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Fishing day at Patagonia Drifters The fishing day at Patagonia Drifters usually starts with a knock on the door followed by a hot cup of coffee, tea or whatever other morning beverage you require to get your motor started. A cook to order breakfast is served in the dining room at approximately 8:00 a.m. A variety of fresh fruit, cereal, toast, yogurt and fruit juices are available for those who prefer a lighter start to their day. In most cases you will suit up in your waders at the lodge and you and your guide will head out and be on the water in short order. One of the benefits of Monte’s operation is its strategic location affording quick and easy access to a variety of trout waters within a very short drive of the lodge. And in some cases, you will start your fishing day right from the lodge on the Manihuales River. Your fishing days with Patagonia Drifters are full during the Patagonia summer and the exact schedule is only determined by your stamina and day light. Lunch is usually taken in the field to maximize your time on the water and you are normally back at the lodge between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. for a hot shower, cocktail hour and another wonderful meal prepared by Hecktor. Sleep fast, because the next morning you will be at it again and off to a new fishery, new adventure. The hardest decision you have at Patagonia Drifters is trying to decide what crystal clear river, remote, hidden spring creek or high alpine lake you are going to sample next. That’s where Monte’s two decades of experience comes into play and each evening at cocktail hour he will sit down with you and strategize your next day’s sortie.
Below are brief descriptions of the major fisheries that Monte has access to. Float Trip Fisheries: Rio Simpson: (Los Torreones) 20-minute
drive Pastoral valley with a meandering peat green river that is unmatched
for the amount of structure in the water and along the banks. Never
is there a moment when there isn’t a fishy looking spot to
place a fly. Rainbow and Brown trout 13-18 inches are common, with
occasional trophies to truly obese proportions. Rio Aisen: 15-minute drive The Rio Aisen is the cumulative flow of
the Simpson and Manihuales. Big eddies, structured banks
and long runs make up the character of the Aisen. It flows into
the fjords (ocean) several miles below our take-out, near the port
town of Aisen. This is big water with huge panoptic vistas. Resident
Rainbow Flies: mayfly / caddis / midges / beetles / stones / streamers Rio Blanco & tributaries: 40-minute
drive (some dirt) (motor, float & walk) Probably the most visually stimulating of
all the rivers we fish, featuring glaciers, waterfalls, and
impenetrable rainforest, although it’s a tough call with so
much water as our disposal. Some days our best fishing is in the
mainstem itself. Other days, one or both of the tributaries we hit
prove to be the most productive, another day and maybe the hatch
is on the lower Aisen. In any case there are many options on this
river and no way to explore them all in one visit. Mañihuales River: (5 beats) This beat normally produces the most hook-ups
of any of our floats. It starts off forested and then opens
to pastoral cut banks. That means we have the best of both worlds.
Beetles in the forest and hoppers in the pastures. Rainbows 13 -
19 inches and Browns 13 - 23 inches! Beat 2 (the pasarella) 25-minute drive This float challenges the upper float for hook-ups per day. A bouldery
upper stretch gives way to a more pastoral and larger river. Rainbow
and Browns 13 - 23+ inches Beat 3 (the classic) 15-minute drive The perfect size float river, with a walk/wade tributary stream
in the middle of the float. Beat 4 (Granite Canyon) From the lodge Nearly inaccessible water without a boat. Beautiful canyon float
with deep pools and long runs. Rainbows and Browns 16-23+ inches
with the occasional monster. Beat 5 (Lower Float) 10-minute drive A big river with plenty of eddies, long
runs and lots of structure. The termination of this float
is the confluence with the Simpson. Rainbows and Browns 13-23 inches,
again, with the occasional Monster. Walk and Wade Fisheries Rio Picaflor: (Hummingbird) 40-minute drive
(mostly dirt) Forested, at times canopied, and full of logs. A magnificent stream
with trout to truly trophy proportions. Long casts, stealthy approaches,
and big rewards! Rainbow and Browns from 13 inches to piscivorous
pigs. Rio Turbio: 20-minute drive With the exception of the bottom 1/3 mile
of canyon, this stream is open banked and pastoral. The water
is absolutely gin clear and the Browns are all true trophies. This
is New Zealand fishing, with the exception; you actually see the
fish, and big ones at that! Getting in position and making the 60
to 80 foot cast necessary for a hook-up is quite another thing.
If you enjoy hunting and stalking, this river is for you. The most
difficult of all the waters we fish, it can also produce the biggest
rewards. Browns to 30+ inches. Rio Canyoñ: Access from Beat 3 float. Sister river to the Turbio (gin clear) Fishes
at its very best when the hoppers are at their peak. Mainstem
fish come up to feed on the hoppers and are a lot easier to catch
than the resident fish. This stream terminates miles up from the
mainstem in a series of gin clear 15 foot deep pools. The last of
which (where the river flows out of the slot canyon) is as beautiful
a spot as can be imagined. Rainbow and Rio Emperador Guillermo: (Bill Creek) 10
- 20-minute drive This stream has several beats, but
the one we prefer is a several mile long stretch that is willow
infested and to which we have exclusive access. Of all the waters
we fish, this stream is the easiest for the beginner and yet offers
big rewards for the angler with advanced skills. It’s not
uncommon for the rank beginner to land 30 + small fish in a day
and on a dry fly. Advanced anglers, using stealth, occasionaly find
fish to 24 inches +. Therefore, this stream is a must see. Walks
on this beat are designed around the skill and physical abilities
of the angler. From covering a very few pools that we can just about
drive, working them thoroughly with different flies and techniques,
to fishing the entire several mile beat, which turns into a lot
of walking and a lot of fish brought to hand. Lower Nireguao: 20-minute drive (some dirt) Several miles of semi-arid cut bank pasture land. With an increase of biblical proportions over the last half dozen years, of the hopper population, and an exponential increase in the number of spawning king salmon, there is certainly no shortage of food for these trout. This stream is well suited to the beginner as well as the advanced angler. The beginner, with a short cast and a hopper/dropper rig can expect numerous small fish. As the anglers ability to make longer, more accurate casts increases, so does the size of the fish, some of which are well over 20 inches. During the summer season (until the end of February) this is hopper and Brown trout country. Starting the first week of March, the Kings move onto the redds and Rainbows come up out of the main stem (Manihuales). Using egg patterns, thrown at the tails of the Kings, it’s a 50/50 Brown and Bow show. It’s not uncommon to land fish over the 20 inch mark (size is increasing yearly due to both the increase in hoppers and Kings.) In addition, there are many still water fisheries close by with monster Rainbow and Brown Trout. This is all very good water and most of it within an hour of Coyhaique. Information provided by Monte Becker |
For
reservations or questions please contact
The Fly Shop or
call 800-669-3474 |