- Information
Dear Adventurer:
We would like to introduce our adventure destination in Chilean Patagonia.
Our company has organized an unforgettable adventure that includes incredible personal services, comfort and friendliness.
We are members of the Tourist Chamber and the Professional Guides Association in the Region,which warranty we have met all obligations and legal and safety regulations for lodges in this special business.
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| Gudmundur Sigurdsson and Arni Baldursson with a huge King Salmon. |
Luis Antunez shows Gudmundur Sigurdsson where the Kings are. |
On these pages you will find descriptions of our services in this special part of the world, however if you have unique needs, we can organize trips that will reflect your interests and desires.
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| Few large Brownies where spotted under the bridge. |
Luis Antunez with a trophy Brown Trout. |
Over twenty years of experience in this place have allowed us to create an adventure climate that is secure and pleasant in a beautiful and wild place; our guides are recognized as being of the highest reputation, professional and skilful in leading you to the top places of this Region, which positioning us as the best destination in the area.
We invite you to share with us this unforgettable experience in the South of Silence.
Patagonia is a beautiful land, remote and wild, a perfect destination for your adventurous spirit.
- The Fishing
Fish to catch:
A wide range of posibilities and kind of fishing exist; dry or wet fly fishing, sight fishing, fish on a hatch, with hoppers or terrestrials, fish under the water the giant fish Patagonia holds or any other choiche your imagination will ask you.
Fishing places are located from a vary time of five minutes to an hour and a half from the lodge.
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| Gudmundur Sigurdsson and Lusi Antunez spotting big Rainbow trout. |
Resting after a long walk , pructive trout stream in the background. |
Exist a great variety of trout and salmon
- Trout: fario (brown trout) rainbow and their migratories, sea run brown and steelhead.
- Salmon: king, chum, silver and salar.
You decide the kind of trip you desire to do and we simple put your fish at a casting range.
Home waters
Waters in Chile are public; however we have an incredible selection of “private waters” with over eleven diferent places in where you will be fishing completely alone. In all those diferent waters you will be able to hunt for giant browns, rainbows or incredible salmon.
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| The weather was great 20°C , no need for heavy clothing. |
Luis Antunez fishing dry flie for a big Brownie. |
Apart of those waters we also offer the traditional places other companies work with: wading, floating from a drift boat o a jet boat, using a float tube or simply walking throught the banks.
We can asure you we have the biggest water selection in this area and the kind of fly fishing you are looking for: big browns on a dry, sight fishing and all the range of fishing situations all fly fishermans will like to find. We are fly fishermans and for this reason we know what you are looking for.
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| Small streams can be a lot of fun to fish. |
Gudmundur and Luis in full action. |
The largest rivers have their source in the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains. From their headwaters, these rivers flow over the trans-andean area, cutting through the mountains and flowing into wide fjords.
Their flow is large as a result of a generous supply of water from snow and glaciers, lakes in their path usually regulate their flow.
The system includes six watersheds: Palena, Cisnes, Aisén, Baker, Bravo and Pascua. All of these have part of their territory outside the country, except for the rivers Cisnes and Bravo.
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| Double!!! |
This is the first King Salnmon we caught , over 30 pounds. |
The watershed of the Palena River covers a territory of 12.745 square kilometres, of which only 4.671 square kilometres are in this region, in its lower middle half: Its Principal tributaries are the rivers Tranquilo, Frío and Rosselot, this last one is in the Region. The average flow of its main steam is 700 cubic meters/second.
The watershed of Aisén River covers an area of 11.590 square kilometres, and its main stem has an average flow of 515 cubic meters/second. Its tributaries are the river Simpson, Mañihuales and Blanco.
Baker River drains an area inside the national territory. Its average flow, the largest in the country, is estimated at 1.500 cubic meters/second at its mouth. Its source is Lake Bertrand, which in turn drains into General Carrera, the largest lake in the country, measuring 1.047.5 square kilometers. In its 175 kilometer course to its mouth near Tortel, Baker River receives numerous and important tributaries: Chacabuco, Cochrane, El Salto and Los Ñadis to the east; Neff, Colonia and Ventisqueros to the west.
