There are no crowds to compete for the trout on the Rio Baker.

Chile has an excellent fishing reputation, yet it is an angling enigma. This 2,650-mile-long country is entirely bounded on the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, but its long coastline is currently not a hotspot for visiting saltwater anglers. The topography of Chile is dominated by the Andes Mountains, and the country is highly regarded for its freshwater trout fisheries. Yet brown and rainbow trout are not native here. The primary angling action for trout occurs in the country’s southernmost 1,000 miles. Despite its many lakes and rivers, Chile is not noted for diversity in its freshwater species, although this doesn’t bother trout anglers, as it has plenty of diversity in its trout waters.

Because Chile’s most popular trout waters are in the Southern Hemisphere, they can be enjoyed when most visiting anglers from the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing cold weather at home. This advantage—coupled with terrific scenery, friendly and hospitable Chileans, and trout that are eager and large on average—makes for an inviting situation.

Bordered on the north by Peru, on the northeast by Bolivia, and on the east by Argentina, Chile has an average width of under 110 miles and is fringed by the Andes along the entire eastern region. The Andes are widest in the north and include broad plateaus and many peaks over 20,000 feet. Northern Chile, which is arid, also features low coastal mountains on the west; between these and the Andes is a plateau region. This area has few freshwater resources, but the northern coast has garnered historical billfishing significance.

In central Chile, which has a Mediterranean climate (somewhat akin to northern California), the plateau region becomes the fertile Central Valley, which is about 600 miles long, between 25 and 50 miles wide, and the most heavily populated area of the country. This is Chile’s main agricultural area. The Andes in central Chile are narrower and lower, but they have the most important passes. The central coast has Chile’s finest natural harbors.

Southern Chile has a temperate climate (similar to the Pacific Northwest in the United States) and is without an interior valley. The Andes here are mainly under 6,000 feet, and the coastline is markedly indented with fiords. Archipelagoes extend along the southern coast from Chiloé Island to Cape Horn, and are actually the peaks of submerged coastal mountains. These include the Chonos Archipelago, Wellington Island, and the western portion of Tierra del Fuego. The central and southern regions contain the greatest freshwater fishing opportunities, with numerous deep blue lakes and hundreds of rivers and streams that are relatively short and flow from the western slopes of the Andes toward the Pacific Ocean.

Large portions of Chile are considered geologically unstable and are subject to earthquakes and volcanic activity. These events have affected some freshwater resources over the years.

Freshwater

Although it has been visited by intrepid anglers since the late 1940s, and despite its size and abundance of waters, Chile has relatively few fishing camps. Many operators have come and gone over the years, and possibly two dozen in total exist today, perhaps half of which have opened since the early 1990s. That may reflect a new interest and growing popularity in Chilean fishing, but it also implies an abundance of wilderness water that is rarely visited.

For the trout angler, Chile offers wading or drifting in rivers under a backdrop of snowcapped peaks, and dozens of trout daily, all in the 1- to 3-pound range and some that press the 5- to 8-pound mark. The fishing isn’t always that good, and some rivers have better-size fish than others, but good numbers of quality fish combined with gorgeous scenery is the reason anglers travel to Chile.

Chilean rivers are relatively short, generally rising in the Andes and flowing west to the Pacific; some originate in Argentina, and most are fed primarily by the perpetual snow cover of the Andes. Brown trout and rainbows are the mainstays, although some brook trout exist as well in certain streams. The browns were introduced from Germany in 1905, while the rainbows and brookies came from the United States.

The “Lake Region” of Chile has gained a lot of attention in the past, and is well known among traveling trout anglers. Situated about 500 miles south of the capital city of Santiago and located in an area extending roughly from Temuco to Puerto Montt (the southern part of Chile’s central region), the Lake Region includes Lakes Villarrica, Ranco, Rupanco, Panguipulli, Riñihue, and Llanquihue—all of which are connected to rivers and in the past have supported the bulk of Chilean angling. Among the rivers of note are the Cumilahue, Calcurrupe, Petrohue, Tolten, San Pedro, Trancura, Liucura, Furaleliu, Nilahue, and Carran. Many of the region’s larger waters, such as the Petrohue, are floated in drift boats, as well as waded.

