Although this was only my second trip to Magic Waters Lodge, it felt like a home away from home. The owners of the lodge, Eduardo and Consuelo, have carved out a place for guests to stay and feel like family, enjoy delicious meals, experience a wide variety of fishing opportunities, and all in a place surrounded by breathtaking scenery. It had been three years since my last visit, but I was amazed by all the familiar faces. And many of the staff that I didn’t see on this trip were helping with one of the other two fishing programs run by the same family, Patagonia Baker Lodge and The River of Dreams Basecamp. Not only have they created a wonderful environment for guests, but also for their staff.
Our trip took place at the peak of their summer season in early January, and we were met with pleasantly warm and dry conditions for this part of the world. The first two days of our trip, we experienced high temperatures in the 80 and 90 degrees F range. The wind was also exceptionally mild this week by Patagonian standards, which was mostly a very welcome surprise. I would never suggest a fishing trip to Patagonia without a good pair of waders and a high-quality raincoat, but both of those items were much less critical to our success and comfort than expected. I spent several days wet wading on this trip, which is something I’ve rarely experienced while fishing in Patagonia.
The diversity of fisheries within a relatively short distance from the lodge is impressive. There was very little overlap in fishing locations for me, comparing this trip to my last. On the last trip, we experienced cooler, wetter conditions and focused more on lakes as the conditions on many of the rivers were not ideal due to rain and cooler water temperatures. In contrast, in our most recent trip, we spent much less time on lakes due to the calmer wind conditions and instead spent more time on small creeks and medium-sized rivers. The amount of options and flexibility available from Magic Waters Lodge is truly unique. After chatting with some of the guides, I also learned that some of the private land leases they hold are on large, unexplored properties, and that guests at Magic Waters Lodge only fish a small fraction of the available waters.
I was accompanied by a great group of Montana Angler guests who joined us from several corners of the US. Rick and Sue from Virginia, Ryan from Texas, Joe from Montana, Jeff from Maine, and Carl Thomason from South Carolina. We also shared the lodge with a handful of other guests, including world fly fishing champion Katka Svagrova from the Czech Republic. The lodge made the trip extra special by surprising three of us who were celebrating birthdays during the week with birthday celebrations and birthday cake.
Lower Paloma River: Big Canyon Water and Single Dry Flies
On our first day of fishing at the lodge, I got to float the Lower Paloma River with guests Ryan, Jeff, and Carl. Our guides were Luciano and Jaime, who are both skilled whitewater oarsmen. The river was relatively low and small in terms of a float fishery, with lots of structure and boulders. The canyon was spectacular with beautiful peaks in the background and lupine flowers in full bloom lining the banks. Much of the day was spent fishing dry flies to every piece of fishy water we could cast to. Although we did pick up a handful of fish on larger dry flies like the Fat Albert, we noticed that fish were less interested in our larger offering and were instead sipping smaller flies off the surface. After a few interesting refusals, Luciano switched our flies over to a smaller Parachute Adams, and our success rate quickly improved. Although this fishery undoubtedly offers opportunities for some larger trout, we primarily caught medium-sized rainbows and a few browns. Carl did land one of his bigger browns of the trip earlier in the day, however.
Lower Simpson Canyon: Big Foam Dry Flies, Droppers, and Streamers
Although I have had the pleasure of fishing multiple sections of the Simpson River on foot, this was my first experience fishing it from the boat, and I had never been on the section of the river that we floated. This is a slightly larger fishery than the Lower Paloma, which allowed for more opportunities for good fishing from the back seat of the boat, which was more limited the day before due to low river conditions. In contrast to the day before, fish were also much more inclined to eat a large Fat Albert. Specifically, they really liked the one with a flashy blue body. I guess they had seen so many blue dragonfly adults on the surface earlier in the season that they were attracted to the blue tint of the flash. I also believe the rubber legs do a decent job of emulating the legs and wings of a dragonfly, although I would never consider a Fat Albert to be a realistic dragonfly imitation. Regardless of all that, the fish liked to eat them. My boat was guided by Jaime, and I shared the boat with Ryan, while Carl was guided by Colin in a jet boat with oars. More on that later. We experimented with fishing a dropper nymph off the Fat Albert on this day, but with relatively limited success. In the past, I've found some of my favorite fishing in Chile is using dry-dropper rigs. At some point, I decided to experiment with some streamer fishing and was met with decent cooperation despite the intense sun and relatively warm temperature. Many of the fish were again medium-sized in the 12-16-in range, but we did see a higher ratio of brown trout, and the average size was slightly larger compared to the Paloma the day before.
