These beautiful fish seem to like making a fashion statement as they all come with their own original dress.
Such a variety of colors and spots makes catching Chilean brown trout a photo opportunity every time.
Brown trout are carnivorous and cannibalistic, and that makes them aggressive feeders. Large browns tend to be nocturnal and will actually hunt their prey. All too often we hook normal-sized rainbows only to have huge browns come out of nowhere for a quick meal on the end of our fly lines.
One preferred fishing method for targeting our browns is to throw big dry flies like the Cantaria beetle. The take is rarely like the gentle sipping of an emerger – it’s more like an explosion on the surface. It’s the cage fighting of dry fly fishing! Complete with flips and body slams, these browns just want to crush the fly.
Big streamers, more reasonable dries and imitative nymph patterns are in play for browns down here too. These fish are found throughout the waters of Southern Chile, and they’re a big part of the draw of the region.
Fly Tackle for Brown Trout
Fly rods
We recommend 5 to 7 weight, medium to fast action rods capable of casting a heavier line and big flies, whether they’re dry flies or streamers.
Reels
A reel to match the rod with a suitable drag system. Your drag will get tested here.
Lines
For floating lines, we recommend lines such as “The Clouser” or “Nymph” lines by RIO or similar weight forward designs. These types of lines are great for turning over big, air resistant dry flies as well as accommodating a heavy nymph dropper.
For sinking lines, a heavy 200 to 250 grain, 20 to 25 ft sink tip is recommended for hunting large browns with a 7 or 8 weight rod.
Interchangeable tip systems are nice to have as they allow you to change easily from floating to sinking without having to re-string your rod.
Leaders
For streamer fishing, we recommend leaders tapered to 8 to 12 pound test. We like dry fly leaders tapered to 3X to 5X, 5 to 12 pound tippets, anywhere from 6 to 10 feet in length.