The watershed of Bravo River is the smallest one: it covers an area of 1.803 square kilometers and an average flow of 150 cubic meters/second. Its most important tributaries are the rivers Desplayes, Año Nuevo and Del Camino.
Pascua River drains a watershed of 14.525 square kilometers, of which 7.155 square kilometers are inside the country. Its source is in Lake O’Higgins, and after 63 kilometers is flow estimated at 400 cubic meters/second.
Following we enclose a list of the main water in the Region:
You can find thousands of diferent lakes, lagoons and rivers, however we detail the most wellknow:
Palena:
Tributaries: Rosselot and Figueroa.
Cisnes:
Tributaries: Cisnes and Cáceres.
Aisén:
Tributaries: Coyhaique, Simpson, Blanco, Huemules, Ñirehuao, Viviana and Mañihuales.
Baker:
Tributaries: Neff, Chacabuco, Cochcrane and De La Colonia
Bravo:
Tributaries: Desplayes and Año Nuevo.
Pascua:
Tributaries: Bravo.
Main Lakes of the Region:
Same as rivers, we detail only the most famous.
- Palena: 51.20 Km2 General Carrera: 1710 Km2
- Bertrand: 48.12 Km2 O’Higgins: 529.00 Km2
- Claro Solar: 03.15 Km2 Plomo: 16.25 Km2
- Verde: 23.75 Km2 Leones: 18.50 Km2
- Rosselot: 34.28 Km2 Jeinimeni: 05.50 Km2
- Copa: 08.10 Km2 San Rafael: 123.10 Km2
- Rossevelt: 09.37 Km2 Presidente Rios: 352.25 Km2
- Yulton: 60.00 Km2 Blanco or Helena: 49.95 Km2
- Los Palos: 06.43 Km2 Cochcrane: 176.25 Km2
- Condor: 13.12 Km2 Brown: 21.25 Km2
- Riesco: 14.37 Km2 Esmeralda: 07.75 Km2
- Portales: 06.52 Km2 Chacabuco: 12.25 Km2
- Centeno: 06.20 Km2 Vargas: 06.05 Km2
- Caro: 13.15 Km2 Cachet: 09.42 Km2
- Elizalde: 25.30 Km2 Colonia: 15.00 Km2
- Atravesado: 06.50 Km2 Cisnes: 11.25 Km2
- La Paloma: 06.65 Km2 Briceño: 19.40 Km2
- Castor: 04.95 Km2 Christie: 14.40 Km2
- Pollux: 06.87 Km2 Frío: 03.75 Km2
- Lapparent: 24.48 Km2 (to those lakes should be added thousands of small lakes and lagoons)
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| What a beauty!!! |
Excellant fly water. |
Seasons:
Our lodge is open from the end of October through May and can accommodate a maximum capacity of fifteen guests. We recommend that you contact as soon as possible in advance.
There are both migratory and resident species in this Region. Our operation is based fishing for brown and rainbow trout. Depending on the season, we can fish also for king, ketta, salar, silver, steelhead and sea brown trout.
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| Luis Antunez with a massive Brownie. |
Another massive King Salmon. |
Trout season begins in October and continues to May in regular waters and is open all the year long on international and ocean waters.
Salmon runs start with kings and the biggest chums in the world from November to March. December, January and February is the maximum time for these species.
Silvers start to run in our rivers by the mid of March and they are in the estuaries and sea channels all year long.
Atlantic salmon are in the rivers in two season: November-December and from mid April through May.
- Fishing Tackle
The weather in this Region is really variable, so we can say we have a short Spring and a long Fall, however we have some months in which we can say we have si¡ummer time. In any way we Hill sugest you to bring the following garment at any time:
- A breathable raincoat.
- Fleeces, pants and jackets, over 210 grs.
