Chile Patagonia Trip Summary

Hopper fishing in February

If dry fly fishing and brown trout are your thing I believe Chilean Patagonia is your place! If you have followed our blog / fly shop for any length of time you know we have done some South American trout fishing and have always enjoyed what it has to offer.

This round I decided to try the Chile side of Patagonia, whereas our last trips were in Argentina. Like Argentina it did NOT disappoint one bit!

My significant other Jen and I were accompanied by a couple other friends as we explored the Cinco Rios operation. Sebastian Galilea, the owner, operates two different lodges; Cinco Rios and Estancia Del Zorro.

Cinco Rios is situated in the picturesque town of Coyhaique and caters to guests looking to float rivers and lakes. It is tucked into the mountains a bit and has a more rainforest vibe versus their other operations. The second lodge, Estancia Del Zorro, is located approximately an hour away and is littered with miles of spring creeks inhabited by some very large brown trout. The Estancia has a charming rustic feel and is miles from the nearest town.

One of the unique experiences to the operation is that guests can split their week between the two, three days at Zorro, three days at Cinco. That is exactly what we did and you truly get the best of what Patagonia has to offer.

After my friends departed back to the states, Jen and I continued south to another operation Cinco Rios offers for a shot at epically portioned lake run brown trout. This addition to our journey wasn't quite as planned as we weren't sure the timing would work, but luckily there were some browns on the move and we were able to check out another river system. I would equate the last two and half days of our fishing more like "steelhead" fishing back home. You had to work hard and cover water, but you could be rewarded with a fish of a lifetime.

Until next year Patagonia!