Melimoyu Lodge is located at Kilometer 37 on the road to Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda coming from La Junta, among the rainforests that surround the Melimoyu Volcano and the Queulat snowdrift. This lovely place invites you to relax and experience unforgettable adventures in one of the Chilean Patagonia’s most pristine areas.

Without a doubt, it is a paradise for fly fishing enthusiasts thanks to the crystal-clear rivers that run through it. This area is mainly home to brown and rainbow trout, but there are also Chinook salmon that swim upstream to spawn where they were born.

The Lodge is warm, cozy and well designed, built with mostly native wood. There are only 4 guest rooms -all with views of the Melimoyu Volcano- that combine comfort and relaxation to guarantee profound rest. Among the facilities is a “quincho” or barbeque pit so that guests can enjoy sharing their stories with other fishermen and talk about fishing the next day.

Although fly fishing is the star of the show here at the Lodge, there are also other options for excursions such as birdwatching, kayak, walks along trails that are almost unexplored as well as bike riding or rides in the buggy, horseback riding, thermal springs in the untouched landscapes of the Patagonia and the new hot tub where you can relax and recharge energy after an exciting day of activity.

Melimoyu Lodge features a heliport in order to meet the specific needs of guests that prefer to arrive more comfortably in helicopter. Additionally, there is a new fishing activity: Helifishing. Here, guests have the ability to reach lakes and rivers with tons of fish which are almost inaccessible to other fishermen.

The area where Melimoyu is located teems with biodiversity all its own. Made up of rivers, volcanoes, glaciers, and snowdrifts, you can spot foxes, Darwin frogs, pygmy Andean deer and native birds rarely seen by others, such as the churrín del Sur, chucao and peuquito.

When it comes to cuisine at the Lodge, the chefs really know how to fully express the flavors of ingredients, with flavorful and local cuisine, offering a menu that includes a variety of red meats, fish and foul, fresh salads and a variety of desserts, cakes, pies, and tarts. Not only that, there is a delicious and juicy spit-roasted lamb to delight guests.

The Lodge offers an All-included package starting at 2 nights, that in addition to expeditions with bilingual guides, offers an open bar and all meals by chefs from the area that really know how to cook with local Patagonian ingredients. Transport to and from the Balmaceda airport and Chaitén Aerodrome are also included. For those not looking for all-inclusive, the Lodge also offers a “Half-Board” for travelers wanting to spend the night and then continue their journey along the wonderful Carretera Austral in their own vehicle.

Without a doubt, it is an unforgettable experience in which the landscape, service, wildlife, and people will make your stay a dream come true.

Chinook Salmon fishing has become one of the most attractive programs for sport fishermen in Chile and abroad for the satisfaction of catching the biggest and fighter fish in freshwater. It becomes exciting to have a very silvery, healthy, vigorous and very large Chinook in your hands, as big as the excitement that fishing and hoisting produces. A real beauty!

That said, dear fishermen friends, we inform you that during the 2019 – 2020 season Chinook salmon fishing will take place from October 12 to January 15, 2020 which admits the fishing without return of a maximum of 2 specimens of Chinook salmon per day per fisherman without weight limits.

Exempt Resolution No. 05 of August 22, 2019 establishes the measures in the Aysen Region. The resolution is announced by the Ministry of Economy, Development, and Tourism and Regional Directorates of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Aysen Region.

The geographical and meteorological conditions of the Aysen Region offer the perfect habitat for the reproduction and survival of salmonid species. This is what makes the Chilean Patagonia the ideal destination for avid fly-fishers.

Just the word Patagonia awakens great hope among fly-fishers, and that is not to mention the enormity of its lakes and incredible beauty of its rivers, which meet the expectations of all different types of fishermen.

The most common species are rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, and Chinook salmon. This sporting activity is regulated by Sernapesca – the National Fishing and Aquaculture Service – therefore, fishermen are required to comply with the regulations established to preserve the environment where they practice. During the entire process, fishermen must obtain a fishing permit and comply with the corresponding authorized areas and methods.

According to Sernapesca rules, the fishing season generally begins in October and ends in early May:

In the Aysen Region rivers, the catch and release period goes from October 12th to November 30th. Between December 1st and February 28th, fishermen are allowed to extract a maximum of 3 fish or the equivalent of 15 kg. From March 1st to May 6th, all fish caught must be released back into the water, followed by closed season until the following October.

In the case of lakes, the dates vary a little. The fishing season begins on October 12th and is catch and release until November 9th. From November 10th to April 1st, fishermen are allowed to extract a maximum of 3 fish or 15 kg. Then from April 2nd to May 6th, all fish caught must be released back into the water, followed by closed season until the following October.

In the case of Chinook Salmon, the fishing season goes from October 12th to January 15th, with a maximum extraction of 2 fish.

There are three key aspects to keep in mind for luring trout: the location of the trout, proper fly selection and fly presentation.

In catch and release areas, seasons and required-release species, barbless hooks must be used, or the hook must be de-barbed, and all fish caught must be immediately released into the water, alive and with the least possible damage.

If we want to keep fishing for many years to come, we must learn to respect the catch and release regulations, as that is the only way we will be able to continue enjoying fly-fishing in the future.

Reference
Sernapesca (2020) Calendario de Pesca. Taken from the website: normarecreativa.sernapesca.cl