We were on our last leg of travel, and with each mile south we went, the excitement grew. We all booked window seats, just so we could take in the views of snow capped mountains and volcanoes as the plane took us from Santiago to Coyhaique, Chile. I had seen these views before, It was good to be back in Chile, on my way to Cinco Rios Lodge. I looked out on the Andes, passing by at 500mph, spotting bodies of water nestled in between glaciers, always wondering if the fish in that lake had ever seen a fly before. You hear people describe Southern Chile and its trout fishing as “Montana 100 years ago”. If Montana was this good a century ago, I was born in the wrong year.
Day 0 - Arrival
We bumped down on the runway and flew by the tiny airport buildings of Balmaceda. One of the first things you notice about the airport is that all the trees planted to help create a windbreak, only had branches growing on one side. If this region is known for its trout, it is also known for its wind. As our luggage, dry bags and rod carriers made their way off the baggage claim belt, we shuffled out of the airport to a waiting van and Sebastian and Rodrigo, the owner and the manager of Cinco Rios Lodge. Introductions were made, hearty handshakes and hugs were exchanged and the energy was high. Estancia Del Zorro would be our next stop and our first lodge in a very cool and very unique split week program we book for our trip each year. The drive north from the airport, through Coyhaique and then towards the border with Argentina is always a blur to me. All I can think about is seeing the staff, unpacking and organizing my gear for the next day's fishing adventure and toasting a whiskey with our travelers, as we had finally made it!
Day 1 - Argentina
The energy around the crackling wood burning stove and steaming coffee cups was measurable. We spoke with Hector, head guide at EDZ and went over the plan for our first day of fishing. Each pair of anglers would peel off with a guide to fish completely separate water. The options in this place are immense. After grabbing a few 6wts, waders, boots and flies, we hopped in Pablo’s Hilux and headed to the border crossing. Alex and I would drive into Argentina on day one, and fish a spring creek inhabited by a healthy population of rainbow trout, a bit of a rarity on this side of the landscape. As our passports were stamped, the wind howled outside the border crossing offices, rattling the windows. Alex looked at me laughing and maybe a little nervous. He had never fished in wind like this. Alex and I had fished together for 25 years, but this was all new to him.
It was best to use the buddy system when opening car doors when the “w” was moving this quickly. We unloaded, geared up and picked a section of spring creek that would put the wind at our backs for most of the important shots. This wind is a norm in this part of Chile. And the guides are amazing at turning it to your advantage. With the wind helping us and a good ripple on the water we casted single hoppers into big pools, through riffles and drifted them along undercut banks all day. The fish were keyed into hoppers and the eats were spectacular.
As the day closed I convinced Pablo to join me in one more cast. We were already late for cocktail hour, but I couldn't resist. We walked into a spot he hadn’t fished in years. The problem was, the wind would be blowing directly downstream making a classic upstream presentation almost impossible. Before switching to streamers which could be fished downstream, we joked about skating a hopper which doesn’t exactly align with the bugs normal movement. While tucked behind a bush 10 feet off a crystal clear run with a bucket in the middle, I made a downstream cast skittering my hopper across the current. I first saw the tail move, and then the head coming out of the water chasing my hopper downstream. The hookset was good and after a short fight and a few spectacular jumps we netted the fish of the day. On day one, I had lived up to a long time nickname Alex reminded me of: “One More Cast Katchur”.
Day 2 - Spring Creeks
Day two dawned clearer skies with less wind. We got our assignments from Hector over breakfast and swapped stories from the day before. Everyone was fishing somewhere different today. One of the best parts of this trip with Cinco Rios is this type of program. New water, new fishing styles, new guides, every day. It is fly fishing and adventure at its core. Today, Pablo would be taking my wife Melissa and I into the Valley of the Moon to fish a slightly smaller spring creek than the day before. This one known for big browns. The views of the valley as you pop over the ridge line is almost worth the entire trip. It's incredibly vast, and its glacier carved landscape looks like something from a sci-fi movie.
The morning proved technical, as now there was not enough wind to provide that important ripple on the water! The big browns were weary. We hopped from pool to pool taking our time to watch for feeding fish and looking for our next shot. When our eyes were not on the water they wondered up and around. This place was beautiful and spotting condors gliding through the valley around us was icing on the cake. As I scouted the next pool, I heard a yip from downstream. I knew the sound, Melissa was hooked up! I went running and arrived just in time to see Pablo net the fish waist deep in a pool. High fives and thumbs up all the way around! She had worked for that one and the victory was so sweet!
