Trekking, horseback trips, ranch vacations, fly fishing and educational programs in the heart of Patagonia, Chile. Since 1999. Fly Fishing
One of the premier, featured activities for visitors to the famous waters of Chilean Patagonia is fly fishing. At Patagonia Frontiers wilderness ranch, located on Lago Plomo in the Solér Valley, our guests have ready access to fly fish some of the most spectacular and productive waters in southern Chile. Our local fishery is comprised most abundantly of rainbow trout---including the incredibly strong and athletic Río Baker variety, steelhead-like in size and life cycle though not in selectivity for the fly. Brown trout also populate the area’s streams, rivers and lakes, and provide a somewhat more challenging goal with a fly rod. Additionally, on hot summer days we may target a lake fish native to South American waters (unlike the trout which were introduced from Europe almost a hundred years ago) called a perca by the local Chileans, a species of black perch that responds willingly to small dry flies and is a hard fighter when hooked.
A true delight of a fly fishing vacation with Patagonia Frontiers is the wide range of water type available in a day’s outing from the ranch. You and your guides will consult and choose from lakeshore and small inlet stream fishing a 3-minute walk off of the front porch of the main house to a boat approach for some of the hotspots along the first 15 kilometers of the renowned Río Baker. The Río Baker is Chile’s largest volume river with an average flow rate of over 50,000cfs. It is an un-dammed, crystal-clear, turquoise-colored powerhouse that yields impressive results wade fishing along its banks. In addition to Lago Plomo, its larger sister Lago Bertrand, and the Río Baker, we fish another 3 to 4 lakes and ponds, and 6 to 8 clearwater, freestone streams. And there is plenty more exploration close to home yet to be done.
Our weeklong fishing vacations often base out of our wilderness ranch, a unique experience that offers relaxing and unpretentious comforts in an extraordinary setting. There are places in the world with a power and a majesty all their own and this is assuredly one of them. Our two-week vacations combine a week at the ranch with a week of fishing the many rivers and lakes nearer the regional capital of Coyhaique. You may also choose a horse supported fishing trek. During your stay with Patagonia Frontiers we can arrange a wide variety of non-angling activities including horseback rides, whitewater rafting, farm tours and activities, scenic over-flights, day-hikes and photography. We look forward to hosting you, your friends, companions and families.
Tackle strategies are as diverse as our fishing waters. Four, five, six and eight weight rods have all been used appropriately matched to fly and fish sizes. Weight-forward floating lines, sink-tips and fast-sinking, ‘depth charge’ lines all have their place. Classic dry fly fishing with #14 Parachute Adams or #12 Royal Wulffs can produce great excitement as well as working big Wooley Buggers or Clousers deep in the water column. There is an active and exciting hopper season during which the brown and rainbow trout are eager to investigate an assortment of terrestrial imitations. The diverse waters of this fishery provide ample opportunity to fish a selection of fine dries, large terrestrials, nymphs and streamers in still and moving water. Various factors, including the weather, will inform our choice of water and technique to be the most productive.
Whether you are a novice or an expert our guides will know how to craft each day’s activities to best meet your desires. They do their utmost to make sure that every day is a special one. We approach every outing as an opportunity to share and to develop, and look at it as a collaborative effort towards success.
