FLY FISHING THE LAKES OF PATAGONIA

Lake Negro (click image for detail)

FLY FISHING THE LAKES OF PATAGONIA   The first thing a beginner or intermediate angler thinks when approaching a Lake to fly fish is: “what the hell do I do now?” 

What most people do is start fishing the lake as if they are fishing a river with a streamer.  You cast a fly as far as you can, let it sink or not, and strip back to repeat this process as long as your arms (and patience) can handle.

You may catch a fish or two, but most of the time you get skunked and want to do it again with a vengeance.  You come back to the same Lake, the story repeats itself and you start losing enthusiasm and promise yourself not to ever cast a fly on a lake again.  What a mistake!

  Lakes offer great sport to the angler who is wishing to learn new techniques or improve the ones already known.  In general, there are larger fish in lake than in a river.  Since temperature in (most) lakes does not change as much as in the rivers, there are fish feeding year round and usually, lakes are not crowded, especially during peak season.

  1 - Ask advice from Local anglers.

They may tell you where they found fish in a certain lake or where in the water column the fish are feeding in this particular time. 

  2 - Observe

Please, resist the temptation to start casting your fly in the first place you see.  Take a look at what is happening around you.  Are there any rising fish? Do you see any insect activity?  Are wind waves crashing in the shore?  Are within casting range submerged weed beds or logs?  Do you see and inlet or outlet?  Are there bait fish? Scan the area and use this information to start your approach.

  3 – Be prepared.

In the Patagonian lakes you have mayflies, stoneflies, caddis flies, dragon flies, damsel flies, chinch bugs, midge flies, black flies, etc. and trout feed on either the nymphs, pupas, or their “dry” version.  Look around, turn some rocks around and see what kind of insects are or will be hatching, pick up some weeds from the lake and look for other insects or scuds or even snails.  There will be fish feeding from bottom to surface, so bring an assortment of flies from nymphs, dries and streamers and 3 basic fly lines in floating, clear intermediate and fast sinking to try to be in the feeding zone.

  If you see fish rising to these insects use the floating line and first pick a fly that matches as possible the size of the insect trout are feeding, if you can match the color, even better.  Do not cast to the ring of the rise.  Locate the direction in which the fish is moving and cast a couple of feet in front of his projected path.  Trout in lakes are not waiting in lines for the food to come to them, they are actively moving around in search for food. 

  If you do not see any rising fish, switch your dry fly for a wet fly to match the insects you previously identified below the rocks.  You can either fish the nymphs as a search fly fan casting an 180 degree arch and retrieving from your position with a clear intermediate line, trying to locate fish or you can fish the nymph with the floating line and a strike indicator dead drifting with the wind or ripples or waves.

  If there is a big drop off, within casting range switch to the fast sinking line, try to cast well below the drop off , let your fly/line sink to desired depth and retrieve slowly, with a streamer that imitates baitfish, Crayfish, or whatever.   Trout will be cruising these drop offs in search for food.

  4 – Go Early, Fish hard, Stay Late

Do not give up, sooner or later you’ll figure out what is happening around you and with a little patience, you will be able to catch that trophy trout that rewards us once in a while for our perseverance.

  Basic Lake fishing equipment:  Rods: 9’to 10’- # 5 to 7 weight.

Reels:  Any fly reel will do the job

Fly lines: Floating, clear intermediate and fast sink.

Leaders: 7 ½ to 12’ for floating lines (diameter to match the fly)

               4’ for the Intermediate or sinking lines

Tippet:   0 to 6X

Flies:

Dries: Adams, Stimulator, Damsel, Dragon

Nymphs: Prince, Pheasant tail, rubber leg hare’s ear, dragon, damsel, Brassies

Streamers: Wooly buggers, Rabbit Leach, Muddler Minnow, Zonker