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FISHING CALENDAR · CHILE (PACIFIC COAST & PATAGONIA)
Chile (Pacific coast & Patagonia) Fishing Calendar
Chile's trout and salmon rivers in the south are the big draw: most regions open in October or November and close in early to late May, and the best fishing runs roughly November to April. One SERNAPESCA licence (bought online) covers sea and freshwater; people over 65 and kids under 12 don't need one. On the coast, corvina is closed every October and November.
Government fish & wildlife updates
- SERNAPESCA - recreational licence — Buy the licence online (pescarecreativa.sernapesca.cl); sea and freshwater
- SERNAPESCA - fishing seasons — Trout/salmon season dates, limits and regional rules
Month by month
| Fish | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater (southern rivers & lakes) | |||||||||||||
| Rainbow trout (trucha arcoíris) | Outfitters fish November to April. Outdoors International rates February-March best for dry flies, Montana Angler says January-February, so February is the shared peak. Official limit: 3 fish or 15 kg a day, artificial lures only.[3][6][7][8][1][4] | ||||||||||||
| Brown trout (trucha café / marrón) | Outdoors International and Montana Angler both name March-April as the fall run, when big browns hit streamers and hoppers. Same official 3-fish / 15 kg daily limit as other trout.[6][7][3] | ||||||||||||
| Chinook salmon (salmón rey) | Chile Travel says Puelo River kings show mainly February-March; Fly Fisherman says fish run from November to early April. Rules vary by river: Toltén and Imperial 15 Sept-31 Mar, 1 fish; Aysén waters 12 Oct-15 Jan, 2 fish.[9][10][5] | ||||||||||||
| Perca trucha (Patagonian perch) | Official season 1 January to 15 April, same daily limits as trout.[5] | ||||||||||||
| Coast & inshore | |||||||||||||
| Corvina | SUBPESCA closes corvina every 1 October-30 November to protect spawning. Popular with shore and small-boat anglers in Biobío, Los Ríos and Los Lagos. No minimum size.[11][5] | ||||||||||||
| Lenguado (Chilean flounder) | Open all year for recreational anglers; minimum length 30 cm.[5] | ||||||||||||
| Offshore (far north) | |||||||||||||
| Dorado (mahi-mahi) | Fishery studies say dorado come close to the northern coast (Arica, Iquique) in summer; boats target them December-February. Based on commercial data, not charters.[12][13] | ||||||||||||
Never keep: Chile's protected native freshwater fish, such as the bagre and tollo catfish (Diplomystes) and trucha negra (Percichthys melanops), were closed to all fishing under Decree 878 (2011-2026), and wild trout and salmon may not be sold.[5]
Bait & rig for each fish
Rainbow trout (trucha arcoíris)
Bait: Salmon roe and nightcrawlers where bait is legal.
Lures: Beads that look like salmon eggs, flesh flies, sculpin and leech streamers, small spinners and spoons.
Leader: 3X–5X tippet (4–8 lb), 7½–9 ft.
Brown trout (trucha café / marrón)
Bait: Worms and minnows where legal.
Lures: Streamers, nymphs, dry flies, spinners, spoons and stickbaits.
Leader: 3X–5X tippet (4–8 lb), 7½–9 ft.
Chinook salmon (salmón rey)
Bait: Whole or cut-plug herring and anchovies.
Lures: Hoochies and spoons behind a flasher, spinners and plugs in the rivers.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 4–6 ft behind a flasher.
Dorado (mahi-mahi)
Bait: Ballyhoo, flying fish, squid and cut bait to keep a school near the boat.
Lures: Skirted trolling lures, small feathers and bucktail jigs.
Rig: Use a clean trolling or live-bait rig with minimal hardware, a strong swivel where needed and a leader long enough to protect against abrasion.
Leader: 30–60 lb mono/fluorocarbon is a common mahi start; increase for abrasion or mixed wahoo water.
Local fishing reports — what’s biting now
- SERNAPESCA pesca recreativa news — Official news on regional season openings each spring
- Montana Angler blog — Outfitter blog with Chile/Patagonia trip reports
Sources
- SERNAPESCA - Pesca recreativa (season openings by region)
- SERNAPESCA - Obtener licencia para pesca recreativa
- SERNAPESCA - Temporadas de pesca recreativa en Chile
- SUBPESCA - Acta Consejo Regional de Pesca Recreativa Los Ríos (Aug 2024)
- Medidas de administración de pesca recreativa en Chile 2023-2024 (SUBPESCA/SERNAPESCA compilation)
- Outdoors International - Best Time to Fly Fish in Chile-Patagonia
- Montana Angler - Definitive Guide to Fly Fishing Chile
- The Fly Shop - Chile fly fishing travel
- Chile Travel - Everything you need to know about sportfishing in Chile
- Fly Fisherman - Targeting Chile's Chinook Salmon on a Fly
- WeAreAquaculture - Chilean corvina, 10 years as a conservation-dependent species (quotes SUBPESCA)
- IATTC - Pesquería del dorado en Chile (presentation)
- Universidad Andrés Bello - Caracterización de la pesquería del dorado en Chile
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every month on this calendar comes from the sources above. Empty boxes mean no official source gives those months. Rules change — check the agency page before you keep a fish.
On the bay, in the mangroves or on the ocean, the everyday struggles get left at the dock — for those few hours it’s just you, the water and peace.