Northern Patagonia’s most productive river
The Collón Cura begins where the Aluminé and Chimehuín rivers meet, then flows through a broad steppe valley toward the Piedra del Águila Reservoir. Islands, willow-lined banks, and secondary channels give every day on the river its own rhythm.
This exceptional fishery is ideal for multi-day float trips with nights spent camping along the river. Brown and rainbow trout, along with native perch, find food and shelter in a remarkable variety of river structures.
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Changing conditions. Different tactics.
The Collón Cura offers an exceptional variety of food sources: small native forage fish (puyenes), freshwater crabs (pancoras), grasshoppers, willow worms (inchworms), mayflies, and caddisflies all contribute to its remarkable productivity. From November through May, we adapt our float trips and wade fishing to river levels and the food sources the trout are feeding on. Highlights include the summer hatches, the willow-worm season, and the seasonal puyén run.
November
Early in the season, higher water favors streamers and sinking lines. The river’s many islands and secondary channels offer alternatives to the main current, including places where we can stop to wade. We combine the reach of the drift boat with time in these smaller channels, exploring different depths and currents for rainbow trout, brown trout and native perch.
December–January
With lower water and plentiful mayfly and caddis hatches, December and January can offer long periods of dry-fly fishing. We pay attention to the insects on the water and the way trout are feeding, using the float to reach different stretches and stopping where the activity deserves more time. This is one of the most attractive parts of the season for anglers who enjoy surface fishing.
As summer advances
Later in summer, trout feed heavily on the inchworms that live on the willows lining the river. The overhanging trees and their banks become especially interesting places to fish. Matching these worms is a distinctive part of the Collón Cura experience: the focus shifts from the broader river to the food arriving along the willow-lined edges and the trout waiting to take it.
Late February–March
Thousands of puyenes, small native fish, move from Piedra del Águila Reservoir into the river on their reproductive run. Brown and rainbow trout gather to feed on them, creating a very different fishing opportunity from the insect hatches. Streamers return to the foreground as we look for trout hunting these baitfish. It is one of the most distinctive events to consider when choosing the timing of a Collón Cura expedition.
Our season on the Collón Cura runs through May. For trips in April and May, we tailor the fishing to the river flow and the trout activity we find at that time.
A glimpse of the experience
The Collón Cura overnight float trip
Follow a complete multi-day float trip — from the first miles on the river to the final evening beside the campfire.
Southern Rivers Patagonia · Collón Cura River
Join Southern Rivers Patagonia’s Bariloche-based guides for a Collón Cura fly fishing camp trip, combining drift boat fishing, time to wade the side channels and nights in riverside camp.
Collón Cura River · Patagonia, Argentina
Tell us your dates and the fishing you enjoy. We will help you shape your trip.
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