Description

Although the Atuel river goes nearly dry downstream from the different dams (there are 4 or 5 in the canyon), there are beautiful pools with crystal clear water, and the flow of the river is important. There is a capture limit of 2 trout per day in the Atuel river. For perch fishing the established limit is five perch per day.

I tried fishing once in the Atuel River inside the Canyon and was not successful, but have been told that there is good fishing in the river, and I believe this is true because there is good fishing in the Nihuil lake (28 miles further up the Atuel river)

I have also fished in El Sosneado upstream from highway 40 bridge. My experience has been that you need clear water for fishing here, and since the fishing season starts on November 1 (and ends on May 1) the first two weeks of November or towards the end of April would be the best time for fishing. You are only allowed to fish with artificial lure (fly-fishing or spinning). I have fished 5-pound rainbow trout in this area quite frequently, although not in large quantities.

The Grande river at Bardas Blancas, south of Malargue, is another favorite place of fishermen. However, since an 18 pound rainbow trout was fished in the river many years ago, it has been overfished and trout here are generally smaller than in the Atuel river.

Another option in southern Mendoza is the Arroyo Grande at El Manzano histórico, west of Tunyan. There water is generally clear all the year round and you can catch two pound rainbow trout. The fishing limit here is five trout per day, the same as in all the province of Mendoza, EXCEPT the areas of San Rafael, Malague and Las Leñas/Valle Hermoso. Do not go too far upstream, because you the trout will be smaller as the stream carries less water.

The Laguna del Sosneado is another nice place for fishing, but there is no public transportation for getting there, so unless if you are driving a rented car... On the other hand, there are many reeds in the lagoon and that makes fishing more difficult. Once I fished a lovely 5 pound trout in that lagoon casting from the coast, but 4 of every 5 casts came back with weeds on the lure. Fortunately I did not loose any spinners. I had to go hiking, and had to come back on the top of a truck with sulfur, so by the time I got off the truck, you would have thought that I was Chinese... yellow everywhere... Of course, at that time I was 30 years old...

I trust I have given you a fair picture of fishing in Southern Mendoza. But remember, the fashionable place for fishing now, quite near Mendoza city is the new Potrerillos lake, where good trout fishing is being reported, and where you are allowed to catch 5 trout per day.

Finally, fishing in any of the artificial lakes formed by dams in the mountainside (there are quite a few in Mendoza) like Potrerillos, El Nihuil, Galileo Vitale, Los Reyunos, etc. could be quite rewarding, especially if you do some trolling.

For spinning: In the Grande and Atuel rivers you can use number 4 Meps spinners (and in some cases even 18 gram Abu Droppen) while in the Arroyo Grande you might want to use very light spinners, such as Meps numbers 1 or 2. And if you go fly-fishing (I am not an expert in this area) you need to watch what the fish are eating before you choose your fly. Generally speaking, emerald green fluorescent and yellow flies give good results.

Andesmar buses take you from San Rafael to both El Sosneado and Bardas Blancas. They also take you to Tunuyan, but from there you need to take a taxi to El Manzano histórico. If you are not renting a car, you might as well ignore this last option. This is the web page of Andesmar, one of the best bus companies in Argentina: www.andesmar.com.ar

To see my photos of this charming area, please click here. I have been unable to upload any photos during the past week or so: http://groups.msn.com/ElGustodeViajar/surdemendoza.msnw?Page=1

Enjoy your stay in southern Mendoza.