Five wild species. No stocked fish.
The Chilean Patagonia fishery around Puerto Natales holds five wild fly fishing target species: rainbow trout, brown trout, sea-run brown trout, king salmon and coho salmon. All are non-native, established more than 100 years ago, and naturally reproducing — there are no stocked fish in our waters.
Brown trout (Salmo trutta) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were introduced to Chile between 1905 and 1924 from European and North American stock. King salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and coho (O. kisutch) became established later via escapes from coastal aquaculture and now run as self-sustaining Pacific populations. Every fish you cast to with us is wild, naturally reproducing and counted against an annual stewardship plan we file with Sernapesca. We practice strict catch-and-release on all trout. Pacific salmon are retained selectively under the agency's invasive-species protocol.
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Rainbow trout
Trucha arcoíris. The backbone — surface eaters, every water.
Salmo trutta
Brown trout
Trucha marrón. Spring-creek sippers, the smart fish.
Salmo trutta (anadromous)
Sea-run brown
Trucha marrón de mar. The trophy of the season.
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
King salmon
Salmón rey. Big shoulders, established Pacific runs.
Oncorhynchus kisutch
Coho salmon
Salmón coho. Fastest, flashiest, late-season aggression.
Rainbow trout.
Oncorhynchus mykiss · Trucha arcoíris
The rainbow is the backbone of the Patagonian fishery — present in every river and lake we guide, aggressive on the surface, and willing on streamers. Average fish run 2 to 4 pounds. A 10-pound rainbow is the wall fish of the trip, and we put one in the net for roughly one in every four guests across a full week.
Where & when
- Río Serrano — main river, all season. Best Dec–Feb with stable flows.
- Lago del Toro & Sarmiento — boat-based stillwater for the largest rainbows; trolled streamers or sight-cast cruisers in calm bays.
- Estancia spring creeks — January and February. Smaller average size (1–3 lb) but every fish is a sight take on dries.
- Tributary mouths after rain — November and after summer storms, when rainbows stack at confluences feeding on dislodged caddis and worms.
Average & trophy size
Flies that produce
- Dries — Chubby Chernobyl size 8 in pale morning olive; Fat Albert size 6 (tan/black); Parachute Adams size 14–16 for evening rises.
- Hopper-dropper — Size 10 PMX over a size 16 tungsten-bead Pheasant Tail at 18 inches. The single most productive setup December through February.
- Streamers — Sex Dungeon (olive/yellow) size 4, articulated; Wooly Bugger size 6 in black with a copper bead head; Galloup's Peanut Envy in November high water.
- Nymphs — Tungsten Hare's Ear size 14, Perdigon size 16 (red & black), San Juan Worm size 12 after rain.
Behavior notes
- Rainbows in our rivers hold in the same lies trout hold everywhere — seam edges, drop-offs into deeper water, tail-outs of pools. They feed harder in the warmer afternoon hours from December to February.
- In bright midsummer light they push deep and become very sensitive to leader thickness. We drop to 4X fluorocarbon on the spring creeks.
- The biggest river rainbows are caught at dawn and dusk on streamers, swung across the deepest tailwater pools of the Serrano.
Verifiable fact
The first rainbow trout eggs imported into Chile arrived from Hamburg, Germany via the steamship Erlangen in 1905, hatched at the Río Blanco hatchery and released into the Cachapoal basin. Patagonian rainbows are descendants of these and later 1920s releases — a 120-year-old wild population.
Brown trout.
Salmo trutta · Trucha marrón / fario
The brown is the prize fish of our spring creeks — older, smarter and harder to fool than the rainbows that share their water. A 6-pound brown is a trip-maker. A 12-pound brown is a once-a-season story. We see fish in the 8–14 lb class every January and February in two specific tributaries of Río de las Chinas.
Where & when
- Río de las Chinas — true Spring creek. Sight fishing for browns from January through mid-March on dries.
- Estancia private feeders — three tributaries under exclusive arrangement. December–February for the biggest resident fish.
- Lago Sarmiento shoreline — wading-distance cruisers along the marl flats at dawn. The "big brown" lake — multiple 10+ lb fish landed every season.
- Río Serrano backwaters — March and April, when browns drop down before the sea-run window opens up the lower river.
Average & trophy size
Flies that produce
- Sight-fishing dries — Parachute Adams size 16, CDC Caddis size 14 (tan), foam Beetle size 14 (black) on the marl flats and slow runs of Las Chinas.
- Cripples & emergers — Quigley Cripple size 16, Klinkhåmer size 14, a single fish working a regular feeding lane — drag-free drift on 5X fluorocarbon.
- Streamers — Conehead Bunny Leech size 4 in olive/black; Galloup's Sex Dungeon in natural; an articulated Mini Loop Sculpin (size 6) for tight quarters.
