Opening day in Chile is in November, and trout season continues until leaves turn crimson and drop with the arrival of winter in late April. The summers of Patagonia are abbreviated, much like those of Montana and Wyoming. Warm days often begin with cool mornings and can be interupted by a sudden thunderstorm. But for the most part, the best time to visit this fantastic part of the world is from mid-November through mid-April.

November is traditionally a time when North American fishermen are preoccupied with family and holidays. But Coyhaique-based, Nico Gonzalaz, of Patagonia Trouters, insists that the best fishing starts in late November, as the landscape sets ablaze with a mind-baffling wildflower display, known locally as “Chocho” (Chilean word for “Lupine Season”). European Lupine carpet the landscape in an explosion of violets, reds, purples and yellows. Fish are on the surface, targeting caddis and mayfly emergences, as well as blizzard hatches of small creamy moths.