As we approached the take-out for our float, we started to experience some intense wind gusts. It was then that I learned we needed to get across a lake to get to our vehicles and trailers. As we approached the lake, casting became more challenging, and we started to see mist that was being lifted off the lake by the high winds. I have to say I was a bit anxious. When we approached the lake, I also learned that the plan all along was for Colin to tow Jaime’s raft across the lake. It was easier said than done to get this all orchestrated with the wind gusts, but eventually Ryan and I moved onto the jet boat, and Jaime was towed across the lake behind us. Despite that lack of rain in the forecast, I was very glad to have packed my raincoat for the boat ride. Waves crashed into us as we slowly motored safely across the lake, but thankfully, we had quality rain jackets and stayed dry. The wind died down as we approached the other side of the lake, and Ryan’s wife, Bam, welcomed us in. In addition to other responsibilities at the lodge, Bam was largely responsible for many of the shuttles that were run throughout the week.
"Flowers Creek:" A Whole Lot of Action on a Little Creek
I’m not sure if this small creek has an official name or not, but if it doesn't, I really like the name "Flowers Creek." That seems to be the accepted name by the guides as well and is very fitting. Ives brought us here and gave us the impression that he is the only guide who takes folks to this fishery. I believe he referred to it as his happy place at one point. Flowers Creek is located on a large estancia leased by the lodge. There is a smaller meandering stream that I would compare to some of the smaller streams located near my hometown in Bozeman, Montana. What was truly special about it was the amount of lupine flowers that lined the banks of the lower section. The lushness of this little creek felt like an oasis in an otherwise dry landscape. After a bankside lunch, Carl and I leapfrogged from bend to bend, with fish eating in just about every obvious run. We could tell that Ives was expecting some larger fish than we were catching this afternoon, but what the creek lacked in size it did make up for in quantity. This piece of land was home to a large flock of sheep that seemed curious in what these strange humans were up to in their pasture, but they we'ren't annoyed enough to stop grazing. At one point, a gaucho rode his horse through the flock, likely on his way home after a long day. Not long after that, it was also our turn to call it a day.
I have met a lot of guides in my life, but not too many that are as positive and as in love with their career as Ives was. His positivity was contagious. Had we been stuck in the truck all day due to unfishable weather or a broken-down engine, it still would have been a pleasure to hang out with this wonderful human. I will never forget Ives because of this. A good friend of mine who is also a veteran fly fishing guide in Montana once told me that the difference between a good guide and a great guide is that a great guide can turn a not-so-good day of fishing into a great day--whether with great stories and conversation or just finding a way to find wish when it seems all of the odds are stacked against you. We did not experience a poor day of fishing, but I truly believe that Ives’ love of life would shine through, even on the hardest days.
Pollux Creek: Spring Creek-like Fishing with Some Large Trout
The word Pollux comes from Greek mythology and can be translated as “very sweet,” which I think is a fitting way to describe this small creek. It's similar in size and character to Flowers Creek, but located in a more developed area. We actually parked in someone’s front yard to gain access to this piece of water, and we ended our day at an old fish hatchery that has long been abandoned. This area was a bit more lush, and the creek was surrounded by deciduous brush and trees. I fished with Joe on this day, which started with a half day on Rio Oscuro. Pollux Creek also felt very spring creek-like, not unlike DePuy Spring Creek in the Paradise Valley. We were immediately welcomed by a friendly dog and rising fish. This did prove to be a more technical fishery with smaller fish eating smaller bugs on the surface and refusing flies or drifts that were unsatisfactory. JD put us in some technical situations that required precise casts in overgrown areas in hopes of drawing some of the larger fish out of the shadows. It was another sunny day, and it seemed that all the fish were playing hard to get, especially the bigger ones. I recall one specific run that required a tough cast right along some overhanging vegetation. After a few unsuccessful attempts to get the right drift, I finally was able to place my fly within a couple of inches from the willows, and almost immediately, a larger brown trout shot out from the shadows and grabbed it.
I asked JD if it was okay for me to try fly fishing with streamers. He definitely agreed, but suggested I choose something that wasn’t too big and that landed softly on the surface to avoid spooking fish. It was a good move that improved both my hookup rate and increased the average size of my catches. JD packed our lunch on his back to give us the option to keep fishing upstream, but we decided to head back and get a little closer to the lodge, as Joe wasn’t feeling 100%. After a delicious chicken soup lunch, we headed back to the truck.
Rio Oscuro: Pocket Water and Quick-Action
Rio Oscuro is a small freestone glacier-fed stream located on a very large private land lease close to the border with Argentina. I had the pleasure of fishing this small river on two occasions. Located in a more arid region, it felt similar to high desert streams I fished as a youth growing up in northern New Mexico. Carl and I fished there for half a day with guide Ives before heading to fish the small stream Ives calls “Flowers." Because of the small nature of this stream, Carl and I fished separate beats or sections. Ives would point out a section that he would fish with Carl, and then provide a landmark for me to know where I should start fishing. Once Carl was done fishing his section, they would leapfrog upstream above my section and repeat. This was an efficient way for Ives to keep the two of us fishing as much as possible while also avoiding anyone fishing water that had already been fished. The Rio Oscuro has a few deeper runs where we would spend more time, and an abundance of pocket water that was best fished with lots of short, targeted casts to specific lies. Most of our fish were caught on a variety of dry flies, from small Parachute Adams, to medium-sized attractors to small hoppers. These fish really seemed to like smaller Morrish and Thunder Thighs Hoppers. After fishing a half day back to where we parked the truck, Ives suggested we jump back in the truck to a creek he called "Flowers", which he seemed especially excited to share with us.
In addition to the aforementioned waters, I also fished a few times on the middle Simpson when we had a few extra minutes to or from another piece of water. I always love fishing the Upper Simpson River as it feels so much like the perfect blend of the fly fishing-love-child of the Gallatin, Madison, and Boulder Rivers back home in Montana. While fishing a long riffle/run on the middle Simpson, I caught a glimpse of a small dark creature on the far bank. I pointed it out to JD, and he identified it as a mink. The mink was quickly bouncing around the shore and then jumped into the water and started to swim directly at me. As it got closer, I realized it had a little fish in its mouth. I would have expected this little creature to move away from the large, strange humans flinging sticks and lines around, but instead, it seemed it had something they wanted to show off. It swam right by me with its catch, and once it got to the far shore, it began scurrying at full speed towards Carl and JD. The little guy traipsed right past Carl to show off his prized possession. Of course, we did not catch any fish while in the mink’s presence, so it undoubtedly was convinced we had no idea what we were doing.
Later that day, we headed to Lago Merced, which is only a few minutes away from the lodge. We opted for the lake due to the wind forecast, but this particular afternoon, the wind was especially challenging. JD motored us upstream to the far side of the lake, then switched to the oars so he could keep us, or at least attempt to keep us, within casting distance of the cattails. While JD white-knuckled the oars, trying to slow the boat down and keep it at a consistent distance, Carl and I did our best to make as many casts as we could. We, of course, also found our flies attached to some of the cattails on occasion due to errant casts, which only added to the challenge. We did manage to pull a few fish out after a couple of passes, but we decided that the juice wasn’t really worth the squeeze. We decided to head back to enjoy a hot shower, some cold beverages, and get an early start on some yummy hors d'oeuvres.
