The 09/10 fishing season in the Chilean Patagonia was an excellent one. With few international fishermen for the second year in a row, the fisheries seem to be making good use of the lack of pressure and fish populations are on the increase.

I arrived in Futaleufu from Colorado at the end of November in the pouring rain. As it turns out, this would be the norm for what would be the wettest summer in 25 years throughout Patagonia.

River levels remained high early in the season from the abundant rain, yet the caddis and mayfly hatches were as prolific as ever. Huge pods of Rainbows eating dries in December was a welcome sign and fishing was excellent despite the high water. Additionally, the rain almost completely washed away all of the ash from the Volcanic eruption in May, 2008. Some of the tributaries of the main Futaleufu had been off-color for a year and a half and it was good to see them return to normal with crystal clear water. In the Espolon, the fish were beginning their return to the river and by the end of the season, the fish populations were as high as they had ever been prior to the eruption.

Yelcho was as phenomenal as ever. In fact,  more fish over 5 kilos were caught there this year than any year I can remember. Rainbows as large as 8 kilos came to dries and despite the rain, fish were surface oriented and very active throughout the season.

Due to the uncertainty of the post-eruption conditions last season, the Valle Bonito remained closed. After a month in the area, I left for Tierra del Fuego, Chile to manage the Cameron Lodge on the Rio Grande, fishing  for the large Sea Run Browns that enter the system from the Atlantic. There is also excellent resident Brown trout fishing on the river and smaller spring creek like tributaries and lagunas owned by the Cameron.

Tierra del Fuego is known for the wind and after eleven weeks there I can report that everything you may have heard about high winds at the “end of he world” is true. Be prepared to take a beating and to pay a steep price physically and mentally for the fish that you catch. They do not come easily. That being said, the fish there are very large, averaging 6 kilos, with quite a few tipping the scales at almost 20 pounds. Most of our guests caught and released the biggest trout of their lives during their stay here. Like Atlantic Salmon or Steelhead fishing, finding and catching these Sea Runs is a fickle sport. “Hitting the run” just right happens, but more commonly anglers have to work hard for each fish, using classic greased line techniques and covering lots of water. Shorter spey rods are the rod of choice for this river and I was mainly using a 13’ 7 wt Echo TR with Scandi lines that cast like a dream and had enough power to deal with the wind. This summer, the weather was particularly lousy in Tierra del Fuego and the river levels went from super low in the early season to near record high for the later months. The big rises in water that accompanied each storm brought fresh fish in and if you were lucky enough to be there within a few days of one of the drops, the fish were aggressive and active throughout the river. It seemed that once the water levels stabilized, the fish got tough and we found our best success using #14 and #16 Pheasant tails and other small, trouty nymphs.

This is a challenging fishery and the 100 miles of private river on the Cameron offer a huge daily selection of waters to fish. Prime time is generally from mid-March through mid-April, although we hit Sea Runs this year from mid January on. Numbers are never high for these fish on the Chilean side and expectations should be kept low. Our guests caught anywhere from 1-7 Sea Runs per week and lots of 14-20 inch residents each day.

In early April, I returned to the Valle Bonito to find that not only had the volcanic ash washed away, but that things actually looked greener and better than they had before the eruption. During this time, I was able to fish the Espolon, the Futaleufu and a bit on the South end of Yelcho. Fishing was great and I used only dries, fishing mostly flying ant patterns, as the ant hatches on the sunny days were prolific.

I expect a banner year next season and can’t wait to get back down there on the water. The Valle Bonito looks fabulous and I’m excited to re-open and resume fishing with guests in this amazing area. Any concerns that anyone has about the effects of the Chaiten Volcano should be forgotten as the area is even more beautiful than ever. The fisheries are fine and have been well rested for the last two seasons, so if you want to fish in Patagonia, think about the coming season. You’ll love it!

                

                     Contact Luwarner@mac.com 970-946-4370 in Colorado