Fly Fishing on the Río Simpson
- Parque Cascadas
- Jul 21
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 27
FLY FISHING
By Osvaldo Band, Host & Experience Lead at Parque Cascadas
There are still places in Patagonia where a fishing week feels less like a program and more like a discovery. Aysén is one of them..
The Río Simpson runs through one of the most beautiful corridors of Chilean Patagonia, between Coyhaique and Puerto Aysén. It is a river of movement, structure and changing light: fast runs, soft edges, deep pools, wind, forest, rock and the kind of silence that makes every cast feel more precise.
At Parque Cascadas, the river is not nearby. It is part of the property.
Our private park has 700 meters of Río Simpson riverfront, two houses for exclusive use, native forest rising from the valley, and a private trail to the natural pools of Cascada La Virgen. For a fly fishing group, this changes the rhythm of the trip. You do not leave a hotel to find the river. You wake up beside it.
A standard fishing week here is simple in structure and rich in experience: seven nights, six guided days, two anglers per guide, private transfers from Balmaceda Airport, home-cooked meals, Patagonian dinners, riverside hot tub sessions and a guide network that reaches far beyond the water at our doorstep.
The first day usually begins on the Simpson. From there, the week opens according to conditions — some days may lead to Río Paloma, Río Azul, Río Mañihuales, Río Aysén, Emperador Guillermo, Huemules, Lago Elizalde, Lago Riesco, Cerro Castillo lakes or smaller spring creeks chosen by the guides, day by day, according to weather, water, wind and what the group wants.
The guides we partner with are professional local outfitters, some Orvis-Endorsed, who have spent years reading these waters. The fishing is real: wild brown and rainbow trout, good average sizes, and the possibility of larger fish every season. But the real luxury is the combination of water, solitude, local knowledge and the feeling that Aysén still has space.
Evenings matter just as much. Boots off, fire on, a hot tub by the river, dinner, wine and stories. One night a Patagonian barbecue; another, Cordero al Palo around the fire.
Parque Cascadas also works especially well for mixed groups. While anglers are on the water, non-anglers can walk to Cascada La Virgen, enjoy the hot tub, watch birds, cook with the team or take a soft trek. This is not only a fishing trip. It is a private Patagonia week built around the group you actually have.
Aysén is not the most obvious fly fishing destination in Patagonia. That is precisely why it is worth coming.
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