Later in the week, Joe and I returned to Rio Oscuro for our final day of fishing for the week. This time, we were guided by JD. Our overall experience was quite similar to earlier in the week, but we did catch larger fish on average this day. My guess is that the slightly overcast conditions on this day made the larger fish more eager to look up and play. At lunch time, JD asked if we wanted to continue fishing upstream on Oscuro or hit a lake in the afternoon closer to the lodge. I let Joe make the call, and he decided not to leave good fishing to try to find better fishing. It was a good way to end the week, but it is always hard to make that final, last cast of the trip.
The ride both in and out of Rio Oscuro included about 30 minutes of bouncy off-roading and primitive two-track trails - just another one of the many off-the-beaten-path fisheries available from this lodge. Ending the week on the Oscuro was the perfect fit to cap off another exciting week of fly fishing in Chile at a place I've come to love.
We all go fishing for different reasons, and because of that, each of our experiences is unique. Many of the guests spent more time fishing lakes than I did, and some of the biggest fish of the week were landed on those adventures. Some of the guests made an effort to fish the lake in front of the lodge in the evenings with mice and large Fat Alberts, while others enjoyed the vistas from the lodge with a cocktail and getting to know the various dogs and cats belonging to the crew. The night before Ryan turned 40 years old, he was threatening to catnap one of the lodge kitties. Many of the guests took advantage of the wood-fired hot tub on the front deck, which seemed especially desirable after some of the windier days. Several of the guests also took advantage of the horseback ride up the Mogote River that includes an asado along the river. It made me want to plan for next year and do the multi-day River of Dreams Basecamp Trip to the most remote fly fishing river in all of Chile, so I look forward to possibly making that happen.
When I wasn't exploring the fly fishing options with guides from Magic Waters Lodge, I was enjoying a very relaxing time at the lodge. I personally enjoyed evening walks down a private dirt road with a string of dogs tagging along, and I was very excited to finally get to see and hold cantaria beetles. I’ve always been fascinated with bugs that trout eat, and the cantaria beetle is the most visually stunning of any I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing.
Prior to the trip, many of our traveling anglers plan for a night in Santiago. This adds a buffer in case of travel issues, as well as a day and a night to recover from the overnight international flight. While in Santiago, I enjoyed sharing a ride up the historic San Cristobal Hill funicular cable car with Jeff and Joe. At the top, we had amazing views of the city of Santiago. Because we started late in the day, our options were to either hike back down or take a cable car again. Since we had dinner reservations at El Meson Nerudiano, where we also planned to meet up with Sue and Rick, we opted for the funicular, which also made for a fun experience. We made it back to the hotel just in time to meet Rick and Sue for our 8 pm reservation. Both the start of the funicular and the El Meson Nerudiano restaurant are just a short walk from the hotel, Hotel Boutique Castillo Rojo. The hotel is located in the Bella Vista neighborhood, which is a pleasant place to hang out and is within walking distance to many restaurants, bars, a mall, the San Cristobal Hill, and more.
I look forward to my next visit back home to Magic Waters Lodge. A huge thank you to all the guests who made it possible for me to experience this place again and to all of the wonderful staff (and pets) at Magic Waters Lodge.
For those interested in joining us in 2027 we will be making a return visit in early January. Click here to review our 2027 hosted trip itinerary and details.
Past trip reports to Magic Waters Lodge:
December 2025 Trip Report
March 2025 Trip Report
January 2025 Trip Report
February 2024 Trip Report
February 2023 Trip Report
March 2022 Lodge Trip Report
February 2020 Lodge Trip Report
March 2018 Lodge/River of Dreams Trip Report
March 2017 Lodge/Camp Combo Trip Report
January 2016 Trip Report
March 2015 Trip Report
February 2015 Trip Report
January 2015 Trip Report
February 2014 Trip Report