Your Hosts

Rex Bryngelson and his lovely Chilean wife Maike are devoted to making your visit to Chilean Patagonia the most pleasant and interesting experience possible. Rex has guided fishing and whitewater trips in Chile since 1988 and has been involved in the pioneering of many of Chilean Patagonia's most successful fisheries. His many years of outdoor experience in Alaska and throughout North and South America make him fully capable of leading just about any type of outdoor adventure. Rex is also an accomplished outdoor photographer and leads photographic tours throughout Patagonia and beyond with his company Patagoniaphoto.com. Maike (my-kay) was raised in the south of Chile and her enthusiasm for life along with her knowledge and insight into the local chilean culture provide for plenty of interesting conversation. Maike is fluent in English, German and Spanish.

The Guides

Fran Berrocal

Fran was born and raised in Coyhaique, Chile and as far as we know is the only female fly fishing guide in all of Chile and maybe in all of Patagonia. Her father operates a rafting company in Coyhaique and Fran grew up on the river and began developing her exceptional rowing skills from a very young age.

Seeing there were no women fishing guides working in this region, Fran saw an opportunity and decided to dive into the sport 7 or 8 years ago and due to her solid river skills and natural “get-er-done” attitude, she quickly established herself as one of the areas most sought after young fly fishing guides.

Fran is a truly adventurous spirit and you’d be hard pressed to find some place in the world she hasn’t yet been to. Presently she spends her off-seasons guiding river trips in Slovenia. Fran is sponsored by the Patagonia company among other brands and is involved in several conservation projects throughout Patagonia.

Ethan “Leds” Ledford

Ethan Ledford grew up in Marquette Michigan fishing for brook trout and chasing Lake Superior run steelhead. His favorite pursuit there was throwing bigs streamers for wily musky. He eventually migrated out west and for the past 4 years has been living and guiding in the Vail Valley of Colorado. His river experience there includes rowing the Roaring Fork, Colorado River and Gore Canyon as well as wade fishing and guiding on several productive lakes in the area.

Ethan is known for his relaxed demeanor and professional approach to guiding. He’s also known for being a very fishy guide who truly enjoys sharing his passion for fly fishing and helping clients' progress in the sport. Ethan is also a skilled oarsman and a top-notch instructor.

Chase Hansen

Chase Hansen was born and raised in the Vail Valley of Colorado. He started fly fishing at 16 after a school fishing trip, where he fell in love with the sport. Ever since he has fished as much as he could and continues to do so. He has been guiding in the Vail Valley for the past 10 years now, and is excited to take his skills down to us here in Patagonia.

His other hobbies include multi-day river trips (most recently rowing the Grand Canyon!), scuba diving, hunting, and traveling. Chase did a study abroad in Valparaiso, Chile back in college, and is very excited to get back down to Chile to rekindle his Spanish skills!

Chase likes to keep a relaxed atmosphere while on the water, remembering that fishing is primarily just about having fun, understanding that the big fish are more likely come when everyone is most at ease and just enjoying the moment!