- Gloves with or without fingers.
- A good pair of shoes for walk on the open country and water and, if you want, another pair for Diners at the lodge and other activities.
- Sun protector (ff80-90) for lips and face.
- Binoculars and camera for video or-and photos.
The rest of regular clothing you will use normally. With three groups will be enough to let the laundry work at the lodge.
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| The new Lax-a rods worked well on the trophy size fish. |
Luis Antunez and Arni Baldursson ... good moment! |
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Rods: three or four piece rods, nine feet and 6-7 weigh lines for fishing for trouts on drys or nymphs; lines 8-9 for streamers and big other bugs; 10-11 for salmon. Rods of 9,6-10 or 11 feet and lines 6-8 will be very comfortable for fish from the boat or from the float tube. Light reels, recommended large arbor with a good brake and a minimum capacity of 80 yards of backing of 30 pounds test.
Weight forwards fly lines, floating and sinking or sinking tip. Medium and fast sinking speeds for the sinking lines. |
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Monofilament leaders in 10´ and 12´; tippets and leaders in sizes 4X to 0X. We suggest you to bring two spools of each size. For salmon fishing we recommend the following diameters: del 0,59; 0,49; 0,39 y 0,29 mm.
Floatants, drying crystals, sinking, grease for fly lines, all of them in duplicate.
Bandana, wader clothing, hat, cap, etc.
Dry flies: any size caddis and any color except black; any range of CDC flies, hoppers in sizes 10 to 04, ants, damsels, all range of Wullfs, humpy and similars. |
- Accommodation
The Lodge:
You can be assured that our lodge, Salmo Patagonia Lodge, receive our personal care and attention.
The goal of our lodge team is to ensure that your experience with us is unforgettable. During the last twenty years our main goal has been obtained that our guests tend to return many times and we are certain that you will as well, with the frequency your personal circumstances will let you come back.
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| The dining room. |
The drying room. |
Apart to be located in a privilege Region of the Earth, our lodge is build in the heart of the town of Coyhaique; with about 12 hectares of land, we are about six miles from downtown, far enough to be out of noises, traffic and all difficulties a great town has. We are situated just on the top of a high mountain, over a cliff, at the side of the National Park, full of wild forest and fauna; from your window, you'll be able to see the town, the magic of the glaciers, the amazing Andes, the valleys and the Simpson and Coyhaique rivers.
Native woods used in the construction of the lodge* lend a warm ambient of the natural setting, open space, different ambients, two dining rooms, sauna, library, a fly tying room, our wine room, bar service, a private lake, big gardens, fireplace and an endless ammount of services and details that will make your stance with us unforgettable (we suggest you to check lodge services on this Web in order to see all the services are available at the lodge)
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| Happy kitchen! |
No problem to travel light with out fishing tackle , you can have it all at the lodge. |
In addition, the dining room serves as a social gathering place for such activities as listening to traditional Chilean music, jazz and blues concerts.
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| The Bar.... always open :-) |
Ummmmm, asado. |
We’ve been taking care from all the small details, so we will be sure you’ll feel yourself in paradise; you’ll be able to sleep only with the wind’s murmuring, have the solitude you are looking for, apart of our care and friendship and all the comfort you could need to obtain the total relax.
- The Region
Chile:
Capital: Santiago de Chile
Extension: 756.950 Km2
Habitants: 15.665.216 hab.
Currency: Peso
The Republic of Chile is located in the southern east side of South América. en la vertiente Suroeste de América del Sur. It's frontiers are: North Perú and East: Argentina and Bolivia.
Chile also has several islands such as: Juan Fernández or Isla de Pascua (Robinson Crusoe Island) and others.
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| This is how the Kings look like when they are fresh. |
Looking at few large Brown trout in a small creek. |
Location
Aisén Region lies between 43º 38’ and 49º 16’ south latitude and from 71º 06’ west longitude to the Pacific Ocean.
