All the lodging places in this area of South Nahuel Huapí National Park area (Bariloche) offer different sport fishing tour options for spinning, fly casting or trolling, also offer fly casting lessons. Please, contact the hotel, ranch or hostería that you have chosen for you lodging.

Sport fishing in fresh waters of the Andean Patagonian lakes

Rivers and lakes in Patagonia have glacial origin. These are mostly deep lakes, like a huge bucket with a U or V shape with scarce vegetation and great clearness, where you can see 6 to 15 meters deep and in some places up to 25 meters deep. The water is extremely crystal clear, almost distilled with no salt or solid material. Most of its water comes from rain and melting ice and its bottom is mostly hard, non-soluble rock. The water has low temperature so if there is any vegetation, this will grow at some shallow bays where is protected from the wind.

All the water streams are well populated by native trouts that are fierce and hungry also not much selective about the feeding because there is not much fishing activity in the area. It is very common to fish in a lake or at a stream and have no other fishermen at site in the nearby area. This sites are the ideal for any fishermen, bearing in mind that all this lakes and rivers have easy access. There are regulations for this activity (you need fishing permit extended by the National Park office) and there are also exclusive sites for fly casting. The average size of catch is 1 to 2 Kg (2 to 5 pounds) although it is common to catch fishes between 3 to 4 Kg (6 to 9 pounds) with spinning and fly casting technique. For trolling it is normal to catch 2 to 3 Kg (5 to 7 pounds) fishes although you can catch up to 5 to 6 Kg (11 to 14 pounds) fishes.The fishing season begins the first Saturday of November and ends the first Sunday of May, the best fishing months are the first two months of the season and the last two months.

In general the lakes have good access roads and usually have boat booting facilities. The weather conditions are usually good with low temperatures in the morning and the evening, with pleasant temperatures during the day. The wind usually is mild during the morning increasing during the day and getting still at sunset. Usually the wind blows from the West from moderate to strong wind intensity.

Pacific ocean drainage Patagonia lakes in Bariloche

These lakes are small to medium size, very productive, easy to navigate with plenty of bays with water vegetation at the shores with huge trout banks. It is better to have a boat but lakes like Roca and Guillelmo, Los Moscos or Mascardi are good places for sport fishing from the coast. In these lakes the rule is "further away and harder to reach the better fishing you get". Though Fonck, Hess, Roca and Steffen lakes are better, with more abundant fish banks. The best way to fish in these lakes is with Belly Boat.

Fish species in the Andean Patagonia lakes

There are two big groups of fishes in the Patagonian lakes: the local and the exotic species. The local types of trout that we can find are: puyen (galaxias maculatus), puyen grande (galaxias platei), bagre aterciopelado (diplomystes viedmensis), bagre de los torrentes (hatcheria macraei), pejerrey patagónico (basilichtys microlepidotus), peladilla (aplochiton taeniatus), peladilla listada (aplochiton zebra), perca or Creole trout (percichthis trout). The local species are rarely to fish so if you catch any of these species of trout you should release it at once to the water with less damage as possible. The first settlers brought the exotic species from abroad. The most commonly fished are the rainbow, brown, locked salmon and fontanels. These exotic species were sewed at the beginning of the XX century, these species adapted excellently to the new environment achieving a higher density and bigger size than its original environment.

Fishing techniques and equipment needed

Trolling: medium size rods, spinning reel with 200m. Nylon line 0,30 to 0,40 mm wide (diameter), spoons and lures, sinking line for warmer months (January-February).
Spinning: For spinning you should use light to ultralight equipment, using small lures (up to 30 gr.), jigs and spoons specially spinning spoons between n° 0 and n° 2. Medium size front reel with 120 m. nylon line 0,25 - 0,30 mm wide.
Fly Casting: The best gear for fly casting is a n° 5 rod of about 8,5 to 9 feet long, with Floating line and also one Full Sinking Wet Cell II. This equipment is recommended for the entrance and exit of the river from the lakes. But with Shooting medium sinking II and flies of the kind: Olive Wolly Buggers, Black Leech or similar to nymph Dragon Flies tied to hooks N° 4 to N° 10 you can have an excellent angling. At the end of the season with N° 2 or N° 3 rods you can get most of the fun. If you fish with this gear you should bring along a wide variety of cocoons and midges specially a Griffing Gnat tied to N° 18 to N° 24, hooks. Between January and March there is much insect activity in this area. The most recommendable dry flies are adults of the kind Caddis type Elk Caddis, Goddard Caddis or Delta Wing Caddis tied to hooks N° 12 to N° 16, or attractions type Wulff on hooks N° 10 to N° 12.
The wading equipment includes neoprene waders (3,5 to 4 mm thick) for low temperature waters and anti-slip booties. It is also important to have a large brim hat, good sun glasses, a polartec fleece and widstopper jacket.
Bear in mind that this is a sport activity so, fishing in this area it controlled and ruled activity. (Fishing rules and regulations) The fishing season begins after the mating season. This is not left to chance: it responds to a need of preserving the resource letting the fishes develop their reproductive cycle with no alterations during the winter time. In rivers and streams it is specially recommenced to practice catch and release, releasing the fishes alive, immediately and with lesser damage possible.

All the lodging places in this area offer different fishing tour options for spinning, fly casting or trolling, also offer fly casting lessons. Please, contact the hotel, ranch or hostería that you have chosen for you lodging.