Fishing in Argentina
When you think of Argentina, you immediately think of Patagonia. A region renowned for its beautiful trout rivers that roll down from the Andes.
But Argentina is also one of the best destinations for fishing an incredible predator: the dorado. It lives in the warm, tropical waters to the north of the country, in the company of other fish that can also be caught on a fly. Sensations guaranteed!
In the very south of the country, Tierra del Fuego also boasts a number of renowned rivers, including the famous Rio Grande, home to the world's largest sea trout.
I've been lucky enough to guide and fish in all these areas, and I'd like to give you an insight into the potential of this fantastic country.
Trout fishing in Patagonia
Patagonia, along with the Rocky Mountains in the USA, is one of the most famous destinations for trout fishing. The rivers that rise in the Andes are numerous and offer a wide choice for the trout angler.
The province of Neuquen with the San Martin de los Andres region and Junin with the Rio Malleo, Chiméhuin, Alluminé and Collon Cura are among the most popular.
But there are other excellent fishing areas in the Province of Chubut, around Bariloche, Esquel, and all along the Andes. The options are just endless!
Trout fishing is available from November to early May, using all techniques from streamers to nymphs, but especially dry fishing during good hatches or terrestrial fishing along the edges.
As in the Rockies, fishing can be done from a boat or drift boat, known as a flottada in Argentina, which drifts along a long stretch of river to catch the best spots quickly.
But you can also prospect from the shore or wadding to take your time and look for fish under foliage, edges or in currents. Rainbow trout and fario trout cohabit and have developed very well since their introduction in the 1940s-45s.
Southern Patagonia also boasts two migratory rivers.
The Rio Gallegos, famous for its giant sea trout, is fished in the same way as the Rio Grande. Large sea trout are legion and highly prized.
But there are also South America's only runs of migrating rainbow or steelhead trout on the Rio Santa Cruz.
Giant sea trout from Tierra del Fuego
The Rio Grande is the world's most famous river for its population of giant sea trout. Anglers from all over the world flock here every year to confront these migratory brown trout, which go through several cycles at sea and in the river, and can reach over 30 pounds (15 kilos)!
Several high-end lodges offer "all-inclusive" fishing weeks on the best sectors of this unique river, where unfortunately prices have become exorbitant!
The river meanders through the desert grasslands of this area, where the wind constantly blows between 50 and 120 km/h! No tree can resist it!
The large ranches called Estancia in Argentina share this vast territory to raise sheep. Estancia Maria Behety boasts the world's largest sheepfold, where over 40,000 animals are raised and shorn.
Fishing is done using two-handed rods to drift nymphs and streamers in the pools where over 60,000 sea trout return each year to spawn.
Fishing for dorado in the north of the country
Golden dorado fishing is not very well known in France, but it is a carnivorous fish, the super predator of the waters of northern Argentina. The golden dorado is an all-yellow fish with a black border on its red-patterned tail fin, which feeds on forage fish and anything else it can find within reach. Not only its own congeners, but also birds, rodents of all kinds,...
It is extremely aggressive and combative and performs numerous acrobatics and candles once it is hooked. A sport fish for the thrill-seeking fly angler!
It can be found in all the rivers of the Missionnes, Corrientes and Salta regions. It prefers warm, clear or silty waters where it can find structures and sandbanks to feed on its favorite prey, the "sabalo", a local white fish, which is very abundant in these rivers.
It rubs shoulders with pacu, pira pita and surubi, a type of local catfish highly prized for its flesh. All these fish take flies very well, with different imitations of insects, fruit and small fish.
The best-known and most famous fishing areas are :
The Esteros del Ibera, one of the largest wetlands in South America, and the sources of the Rio Corrientes, one of the most important tributaries of the Rio Parana.
Canals, lagoons and river arms intertwine in this immense zone, where the dorado lives in the company of over 350 species of birds, the carpincho , the world's largest rodent, and the "yakaré", the black caiman.
But even further north, just south of Bolivia, the Salta region offers a number of smaller rivers, including the Rio Dorado and Rio Juramento, which are visited by many foreign anglers every year.
La Zona" is located on the Rio Urugay at the Salto Grande dam. These rich, silty waters are home to the world's largest dorados, with specimens weighing over 20 kg caught each year.
As you can see, Argentina is an exceptional fishing country, but it's also a great place to visit for its strong culture, friendly and welcoming people, excellent meat and wine, all set in magnificent and varied landscapes!
