Fly Fishing in Esquel & Trevelin

Esquel and its neighbour Trevelin sit at the centre of what many guides call the most diverse trout fishing in Argentina. Within striking distance of these two towns in southern Chubut lie more than two dozen rivers — from the gin-clear rainforest streams of Los Alerces National Park to arid-steppe spring creeks, big freestone floats and remote wilderness water running to the Chilean border. You can wade a shallow freestone one day, sight-fish a crystalline spring creek the next, and drift a broad river the day after — and see almost no one. For the angler who values variety, clear water and solitude, this is one of Patagonia’s great secrets.

Why base your fishing trip in Esquel & Trevelin

What sets this area apart is range. In a single week you can fish the transparent, forest-lined rivers of Los Alerces, technical spring creeks winding through the steppe, powerful freestones and quiet backcountry streams — a genuinely different type of water each day. The landscape shifts from Valdivian temperate rainforest to arid Patagonian steppe within a short drive, and the fishing follows. Trevelin — a village founded by Welsh settlers, with its own tea houses and history — is the closer fishing base, sitting near the southern edge of the national park; Esquel is the larger town, with the airport and full services. Both see a fraction of the anglers of the northern hubs.

The waters

The variety here is the whole point:

• Los Alerces rivers — the gin-clear Rivadavia and Arrayanes, inside the national park, for demanding sight fishing to wary trout (see our Los Alerces National Park guide).
• The Futaleufú — a bigger river below the dam, flowing west toward Chile, with stronger, larger water.
• Spring creeks — clear, weed-rich streams such as the Gualjaina and Arroyo Pescado, prized for technical dry-fly fishing.
• Remote freestones — the Corcovado (Río Grande de Chubut) and the Carrileufú in the Cholila lakes region, holding big wild browns in wilderness country, often fished from remote camps.
• The lakes — Futalaufquen, Verde and the Cholila lakes, with excellent boca and shoreline fishing.

The fish

The cold, clear waters hold wild brown trout, rainbow trout and healthy populations of brook trout, which thrive in the region’s cold park streams and lakes — with genuine trophy browns in the remoter rivers.

Fly-fishing guides

Guiding here is built around variety and clear water: a good outfitter will rotate you through freestones, spring creeks and float rivers to match the conditions and the hatches, with sight-fishing skills at a premium on the transparent waters. Days range from walk-and-wade on the park rivers and spring creeks to floats on the bigger water and multi-day trips into the backcountry. We can arrange the right guide and programme for the water you want to fish.

Lodges and where to stay

Accommodation runs from dedicated fishing lodges near Trevelin and the national park — with in-house guiding and unbeatable access to the local rivers — to hotels and cabins in Esquel and Trevelin, and remote wilderness camps for those chasing the backcountry browns. Which is right depends on how remote you want to go and how much comfort you want; tell us your priorities and we’ll match you with the right base.

Fishing shops (casas de pesca)

Esquel and Trevelin have fly shops — casas de pesca — where you can pick up locally proven flies (dries and nymphs for the spring creeks especially), leaders and tippet, sort your fishing licence, and get current advice on which of the many rivers is fishing best. For a region this varied, that local intel is gold.

Fishing on your own (DIY & wade access)

There is good self-guided fishing here, but two things to know: the national-park rivers require a licence and adherence to park rules (see the Los Alerces guide), and many of the best spring creeks run through private estancias, so access is often arranged rather than open. Public water on the freestones and lakes is fishable with a licence and local advice from a fly shop — a guide simply unlocks far more of this diverse region.

When to go

The season runs November to April. Late summer and autumn (February–April) bring the lowest, clearest water and the best of the sight fishing on the park rivers and spring creeks. See our guide to the best time to fly fish Argentina.

Getting there

Fly into Esquel (EQS), with connections through Buenos Aires, or arrive from Bariloche, about a four-hour drive north through beautiful country. Esquel and Trevelin have the full range of services, transfers and rentals.

Beyond the fishing

The area is rich for non-anglers and rest days. Visit the ancient forests and lakes of Los Alerces National Park and its millenary alerce trees; take Welsh afternoon tea in Trevelin; ride La Trochita, the famous narrow-gauge “Old Patagonian Express” steam train; ski at La Hoya in winter; and explore the Cholila valley, once a hideout of Butch Cassidy.

Frequently asked questions about fishing in Esquel & Trevelin

Let us organise your Esquel trip

Clear water, two dozen rivers and hardly another angler in sight — the Esquel and Trevelin area rewards those who make the trip. Tell us your dates, budget and the kind of water you love, and we’ll put the whole trip together: guides, lodging, licences and the right rivers for your dates.