The Caterina River is 8 miles long and runs through the epic valley of Los Glaciares National Park, starting from a high plateau lagoon called Lago Anita and then runs into Argentina’s largest freshwater lake, Lago Argentino. From the end of December to mid-April, massive amounts of chinook salmon, run up the river.
“There’s something happening here…” (maybe).
An Argentina-Chile Fish Fight…?
Far South Chile yesterday, Argentine Southern Patagonia today…
But which is better?
Depends.
Trout (Browns, Rainbows and Brokks) – probably Chile, though I’ve had some great fishing in Argentina, too – one of its southern spring creeks for example….
Sea-trout – Argentina (though the upper Rio Grande in Chile can be FANTASTIC when a rare, big, mid-season flood has wiped out the whole of the long, now multi-lodged and heavily fished Argentine section and every fish running the river thinks to itself “Hey, let’s hit the headwaters early!”. Like the 15 8- to 23-pound fish I had in a day and a Welsh companion pal one more than that number just to beat me….
Steelhead – Got to be Argentina (the nothing less than awe-inspiring Rio Santa Cruz), though one Chilean stream produces better sport for just 7 to 14 days SOME years … or at least when I fished it three times in three different years and only hit the gaucho-fabled run once….
Chinook “My word, the piece of Patagonia I’ve just hooked is moving off…” Monsters – It appears that Argentina and Chile are about “even stevens” when it somes to these.
Nothing to fight about.
Carry on, you men.
These Chinook Salmon enter Chile from the sea and cross the border into Argentina. The best fishing is in Chile.
I know, Andres! So too do the ones that enter the Rio Futaleufu on the Chile side further north, then flog all the way through the Andes up to Argentina not far from Trefelin, where I wish that that I hadn’t hooked one whilst fishing for resident browns and rainbows as I feared for my 4-piece Sage 5-weight, so pointed the rod tip at the great grey whale and broke it off………