Yelcho

 Lago Yelcho is one of Chile's deepest lakes.  This Patagonian lake is legendary for its wild and trophy-sized brown, rainbow, and brook trout. It is fed by innumerable streams with Rio Futaleufú being the largest.  The incredible insect population mixed with the deep water creates the perfect breeding conditions for very strong, hard-fighting fish. 

The view with the glacial peaks and the lake in the background is simply breathtaking. This is an extraordinary area of southern Chile, and not just for its beautiful scenery and its endless forests and glaciers, but also for its incredible fishing.   It is not easy to get to Yelcho -- there are usually few services and they are fewer still after the Chaiten volcano eruption. Today, its almost a completely unpopulated and isolated place.  The lake is 30 minutes from Rio Palena lodge.  We focus on the weed beds where the the mass exodus of drangon fly nymphs occurs as they make there arduous journey to dry land.   Yelcho’s dragon fly fishing is the best you will ever experience.  You could sit quietly in your boat and watch 15 pound browns and rainbows go airborne trying to catch dragonflies in mid air.  They seem to always turn sideways when they land, intentionally throwing up several feet of water spray.  Imagine  dropping a bowling ball off the highest diving board into a pool, it would sound the same.  

To fish Yecho properly you need to carry a few rods rigged with specific flies and be ready to switch at a moments notice.  If you get the opportunity to smack your foam dragonfly into the rings left by a feeding monster you will see a take that will send shivers down your spine.  These fish are extremely fat with unparallelled strength.  The quality of the fishing is beyond the imagination.  The average size of fish landed are between 18 and 26 inches.   You will also have opportunities to target much larger fish cruising for bait fish and large dragonflies.

This is a region for those who look for the most pristine places on the planet. Without doubt, it is also one of the places that all fly fishermen should know about if they seek something special, different, and rare.   Yelcho is surrounded by a dense luxurious forest of alerce trees. The alerce has been dubbed the "redwood of the Andes" due to a similar appearance to the giant California redwood tree.  It can grow up to 150 feet high and 15 feet in diameter.  This special tree can also live more than 4,000 years, making it the planet's second–longest lived tree species.  Lago Yelcho is a brilliant turquoise–blue lake,  framed by a magnificent Andean massif, covered with a thick, green carpet of trees and vegetation.   It is a remarkable place to fish and will leave you with the perfect picture of what Patagonia represents.