As we shared a beer on the tailgate before heading back to the lodge, we recounted the tough but rewarding day on the water. Looking around and taking it all in, Melissa said, “OK, I get it now”. “This place is special”. After hearing me talk about this part of the world, and the people in it for 5 years, she was here with me now, and with a big smile on her face, she was loving it. Mission accomplished. I would be lying if I said I didn’t get a little choked up.
Day 3 - Valley of the Moon
We were in a rhythm now! It was our last day having breakfast at the Estancia. After we got off the water we would be transferring to the main lodge. We were headed back to the Valley of the Moon, this time with 2 trucks. Melissa, Alex, my father in law Tom, and I would fish together today. Down 20 or 30 river miles below where Melissa and I fished the day before, the river was bigger and moved at that perfect walking speed for great dry fly fishing. As we bounced down the road Alex told me of his day two. It was a victorious day for him too. While fishing a high plateau lake stripping leeches, he had caught, after an epic into the backing fight, his personal best rainbow. One look at the photo and I could see how. All 26” of spotted slab nose to tail. What a fish!
We took turns fishing runs and spotting rising fish all morning. Jabbing each other on missed hooksets and slapping big high fives as nice strong hopper eating browns slid into the net over and over again. It was one of those days for me seeing a few of my favorite people catching fish on dries, smiling ear to ear with the mountain backdrop surrounding us was the best part. On one occasion Pablo and I shared a quick glance and a nod after watching Alex miss a huge swirl along the far bank. I hung back, waiting 10 minutes until that fish poked his nose up again and made a cast right into his lane. This time the hookset was true and the fish took off on me downstream. They certainly don’t make 19” browns this strong in Colorado! A few minutes later after a hike upstream to join the others, I patted Alex on the back and thanked him for saving that fish for me! A few jovial words I can’t write here were exchanged!
A few hours later we rolled into the main lodge which is perched overlooking the Simpson River with the Andes in the background. The outdoor patio can easily become your favorite place to stand and watch Patagonia go by. After a quick tour of the rooms we shuffled into the bar area for a beer, surrounded by a few dozen signed hats. A sort of wall of fame. I reconnected with guides Lalo and Fena and we caught up as dinner was prepared. It was like being home again.
Day 4 - Beetles
Every other year the Simpson and Paloma River valleys see a hatch of Canteria Beetles that gives the angler the opportunity to fish some of the biggest dry fly patterns in the world to reckless trout. Fishing size 4 - 8 beetle patterns is the norm. The water is incredibly clear and you often get a front row seat to a cruising brown lazily swimming over from 20 feet away to yawn on the big dry. Not only is this some of the coolest dry fly fishing in the world, but it happens in one of the most beautiful places. I wanted Melissa and Alex to experience this, and spend a day on the blue glacier fed lakes casting towards shore off the boat.
As we jetted through a few connecting lakes, the views got better and better and with no one in sight it truly felt like you were at the end of the world. We first fished the outlet to the lake, drifting these big dry fly patterns under shaded branches and along submerged logs. It was a cold morning and the fish were sluggish. Melissa was first to hook up, with the classic “yay” coming from the front of the boat. She fought the fish in strong current as we pulled over to land it. Watching her and Lalo work together to land the fish, take a quick photo, release the fish and the smiles on their faces was a moment I won’t forget.
As we wrapped up lunch, all 6 of us, on a beautiful pebble beach under a waterfall the “Patagonian Breeze” picked up a bit and there was a nice ripple on the lake. It was game on. We spent the afternoon drifting along the rocky cliff faces of the lake casting beetle patterns as close as we could to the sheer drop offs. The natural beetles often find themselves dangling from these cliffs and the trees growing out of them. When they fall from their perch, they don’t last long in the water. On only my 5th or 6th cast I zipped the oversized dry into a scum line bobbing in the shade next to the cliff. The water was easily 20 or 30 feet deep here. As I looked away up shore to plan my next cast I caught out of the corner of my eye a big white mouth coming up from the depths. I waited for the big brown to turn his head and set hard. Their mouths become tough after a season of crunching beetle shells. The fish shook its head deep along the rocks before trying to make it out into the middle of the lake. Line peeled off my reel and after a few back and forths we netted the fish. We passed around a nip of whiskey and celebrated. That is what we came for!