- Hopper — Morrish Hopper size 10 (tan) cast tight to the cut bank from late December through February. The reactive eat from a big brown is the take of the trip.
Behavior notes
- Big browns are territorial and predictable. The largest residents claim a single lie under an undercut bank or log jam and feed on a regular clock. Once you have one located, plan the cast.
- They become nocturnal in midsummer and feed hardest in the last 90 minutes before dark. April brings them into full daylight again.
- Browns spook on shadow, line slap and approach angle before they spook on tippet diameter. Approach from downstream, low, slow.
- Hooked browns often run for the structure that holds them. Side pressure and a heavier 0X tippet on streamer rigs is non-negotiable.
Verifiable fact
Our largest landed brown trout is a 14-pound resident male taken in February 2024 in a Spring tributary of Río de las Chinas, on a size 10 tan Morrish Hopper cast 18 inches off an undercut bank. The fish measured 78 cm and was released after a 12-minute fight on a 5-weight Scott Centric.
Sea-run brown trout.
Salmo trutta (anadromous) · Trucha marrón de mar
The sea-run is the trophy of the Patagonian season. Chrome bullets in from the Última Esperanza Sound between late February and the close of the season. Average fish run 5 to 8 pounds. Fish over 15 pounds are landed every March. Our best week, March 2023, produced four sea-runs over 18 pounds across three rods.
Where & when
- Río Serrano lower section — primary sea-run water. Mid-February through April 30.
- Última Esperanza estuary — saltwater drift chasing chrome cruisers in late March and April.
- Tributary mouths after high tide — fresh fish stack on incoming tide; the first three hours after the turn are the window.
- Peak month — March is the highest density. April brings fewer fish but the largest individuals of the year.
Average & trophy size
Flies that produce
- Conehead Bunny Leech — size 2 and 4, olive/black or all black, dressed long. The single most productive sea-run pattern we tie.
- Sunray Shadow — Atlantic salmon classic on a 4-inch tube. Skated across the swing at dawn.
- Yuk Bug — size 2, black with rubber legs, dead-drifted under an indicator on the deepest holding water.
- Intruder-style flies — size 1.5 trailing hook, purple/black or pink/black, dropped on a fast-sinking poly leader during high water.
- Lines — 7-weight rod, integrated Skagit head, T-11 sink tip 10 ft. Bring a floating 7-weight as backup for top-water surface skating in April low water.
Behavior notes
- Sea-runs hold deep through the heat of the day and move into tailouts and shallow seams from late afternoon to dusk. The last hour of light is the most productive of any 24.
- Pods of fresh fish move on the rising tide. Time your beat to the tide chart, not the clock — we plan beats around tides every March and April day.
- Aggressive grabs on the swing — strip-set firmly, do not trout-set. Lifting the rod on a sea-run will lose the fish nine times out of ten.
- The biggest sea-runs are loners and often the second or third fish through a pool, not the first.
Verifiable fact
Our largest landed sea-run is a 21-pound 4-ounce hen taken on the Río Serrano in March 2023 on a size 4 Black Conehead Bunny Leech, 7-weight rod and T-11 sink tip. The fish measured 92 cm, was photographed in the net and released within 60 seconds.
King salmon.
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha · Salmón rey / chinook
The king is the heaviest fish that runs our water. Escaped from coastal aquaculture in the 1980s and now established as a self-sustaining Pacific population, kings push into the Serrano system from late December through February. Average fish run 8 to 14 pounds; we put fish over 20 pounds in the net every season.
Where & when
- Río Serrano main stem — kings stage in the deepest holes from January through mid-February. Boat-assisted access for the lowest pools.
- Tributary mouths — fresh fish hold on the seam where the cold tributary meets the warmer main river, particularly mid-morning.
- Última Esperanza estuary — late December, before fish push upriver. Saltwater chasing on bright streamers from the skiff.
- Peak window — January 15 through February 15. After mid-February kings begin spawning and fly fishing them is no longer productive.
Average & trophy size
Flies that produce
- Comet-style flies — size 1/0 pink/orange with chartreuse butt. The original Pacific king pattern, still the producer.
- Intruder — pink/purple on a 2-inch shank with a size 2 trailing hook. Fast-sink Skagit head, dead-drift swing.
- Flesh flies — flesh-pink rabbit strip size 1, dead-drifted off an indicator in deeper holding water.
- Egg-sucking Leech — size 2 black with a pink bead, swung through the staging pools.
- Lines & rod — 8-weight rod with a 30-ft Skagit head and T-14 sink tip. Bring 20-lb tippet. Your trout setup will not land this fish.
Behavior notes
- Kings in fresh-run condition are aggressive on bright color and movement. As they near spawn they shut down and become a snag risk — we stop targeting them by February 15.
