If you have been fishing in another country prior to your arrival
to Argentina, please be aware that argentine lakes, ponds and waterways
are free from whirling disease. Use only new fishing gear (lines,
flies and waders) or wash them thouroughly under high water pressure
before re-using them.
Salta:
Salta is home to some of the most astonishing rivers and wateways
in the country, where fishing can be a formidable experience. It
is mainly practised in El Rey National Park, Bermejo river shores
and Cabra Corral Dam.
In order to preserve species, fishing has been subject to specific
regulations. Season starts on April 1st and ends on Oct 31st. Fishes
that carry sports value are 'dorado' (sometimes called golden bass),
'bagre' (catfish) and 'boga'. Among some of the regulations are
the type of fishing gears allowed to be used, as well as the minimum
size for certain species: 60 cm (24 inches) for dorados, 30cm (12
inches) for bogas and 20cm (8 inches) for bagres (catfishes). Nightly
fishing is strictly forbidden. Fishing in certain rivers has been
restricted for preservation purposes, like in Arroyo Seco Hondo.
And the release of any foreign specie to rivers into waters is heavilly
pennalized. Cabra Corral is located at 60 km from the City of Salta.
Its dam offers in its 11,360 hectares and 135 mts depth an outstanding
recreation area, suited for great fishing. 'Pejerreyes, dientudos,
sabalos, truchas (trouts), tarariras and bagres (catfishes) can
all be found. Campo Alegre Dam is only 35 km from the City of Salta.
Considerably smaller, only 1500 has and 25 mts depth, than Cabra
Corral, and having been recycled 7 years ago, species are quite
smaller. For the same reason fishing has been restricted to shores.
Boat fishing strictly forbidden.
Las Lomitas Dam, the smallest of them all (9 has and 8 mts depth)
can offer a rewarding fishing expreience in spite of its size. No
boat fishing is allowed either.
Neuquen - Villa la Angostura
Villa La Angostura is located in the northern part of Nahuel Huapi
Lake. The fact that the area is scarcely populated has made of the
lakes a region wonder-fully fitted for the development of salmo-nidae.
Its pristine and unpoluted waters, in particular the worldwide known
mouth of El Correntoso river are home of the most spectacular samples
of trouts anywhere to be found. Routinely, sam-ples of about 9 kgs
(20 pounds) are to be obtained. Season stars Mid November to end
mid April. A permit is required. Spinning, the practice of casting
from shore using light weights is not as common as flycasting. However,
the latter, demands a minimum of proficiency and it is more technically
oriented.
Local Guides offer classes to the beginner and Guides are bilingual
and friendly. Trolling, faces several limitations. Since it is done
from over a boat, it is not always possible in all areas. Furthermore,
to preserve some areas from harmful effects of boats, sometimes
its practise is restricted. Professional fish Guides are to be found
easily in the area.
Not only fishing gear but also boats can be rented at site. A short
course of 3 days, intensive, is usually what a beginner needs to
start the practise of flycasting, although learning to 'read' the
waters requires much more practise. It is guaranteed that those
who start the practice never abandon it. The temptation of luring
fishes together with the surrounding spectacular scenery are experiences
out of this world. Dry flies, are used in less shallow waters.
They allow for the closer contact between the fisherman and the
sample, which comes to the surface to pick up the bait. Without
any doubt, such eye contact describes the greatest experience for
both the novice and seasoned fishermen.
Neuquen
It' been called the dream of fishermen. Nequen offers trout fishers
a priviledged place. Neuquen holds some of the best place for fishing
trout in the world, in particular the area called 3 mouths. Three
sites are highlighted for flycasting, which render historically
and present very big samples. The mouth of the 'Chimehuin river'
in Junin de los Andes is known worldwide as the best site for flycasting.
The Correntoso river, the shortest in the world, joining Correntoso
Lake in Villa La Angostura is also famous for the quality and size
of trouts obtained. And the Limay river, further south, causes astonsihment
to seasoned-fishermen due to the samples that can be obtained here.
Dams built early in the sixties brought enourmous benefits to the
ichthyc fauna. For those who love 'trolling' the Ezequiel Ramos
Mexia Dam is highly visited and stands out as a place where many
world record fishes have been obtained from. The Neuquen river starts
almost shyly.
Many streams feed it along its way making it plentiful little by
little, offering ideal conditions for spinning and flycasting. In
its last section, the river offers very favorable conditions for
fishing very large rain-bow trouts and patagonic pejerrey.
