Fishing
Though the local environment hosts an almost unbelievable quantity of waters in diverse types, shapes and sizes, the fact that a much higher than average number of these hold fish of “unusual size” is what accounts for the region's fame. The ones we're willing to name online (and there are many we are not) include the famous numbered lakes 1 through 5, the Rio Pico herself and her tributaries the Rio Nilson and Rio Las Pampas, and also the world famous Rio Corcovado, which drains an eighteen hundred foot deep, gin-clear lake called Lago Vintter. But scattered between those famous waters are an enormous number of smaller lakes, freestone streams, and even spring creeks, all of them holding trout.
Rainbows, Brookies, and Browns swim these waters and we pursue them with a wide variety of tackle and techniques. Anglers planning for the Rio Pico Trout Bum itinerary can express their preferences with regard to fishing styles at the time of their booking, as well as at any point during the trip. And with such an incredible array of options in the immediate area we can have you throwing dry flies with a three weight, chucking six inch streamers on a heavy sink tip, or even 
spey casting pretty much any day of the week. Some spots are numbers games, usually with pretty much constant action from what in Patagonia amounts to smallish or medium sized fish (which would be considered large in most of the world) while others are more for hunting bruisers (the ones from the pictures, which are the ones that most folks come down for). Our guides for the Trout Bum program are all locals who grew up on these drainages and know them like the backs of their hands; and with this much water at our fingertips it really just all boils down to the client’s personal preference. It is easy to do a different environment or style every single day even on a two week tour. Plus, from the Andes to the Pampas, the landscape is so diverse that within a day's range we feel like we are in totally separate ecosystems and can experience a huge variety of different modalities of fishing.
One of the questions we get quite frequently when folks are looking at doing a Trout Bum trip has to do with what kind of tackle should be used, and what we can provide. 
Upon signing up each angler receives our standard Pre-trip Information and Planning packet with detailed lists of everything they will need in the way of gear, clothing, and flies, as well as all sorts of other useful information on how to arrange the travel and what to expect in terms of details for the trip. We can usually provide rods whenever necessary, but waders and boots need to be brought down for sure, and while our guides do all carry fly boxes loaded with their own local patterns (free for clients to use) it is always a good idea to bring what’s on the list as well if you can. Rod set ups are a pretty personal choice for most anglers, but generally we suggest nine foot sticks ranging from six weights up to eights, with floating lines for the lighter rods and floaters plus 12’ to 24’ sink tips for the heavier ones. Nine foot leaders are the norm, most of which will be 0x but some of which might go as light as 3x, and a few poly leaders in varying weights are never a bad idea. It’s pretty rare that we tie on anything lighter than 4x tippet but if you end up wanting to throw at some picky little 16” risers one day your guide will always have what you need.
Another thing that is nice about the Rio Pico region is that it has such a diverse mixture of wading conditions and water that we can float. When we first set up the Trout Bum program we assumed that most of our clientele would be made up of guides from the states who were used to working hard out on the water every day but needed a trip that they could afford. We pretty quickly realized though that this was not the only market which was going to respond. Even those first years we started to see quite a few folks from age groups and demographics that required less physically demanding days than what our guide groups were generally looking for; but with more water for us to choose from than anyone could fish even in a month, this did not present a problem!
The program can be set up in a wide variety of styles ranging from being in the boat every day of the trip to mixing that up with easier wading, and all the way to the more extreme hike-in and camp expeditions. As such, we have now found we get groups made up of everything from college aged guys who live and work in conditions much like our own to retired couples and groups of guys we used to guide at the five star lodges who are just looking for a more authentic small town Patagonia experience. Who knew? What we do know though is this – everybody goes home happy. To date we’ve not had a single post trip report come back as anything other than glowing, and we encourage anyone looking into the Trout Bum program to talk to some of our past clients for first hand stories of what the experience was like.
Since we now offer Trout Bum programs in both Rio Pico and Trevelin, one of the obvious questions is which one to choose. Trevelin is the more comfortable and accessible option, with private cabins, restaurants, and a wide range of classic Patagonia rivers and lakes close at hand. Rio Pico is the more remote choice, with simpler lodging, optional back-country fishing, far less pressure, and some of the biggest Browns, Rainbows and Brookies we fish anywhere in the region.
Of course, you don't necessarily have to choose. The two programs overlap at the edges of their fisheries and combine very easily into a longer trip.
