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Patagonian BaseCamp
ONE OF PATAGONIA’S MOST diversefly fishing programs for wild trout is Patagonian BaseCamp, on the banks of the remote Rio Palena, owned and operated by Marcel and Carolina Sijnesael.
Marcel traveled the world for several years before settling in this hidden corner of Patagonia, choosing to build his dream lodge in an area as wild as it is beautiful. From his com- fortable lodge, Marcel and his guides can access an amazing array of fisheries; it would take, lit- erally, a month of solid exploration and fishing to see all of his options.
“When we came to Northern Chilean Patagonia for the first time we could hardly believe what we encountered; we were impressed and struck speech- less by the pristine beauty of the landscape, the mountains, the skies and the rivers. It was then that we decided to make our home here in the wilderness. Since then we have seen many guests leaving with the same fantastic impres- sion, and they come back year after year. No longer are they just our guests, but our friends sharing the same passion.”
– Marcel Sijnesael
One of the beauties of Marcel’s location is the dearth of anglers on many of the waters – on most you will see few or no other fishermen dur- ing your stay. In addition, using state-of-the-art inflatable catarafts, drift boats and outboard powered jet boats, he is able to organize two and three day overnight float trips into wilderness rivers, spending the nights camping out in com- fortable dome tents under the Southern Cross. These are truly a highlight of most guests’
trips, and an opportunity to cast over virgin fish in spectacularly scenic surroundings. As well, the lodge has access to small high moun- tain lakes full of heavy-shouldered trout, accessed via vehicle, horse, on foot, or for the adventurous, mountain bike. Rounding out the menu are a variety of smaller walk-n-wade streams and creeks, float streams and larger jet boat rivers. It would take a month of solid fish- ing before you’d repeat a piece of water fishing at Patagonian BaseCamp.
Bryan Gregson photos