Its vast and heterogeneous territory is located in the south of Chile, where the national territory’s western front breaks up into numerous islands.
The regional capital is the city of Coyhaique, located at approximately 45º 32’ south latitude and 72º 04’ west longitude, at the confluence of the rivers Coyhaique and Simpson.
General Boundaries
North: Corcovado Gulf, Pont Guala, north summit line, Palena and Rodríguez River, confluence of the rivers Palena and Frío, and a line joining the summits to the south of lake Palena.
South: Straight line from Mount Chatel or Fitz Roy to the Témpanos Fiord, crossing the channels Messier and Fallos by Adalberto Channel and continuing along Castillo Channel.
East: Republic of Argentina
West: Pacific Ocean
Political and Administrative Division
It was established by decrees No. 2867 and 2768, dated September 20 and 21 of 1979, dividing the Region into 4 provinces and 10 districts.
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| Gudmundur and Luis with a female King salmon. |
Comfortable vehicles. |
Area
According to planimetric measurements made on the 1:500.000 map of the Military Geographical Institute, this region covers approximately an area of 109.024.90 square kilometres, accounting for 14.2 percent of Chile’s total area (on the continent and island). It is the third largest region in the country.
Population
Aisén region, as stated above, is the third largest but less populated in the country. The Population Census (1992) recorded a total of 89.501 inhabitants, with a density of 0.8 inhabitants/km2.
Human settlement in the region is the most resent in the national territory, going back to only the turn of the century. Towns are located mainly at the confluence of the rivers Simpson and Coyhaique and in the basin of Aisén River.
The immigrants came mostly from the east, occupying the best farmland. This has resulted in a settlement pattern whereby the vast majority of people chose to settle in the eastern sub-Andean basin and the pampa, as well as in the wide Aisén valley. The broken coastal areas and the islands, by contrast, are mostly deserted, with tiny, isolated settlements such as Puerto Aguirre and Melinka.
Thus, from early on, Aisén has shown a considerable tendency to concentrate its population in urban areas. At present, Coyhaique and Puerto Aisén, located a 67 Km from each other, account 71.8 percent of the region’s entire population.
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| View from the lodge. |
Handsome Brownie! |
 Land Forms
While the Andes range marks the eastern edge of the country for most of its length, here it runs farther west, more or less lengthwise along the centre. Both volcanic and glacial forces combine here, modelling the land into a rugged, complex territory. There is a marked difference, however, between the northern and the southern portions of this area. From east to west, the territory can be divided into four different areas: the archipelago which includes the Taitao peninsula), the central depression, the Andes range, the eastern sub-Andean rangers and the eastern flatlands.
Area of Archipelagos: This is the prolongation of the Coastal range, which here dismembers into a maze of channels and fjords and islands. Its lithography is fundamentally of metamorphic rocks, partly intrusive, dioritic, and granitic rocks.
The land above water is fundamentally rocky, very steep, and worn. There are few sedimentary areas because the drainage network, which is very undeveloped and incipient, is a consequence of some reduced deposit at the mouth of rivers as well as muddy plains.
Central Depression: Structurally, this is the continuation of the inter range depression of central Chile, even though its morphological nature is different because most of it lies below sea level. Forming part of this unit are the wide Moraleda Channel and the Elefantes Gulf. When it does break above sea level, it forms low islands (Traiguén, Nalcayec) and the sedimentary bridge of the Ofqui isthmus.
Andean Mountains: This is the most important and largest unit, being both continental and insular. Its lithographic constitution is essentially a granitic body associated to metamorphic rocks. Its topography is very steep. with narrow gorges and waterfalls, as well as a few small depositional plains in between.
It has large ice-covered areas, which flow as glaciers to the lower areas. South of Aisén River, where the summits are higher, these ice-covered areas are larger and uninterrupted. The most important are the Ice fields of San Valentín or North Ice fields, where the highest summit of the area, Mount San Valentín, is located (altitude 4.058 meters); and South Ice fields (shared with Region XII). Both cover an area of 8.325 square kilometers in the region.
