What fish live in the Río Ñirehuao?

Mainly brown trout. The Ñirehuao is a freestone river with open grassland banks, and chinook salmon spawn in its Mañihuales sector, which is closed to all fishing all year.

Can you book several Full Days?

Yes. You can book one Full Day or up to seven in a row, for up to two anglers at the same price. Each day is about eight hours on the water with a guide.

Do you release the trout?

Yes. We release every trout we land, all season. Aysén's rules allow anglers to keep up to 3 fish or 15 kg per angler per day on rivers between December 1 and February 28, but we do not.

Is all of the Ñirehuao open to fishing?

No. In the Mañihuales sector Sernapesca prohibits all fishing all year, including catch and release, to protect a chinook salmon spawning area. Elsewhere on the river the general Aysén river rules apply.

Wading the Ñirehuao River in February

Q: Is the Ñirehuao River wading water only?

Yes. We fish the Ñirehuao on foot out of Coyhaique and we do not float it. It winds across open steppe north of Coyhaique, and the water for each day is chosen from flow and wind.

Q: Can one angler book a Full Day alone?

Yes. The Full Day is priced per day for up to two anglers, not per angler: USD 690 per day, for up to two anglers — not per angler. This client traveled solo from the US and booked several Full Days.

The short answer

One of our clients, who traveled solo from the US and preferred to wade, booked several Full Days out of Coyhaique, Chilean Patagonia, and fished the Río Ñirehuao in February 2026, in High Season. The days were great fishing, and the photos show brown trout in a wooden-framed net, on a grass bank and in the hand.

When: February 2026, High Season, on several Full Days.
Where: the Río Ñirehuao, north of Coyhaique, Aysén Region, Chilean Patagonia.
Program: Full Day, about eight hours on the water each day, booked for several days.
Angler: one, traveling solo from the US.
Technique: wading, on foot.
Fish: brown trout.

Can you wade the Ñirehuao River?

Yes, and on foot is the only way we fish it. The Ñirehuao is wading water only: we do not float it. It winds across open steppe north of Coyhaique, so you walk to the water and work it from the river itself.

The water for each day is chosen from flow and wind. The Ñirehuao's DGA gauge is one of the stations on our live water conditions, and its own page lists its type of water, its fish and the rules. Out of Coyhaique we wade two rivers, the Ñirehuao and the Emperador Guillermo, with lighter rods. See all of the waters where we fish.

An angler in waders and a navy hoodie stands in a shallow, stony river run holding a brown trout, a fly rod over one shoulder and a dry, eroded bank behind, Ñirehuao River, Coyhaique, Chilean Patagonia — Wading a shallow run.

Two people stand in shallow river water under a blue sky, one in an orange cap holding a brown trout over a landing net and one in a navy hoodie beside, Ñirehuao River, Coyhaique, Chilean Patagonia — A guide and the angler, net in the water.

What is the Ñirehuao River like in February?

February is the last month of our High Season, which runs December through February. By midsummer the spring thaw is over and levels stabilise, as our summer fly fishing guide explains. The Ñirehuao has no lake above it, so its flow still follows the weather.

It is also the terrestrial river of the region: its grass runs to the banks, and in summer that is where the hoppers come from. January and February are usually the strongest terrestrial and dry-fly window of the season, though wind, temperature and flow still decide each day. For the season as a whole, see our fishing season guide.

In the photos the grass along the banks is dry and golden, the steppe is low scrub crossed by a dirt trail, and the peaks beyond carry snow.

Two people in waders and backpacks walk a dirt trail through steppe scrub toward mountains with snow on their peaks, under a blue sky with white clouds, Ñirehuao River, Coyhaique, Chilean Patagonia — On foot across the steppe.

What did the brown trout from the Ñirehuao look like?

Over the net, one brown had dark spots with pale rings and a golden belly. On the grass bank, our client held a silvery brown with sharp black spots and a yellow belly. In the hand against the dry grass, a darker brown carried red spots among the black ones and an orange belly.

The Ñirehuao holds mainly brown trout. They are wild: the trout around Coyhaique sustain themselves by natural reproduction, with no hatchery stocking in the waters we fish, which is why they fight the way they do. To tell a brown from a rainbow, our guide to brown and rainbow trout in Chile starts with the flank.

A brown trout with dark spots and a golden belly held over a wooden-framed landing net with clear mesh, a grassy bank and a steppe hill behind, Ñirehuao River, Coyhaique, Chilean Patagonia — A brown over the net.

A smiling angler in a dark cap crouches on a grassy bank beside the river holding a brown trout with black spots and a yellow belly, blue sky and dry hills behind, Ñirehuao River, Coyhaique, Chilean Patagonia — On the grass bank.

A hand in a dark jacket holds a brown trout with dark and red spots and an orange-yellow belly over tall, dry golden grass, Ñirehuao River, Coyhaique, Chilean Patagonia — A brown in the hand, dry grass behind.

What flies work on the Ñirehuao in February?

Hopper season on the river runs from January, peaks through February and can stretch into early March, and when you wade the Ñirehuao you work the grass edges on foot, one at a time. Read hopper fishing in Chilean Patagonia and the guide to the best dry flies for Coyhaique. Flies are included in the Full Day, and your guide picks them for the day.

What does a Full Day cost and include for one angler?

A guided day on the water, around eight hours of fishing, priced per day for up to two anglers. Book one day or several in a row. Includes guide, round trip transport, box lunch, drinks and flies. No accommodation. Today's price: USD 690 per day, for up to two anglers — not per angler. A solo angler pays that one price for the day, and the same price covers a second angler. Rods, reels and lines are rented separately, subject to availability. Ask us.

Guide
Round trip transport
Catarafts where the water calls for them
Box lunch
Drinks: water, beer or wine
Flies

On the Ñirehuao no cataraft is used, since it is wading water. Sernapesca's guidance asks anglers to avoid felt-soled boots and to clean and fully dry used gear, as our didymo and felt soles guide explains. What to bring and what we supply is in the packing list. We release every trout, and the Aysén fishing rules cover the licence and the closed areas. New to fly fishing here? Read what a first trip looks like.

How do you book Full Days on the Ñirehuao?

Pick your dates on the booking page. You can book one Full Day or up to seven in a row, for up to two anglers per date, and the days are fished out of Coyhaique. Our guided season runs October 12 - April 30, and High Season, December through February, is the stretch this story comes from. What a trip costs overall is in what a fly fishing trip to Chilean Patagonia costs, and how to get from the US to Coyhaique is in getting to Coyhaique.

More client stories: a Full Day on a lake by cataraft, on Lago Azul, and a full week with the All Inclusive, fished in January.