The southern region, however, has some of the less-accessible and more undisturbed fishing, with excellent angling for brown and rainbow trout. The arrival of camps in the area has focused increased attention here. The region is sometimes referred to as the Chilean Patagonia, because the Patagonia region of South America once included the southern parts of both Argentina and Chile. Local lakes include Paloma, Yelcho, Pollux, and others, which likewise are amid rivers and generally known for larger trout on average. Significant rivers include the Paloma, Azul, Balboa, Simpson, Desague, Sin Nombre, Nireguao, Futaleufu, Palena, and Cisnes. There are many more, including tributaries, and other lakes. Some are floated as well as waded.

Although trout are the almost exclusive quarry of visiting anglers, steelhead, chinook salmon, and coho salmon also flourish in southern coastal rivers. These have become established over the years as a result of escapes from pen-rearing farm operations along the coast. Sea trout exist in the southernmost region of Tierra del Fuego (see: Argentina).

Trout fishing in southern Chile consists almost exclusively of fly fishing, primarily because local lodge operators want it that way. Various methods produce, so an assortment of fly-line types are necessary; 6- to 8-weight rods are suitable. Flies vary widely, but it’s worth knowing that a common trout food item in many Chilean rivers is a small freshwater crab called the pancora. Felt-soled waders are necessary for mossy rocks, and light chest waders are best. Good sunglasses are necessary, especially when sight fishing for trout, which is sometimes possible in low clear waters.

The trout season in southern Chile is the opposite of what visitors from the Northern Hemisphere are accustomed to. Spring and summer extend from October through April, and trout fishing generally takes place from November through early April Some anglers prefer to fish early and late in the season, but in some locations this may have no bearing. Later in the season, however, larger browns often move out of the lakes and into rivers prior to spawning. Early-season fishing can be productive during periods of high cold water due to runoff.

Saltwater

Approximately 3,100 miles of Pacific coastline should offer opportunity for exceptional saltwater fishing, but Chile has not developed this resource; boats, guides, information sources, and the like are almost nonexistent in most areas. Their availability has fluctuated a good deal over time, in part due to offshore current shifts, in part to commercial activities.

Chile has a great number of beaches, coves, bays, fiords, and the like from which to fish, and Chileans primarily fish from the shore or surf for corvina and flounder. Some boat fishing exists near shore for these species, as well as other bottom fish and mackerel, but offshore fishing is nearly non-existent. The reasons for this are many: Boats and tackle are unavailable or too expensive, the water can be rough, and recreational angling is of minor interest and is not a tradition among Chileans. A host of other factors influences this trend

Perhaps ironically, Chile is engraved in the historical annals of broadbill swordfish angling. This is because the northern coast was once a hotbed for this species. The northern ports of Antofagasta, Tocopilla, Iquique, and Arica, were jumping-off points for offshore expeditions for swordfish, black marlin, striped marlin, dolphin, and tuna, with Iquique being the most prominent site. In the early 1950s, Iquique had a few sportfishing boats, and expeditions here by renowned anglers S. Kip Farrington and Michael Lerner were well chronicled. Many broadbills, and numerous large fish, were caught here, and sight fishing for these bruisers became legendary. The current all-tackle world record—a 1,182-pounder—was registered at Iquique in May of 1953, and, in light of the worldwide depressed state of swordfish, seems like an untouchable accomplishment. Two other record swordfish, 759 and 772 pounds, were also caught during this period.

This great fishery existed thanks to the course of the cold, rich Humboldt Current and its upwelling nature near shore, but the fishery for broadbills and marlin declined as a result of commercial fishing, the vagaries of El Niño, shifts in the Humboldt Current, political changes within the country that made angling forays less likely, and perceived problems related to the collapse of anchovy stocks off Peru. As a result, there was almost no offshore fishing effort for decades, until the mid-1980s. Swordfish of 533 and 657 pounds were caught in the late 1980s at Algarrobo, about 50 miles south of Valparaiso, which is much farther south from Iquique. These established new line-class records and they, as well as other fish caught and observed around the same time, proved that big fish still existed. This did not result in a rush of anglers, however, in part because the entire coast is devoid (or nearly so) of recreational boats, there is no infrastructure for saltwater angling tourism, and hot billfisheries exist elsewhere. Also, with most swordfishing being a sight-and-bait affair, it’s necessary to have calm conditions. A preponderance of rough weather here from January through May can mean a lot of down time, not to mention cold-weather fishing.

Nevertheless, the central coast is one that might be viable in the future should a number of conditions change. It could well be the place for catching record swordfish in the future.