The Andes here feature a chain of large volcanoes (Hudson, Melimoyu, Macá, etc.) that usually display a string of glaciers around their peaks. Their products have filled the neighbouring valleys and their clouds of ash have covered the central-eastern area of this region, favouring soil development.
Eastern sub – Andean mountain chains: A series of transversal mountain chains break away from the Andean massif, alternating with valleys carved by retreating glaciers. These chains overlap with the western end of the pampas to become a transition strip. They consist mainly of volcanic rocks over which are layers of sedimentary rocks, creating a topography of slopes and plateaus. This is why the hills here have gentle slopes on one side and steep ones on the other. Here we find wider valleys that have a deeper sedimentary layer, and their surfaces have a series of shapes of different origins.
Eastern flat – shaped relieves: These occur discontinuously in the frontier area of the region. There are four principal areas, separated by low mountains chains: Alto Río Cisnes, Ñirehuao, Coyhaique Alto and Balmaceda.
These are deposit plains having a tabular topography and slopes. Because of poor local drainage conditions, these areas have lots of swamps known as “Mallines”.
 Economic and Potential Resources
Aisén possesses a wealth of mostly untapped resources which, while at times difficult to reach, represents significant potential for future growth. The six leading actual or potential money earners are livestock raising, forestry, sea products, tourism, hydroelectric power generation and mining.
Its exploitation depends heavily on expanding and improving the road network and the shipping infrastructure. The Southern Road fits squarely within this concept. Isolation has been traditionally the defining word for this region, as lack of communications have hindered the region’s integration with the rest of the country and even intra-regional development.
The region’s economy is still heavily dependent on the export of commodities, with little industrial diversification. Even forestry, by far the most developed industry, has not yet been able to reach a self-sustaining level.
Large-scale livestock farming continues to be the predominant – and most traditional – activity. Potential for growth in this activity by now pivots on capital injections and the introduction of efficient management techniques rather than on expansion.
Forestry relies on native Lenga, Mixed Coigüe, Tepa an mañio forests, which cover nearly 10.956 square kilometers. Output is consumed entirely within region.
The islands offer optimal conditions for fish farming, particular salmon farming and for seaweed farming. The inland sea area supports a number of shellfish farms.
Tourism is perhaps the greatest untapped resource. The region’s many natural wonders and their pristine condition make this an ideal country for a wide range of activities, such as ecotourism, special interest tourism, adventure tourism, rural tourism and sports ranging from white-water rafting to mountain climbing, from trekking to biking and much more.
The wildly different worlds of the pampa and the archipelago and the mountainous area in between harbor not only some spots of unique beauty, but valuable archaeological remains and interesting cultural manifestations. Laguna San Rafael National Park is one of these unique spots. Nowhere else can one enjoy millenary ice floes in such a lush, green setting: the glacier calving these floes is the closet to the Equator at sea level. Not surprisingly, the place has been granted World Biosphere Reserve status by UNESCO.
Another area with huge potential is hydroelectric power generation, which has only recently started to be tapped. Surveys have shown that the rivers Baker, Bravo and Pascua account for 35.4 percent of the total theoretical potential power generation reserve in Chile.
Mining may offer room for growth if prospecting for new deposits is undertaken. Mining currently centers on lead and zinc extraction, and recently also gold, mainly in Fachinal area and Chacabuco valley.
Tourism:
Dear Adventurer:
We would like to introduce our lodge in Trapananda or Chilean Patagonia. Our company has organized an unforgettable turism and adventure trip, that includes incredible personal services, comfort and friendliness.
It’s hard to find places that join the quality and services necessary to creat an “adventure clima” safety, confort and sucess, and for this reason, due we are lucky to be located in a so beautiful, wild and privileged part of the Earth, we offer you, a very special person, to share with us this unforgettable experience in the South of Silence.
Patagonia is a beautiful land, remote and wild — a perfect destination for our adventurous spirit.
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