Learn about the «Trout Fishing Argentina»
Our team of fly fishing Bariloche experts is in charge of telling you the underwater secrets
In Bariloche’s Lake Nahuel Huapi, trout compete fiercely with each other, similar to salmon in the ocean. Only the strongest and healthiest trout survive, feeding on the abundant puyenes in the lake. When the trout head to the river mouth to spawn, they show less interest in feeding, making fishing difficult during certain months of the year.
During September and October, migrating trout leave the river after laying their eggs, but many remain in the holes, taking advantage of the abundant food and reduced competition. Fishing for these trout requires precision and skill, as they are extremely alert to their surroundings. Our expert fly-fishing guides in Bariloche will be well-versed in these sensitive situations to capture them.
They are trout that are very alert and lively to everything that happens around them, which is why the shots have to be very long, and very dynamic flies have to be used in the water and, whether you want to move them from their place or deposit a small fish at the bottom of a slide, the casting technique must be more than satisfactory, to fall exactly two or three meters above the trout, turn the line upwards so that the drift can be corrected and made as natural as possible.
This whole “fishing show” is because these trout can go up to grab a fly, but they are not going to grab a fly that looks like a lure since they are more than clever and know how to detect lures that are always in a straight line and never move to the sides. That’s why it’s crucial to experience fishing with Trout Bariloche, as the knowledge provided will provide the correct technique and fly to catch the trout.
If we talk about techniques learned through experience and time spent fishing in these waters in Bariloche, what we learned most is that if the trout sees a fly swimming diagonally upward, that’s the best way to get it to bite. Another, more random technique is to strike very long stretches with the fly, across the line, and the trout becomes confused. Their environment in the lake also contributes to this confusion.
Then, when 4 or 5 quick pulls have already been made, the trout in the waters of Bariloche can also get confused and think that the movement comes from a small salmon, that is, a child of theirs. In this way, they will want to eat it, since it is built into them to eat each other, so that only the strongest survive.
Once the trout has laid its eggs and had its «happy ending»—that is, once it has bred—it will move away from that location, and in the first batch of fry, almost none will be eaten, as they are so small that the trout don’t notice them. It’s only in October/November, when these fry reach 3 or 4 cm, they begin to eat them. For this reason, super-small flies, up to 2 cm, are not helpful for fishing, as they don’t alert the trout. At our company, Trout Bariloche, we historically recommend flies ranging from 4 to 9 cm, as they are ideal.
In addition to the famous migratory brown trout in Bariloche’s fishing scene, resident trout are also abundant, reaching an average weight of up to 4 kg. These trout tend to hide in front of rocks, like salmon, as well as in ditches and deep under willows. Luring them away from the shore is practically impossible unless you’re lucky enough to miss a rock with your Spey cast. But if you’re in a boat, it’s much easier, and that’s when we try to use flies with a slightly larger head, to move the water a little more. This peculiarity is what drives the resident trout crazy.
It’s worth noting that, in most cases, trout eat because they’re hungry, not because they’re attacking. However, very few fish make this much noise in the pools, precisely because they’re trained not to. Therefore, when someone does, it’s because there’s a hunter alert nearby. In this way, the trout activates a state of alert and begins to feel like the owner of the pool, regardless of whose food it is; they see it as their own. This protective action is because trout belong to the salmon family, which enter the ocean in the millions and must compete for food and eat each other to survive. Likewise, Argentine trout fishing becomes very interesting to observe and enjoy at Trout Bariloche.
