Why a Fly fishing trip at Caballadas?
Quillen River
The Quillen River, one of the most exclusive fly fishing rivers in Patagonia, famous among dry fly fanatics for brown and rainbow trout. The upper section is very wader friendly, while the lower reaches offer pocket water conditions. Both areas hold beautiful resident rainbow and brown trout surface feeding.
The Malalco stream, a tributary to the Quillen coming off the Andes mountain range, runs cold and flat at the top, where wading is as easy as walking on a rug. As it flows into the Quillen on the lower section, it drops fast over huge boulders where you will enjoy some of the most exiting pocket water fishing you have ever experienced! Here you can sight fish for 18 plus inch rainbows and browns with light rods and tackle.
The Quillen Valley also offers a unique spring creek system where you can expect to sight fish for 25 plus inch browns on dry flies during the morning hours, and prospect for rising fish in the evenings with hoppers and beetles.
Quillen Lake
Fly fishermen for the most part don’t enjoy fishing on lakes, but Quillen is a lake everybody will certainly enjoy. During the early season, December and January when the dragonfly hatch comes off, the fish go on a feeding frenzy, so we row the reed lines at the end of the lake throwing dragonfly imitations at rainbows and browns. This is some of the most exiting fly fishing you will see anywhere: imagine fish coming 3 feet out of the water with your fly in their mouth before you even have a chance to set the hook!
Other Fishing Areas in Neuquen
If you want more diversity, or a longer adventure, we offer fishing with private access to 15 world-famous rivers in the region, including the Malleo, Chimehuin and Quilquihue, Collon Cura, Filo Hua Hum, and Traful. The Rio Malleo is not only the most famous for dry fly fishing in South America, but one of the best in the world. A trip on the Collon Cura River consists of floating an average distance of six miles, during which you will experience the most versatile fishing in the area, while the Filo Hua Hum is a classic freestone river which runs between two lakes, and also offers extremely versatile fishing. And finally, the Rio Traful is known all over the world for the size of the fish and its technical difficulty. Depending on the river, the average measure for seasonal trout is 15 to 18 inches, although fish over 22-25 inches are not uncommon.