Patagonia Baker Lodge

Lodging Details
The views surrounding Patagonia Baker Lodge are truly awe-inspiring, nestled along the banks of its vibrant home waters. A wall-to-wall series of windows in the main lodge room showcases the stunning turquoise flows of the Rio Baker amongst a backdrop of glacier studded peaks.

Visitors can expect comfortable queen-sized beds within spacious double-occupancy rooms, complete with private baths, a sitting area, and plenty of storage space. Guests can expect long fishing days, but are encouraged to enjoy the lodge’s bar, fly tying area, hot tub, and sauna for rest, relaxation, and engaging with fellow guests each evening. The main room features ample seating options for enjoying cocktail hour, or step outside to enjoy the views from the lodge’s wrap-around deck.

Food and Beverages
Patagonia Baker Lodge primarily utilizes nearby farms to provide its guests with high-end, organic produce combined with a variety of seafood, beef, poultry, and local lamb. Dinners are inspired by regional Chilean cuisine and paired with robust local wines. Lunch is typically enjoyed on the river. As is common in South American culture, meals are served later than is typical in the US, with dinner being served no earlier than 8PM. Beer, local wine, traditional Pisco Sours, and mixers are all included in lodge packages. 

Typical Length of Stay
A typical week at Patagonia Baker is 7 Nights / 6 Fishing days, though shorter and longer stays can be accommodated. 

Non-Angling Activities and Options
The lodge has a great selection of non-angling opportunities. Visitors can enjoy whitewater rafting on the Rio Baker, horseback riding, hiking trips in Patagonia Park, jet boat rides into Leones Lake, or experiencing the nearby Marble Caves. Visits and hikes to local glaciers are an excellent way to explore the incredible scenery surround the lodge. At the lodge, enjoy the sauna, hot tub, or organize cooking classes to learn traditional Chilean cuisine. Finally, day trips into the towns of Caleta Tortel or Villa O’higgis are also possible and a nice way to break up the trip.

Internet / Communications
There is decent cell service at the lodge and satellite WIFI. The Wi-Fi at the Lodge is ok for emails, WhatsApp and communicating with relatives, but not suited for streaming.

How to Get There
Overnight flights from the United States to and from Santiago, Chile (SCL) are available on American Airlines, Delta, or LATAM. From there, guests take a three (3) hour flight south to the Balmaceda Airport (BBA). Guests typically overnight in Coyhaique before being picked up by their guides the next morning. The drive time from Coyhaique to the lodge is approximately 6 hours, but the views and scenery are stunning the whole way, and there are many opportunities to stop for breaks and photos.

Arrival and Departure Details / Times
When arriving from the US or Europe, plan on departing your home city on a Thursday. Generally, your overnight flight will be Thursday night, arriving in Santiago on Friday morning. We highly recommend guests keep traveling from Santiago to Balmaceda, and spend Friday night in Coyhaique, so you can rest at the Hotel and prepare for your trip south to Patagonia Baker Lodge the next morning. On the day of your departure from the lodge, we recommend that travelers book a return flight after 2:00pm to allow for enough time to drive from the lodge to the airport which is approximately 6 hours.

Documents Required
You will need a valid passport to enter the country of Chile. Citizens of the United States, Canada, and the UK do not need a visa unless they plan on staying for more than three months.

Travel Arrangements
Yellow Dog provides airline reservations ad ticketing assistance through etcTravel Group, and a full-service airline logistics agent that can help book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, and more. You can click here to request a quote or contact Yellow Dog for more information at 406-585-8667. etcTravel Group offers dedicated support services for all Yellow Dog clients. Service fees may apply when booking or researching tickets, and etcTravel will discuss this with you before sending quotes. 

Travel Tools
– Airline Ticketing
– Moon Phases
– Rent This Rod
– Trip Insurance and Emergency Evacuation
– Global Rescue Membership

General Information

Rio Baker
The Baker is massive. It flows out of General Carrera Lake as a rich blue, gin-clear river that flows at 35,000 cfs. A river this size sounds impossible to fish, but it is fantastic for dry fly and sight-fishing. From the front deck of the lodge, you can often see rainbow trout 20" or larger. The rocky edges of the river offer great holding water for rainbows and in the seams of the eddys and backwaters you can see dozens of feeding rainbows surfing the various currents while eating dry flies. On the Baker, there are walk & wade opportunities as well as jet boat float trips to target the best water this river has to offer. While there are plenty of 20” rainbows, it’s important to stay focused because a 24+" brown trout can be found at any time. 

Rio Cochrane
45 minutes south of the Patagonia Baker Lodge is the small town of Cochrane. Flowing out of nearby Cochrane Lake is the Cochrane River. Like the Baker, it is gin clear as it flows out of the lake. The Cochrane is deceptive. At first glance it appears to be a large spring creek but it is a medium-sized river that flows between heavy weed beds and undercut banks. It's in these weed beds that massive, fat, vibrant brown trout 4 to 8+lbs live. With heavy hatches of caddis, seasonal terrestrials, mayflies, and forage, this fishery can sustain great populations of large fish. The Cochrane rivals any New Zealand trout river for sight-fishing (trout spotting) on sunny days, and it can be technical when targeting holding or rising fish. It is a spectacular experience to watch these big brown and rainbow trout feed on and near the surface – when anglers get into position and make the right cast, there is nothing better. The Cochrane offers many different beats and is typically only fished in a 1 to 2km walk and wade days as there are so many trout to target and it is most effective to move slowly.

