Where the Río Rivadavia runs in Los Alerces National Park, how clear it is, how it fishes and how it fits into a guided week.
The Río Rivadavia is one of the better known rivers in this part of Patagonia. It is a short river, clear enough that you can watch a trout take your fly, and it sits inside Los Alerces National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the rivers we fish during our week.
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Where the Rivadavia is
The river drains Lago Rivadavia, a glacial lake about 13 km (8 miles) long at the north end of Los Alerces National Park. It runs south for about 7 km (4 miles) to Lago Verde. From there the short Río Arrayanes carries the same water on to Lago Futalaufquen.
The lake above it is fed by the Carrileufú, our home river, which runs past the lodge in Villa Lago Rivadavia. So the Rivadavia is the next link in the same chain: the water you fish on the Carrileufú passes through Lago Rivadavia and comes out again as the Rivadavia. Provincial Route 71 runs along the lake.
How clear the water is
Lago Rivadavia is a deep glacial lake, more than 100 meters (330 feet) deep on average. The river that leaves it runs gin clear, and the area is known for its turquoise water.
You can see fish holding near the bottom and under the logs before you cast. The trout can see you too, which is why this is a river for careful approaches and good drifts rather than long, blind casting.
How the Rivadavia fishes
The banks are lined with forest and fallen logs. That timber holds a lot of the fish, and it is also what makes the river technical. Casts have to land tight to the wood without hanging up in it.
The Rivadavia is often fished from a boat, with stops to get out and wade. Drifting lets you cover the banks and the logs and stop to work a fish you have spotted. There is also spring-fed side water where trout can be sight-fished in clear water.
On a typical day the flies change with the light and with what the fish are doing:
Dry flies fished over and along sunken logs, often larger patterns, for fish that come up to the surface.
Nymphs, small and often weighted, for sight fishing to trout you can see, especially in the spring-fed water.
Streamers worked along the tree-lined banks, which is where the bigger browns tend to show themselves.
Your guide reads the light, the wind and the river level and picks the approach. Wind decides a lot in Patagonia, and part of a guide's job on a river this clear is choosing which stretch to fish and when.
What lives in it
The Rivadavia holds rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout and landlocked Atlantic salmon. None of them are native to Patagonia. All four were introduced, and the trout you catch here are wild fish. The river is known for large brown trout that chase streamers. Brook trout and landlocked salmon are also in the system, in lower numbers than the rainbows and browns. Under the regulation, landlocked salmon must be released wherever you catch them. Our guide to trout fishing in Patagonia covers each of these fish in more detail.
Rules and permits
The Rivadavia is national park water. Every angler needs a fishing permit, and national park waters have their own rules for each lake and river, which are reviewed each season. Our guide to the Argentina fishing license explains how permits work for visitors.
If you fish with us, the fishing license and the national park entry fees are included in the week, and your guide fishes within the current regulation, so there is nothing to buy or look up before you arrive.
When to fish it
The general season in this part of Patagonia opens on November 1 and runs to around the start of May. Our weeks run from November to April. If you have a month in mind, tell us and we will tell you how the Rivadavia usually fishes then.
How the Rivadavia fits into a week with us
A week at La Pilarica is 6 nights and 5 days on the water, with one guide for every two anglers and never more than ten rods at the lodge. Over the week we fish the Carrileufú, the Río Rivadavia, the Río Arrayanes and the lakes around them, with a day on a spring creek or on Laguna Larga if you are after a big brown. The Carrileufú runs past the lodge, and the Rivadavia carries the same water on from the lake below it.
Our Patagonia fly fishing gear list covers what to bring. For a wider view of the region, our guide to the rivers of Argentine Patagonia goes north to south.
Can you fish the Rivadavia without a guide?
Yes. With a permit you can reach parts of it on foot, though you will be limited to the water you can walk to, and the logs that hold the fish also make it easy to lose flies and fish. If you go on your own, take care wading: the water is clear enough that runs look shallower than they are. Our guide to fly fishing Patagonia with or without a guide compares the two.
Where is the Río Rivadavia?+
In Chubut, Argentina, inside Los Alerces National Park. It runs about 7 km (4 miles) from Lago Rivadavia south to Lago Verde. Our lodge is in Villa Lago Rivadavia, near Cholila, at the north entrance of the park.
What fish are in the Rivadavia River?+
Rainbow and brown trout, with brook trout and landlocked Atlantic salmon in lower numbers. All are introduced species, and the trout are wild fish.
Is the Rivadavia good for beginners?+
It is one of the more technical rivers we fish, because the water is very clear and the banks are full of timber. Beginners can still fish it with a guide, who picks the stretches and flies to suit you.
Do I need my own boat or permit?+
Not if you fish with us. Guided days include the boat, and the fishing license and national park entry fees are included in the week.
When is the best time to fish the Rivadavia?+
Our weeks run from November to April. Tell us the month you have in mind and we will tell you how the Rivadavia usually fishes then.
Fish the Rivadavia with us
Tell us when you would like to come and how many anglers. We reply within one business day with the open weeks, pricing and a sample itinerary.