Rio Cisnes
Lodge Float:
This float starts right in front of the lodge and is roughly 4 miles long. This is the perfect place to start your week after the long trip down to Chile. This section is wide and meandering and floats through some beautiful old-growth Coihue (coy-way) forest that makes up the transition zone between the drier Patagonian steppe and the coastal temperate rain forest. Fish average 12-16 inches on this section of the river and are very abundant however, that is not to say that larger fish cannot be found here! Several of the very largest predatory browns (25 inches +) we have caught have been on this section of the river. The river passes by 2 small tributaries, The Rio Las Torres and the Rio Rodriguez, and anglers may stop to fish the lower sections of either one of these, as well.
Black-bottomed foam flies seem to be the most productive – we believe this is because fish are always on the lookout for beetles that are especially abundant in this area. Every two years (even years) we experience a prolific hatch of the huge Cantaria beetles (large stag beetles) from mid-December through February. Streamer fishing can also be very productive, especially with high water conditions. Wooly buggers with white rubber legs perform very well. From the take-out it is only about a 15-minute drive back to the lodge. This float can also be done in 2 parts. We often offer the upper 1⁄2 of this float as an option on a guest’s day of arrival.
Upper River Floats:
There are 8 miles of very productive float fishing located about 1-hour upriver from the lodge that is spit into 2 separate sections. This are is one of the highlights of our fishing program, both fishing wise and scenically. The river here flows through semiarid mountainous terrain similar to Montana and can offer excellent dry fly action. Fish on this section average between 15-18 inches and anglers often have shots at fish of 20 inches or better. We sometimes make stops to fish one or more of the several spring fed lagunas accessible along this section of the river where large trout can are found and often sight-fished to. Following either float section it is about a 45-minute drive back to the lodge. An overnight float (camping) option is also available – super unique and exciting!
Lower Canyon Float:
This float is relatively new and perhaps one of the most scenic floats to be found anywhere on he planet. We put in for this float just 30 minutes from the lodge. Here the river delves into the lush coastal rainforest with even more rugged granite canyons and spectacular glaciated mountain terrain. Along the way to the put-in we pass by a quaint rural village of about 200 inhabitants and our closest link to civilization. The river gets big down here and flows several miles away from the road and, due to the fact that there is a tricky class IV rapid to be negotiated, we will only undertake this float when the water flow conditions are favorable. We choose not to chance making this float when the water conditions are too high and, for safety reasons, we will typically only operate this float as a two boat trip. We cannot guarantee it will be an option for everyone during their stay, but it is typically possible during most of the season. It is hard to imagine a more spectacular float in Chile, or anywhere else in the world for that matter and we are the only outfitter who does this trip. The river is big, the mountains are big, the forest is lush and primeval and, although the typical brown trout and rainbows are not overly large, we have seen some truly monster browns come out of the depths on nearly every trip, especially in the deep canyon sections along the rock walls. We believe it is only a matter of time before someone lands a 30+ inch fish down there. It is challenging fishing, often throwing large weighted flies on heavy sinking lines, but there is the very real possibility of catching, or at least getting a glimpse of, that brown trout of a lifetime.
Rio Manihuales
There are 2 float sections we regularly do on this productive and scenic river located about 45 minutes to 1 hour from the lodge. The Manihuales holds a healthy population of both brown and rainbow trout and is best fished from a boat. The river is rugged with immense logs lining the banks in several areas providing for excellent structure for larger fish. Deep pools with high rock walls on other sections also provide great habitat for large fish. The terrain surrounding the Manihuales is very similar to the middle Cisnes area near the lodge and highlighted by spectacular views of Cerro Picacho, an impressive peak reminiscent of the Matterhorn. The browns and rainbows of the Manihuales average very good size and it is almost a given that someone will land a fish over 20 inches most days.
