Northern Patagonia Custom Trips
Commonly known as the “Lake District” of Patagonia, this region sits within the expansive Nahuel Huapi National Park, and boasts some of the largest trout on earth. Not only known for its fishing, the spectacular park covers some 1.75 million acres and draws tourists from all over the world. This is understandable considering the spectacular scenery – a sublime mixture of glacier-capped volcanoes, turquoise lakes, emerald rivers, monolithic rock formations, verdant rainforests and austere steppe – though that’s not the only appeal of this region. Excellent brown, rainbow and brook trout can be found at the right time of year, and the unrivaled convenience and luxury of the nearby city of Bariloche, makes this area perfect for those looking to enjoy some night life as well.
Born and raised in Bariloche, Alex and Nico Trochine have nearly 30 years combined experience plying the area’s rivers, and no guide is more qualified then they at finding fish. Big fish.
Fisheries:
Fonk Lake and Hess Lake are two small lakes that drain into the Manso river system. They are situated in the middle of a temperate rainforest, inside the Nahuel Huapi National Park. With the Tronador glacier in the background, the scenery is unparalleled. You won’t soon forget a day spent catching brown, rainbow and brook trout in such a serene location.
Fishing
When conditions are right it is a perfect place to catch plenty of trout on dries. We found Caddis, Mayflies and Dragon imitations very effective.
Most of the fishing is done from skiffs drifting along the shore line that is covered by reeds (juncos), where insects are found in large amounts.
November, December and the first half of January are the best month for fishing these lakes. After the water gets warmer the fishing gets more difficult, but, again gets better at the end of the season, late March and April
Pichi Leufu creek
Is situated an hour from Bariloche, and runs from the Andes down through the steppe for over 80 kilometres until ending in Alicura reservoir.
Fishing
Pichi Leufu holds a good population of rainbow trout, brown trout and we would also have opportunity to catch Perca (native sport fish) in the lower part before the reservoir.
Most of the river looks like a classic, desert freestone river where good sized brown trout come readily to dry flies and streamers. There are some small spring creeks that flow into Pichi Leufu where we are able to do sight fishing with dry flies.
November, December and January are the best months, as the higher early season water draws up big browns come into the Pichi Leufu from the reservoir. February, March and April have stable fishing for resident fish, though they tend to be smaller
Limay river
Many consider the Limay to be one of the premier rivers in all of Argentina. Although it has decent populations of resident rainbow and brown trout (a few surprisingly large), it is the migratory brown trout, both from Lago Nahuel Huapi and the reservoirs below, that are the Limay’s main attraction. Surrendering more than its fair share of behemoths, the Limay is arguably one of most productive fisheries for trophy-sized trout in the world today. Superbly conditioned on a diet of pancoras and baitfish, these migratory browns average 3-7 lbs, although fish over 10 pounds are relatively common and every year fish over 15 lbs are landed.
Fishing
We will concentrate in the upper portion, which is just twenty minutes away from Bariloche. When fish drop out of massive Nahuel Huapi lake into the river, they spread through the upper section. The main characteristics are strong current and the deep pools. Floating down the river you will be able to do several types of fishing, from fishing with small dries for midsized rainbows to streamer fishing for migratory fish that grow up to 10 pounds. The best time to target trophy migratory fish is Nov/Dec and March/April.
Climate
The fishing runs from November 1st to May 1st, but weather conditions can vary greatly over the course of the season.
In the early season, (Nov-Dec), one must be prepared for almost any condition, from warm, sunny days to rain showers and strong winds. Due to the amount of water we have available, we will be able to catch fish in almost any weather condition.
Jan-Mar is the driest and warmest time of the season, and the weather is relatively stable. Everywhere in Patagonia, though, one must come prepared for the possibility of inclement weather.
By April, summer is over and temperatures are dropping. Temperatures from 5˚ to 15˚C are common at this time of the season, and precipitation (rain or maybe even snow) is more frequent.
Rates: 400 USD every two anglers. 350 USD for single angler per day.
Includes: Meals at the river, transfers in Bariloche, bilingual guides.
Does not include: Accommodations, gratuities.
Please feel free to ask us any questions you may have by dropping us a line at info@FarawayFlyFishing.com, or you can call or chat with us instantly and we'll start planning your fishing trip right away:
