Fishing Hot Spots

Lake guides for this map

Month-by-month patterns, fish, ramps and rules for each water:

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Fishing Hot Spots by area

Rocky points, islands, bays, fishing coves and piers. Tap one to fly to it on the map.

Corvina in the surf, cabrilla on the rocks, swordfish history off Iquique

Chile's coast is long, cold and rich, fed by the Humboldt Current. Most of the fishing is from the rocks, the beaches and small boats out of the caletas (fishing coves): corvina in the surf, lenguado (flounder) on the sand, and cabrilla, rollizo, vieja, bilagay, jerguilla and congrio on the rocks and kelp. Pejerrey fill the piers and harbors, and in summer palometa (yellowtail), bonito and jurel come in close around the islands and points.

The far north has its own history. Deep water lies close to shore off Iquique and Tocopilla, and in 1953 Lou Marron caught a 1,182 lb broadbill swordfish off Iquique that is still the all-tackle world record. Swordfish and striped marlin still pass offshore.

Rules: in Chile you need a recreational fishing license (licencia de pesca recreativa) from Sernapesca, and there are minimum sizes and limits for many fish. Marine reserves, marine parks and nature sanctuaries are closed to fishing, and some caletas have local management areas for shellfish: do not take shellfish there. Check with Sernapesca or the local harbor office (Capitanía de Puerto) before you go.