Fly
fishing in Chile goes back more than 100 years, but it is a relatively new activity in the
Futaleufu River Valley and the fishery in
Patagonia, Chile is spectacular and unspoiled.
Human presence in the Futaleufu Valley goes
back only seventy years so there has been
very little fishing pressure from the few
locals who call this region of Chile home.
Everyone at Expediciones Chile is fanatical
about catch and release fly fishing in Patagonia. The rivers
and lakes of our Patagonia valley are our
livelihood and spiritual support - and our
fish are not terribly well educated. Taking
fish for trophies, or for the frying pan has
a negative impact that far outweighs the benefit
of a mount-on-the-wall, or a great meal. And
once you are at home, you can rest easy knowing
that the trophy that you caught while fly fishing in Chile is
living well, and still a part of the spectacular
environment that you just experienced.
To
aid us in protecting the Patagonia fly fishing fishery,
we ask that you try to use barbless, crimped
or flattened, single hooks if possible, and
always carefully land a fish as soon as you
can, to minimize injury and aid in its recovery.
As always, our Chile fly fishing guides will be
there to assist you in landing and releasing
your catch, and to take pictures of those
once-in-a -lifetime catches that you may encounter while fly fishing in Chile with us.
The
Futaleufu Valley is one of the most incredible
areas on earth – and the spectacular
fishery in Chile is just one part of it. Your
cooperation will help preserve it for your
next visit, and for future generations of fly fishers.
Chris
Spelius
Expediciones Chile Founder
Afterword - Argentina Fly Fishing: The fisheries of Chile are not the only ones endangered by non-catch and release sport fishing. The fly fishing waters Los Alerces Park in Argentina also need the same protection and we practice catch and release fly fishing in Argentina as well. Recently the Goverment of Argentina has designated the Los Alerces National Park region as an official "catch and release area" which is enforceable by law. We feel this is a great victory and we hope that the Chilean government follows Argentina's example.
Trout Unlimited: Catch & Release Basics
Trout
Unlimited councils and chapters provide an
invaluable outlet for catch-and release education.
Through demonstrations, printed materials,
video productions, Web sites and word of mouth,
TU promotes catch-and-release to its members
and other interested anglers. We have taken this to heart for our fly fishing Patagonia vacations. Here are the
basics:
1] Don’t
play fish to exhaustion. To prevent a fatal
lactic acid build up, bring fish in quickly
and use a landing net.
2]
Handle fish with wet hands, grasping them
across the back and head.
Don’t remove swallowed hooks; just cut
the line.
3] Don’t keep the fish out of the water
for more than 10-15 seconds.
4]When
placing fish back in moving water, face them
upstream in their natural position.
Other Fly Fishing in Patagonia options include: Fly Fishing the Futaleufu in Argentina. Fly fishing the Futaleufu in Chile. All of our programs adhere to our Catch & Release Guidelines for Fly Fishing in Chile.