(Lago Todo Los Santos and Volcano Puntiagudo) Things got very relaxing once the final customers left Chile. I enjoyed the long season very much but it was now time for slow rising mornings, coffee in my cabin and a Ouija board mentality to point me in the right direction on my daily outings around Southern Chile. I had two more weeks to burn since my flight didn't leave until April 10th, and with little or no plans that laid ahead of me, I sat down like I had done so many times before with a mug of coffee in one hand, and a map in the other. I looked up towards Temuco to the 9th region and saw a place I had always wanted to visit, Parque de Conguillio. I knew it was one of Chile's finest and least known national parks. Waterfalls, volcanoes,lakes, glaciers and rivers frequent the area and Nico even said he thought it was the most beautiful area of Chile. So after a week of hanging out at the lodge and doing a little local fly fishing around Puerto Varas I would then head north for Temuco, stay with Ana Maria's mother, Monica, and then head for another national park and explore a new area.
The weather was so perfect so I asked my good friend, Christian Benitez, if he was interested in doing a little fishing on the Rio Petrohue on such a fine, lovely day. Christian is the owner of the Puerto Pilar, the lodge where my customers stay when we're in the Puerto Varas area. Christian is such a great guy. What a fun-nut and a perfect host for oncoming tourists that visit the Puerto Pilar.
World meet Christian. Christian, say hello to the world! Christian acts a little excited when he gets a trout on his line!
The Rio Petrohue remained high all season but we still managed to catch trout. A big thanks to the Rio Petrohue, for providing me and all the customers good entertainment this year! (Could you mellow out a little next year, Please!) (Nice shot of Volcano Calbuco in the background)
A fine specimen Christian! YOU'RE MY SIZZLER OF THE WEEK AWARD WINNER! CONGRATULATIONS SIZZLER!! YOU'RE ALSO THE FUNNIEST CHILEAN I'VE EVER MET, MY CUSTOMERS WOULD HAVE TO AGREE, YOU'RE A TRUE CLASSIC! STAY WILD AND CRAZY, THE WORLD NEEDS MORE OF YOU AROUND. SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! THANKS AGAIN TO THE STAFF AT THE PUERTO PILAR: CHRISTIAN, FELIPE, LECHUGA CON TOMATE Y CEBOLLA (Sin Mayo), SANDRA, CARLOS, PAMELA, JAVIER, ANITA, MY FAMILY IN CHILE! YOUR HARD WORK AND GREAT ATTITUDE WITH OUR CUSTOMERS EARNS US REPEAT AND REFERRAL BUSINESS FOR NEXT YEAR, WE DID IT AGAIN!!! THANK YOU, JACK TROUT
Over at Alessandros Pizzeria in Puerto Varas Michael and Carlos are making me a pizza!
The desserts are so awesome. I'm missing them right now as I write this.... After my last night out to dinner in Puerto Varas with friends, I sat and thought what a great season I had this year in Chile.
The next day I got in my truck and headed 4 hours north for Temuco to see Monica. I like Temuco, and once a again the weather was perfect and hot. This is a park that's located downtown.
If you look at my map I borrowed from the CIA's list of world maps, you can see how I traveled from the Puerto Montt area up to Temuco. It's a easy trip up interstate 5 with views the entire trip.
I spent a couple of days with Monica and her son Marco, (Ana Maria's brother) then headed east towards the town of Curacautin. I crossed over the Rio Cautin and it looked so fishy to me. There were hatches everywhere and the water was the perfect color with lots of brush and willows that line the beautiful oasis.
I saw lots of mayflies so I put on a pheasant tail and on my first cast I caught a 10 incher nymphing. I was using my 3 wt. Winston boron with a Ross Reel that seemed to be perfect for these size trout.
I caught 22 in 4 hours, none over 13 inches but lots of action and amazing beauty, complimented by the warm fall sun. These rainbows were all from the McCloud River in California originally. I could recognize them from years of guiding and knowing the trout intimately from my home waters in Northern California. (See the resemblance?)
Then up on the bank, I looked back and saw the bamboo window that framed a photo of the river I just fished and fell in love with. The Rio Cautin, the trout aren't huge, but they're hungry and the river's full of them!
I walked a little further and saw these pinks flowers dangling from the bamboo
I got a little closer and realized these were Copihue, the Chilean National Flower! I had read about them but had never saw them before because I had never stayed this long into the fall months in Chile.
What a treat it was to run into these flowers just out hiking around the bamboo forest!
The next day I headed on a journey towards the Volcano Lonquimay and ran into the Princesa Waterfalls.
They kind of reminded me of the Upper Falls on the McCloud river.
I kept crossing over the Rio Cautin in so many different places I traveled through. The river looked fishable in everything section I saw, but it was this pocket water that made me stop and take notice. (Doesn't it look great!)
And then out of nowhere, there it was: Volcan Lonquimay standing at 2865 meters. What an incredible site!
I walked into this valley and saw this Araucaria tree standing proud and free for all to witness.
These trees are the second oldest trees in Chile next to the Alerce trees. Some Araucaria trees are over 2000 years old and in the fall bear a pine nut that is very delicious to eat. It's like a pine nut the size of a cashew, Sizzlers!
What a glorious day it was being in this new area of Chile!
The valley views from high mountain tops were impressive and the changing fall colors complimented my journey as it made me feel as though it was the month of October, not April 2nd?**STAY TUNED SIZZLERS AS I GO FLY FISHING ON THE RIO BIO BIO, VISIT MORE VOLCANOES, PARQUE DE CONGUILLIO, LAGO CONGUILLIO AND SAY HELLO AGAIN TO A LONG LOST PARTNER YOU ALL KNOW AND LOVE** THANKS FOR WATCHING, JACK TROUT
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