Ñirehuao River at a glance
- Where
- North of Coyhaique, Aysén Region, Chilean Patagonia
- Also called
- Ñireguao; Goichel in its upper course
- Joins
- The Mañihuales, near Villa Mañihuales
- Type of water
- Freestone, fed by snowmelt and rain, with no lake upstream
- Fish
- Mainly brown trout
- Closed area
- Sector Mañihuales: chinook spawning area, no fishing all year
- Flow gauge
- DGA station Ñirehuao en Villa Mañihuales (11302001-6)
Where is the Ñirehuao River?
North of Coyhaique, in the Aysén Region of Chilean Patagonia. The Ñirehuao, also written Ñireguao and called the Goichel in its upper course, runs west for more than 100 km across open steppe and joins the Mañihuales near Villa Mañihuales. Its gauging station, Ñirehuao en Villa Mañihuales, sits at 188 m above sea level and measures a catchment of 1,910 km².
Is the Ñirehuao a spring creek?
It is often called one, for its slow meadow bends and clear water, but by its source it is a freestone. The DGA describes a river fed by snowmelt and winter rain: in normal and dry years its highest average monthly flow comes in October, and the Río Norte, a tributary in its middle course, brings snowmelt down from the north of the catchment.
No lake sits upstream to absorb a storm, so the Ñirehuao answers the weather directly: in the week of 1 to 7 August 2026 its flow rose by about a third. Our hydrological guide to Coyhaique's rivers uses it as the clearest example of a freestone that lives on its own weather.
What fish are in the Ñirehuao?
Mainly brown trout. The river's open grasslands are also why it is the terrestrial river of the region: in summer, that is where the hoppers come from. The DGA lists the Ñirehuao among the rivers of the Aysén basin suited to recreational fishing. Chinook salmon spawn in its Mañihuales sector, which is why that part is closed all year.
Where fishing is closed on the Ñirehuao
Sernapesca protects the Ñirehuao in the Mañihuales sector as a spawning area for chinook salmon, which spawn there in April and May. No fishing is allowed there at any time of year, not even catch and release. Elsewhere on the river the general Aysén river periods apply, in the table below. The full list of closed areas is in our guide to Aysén fishing rules and licence.
Checking the Ñirehuao before a day on the water
Its DGA gauge is one of the stations on our live river conditions, with flow, water temperature and wind, each figure with its station and the exact time it was measured. We guide out of Coyhaique, and the water for each day is chosen from flow and wind.
Aysén river rules, 2026–27 season
| Dates | Rule |
|---|---|
| 12 October – 30 November | Catch and release only |
| 1 December – 28 February | Up to 3 fish or 15 kg per angler per day |
| 1 March – 6 May | Catch and release only |
| 7 May – 11 October | Closed season |
Source: Sernapesca, management measures for recreational fishing, 2025–2027 seasons. Chinook salmon have their own season, and some spawning areas are closed all year. We guide from October 12 to April 30 and release every fish.
We guide out of Coyhaique, and the water for each day is chosen from flow and wind. See the rivers and lakes we float or the live river conditions.