Fly fishing PatagoniaIn Challhuaquen Lodge the Esquel area has at least three fisheries worth your attention: The Futaleufú River, The Spring Creek Arroyo Pescado and Nant y Falls/Corintos/Percey Rivers. Futaleufú River: It is the largest and the most beautiful river in the area. Challhuaquen Lodge is placed on the bank of the middle river, in a section believed to be the richest fishing area of theme. The Futaleufú is a large river containing lots of flat water, riffles and deep pools all of which give you a chance to catch good numbers of fish on dry flies. Like most tail waters, the river runs cold and clear and is rich with trout food and large trout. Fly fishing Patagonia from the boat is authorized. Outstanding wading areas can be reached with catches of 3 to 6 pounds in browns and rainbows. There is excellent dry, streamer and nymphs fishing. The famous Spring Creek Arroyo Pescado: Is easily one of the best spring creeks in the world!. This stream is born in a private property, and runs 50 miles to join the Chubut River. Only fly casting is authorized, quality and quantity is the special characteristic of this fishery (2 to 5 pound rainbows). Some wide spots are very good for wading, but casting from the coast is another good alternative. Arroyo Pescado is located 60 miles from Challhuaquen (30 miles north-east of Esquel) and it’s a place full of tales about the Buch Cassidy gang and their misdeeds in the area, narrated by the land-owner. Nant y Falls River: Just 10 minutes away from Challhuaquen (30 minutes from Esquel), on a private estancia, it is located one of the most beautiful rivers in the region. It’s a small stream (40 - 60 feet wide), choked with weed beds and teaming with fish. We have hooked rainbows in excess of 6 pounds and averaged 20 -30 fish a day, all on small dries. Fly fishing is from the bank and you will be casting to fish cruising the edges of the weed beds. This river is a new place for fly fishing Patagonia as it was closed until recently. The Corintos and Percey Rivers: These two streams flow about 30 miles each before meeting and flowing into the Futaleufú River. They offer walk wading opportunities for those wanting to get their feet wet. Not all the fish are large on these streams but the occasional fish over 18 inches can be caught on a large dry fly. The character of water is often times like that of a freestone, pocket water stream, and also spring creek like. These rivers are a nice choice for those that want to wade fish with a light rod and enjoy fly fishing Patagonia in spectacular scenery. ![]() The fly fishing Patagonia, in the mid-summer weather is predominantly dry, hot during the day and cool at night. The rivers are mostly freestone with some spring creeks. Particularly in the spring creeks, the trout rise feverishly during a hatch to mayflies and caddis ranging from size 10 to 20. Otherwise, the most common form of food is the “pancora”, a fresh water crab-imitated by a black or olive woolly bugger or similar, size 2,4 or 6 wet fly. The trout of Patagonia (browns, rainbows and brook trout) average 12-20 inch. Intermediate fly fishermen can expect to land trout over 20 inches and experienced anglers have a good chance of landing 5-15 pound trout. Many rivers also contain landlocked salmon, which can exceed 10 pounds.
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