The best trout fishing in the world, some claim, is in Tierra del Fuego. On the south side of the island nestles a 5,000-hectare lake amid typical Fuegian forest. This is Lago Blanco, where beavers build their homes, myriad types of waterfowl rest and wild horses roam. You can kayak the crystalline waters fringed by beaches. But this is also a fly fisher's paradise, yielding brown and rainbow trout weighing 2-14 kilograms (4.5-31 pounds).

Location:
Porvenir, Chile

Other Activity

Getting There
The only way to get to Lago Blanco is on tour or if you have your own means of transportation (car or bike). If driving, be sure you leave with a full tank of gas.

Follow Ruta Y-71 along Bahía Inútil to Km 103, then right 47 kilomet

Travel Tips: The best time to catch trucha café (also called trucha marrón, brown trout) is February-March; trucha arcoiris (rainbow trout) is best June-July. In the center of the lake is Isla Victoria, where the Club de Pesca y Caza de Cerro Sombrero (Fishing and Hunting Club of Cerro Sombrero) has a lodge. Camping is also possible around the lake. Other places to drop your line in Chile's Tierra del Fuego are Río Grande, with sea-run brown trout (220 km / 132 miles south); Lago Lynch, near Lago Blanco; Río Azopardo, also good for kayaking and rafting; and Lago Deseado (149 km / 84 miles south of Camerón, past Lago Blanco).

Relative price: Mid-Range

Travel Skills: None

You Need to Bring: Don't forget to pick up your fishing license. Ask at the Sernatur tourism office in Punta Arenas (Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Navarro 999, Tel.: 24-1330, E-mail: infomagallanes@sernatur.cl). You will need to be totally self-sufficient. Bring camping gear that will withstand high winds and the wet. Bring plenty of food. Many say the stream water is perfectly safe to drink, though you may want to bring a purifier.

Currencies accepted
Chilean Peso

By Lorraine Caputo

Upon re-declaring her independence at age 29, Lorraine Caputo packed her trusty Rocinante (so her knapsack's called) and began traipsing throughout...

Created: 25 May 2009

Updated: 03 Aug 2009

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