Spring is also a great time to target a few of the rivers with glacial runoff such as the Baker or Blanco that run low and clear (they are high in the warmer summer months when the glaciers melt). The most popular travel window for international anglers is late December through mid March when European and North American fly fishers are escaping the northern hemisphere winter. This is summer in Patagonia and anglers can enjoy early summer hatches from mid december through mid January followed by some great terrestrial fishing in February and March. Most Chilean hatches are named after their northern equivalents with caddis hatches and smaller mayflies most common. December and early January is also prime time for the unique dragon fly hatches that occur on the stillwaters. On warm days dragonflies explode from shallow reed beds in lakes by the thousands as large hungry trout eagerly leap out of the water to intercept them in mid air.
Terrestrial season in the late summer is dominated by grasshoppers in the agricultural valleys and beetles in the mountains. Hopper fishing can be nothing short of amazing on the headwaters of rivers such as the Simpson or Nireguao. On mountain rivers and lakes the legendary Cantaria beetles begin to emerge by late January. These massive beetles are larger than your thumb and inspire some creative fly patterns as imitations. The fall season from late March through April produces some outstanding opportunities for large brown trout. The numerous river systems that interconnect with large lakes provide some first class fall run fishing. While traditional fall streamer tactics can produce, large dry flies will often still be productive even later into the season. Northern Chilean Patagonia Northern Patagonia, near the small towns of Futaleufu and Chaiten, offers spectacular scenery with large rivers set within a backdrop of steep fjords.
