For many years the rushing currents of Patagonian rivers have attracted fishermen from all over the world, but now Mendoza Province is breaking out of its desert reputation and becoming a fishing destination of its own.
As it turns out, there is water in the Mendoza desert and more often than not that water is full of fish.
Having grown up fishing throughout Minnesota during numerous family outings, I felt pretty confident following my argentine family across an icy mountain stream in search of rainbow trout.
We´d traveled five hours south of Mendoza city, to a secluded spot known as Valle Hermoso (Beautiful Valley), a valley in Malargue located in the southern part of Mendoza Province. In the valley, beneath the shadow of neighboring mountain ridges, runs a crystal clear river of Andean snow melt. That was our destination.
Save for a few, more successful, fisherman, no one else was around. Just a handful of condors circling overhead and the distant shadows of a family of guanacos scaling the side of a rocky slope in the distance.
After a quick lesson in the finer points of fly fishing, my fisherman guide and friend sent me up river to see what I could do. Twenty casts into the fishing trip without even a nibble, I began to appreciate the patience of this practice. Fly fishers pace the stony coasts of rushing rivers, or trek their way upstream as they fight to hold their balance against freezing currents. It´s not your average bobber cast and wait scenario, it demands the right equipment, technique and sly trickery to outsmart the clever trout.
Thankfully, the late February sun lit up the dramatic mountain backdrop that stretched all around us. Even if I wasn´t the most fruitful fishing endeavor, the setting did something to sooth my broken ego.
Where to Fish in Mendoza
For many years the rushing currents of Patagonian rivers have attracted fishermen from all over the world, but now Mendoza Province is breaking out of its desert reputation and becoming a fishing destination of its own.
Surpising as it may be, streams and lagoons are sprinkled throughout Mendoza Province, many of which are rich with rainbow trout, brown trout and king fish eager to bite on whatever´s on the end of your line. Fishing season in Mendoza stretches from November to late April/ early May.
Popular fishing spots include:
El Manzano Histórico – Tunuyán (1.5 hours outside of Mendoza City)
Arroyo Grande de Quebrada (Manzano Histórico- Tunuyán)
Laguna del Diamante (4 hours from Mendoza City)
Portrerillos Dam (1 hour from Mendoza City)
Sosneado Lake (4 hours from Mendoza City) – November to May
Rio San Pablo (Uco Valley)
Valle Hermoso (Malargue, in Mendoza Province)
Without local contacts, it´s recommended to use local fishing shops as a resource when planning your excursion in Mendoza Province. Check out Mendoza fly shop (www.mendozaflyshop.com) for tips and trips.
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Madeline Blasberg is a travel and wine journalist living in Mendoza, Argentina. After a brief experience fishing a Mendoza mountains stream, she believes trout are sneaky little buggers that are better left to the lines of a more patient fisher person.