Unforgettable Fly Fishing in Chile: The Lessons I Learned in Patagonia

Conquer the challenges of Patagonian fly fishing with these practical tips. Learn from my mistakes and successes in the Chilean Patagonia and improve your angling skills wherever you fish.

Big fish, beautiful landscape, and pristine water is why you go to Patagonia. | photo by Kevin Jurgens

This article comes via Brian O'Keefe as a guest writer for Fishing On SI. Brian is a highly regarded fly fishing photographer, fly casting champion, and travels the world in search of amazing locations to fish.

I just returned from Chilean Patagonia and fished with a great crew of guides at Eleven Angling’s Martín Pescador Lodge. We fished a lot of specific techniques that were very effective. Knowing them can really improve an angler’s catch rate, in Chile and in your home waters. Here's what worked.

Fast Sinking Fly Lines in Rivers

Large trout aren’t often seen suspended in eddies or sipping small mayflies. Instead, they hold near submerged logs, deep pools, and boulders. Using a fast, sinking-tip fly line increases your odds when streamer fishing.

Brian O'Keefe scoring a big alpha brown trout. | photo provided by Brian O'Keefe

Know Where the Big Fish Like to Hang Out

Big trout tend to feed at night and aren’t easily drawn to a streamer near the surface. Getting the fly down in the water column and in their grill can trigger an attack by an otherwise content fish. When using a conehead or lead eye streamer and a fast-sinking line, you can really plumb and probe the depths.

Retrieve Techniques to Get a Fish To React

After the cast, add slack to get a deep sink, then retrieve rapidly—like a panicked baitfish that just swam into the lair of a large, toothy brown trout. Active, athletic stripping and pulsing of your fly rod makes your streamer look more appealing and attack worthy.

Big browns like to hang out in the deeper water, around logs and rocks. These all serve as ambush points, places to hide, and where food can be found. | photo by Brian O'Keefe

Fast Sinking Fly Lines in Lakes

Chasing trophy trout in lakes—or where rivers flow into lakes—is mostly streamer water. But you don’t always need giant, articulated patterns. A three-inch olive and black lead-eye baitfish pattern works well. It sinks faster than a big streamer and is easier to cast. A flashy white conehead streamer is also a great choice—it imitates migrating Chinook salmon smolt.

Probing the deeper waters of a Patagonia lake with a sinking line and a white streamer often leads to bigger fish that are feeding on smolt. | photo provided by Brian O'Keefe

Practice Your Long Cast

Longer casts are more effective, though wind plays a factor. In choppy water, a 50-foot cast is enough. On glassy water, aim for 60 to 90 feet. Why? Because the biggest trout tend to stay deeper, beyond the noise of the boat, oars, and anglers.

Two hands full of wild. | photo by Brian O'Keefe

Fly Fishing a Lake Takes Patience

Most people probably think that the patient part of lake fishing is the time you have to wait between caught fish. What I am referring to here is the time you allow your line, leader and fly to sink.
It’s tempting to start stripping your line back right away after it lands, expecting that big grab that feels like a 50-foot handshake. More grabs and bigger grabs happen to those who wait. Give your fly time to sink. Count to 20, sing a song. Whatever it takes, be patient.

Thick and healthy. | photo by Brian O'Keefe

Practice the Eight-Second Sink

I like to cast near large, underwater boulders. As the fly drifts past the edge, I give it an eight-second sink—letting it settle into the attack zone where 20-inch-plus trout are lurking. Submerged logs are also prime ambush spots.

Notice the logs amongst the rocks in the background. A great holding place for large brown trout. | photo by Brian O'Keefe

Be Efficient

Efficiency matters. Let’s define fly fishing efficiency:
• Getting your fly farther, deeper, and on target.
• Maximizing your number of casts per day.
• Changing flies only when necessary—if your guide likes your fly, stick with it.
• Use a loop knot on streamers for better movement.
• Limit excessive photos—wait for a 21-incher before taking a well-planned shot (preferably out of the boat).
If you’re constantly stopping to take photos or having the guide net every fish, you waste time and disrupt the boat’s position. Netting and releasing smaller fish yourself is often the better option.

Notice the guide has positioned his boat in front of submerged and partially submerged logs. These log piles attract rodents on top, and baitfish below. Just the kind of meal big trout are after. | photo by Diego Bevacqua

Listen and Watch for Large Splashes

In both rivers and lakes, keep an eye out for big splashes. They often come from large trout launching after adult dragonflies or chasing migrating baitfish like puye (a local Chilean species) or salmon smolt.
When you see a big splash, cast quickly into the rings with a dry dragonfly pattern or a flashy smolt streamer—it’s almost guaranteed to get hit.

If you are hearing large splashes, have a dragonfly pattern ready. | photo by Brian O'Keefe

The Golden Rule - Follow Your Guides Instructions

A little experimentation is fine, but generally, listen to your guide.