Patagonia Chile Fly Fishing Season Starts

In Patagonia, the most common fly fishing is for rainbow and brown Trout. Also, watch out for scary size of the Salmon that are common to the rivers in Chilean Patagonia. You will not find much in the way of Salmon on the Argentina side of Patagonia, and the salmon are an added bonus for fly fishing in Chile.

Just a few of the more famous fly fishing rivers in Patagonia Chile include the Rio Futaleufu, the Rio Azul, Rio Espolon, Rio Blanco and the Rio Negro. Of course, the list goes on and on. What you need to also consider is that some of the best fly fishing in the World happens on little tributaries and rivers that have only local names or no names. Because of the high mountain glaciers, the Patagonia of Chile is filled with thousands of fast moving fly fishing creeks. Don't get stuck on the big name river labels. There are many places where the fish have never seen an artificial fly and very few fishermen.

The legal fishing season in the Chilean Patagonia begins in most locations in the middle of November and continues through to the middle of April. You must have a license issued by the Chilean government to Fish. The municipality such as in the town of Futaleufu issue licenses on behalf of the Servicio Nacional de Pesca (National Service of Fishery). Expect to pay about 7,000 pesos for a license or about $14 US.

Many fly fishing guides and lodges reserve blocks of licenses for their clients. Be aware that they can run out of fishing licenses during the high season. If this is the case, please check around with the local guides and lodges in Chile to see if they have any they wish to sell.