- The strike is a heavy stop, not a grab. Strip-set hard, then keep tension. Most kings are lost in the first 30 seconds when the angler does not set firmly enough.
- Plan the fight before the take. Decide on which side of the boat or river you want to land the fish before you cast. A 20-pound king on an 8-weight will run 100+ yards downstream.
- Fresh fish are silver-bright with light spotting on the back. Color up to deep red and olive as spawn approaches.
Verifiable fact
King salmon first appeared in Chilean Patagonian rivers in the early 1980s as escapes from Pacific coast salmon farms. The Río Serrano was confirmed as a naturally reproducing king river in a 2008 INFOR / Universidad Austral study that documented juvenile parr at 4 sampling stations. Our largest landed king is a 27-pound buck from February 2025.
Coho salmon.
Oncorhynchus kisutch · Salmón coho / plateado
The coho is the late-season aggressor. Smaller than the king on average but faster, flashier, and far more willing to chase a moving fly. Runs build through March and peak in April just as the sea-run window closes. Average fish run 4 to 8 pounds, with occasional double-figure individuals taken every year. Coho on a 7-weight is the most fun cast we make all season.
Where & when
- Río Serrano lower runs — primary coho water. Late March through April 30.
- Última Esperanza estuary — saltwater chasing in April; aggressive on stripped streamers.
- Tributary confluences — coho stack on incoming tide at brackish water seams.
- Peak window — April 1 through April 25. After the 25th the fish begin to color up and lose their fly-fishing prime.
Average & trophy size
Flies that produce
- Clouser Minnow — size 2, chartreuse/white or pink/white. Stripped fast across estuary seams.
- Popsicle — size 1/0 in hot pink and orange. The Pacific Northwest classic; cohos hammer it.
- Egg-sucking Leech — size 2 purple with a chartreuse bead. Swung through holding water.
- Flash Fly — size 2 silver tinsel body with chartreuse wing. Cast and strip — coho key on speed and flash.
- Setup — 7-weight rod, integrated Skagit head, intermediate poly leader. Coho prefer a moving fly mid-column; faster strip than for a sea-run.
Behavior notes
- Coho are runners, not stayers. Where a sea-run holds in a pool for hours, coho move through. Cover water — three casts per lie, then step.
- They are surface-aware. A skated streamer in shallow water at dusk will pull fish from 6 feet down.
- The grab is unmistakable — a hard jerk and a 30-yard run into the backing. Hold on.
- Under Sernapesca's invasive Pacific salmon protocol, retained coho are not counted against the trout catch quota. We may keep 1–2 fish per week for the lodge kitchen.
Verifiable fact
Coho first established self-sustaining runs in the Última Esperanza basin around 1995, following large-scale escapes from coastal salmon farms in the Aysén region during winter storms. The species is classified as established invasive by the Chilean fisheries authority, and selective harvest is encouraged.
Which species to target, by month.
If you only have a week, this is how we match species to the calendar.
November
Rainbow trout on streamers in high water. Brown trout slowly waking from spring. Forget salmon and sea-run.
December
Rainbow trout on hopper-dropper, browns coming onto dries in the spring creeks, king salmon arriving in the estuary.
January
Peak rainbow on dries. Big resident browns. King salmon in the holding pools of the Río Serrano. The most complete fishing month.
February
Same as January with the addition of the first sea-run scouts in the last week of the month. Stable weather, lowest wind.
March
Sea-run brown trout peak. Trout fishing remains excellent. Kings shutting down. Coho run begins.
April
Sea-run trophies, coho run peaks, trout fishing slows but the largest browns of the year come out at dusk. Cold mornings, fewer rods on the water.
Common questions about the fish.
No. Rainbow trout and brown trout were introduced to Chile between 1905 and 1924 from North American and European stock. They have been naturally reproducing for over a century and are now fully wild, self-sustaining populations.
There are no stocked fish in the rivers and lakes we guide. Every fish you catch was born wild.
Our largest landed sea-run brown trout is a 21-pound 4-ounce hen caught in March 2023 on the Río Serrano on a size 4 Black Conehead Bunny Leech.
Our largest resident brown trout is 14 pounds, taken in February 2024 in a Spring tributary of Río de las Chinas. Our largest king salmon: 27 pounds (February 2025).
Yes. The Spring creeks around Puerto Natales — particularly Río de las Chinas and its feeders — are clear, slow and shallow enough for true sight fishing from January through March.
Polarized glasses are mandatory and a 12–14 ft leader tapered to 5X fluorocarbon is standard. Bring a wide-brim hat that does not throw shine.
Sea-run brown trout enter the rivers from late February and peak in March and early April. Fish over 15 pounds are landed every season.
Best water: Río Serrano lower section and the estuary of the Última Esperanza Sound. Plan a 5+ day trip in March to give the run a fair chance.