Chile Patagonia Fly Fishing

Salmo Patagonia Lodge offers lovely vistas, breathtaking clear blue and green water and unbelieveable numbers of colorful trout that have never seen an artificial fly. This one-of-a-kind environment has many different micro-climates — each with an abundance of animal, bird and plant species.

Dear Luis,
My job at Sage takes me to a lot of places around the world and it certainly puts me in a position to have a comparative opinion on what constitutes a good lodge and outfitter.

I want to compliment you enormously on the job you have done over the years at Salmo Patagonia Lodge. I must say that you have created what I believe is simply one of the very best lodges on Planet Earth. The setting of your lodge, the comfort, the attention to detail, the staff, the room, the fishing, the scenery, the guides, the food and, most importantly, the feeling of your place are all just simply the best—not to mention the incredible giant browns and salmon you have in your private waters.

Marc Bale
Vice President Marketing and Sales
Sage Manufacturing Co.

Salmo Patagonia Lodge offers a vast and growing selection of fishing in November through mid-April where you are the only anglers. You can cast to rising brown or rainbow trout or tease up king, silver, and Atlantic salmon in total seclusion. It is common for anglers to catch and release more than 50 brown and rainbow trout per day. Ten to twenty+ pound trout are landed every week.

Dry fly, wet fly and nymph fishing are all available and are all productive. Sight fishing with hoppers or over amazing mayfly hatches is also available. You may wade fish, fish via float or jet boat, or in a float tube. Clients arrive at fishing areas via super-cab four-wheel drive trucks, horseback or four wheel drive ATVs.

Owner Luis Antunez’ lodge encompasses close to 30,000 acres that allows his guides exclusive access to many miles of streams, rivers and more than 20 mountain lakes. Antunez schedules clients so that they are the only anglers fly fishing for the giant browns, rainbows, multicolored brook trout, and powerful kings, silvers and Atlantic salmon.

Paloma River Lodge's specialty is dry fly fishing—the larger portion of each fishing day will consist of throwing big dries. There are six different kinds of beetles in the area, so the trout are accustomed to pounding large bugs on the water’s surface. Most of the dries used are between #4 and #10 all summer long which makes PRL a dry fly fisherman’s paradise. Streamers’ key role is in the lakes late in the fall, and are also productive all season.

If you can cast 40 feet, you will be able to reach most of the fish in the rivers. Intermediate-level fishermen should expect to hook 20-40 fish each day. Most of the rainbow and brown trout are between 14 and 20 inches, and it is common to get chances at bigger bows and browns up to 25 inches. Many anglers have experienced their personal best days on trout at Paloma River Lodge.

Dry fly fishing at its best generally occurs from December through March, although October and November are great early spring months. Very large trout on the move can be taken on streamers then. March brings cooler days and the rivers reach their lowest water volume, but the cooler days bring the truly large fish out of the lakes and into the rivers for spawning.

Two Aire Super Puma 14' self bailing rafts with rowing frames for float trips are used as well as several other boats, including their all-welded 17' jet sled. Other quality equipment is stationed in various locations for quick lake fishing access.