Puye
Puye (Galaxias maculatus) is the most widely distributed freshwater fish in the Southern Hemisphere, native to coastal streams and river mouths across southern Chile from roughly 35°S to 55°S.
In the Los Lagos region, anglers know it as a key forage species — trout in the lakes and rivers of Chilean Patagonia feed heavily on puye, and understanding where puye concentrate helps you find big browns and rainbows.
The fish itself is also harvested for food.
Scientific Name: Galaxias maculatus
Also known as puye chico, puyen, whitebait, common galaxias
- Slim, ribbon-like body with a mottled olive-brown back covered in dark leopard-like spots — the species name maculatus means "spotted."
- Belly, gill covers, and eyes are iridescent silver; some fish show a faint iridescent green stripe along the dorsal surface.
- Slightly forked tail distinguishes it from most other galaxiids, which have square tails.
- Adults typically 8–11 cm (3–4.5 in); maximum recorded length around 19 cm (7.5 in). Post-larval fish are nearly translucent.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Native to Chile along the coast from roughly 35°S south to 55°S, including Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego — one of the few truly native freshwater fish in the region.
- Adults settle into still or slow-moving water in the lower reaches of coastal streams, river mouths, lagoon edges, and lake margins; not a fast-water fish once past its juvenile stage.
- Found in the Cautín River system, the Los Lagos region (Llanquihue, Puyehue), and at the mouth of the Cuervo River in Aysén, among other coastal drainages.
- Some populations have shifted to fully freshwater life cycles due to barriers on rivers, completing their entire lives in lakes and streams without going to sea.
Key Locations
- Los Lagos region — Llanquihue, Puyehue, and surrounding lake systems; classic puye habitat and trout-forage country.
- Cautín River (Araucanía region) — a documented study population; lower slow-water reaches hold adult fish.
- Cuervo River mouth (Aysén) — puye chico recorded at the tidal mouth where the river meets the Aysén fjord.
- Coastal streams of Chilean Patagonia from the Biobío south to Tierra del Fuego — native range throughout.
Specific Spots
- River mouths and tidal reaches are the classic gathering points, especially during the upstream migration of juveniles returning from the sea.
- Lagoon edges and the still margins of lakes — puye avoid strong current and hold in calm, shallow water near shore.
- Lower reaches of coastal streams where fresh and salt water mix; look for them where current slows and depth shallows out.
Puye FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for Puye?
Small worms, tiny jigs, or micro soft-plastics on ultralight tackle work for direct targeting; the fish are more commonly netted for bait or food than rod-and-line fished. As a live or cut bait, puye are used to target trout in the Los Lagos and Patagonia regions where regulations permit bait fishing.
What flies work for Puye?
Puye are primarily important to fly anglers as the forage trout are eating, not as a fly-fishing target themselves. Slim, translucent streamers, sparse white or olive Woolly Buggers, small Clouser Minnows (which imitate baitfish), or thin bucktail patterns, imitate puye for trout fishing in Chilean lakes and river...
When is the best time to fish for Puye?
Juvenile upstream migration, the most visible and fishable concentration of puye, occurs in spring (September–November in Chile's Southern Hemisphere calendar). Adults are present in lower river reaches and lake margins year-round, but are most accessible during calm, low-water periods in summer (December–February).
How do you catch Puye?
Puye are rarely targeted with rod and line by sport anglers in Chile; they're more often netted for food or used as bait for trout. Fly anglers in the Los Lagos and Patagonia regions target the trout that feed on puye, working slim streamers through lake margins and river mouths where puye concentrate.
What do Puye eat?
Puye eat aquatic invertebrates, small crustaceans, and whatever drifts through their slow-water habitat, diet shifts depending on whether they're in estuarine, lake, or river environments.
See it in the app
Most maps show you water.
onWater shows you Puye.
- 01 · Species map filter
Map every Puye water
Pick Puye and the map zeroes in on the waters they call home. No more guessing which lake holds them.
- 02 · Waterbody species
Tap any water. See what lives there.
Species, behavior and seasonal patterns for every lake, river and pond, before you leave the driveway.
- 03 · Angler Intelligence
Ask how to catch Puye
Tactics, gear and timing from onWater's AI fishing guide, tuned to the species and the water you're on.
Stop guessing where Puye are.
Open the map, filter by Puye, and head to water that holds them. Download onWater and plan your next trip in minutes.
- Species map filter
- Angler Intelligence
- Fishing journal
Explore other species
Trout, bass, salmon, panfish and everything in between. Each guide unpacks the behavior, seasons, and tactics that put fish in the net.
No species information available.
Smarter Fishing Starts in the App.
onWater Fish gives you everything you need to plan smarter, fish better, and own every trip from first cast to last.