One of the things I love most about fly fishing Argentina, is exploring the less celebrated waters. A few years ago, I spent a month exploring back country and camping through northern Patagonia, and discovered the headwaters of the Rio Caleufu. Perhaps like a lesser known “step-sister” of the famous Collon Cura; for those who enjoy almost guaranteed solitude, this river rewards with magnificent rainbow and brown trout shaped like muscular footballs. 

The Rio Caleufu begins its life from the confluence of the Filo Hua Hum and Meliquina rivers, with a dramatic series of rapids and fast water that is dangerous to contemplate fishing; and the heart of the river flows almost entirely through private estancias. Luckily at least one of those, Estancia Alicura, offers several different methods for fly fishing this fantastic river. In the early season, when the river has steady volume from melting winter snow, it can be floated and camped; and offers sensational dry fly action from a drift boat or wading. After December, it may no longer be possible to float the central portions of the river, but good fishing is still easy to find if you have a guide that knows the river. My good friend, Fernando Vicens, Head Guide at Estancia Alicura, agreed to blind-fold me and lead me to a few secret places in early April when the water levels had fallen and most fishermen had given up for the year.  

From the main lodge, we bumped a 4x4 along some rocky trails that only expose themselves in the late season when the waters have receded, and then hiked a short distance across the muddy flats to the river. We were searching for tight bends where the river has carved deep pools and trailing banks out of the rocky bottom, which in this river seem to appear every 200 meters. From an elevated perch on the mesa, the Rio Caleufu looks like a serpent in the valley floor, switching back and forth on its way to collide with the Collon Cura. We worked each pool carefully from head to tail and downstream for at least 50 meters with proprietary baitfish imitation flies that Fernando designs for late season action on this river. Virtually every pool yielded

a few nice rainbows or browns, and some photo ops of Fernando in his classically stylish Guide’s hat.  

The wide valley that harbors the Rio Caleufu generates very typical Patagonian winds during the summer months, so even though we were fishing a little light with 5 weight rods, we chose very fast actions to punch a medium sinking line out with authority. I’ve been asked a thousand times or more by travelers about rod requirements here, and I always tell them that the primary variant to plan for is: Wind. Regardless of the action weight you choose; bring a rod that has a backbone for windy conditions, and spend a little time practicing. My friends often think I’ve gone daffy when the winds begin blowing at home, because I relish the chance to run out in the front garden for at least ten minutes of casting practice into a gusting torrent. If I had only one or two weeks of vacation time to travel halfway around the world and chase trout in Argentina; I would want to feel comfortable in it from the beginning, rather than struggling to learn for the first few days of my vacation. 

The fly fishing on the Caleufu this time of year is typically with sinking flies, and the fish are vicious in their assaults. Leave your strike indicators at home, you won’t need them. The guides in this area frequently talk about how the rainbow and brown trout a little further down in the Limay river fight stronger and more aggressively than any other river in Argentina; and from my perspective, the fish in the lower Caleufu have the same odd characteristic. Don’t dare to use tippet lighter than #3 here, and be prepared to loose some flies and tippet material, because these fish are nasty.  

If you also happen to be a hunter, the Caleufu and Limay Medio are primed for late season fishing during the Roar of the Red Stag, and it would make an outstanding diversion between stalking days. Estancia Alicura is perfectly located to handle multi-activity adventures, and you won’t be disappointed.

Memo Stephens

*Memo Stephens is an Adventure Photo-Journalist who resides in Argentina, and is available for journalism and photography assignments for both commercial and private parties. For more information, please email to: