I have been tossing the idea around of heading to Patagonia with a friend or two next January or February. One of my friends did a DIY trip in the Coyhaique area of Chile this past winter and did really well, but we have been thinking about some other areas to try this time. Maybe further North in Chile in the Futaleuf area or Argentina near Rio Pico, Junn or Bariloche. We would plan on renting a 4wd vehicle, staying in Airbnb's, hostels, and camping. Maybe bring some inflatable kayaks to get in some lakes and lagunas. I have previously been further south backpacking in southern Patagonia, but have never been up North.

I wondered if anyone here had any experience with something similar or knew some of these areas. Mainly we are looking for general areas that have available access mainly for wading. My understanding is that you can access the rivers and streams at bridges or if the road runs next to them. It looks like some areas have tough wading especially in Chile due to steep terrain and canyons.

My B-I-L and some of his Corps buddies (one of them is also a regular attorney client of mine) have been to patogonia a few times to hike and fish. I'll see if they can provide any advice.

Can't provide fishing advice but be prepared to have your mind blown by the scenery. Most gorgeous landscapes I've ever seen.

I've thought about much the same thing so I'm interested to see what you find out. I've bookmarked a few online forums on the topic that I've been reading up on, maybe this will help you. Keep us posted.

Fly Fishing Patagonia

Chasing Scales Trip

I'm still in the research and planning phase since I'm about 10 months out. If anything, we can just fish the same rivers my friend did the leg work on this past year on his trip.

I was living in Patagonia until recently - San Martin de Los Andes near Junin de Los Andes. For a DIY trip, I might hedge more to that area than Chubut. I think accessibility is better to many lakes, rivers and spring creeks. But Chubut is really fantastic, too.

If not familiar with an area, I'd always recommend local guides at least to get your bearings. If not, planning to stay a good while (2-3 weeks of fishing), gives you some time to figure stuff out.

Fluency in Spanish will definitely come in handy, especially with directions.

A lifetime of water to fish wherever you choose. You'll only just scratch the surface on a short stay.

I'm down there a few months a year and still haven't made a dent in all the places I want to fish. Good luck!

Thanks, I'll do some google maps research around Junn and scope it out.

I speak enough Spanish to get by without using a translator or dictionary mostly. I did a 3 month backpacking trip up from Patagonia to Colombia and was able to get by a few years ago.

We plan on taking a guide for 2 or 3 days on the front end of the trip to get the lay of the land and probe for some ideas.