Where the fishing around Esquel actually is: a water-by-water guide to the Cholila valley from the lodge that sits on the Carrileufú.
If you are researching fly fishing near Esquel, most of what you will find is outfitter pages that mention the town and almost nothing about the water. Here is the part nobody explains: Esquel is the airport, not the fishing. The fishing spreads out from town in three directions, up to two hours of driving apart, and the valley with the most connected water is the one the least is written about. That valley is Cholila, north of Esquel, and it is where our lodge sits. This guide covers what water is actually there, how you get to it, and what a week on it looks like.
Planning a Patagonia Fishing Trip?
Esquel Is the Airport, Not the Fishing
Esquel's airport (EQS) is the gateway for this whole corner of Patagonia. Flights run from Buenos Aires's downtown airport, Aeroparque, about two and a half hours, most days of the week. From the airport, the water splits. Head southwest and you reach the Trevelin side: the Futaleufú, also called the Río Grande locally, and the well-known spring creek country around Arroyo Pescado to the east. That is the side most Esquel fishing pages describe. Head north on Route 40 instead and in about an hour and a half you drop into the Cholila valley, where a chain of rivers and lakes runs along the edge of Los Alerces National Park. That is our water, and this post is about that side.
The Water of the Cholila Valley
The valley's home river is the Carrileufú, and La Pilarica sits directly on its banks. It connects a chain that gives a week of fishing without long drives: Lago Cholila at the head of the valley, then downstream into the lakes district of the park, where Lago Rivadavia feeds the Río Rivadavia, which runs toward Lago Verde and the short, clear Río Arrayanes, with Lago Futalaufquen further south inside the park. We rotate through this system rather than pounding one beat. There is also a private spring creek we fish by request for anglers who want a day of quiet wading; we keep its name off the internet on purpose. What we do not do is guide the Trevelin side or Arroyo Pescado. Plenty of good operations work that water; it is simply a different valley, about two hours from ours, and our program is built on the water out our front door.
What the Fishing Is Like
Our head guide Diego puts honest numbers on it: fish in the Cholila valley run 12 to 21 inches for both browns and rainbows, with an average fish of 16 to 17 inches and occasional fish of 22 inches and better, mostly browns. The biggest fish landed last season was a 23 inch brown. There are also brook trout around 14 inches and landlocked Atlantic salmon of 16 to 20 inches, fewer in number, found mostly around the spring creek, cold tributary mouths, and lake outlets. Both browns and rainbows hold tight to the banks here, since that is where most of their food comes from. Mid-river structure like sunken logs and weed beds holds browns, and the bigger eddies and seams are where hungry rainbows sit. Guides carry rods, reels, flies, leaders, and tippet, plus spare rods and a spare raincoat, so you can travel light; bring your own waders and boots, and your own fly boxes are welcome if you have secrets you want to try.
How a Week Works
The classic stay is six to seven nights. We change water every day, rotating through the rivers and lakes above, and if you fall for one piece of water we are happy to repeat it. Your fishing license and park entry fees are included in a week with us, so there is nothing to arrange on that front. The season opens November 1 and runs through the end of April, often stretching into early May when conditions hold. Early season brings high, cold water and aggressive fish; the heart of summer, December through February, is dry fly time; March and April fish like autumn, with big browns on the move.
Getting Here
Fly Buenos Aires to Esquel, then our drivers meet you at the airport and take Route 40 north to the lodge, about an hour and a half door to door. The drive is a preview: the pavement rolls through steppe and then drops into the green of the valley with the Andes stacked behind it. If you are budgeting the trip, we broke down what a week actually costs in a separate guide.
Fish the Valley Nobody Writes About
The Cholila valley does not show up on the first page of Esquel fishing searches, and honestly, that has suited the fishing just fine. If you want a week on connected water with the lodge sitting on the home river, tell us your dates and we will tell you what the valley is doing then.