Lakes
We strongly recommend North American fly fishers to try fly fishing on the area’s lakes. The larger lakes have clear water with rocky shoals and the sight-fishing can be spectacular. The dragonflies and damselflies lead to dramatic leaping eats near the boats. The lakes in this area rival New Zealand trout streams for sight-fishing and anticipation of incredible trout. The heavy reed lines, excellent weed beds, over-hanging bushy shorelines and heavy wood-lined shore offer endless sight fishing opportunities for cruising trout. 

Boats and Equipment
Patagonia Baker Lodge utilizes both drift boats and jet boats to access the best fishing in the area. Depending on your angling desires, anglers can opt to walk and wade smaller sections of nearby streams or the Rio Cochrane, or choose to float the larger Rio Baker or access the lakes via jet boat.

The lodge does have some rental equipment available, though it should be reserved in advance. Anglers should bring a 9’ 6-weight as their primary rod, though an additional 5 and 7-Weight are beneficial depending on conditions and the fishing approach. Anglers are encouraged to bring their own waders and boots, though they can be rented if notified in advance.

Package Rates
Remember that Yellow Dog’s services are completely free! When you book a trip with Yellow Dog, you never pay more than when you book directly with the lodge or outfitter. All prices listed below are per person, based on double occupancy, and quoted in US dollars. Trips of any length can be arranged, so please call Yellow Dog for details and custom package pricing.

Rates:

• 4 nights/ 3 full days fishing = $5,000.
• 7 nights/ 6 full days fishing = $7,500.
• 11 nights/ 10 full days fishing = $10,990.

Non-Angler Rates:

• 4 nights/3 days of activities = $4,500
• 7 nights/ 6 days (3 days of activities) = $6,500

What’s Included:

• All meals and accommodations
• Laundry services
• All beverages
• All guided fishing
• Transfers to and from the airport (Balmaceda – BBA)
• Fishing license
• Fishing equipment (if needed)
• Flies (We recommend that you bring an assortment, but the guides will have flies)

What’s Not Included:

• International and domestic airfare
• Fees for extra non-angling activities
• Gratuities for guides and lodge staff
• Travel/Trip insurance

Terms & Conditions
TERMS AND CONDITIONS – CANCELLATIONS
A non-refundable deposit of 50% per person is due at the time of booking for all lodging and fishing packages, and final payment if due 30 days prior to arrival, with the chance to cancel the trip, without any penalty, due to Covid 19 reasons. For cancellations, all deposits and payments are non-refundable. In no event will the lodge or Yellow Dog be responsible for any cancellation of services or operations due to inclement weather, any event of force majeure, airline delays, flight cancellations, or any other reason beyond the control of the lodge. The lodge will not refund payments in the event of poor weather, or if arrival flights are cancelled or airline connections are missed. Additionally, the lodge and Yellow Dog are not responsible for covering costs associated with alternative travel arrangements including flights, hotels, meals or any other expenses incurred. For all of these reasons, and because of the no refund and no credit policy, Yellow Dog strongly recommends that anglers and guests purchase travel insurance and full coverage for your trip. If a cancelled package is resold by either the lodge or by Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures, then a full refund will be issued minus a $100.00 per person fee charged by Yellow Dog. Receipt of deposit and/or final payment is acknowledgment that registrant has read and accepts the deposit, cancellation, refund and responsibility clauses for these packages. Once again, Yellow Dog strongly recommends that anglers and guests purchase travel insurance all Chile packages.

Payment Terms for All Yellow Dog Trip Bookings  
Unless otherwise noted on your invoice, for all trips less than 90 days out, full payment is required after receipt of the confirmation email to secure guides and reservations. For trips outside of 90 days, a 50% deposit is required upon receipt of confirmation email to confirm your reservations.   

Yellow Dog accepts on-line payments via a secure payment portal – a quick and easy way to complete your trip reservation. Please reach out to accounting@yellowdogflyfishing.com to gain access. 

Yellow Dog Flyfishing Standard Forms of Payment 

• Debit card (fee-free) and credit card (3% convenience fee) - to pay via card please utilize the customer payment portal. If you need assistance, reach out to 406-585-8667 ext. #3 
• Wires - please include name and/or invoice number for reference on your wire. Please reach out to accounting@yellowdogflyfishing.com for wiring instructions. (client is responsible for wiring fees) 
• Physical check - please include your invoice number in the memo. Mail checks to 213 S. Willson Ave. Bozeman, MT, 59715

If you have any questions about alternate payment methods, please contact Yellow Dog at (406) 585-8667 ext. #3. We are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM MT.