Fishing in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park

Vicente Pérez Rosales, established in 1926 as Chile's oldest national park, sits in the Andes of the Los Lagos Region, roughly 72 kilometers east of Puerto Montt.

Its 253,000 hectares hold a mix of large glacial lakes, fast volcanic rivers, and dense temperate rainforest — water is everywhere here, and much of it holds fish. The two waters that anchor the fishing are Lago Todos Los Santos and the Río Petrohué.

Lago Todos Los Santos is a long, deep lake entirely enclosed within the park, surrounded by the flanks of Osorno and Puntiagudo volcanoes. The Río Petrohué drains it westward, dropping through the famous Saltos before continuing toward Lago Llanquihue.

Both hold rainbow and brown trout — introduced species that have become the basis of sport fishing throughout the park. The Wikipedia entry on the park notes that sport fishing of these introduced species is a major activity here.

The Río Petrohué is the river most associated with fly fishing in the park, and lodges along its banks cater specifically to that.

The river runs cold and clear off the volcanic landscape, and its character changes quickly — from the churning water above the Saltos to calmer stretches downstream.

Smaller tributaries feeding into the main system — Río Peulla, Río Blanco, and others draining into Lago Todos Los Santos from the east — see far less pressure and reward anglers willing to move on foot.

Lago Llanquihue sits largely outside the park boundary, though the park's western edge touches the area around Ensenada where the Petrohué exits toward it.

Because this is a national park, fishing here operates under a different set of conditions than fishing the open lake district.

Check current regulations directly with CONAF, the park's administering agency, before you go — rules around permits, gear, and access to specific waters can change, and what applies on Lago Llanquihue may not apply inside the park boundary.

The park's remoteness past Peulla means some of the eastern drainages take real effort to reach. That effort tends to show in the fishing.