
Fly Fishing Adventures
888-347-4896
flyfish@napanet.net
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