| Lago Yelcho is in
the Futaleufu River system and is a fjord lake with depths close to 2,000
feet and 27 miles long with abundant flyfishing and sightfishing opportunities.
As the river enters the lake, it splits around Isla Monita giving two river
mouths within close proximity to the lodge. This southern end of Lago Yelcho
is the more shallow and fertile portion of the lake and the shorelines are
loaded with extensive reed beds yielding a high population of dragonflies,
this is where most of the famed dragonfly fishing of the lake occurs. Large
rainbow and brown trout cruise the reeds and come out of the water to eat
these large sources of protein up to five feet in the air, it is truly a
sight to see. The fishing is terribly exciting and large dry flies are thrown
to the crashes in hopes that your fly is the next item on the menu.
In addition to the reed fishing we do quite a lot of fishing around the
river's mouth, both just upstream and as it enters the lake. This is perhaps
the best fishing hole in this part of Chile, with trout up to 12 lbs taken
on a fly. It is not uncommon to catch 6-7 lb trout in the last few hundred
yards of the river just before it drops off into the depths of Lago Yelcho.
We often fish this section on a slow swing, much as you would fish for
steelhead or atlantic salmon. Most visiting anglers can plan on spending
at least a few mornings or evenings during the course of their stay "swinging
the boca".
The river's current usually deposits a scum line that extends anywhere
from 150 to 1000 yards into the lake which normally contains large cruising
rainbow trout in search of mayfly spinners, ants, beetles and anything
else that the river may deposit. This provides excellent sight fishing
with dry flies and is a challenging game in search of a spooky quarry.
Calm afternoons in the summer will find us head hunting out among the
foam.
On the other side of the island, a smaller boca is located, and the sediment
left over time has formed a flat which extends almost a half a mile to
the south along the shore. We often find ourselves sight fishing to trout
in 1-5 feet of water in a situation similar to bonefishing on the flats
of the Florida Keys. There are reed beds on this side and later in the
season we find fish chasing puye in a frenzy off of the flat. These are
a small whitebait which migrates from the ocean and provides excellent
sight fishing opportunities with fast-paced action.
Lago Yelcho has been a legendary destination for fly anglers since the
early 70's when access was limited to float planes or by way of the river
by boat. Endless fishing opportunities abound with some of the most interesting
stillwater fly angling available for trophy class trout. This all sits
at your doorstep from Isla Monita. When combined with the rivers and lagunas
in the area, this is certainly one of the greatest diversities of waters
found in all of Chile and one of the finest fly fishing destinations in
Patagonia.
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