Day 5 - The Manihuales
As mentioned earlier, the amount of available water to fish in this part of Chile is unbelievable. On my 5th trip to Cinco Rios, I still had not ever floated the Manihuales River. This river is a favorite of Ivan’s, so Melissa and I game planned with him over breakfast. It would be low, clear and technical, but beautiful. We were in! We launched the raft, cracked a beer and rowed up stream to fish a particularly good seam. It didn’t take long to find a few noses peeking through the water. In contrast from yesterday, we sized down tippet and flies, and after a few not so perfect drifts I got one that was and the big rainbow slurped a size 16 mayfly cripple. We worked our way downstream repeating this. Spotting fish, being challenged to make a near perfect cast and drift. We landed a few and missed many more. It was a perfect day on the water.
Over lunch which we set up on a rock outcropping overlooking a huge pool, we spotted a few big cruising fish. The casts were tough and the fish were smart and refused every offer. Amazing to get the chance to see these big rainbows cruising, eating at will and yet refusing the imitation. We reached the take out with time to spare for a tailgate beer and then headed back to the lodge for dinner.
It would be impossible to write about a week at Cinco Rios Lodge without mentioning the food. Each meal stands alone as a highlight to these trips. Breakfast is as hearty or as light as you want it to be, with a variation on eggs and bacon or sausage, different each day. Lunch is served river side (or lake side) and includes a red table cloth, chairs, hot soup, wine and dessert. Dinners are served once each of the 12 anglers sits down at the long table in each lodge. The highlight of the cuisine comes in a 3 or 4 course meal featuring local vegetables, meats, fish and all served in an elevated dish that will rival the fanciest restaurants in our home towns. The staff in my mind is also top class. From the ladies who run the lodge, mix drinks and make you feel at home to the kitchen staff that surprise me with new dishes each night. As you spend more time getting to know the crew here, and the place. Fishing becomes the bonus!
Day 6 - The Simpson
Lalo, the head guide at Cinco Rios Lodge shared breakfast with us all, and went over the plan for the day. It was our last day fishing, and while shoulders and hands were sore, everyone was excited to see what the day brought. Tom and I would be floating the stretch called the Simpson Canyon today. The put in is tricky, there may or may not be a portage needed, and we were sure to see no other people for the next 10 river miles. I could tell it was going to be good based on Fena’s smile. We launched in the rain and hooked up immediately in the first run. A few nice rainbows got the skunk off. As we floated through slot canyons punctuated by house size boulders we consistently found nice browns willing to take a dry in the riffles next to the shore, and big rainbows lazily cruising the foam lines in huge plunge pools.
As I sat in the back of the boat, enjoying a beverage and taking it all in, Tom and Fena spotted a huge rainbow sipping something tiny off a cliff edge. We pulled past and then back up to this seam from below. 4 or 5 fly changes later and a few dozen good casts we finally had a taker. Tom’s laugh echoed off the walls and the big rainbow ripped line off his reel upstream. The rain came back heavier, and we fooled a few fish on streamers as we neared the takeout. What a way to end a trip!
Back at the lodge there was a great buzz around the dining room. The staff and guides were preparing an asado. On the last night of the trip, we celebrate the adventure with this classic Chilean cookout. A lamb is cooked over an open fire, along with steaks and chicken. The result is a feast with everyone, staff, guides, anglers, and travelers sharing a table, and stories from the week.
I should have known something was going on when a few of my friends from the Estancia and even a few past guides I had fished with previously came by for the party. As dinner wrapped up, and the next bottle of wine was opened, Lalo stood at the end of the long dining table demanding everyone's attention. He spoke of the lodge, and its 20 year history. He told a few stories about guests and friends and people who had supported and helped grow the Cinco Rios Family in Coyhaique. He said a few of those people were honored in the bar with a signed hat on the wall. Then I heard my name. It took me a second to realize what was going on. Lalo and the entire staff were inviting me to hang my hat on the wall, and join all those honored before me. I was blown away by the honor. Everyone was jumping up from the table and the hugs flowed. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room. I grabbed an Anglers All hat, scribbled by name across the bill and hung it in the bar.
Day 7 - Departure
I had become a part of the family down here, on the other side of the world. This place was like a second home. The people that make up Cinco Rios Lodge have taken me in and made me one of them. The next day we started our way home, and as we took off from Chile I was already looking forward to my next trip. Yes, of course to fish, but even more than that, to see my friends down here, and to share a week with them on the water, and eating good food are sharing stories. This trip has become a once a year adventure, and I am grateful for that. I also have no intention of stopping anytime soon!
If a trip to Patagonia to fish is on your list, join me in March of 2025! Let's go!
Reach out if you have any questions about travel. Cinco Rios is just one location we offer from a list of curated destinations that are all special in their own way. Travel@anglersall.com or 303-794-1104
