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Fundo el Salto (Farm of the Waterfall) is situated in the remote, spectacular Petrohue Valley within Vicente Perez Rosales National Park. Nestled in 850 acres of native rain forest, the lodge has a stunning view of Osorno Volcano. Noted for its symmetrical shape, Osorno's beauty rivals that of Japan's Mt. Fuji. The lodge is a very charming, renovated colonial farmhouse. The nearby lakeside village of Puerto Varas is a special treat with its craft markets and outstanding restaurants. Guests fish the Petrohue River, famous for its scenic beauty and very large Rainbow and Brown Trout including sea-runs. The lodge has 4 large guest rooms, 2 in the main lodge and 2 in the cottage by the lodge, for a maximum capacity of 8 guests.

First day: Arrival
An AM arrival at Puerto Montt Airport. Here the lodge's staff will meet you for transfer to Fundo El Salto Lodge. The transfer consists of a 60-minute drive Northeast. En-route you will pass by the scenic lakeside town of Puerto Varas, along the shores of Lago Llanquihue, and into the Vicente Perez Rozales national park.

After getting organized at the lodge and having a light lunch, it is time to go fishing. A short drive will take you and your guide to the upper reaches of the Petrohue River. The Petrohue is a larger river that drains the Todos Los Santos lakes into the Pacific Ocean. This river is fished using Mckenzie River boats and also wading along its many braids.

The main feature of the Petrohue is large Brown trout but it can also present you with other very pleasant surprises. We fish here primarily with nymphs and streamers both from a boat and wading along the shore.

Because of the difficult access, this section of the river receives very little fishing pressure and fishing is usually extremely productive. As the sun goes down, we get to the takeout. Our driver will be waiting for us to take us to back to the lodge for cocktails and dinner.

Second day: Small tributaries
These rivers drain remote Andean valleys of volcanic origin and its crystal clear waters run pure from the foothills of snowcapped volcanoes. We start our day fishing the upper reaches of the river fishing succession of pools and runs, which hold healthy populations of wild fish which can get up to 4 or 5 pounds, these rivers are fished by wading using or small rods with nymphs and smaller streamers.

Later, as the temperature rises and the insects hatch we may change to dries as soon as we see consistent action on the surface. Here brightly colored rainbows get their size from feeding on small fresh water crabs that populate most of the rivers flowing from the Andes into the Pacific Ocean; this allows the fish to grow fast and brightly colored. Brown trout also populate these rivers and as usual they tend to live in deeper pools or close to rocks or logs.

After a morning of fishing in such a wonderful setting we head back to a designated spot to enjoy a stream-side lunch fixed by your guide. After lunch we may rest for a while under the shade of a big Coihue tree to continue fishing until the end of the day. After fishing, we head back towards the lodge to join the rest of the group for cocktails and a delicious dinner.

Third Day: The spring creek
Today we will fish one of the few spring creeks in Chile. It is a very productive body of water that holds one of the highest concentrations of big fish in the area. The creek is crystal clear allowing you to spot many big fish. The trick is to cast a fly close to the fish without spooking them. An advantage over many other spring creeks is that, since these fish do not see many anglers, they are not easily spooked. This will give you a good chance of hooking large Brown or Rainbow trout. A good fish for this creek can range from two to six pounds. Larger fish have been hooked but very few have been landed. This is because we usually have to use fine leaders.

Fishing the creek is fun and exciting. We will have a streamside lunch with a view of the magnificent Osorno Volcano. Later we will fish another section of the creek or we will try the main river, returning to the lodge around 6:30 for dinner.

Fourth Day: The Foothills of Osorno
A 30 minute scenic drive will take us to the upper section of the Petrohue River running by the foothills of the Volcano. This section has several braids; each one with many pools and runs. Here some parts of the river are more suitable for wading and the guide will stop the boat for you to get out and fish. We will use nymphs and streamers and later in the evening, if conditions are right, we will switch to dries. This section of the river is very productive for both Brown and Rainbow Trout. After the evening's fishing we go back to the lodge to join our fishing companions and hosts for dinner.

Fifth day: The Petrohue River
After an early breakfast at the lodge, a short ride by car will take us to the put-in where our boats and guides will be ready for the journey. The Petrohue River flows between the Santo Domingo Mountains and the magnificent Osorno volcano. The Petrohue float is one of the most scenic journeys in South America. This section has several braids; each one with many pools and runs. This part of the river is most suitable for wading.

Fishing is usually very productive for both Brown and Rainbow Trout; a good fish in this river can range from three to eight pounds. There are also small runs of Sea Trout, Atlantic and Chinook salmon; in this case sizes can easily jump above ten pounds. At mid day we will have an unforgettable streamside lunch then continue our float downstream reaching the takeout point around 6:30 p.m. From here point we will be driven back to the lodge.

Sixth Day:
Within 45 minutes by boat from the lodge there are three mid size rivers flowing into the Todos los Santos Lake. These rivers drain remote valleys of volcanic origin and its crystal clear waters run pure from the foothills of snowcapped volcanoes. We start our fishing day were the river enters the lake in search for large cruising fish that venture in the area in search for prey. Here we have the chance of hooking a real trophy.

After a streamside lunch we venture to the upper reaches of the river. We will fish a succession of pools and runs, which hold healthy populations of wild fish. If we observe surface we can change to dries. All of these rivers are fished by wading. Later in the day, on our way back to the lodge, we will stop by some very productive reed beds. Here large Rainbows and Browns eagerly take a small streamers or dragon fly pattern. After fishing, we head back towards the lodge.

Seventh Day: Departure.
After an early breakfast, the lodge's staff will drive you to the Puerto Montt airport to meet your departure flight or to the nearby dock to connect to the ferry boat for the lake crossing to Bariloche if you are continuing to Argentina.

"An excellent operation on an exciting river" J.T. of MA.

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