Fishing Chilean Style with a Hand Caster

Visiting anglers to Chile will soon meet up with the local fishermen who are adept at using a hand caster to catch trout, which is quite legal in most parts of the country, except at fishing lodges where the dry fly is promoted. When possible, the foreigner should study closely to see how its done. In the old days, 40 years ago, these fishermen were called "tin canners" because the strong monofilament was wound around a tin can which had at it's open end a wooden handle. It acted as an open face reel to fling into the distance a gobbet of worms, or a metal lure, such as a spoon or toby. Every school boy who lived by a river or lake had a hand caster in his back pack. This was before television.

The foto shows some school boys catching a small trout for mom on the Rio Simpson near Coihaique in Chilean fiordland. The hand caster is much used for trolling a spoon when fishing in the Chilean Lake District for trout and salmon. A paravane may be used to get some depth. Usually the line is draped over the tip of a springy sapling to take the strike of the fish. When it is hooked the fish is played as best possible and hand lined in to be gaffed at the boat side. The foto shows a gentleman trolling a line at Puerto Octay on Lago Llanquihue, with two saplings sprouting forth from the gunwales. He hooked a salmon shortly after I took the foto. Unfortunately, his line became entangled in our trolling line and the fish was lost, but I learnt lots of new Spanish swear words!

The hand caster has evolved from the original tin can to a collectible hard wood variety and now the plastic version made in China. I have a couple of the wooden version which I prize as mementos of Chile, and sometimes use one to catch squid off the Brighton jetty in Adelaide, Australia.


All these fishing adventures I have had in Chile and Argentina, and elsewhere, are recorded in the following eBooks:

Backpackers' Fishing Guide to the Andes"

Allano's Travels in Chile and Argentina"
Tight Lines, Allano