Deep in the Patagonia of Chile are two outstanding fly fishing lodges owned by Lu’s Chilean friend Gonzalo Cortes. Gonzalo has been fly fishing in his home country for over 20 years, has written a beautiful book about it and has had the opportunity to sample all of the best waters in his quest to find the perfect place to build a lodge. What he found was that two lodges were better than one.

His first lodge on Lake Yelcho is not only well appointed and comfortable, it is a stones throw from some of the best trout fishing on the planet. The immense Lake Yelcho has numerous reed filled bays and super productive fly water for both Rainbow and Brown trout. Much of the time large Dragonfly imitations are all you need to lure chrome bright, hard fighting Rainbows to the surface. Lake Yelcho is arguably the best fishery in Chile. There are so many fish here that we have even stood on the dock in front of the lodge and caught trout after trout with large dries. It’s sheer remoteness and size protect the fish populations and the proximity to the ocean assures a constant replenishment of strong and wild fish. 

Right from the lodge you can float the Yelcho River, which is the outlet of the lake and flows for some thirty miles to the Pacific. This river has prolific Caddis and Midge hatches and provides perfect habitat for both Brown and Rainbow trout. Here you can fish a tiny dry to selective feeding fish and also successfully cast large streamer patterns for monster Browns. From the lodge we are situated perfectly to sample the best of it in style. All of the boats, vehicles, equipment, linens and food are first class. The guides are

very personable, speak good fly fishing English and know the fisheries very well.

About 2 hours down the Carretera Austral highway from Lake Yelcho is Gonzalo’s other lodge on Lake Rosselot. This new lodge is also extremely comfortable and is located in the middle of many excellent fisheries including the Figueroa River, the Rosselot River, the Quinto River, the Palena River, Lake

Rosselot and other smaller lagunas that hold large trout. Gonzalo’s idea is that anglers will spend a 7 night/6 day week, splitting the time between the two lodges and having many waters to sample on each trip. The concept works superbly and different fishing venues can be chosen each day. Of course longer trips can be arranged and multi-day float trips can be added on as well. By booking a trip to the Chucao through Lu you are assured of his expertise and help configuring the trip, advice in arranging your travel plus guiding and hosting services during your stay at no extra cost to you. He has been guiding in this area for many years and knows the people, the fishing and the lodging very well. Together with Gonzalo he is enthusiastic to offer you hosted trips for the normal Chucao lodge rates in the 11/12 season. Call or write for more info.