Argentina fly fishing regulations

GENERAL FISHING REGULATIONS

COMPETENT AUTHORITIES

1. Competent authorities: The competent authorities for these regulations are the provincial or National Parks entities indicated in the Exhibits to the Second Part of these regulations. Whenever violations or infringements are verified, minutes are to be confectioned and sanctions (fines, seizure of equipment, etc.) in force in every province or National Parks, applied.

FISHING LICENSES

2. Fishing license: In order to be able to practice sport fishing, it is mandatory to have a fishing license, which is personal and non-transferable. Furthermore, an identity card is to be carried to evidence identity. The license will be carried in a visible way while fishing and it must be shown to authorized inspectors’ request. The fishing license is an official stamp on a printed form. The form without the stamp is non-valid for fishing, with no exception.

3. Categories and fees of permits. Fishing permits are valid all through Argentina and they are described as follows:

A) Ordinary Permits

1. For Argentine or foreign anglers who reside in Argentina:
(a) Daily Country Resident Permit (RP-D): Five pesos ($ 5)
(b) Season Country Resident Permit (RP-T): Twenty pesos ($ 20)
(c) Permit for people over 65 years old, senior citizens, pensioners and children under 13 (JPM): Free

2. For Argentine or foreign anglers who reside outside Argentina:
(a) Daily Country Non-resident Permit (NRP-D): Ten pesos ($ 10)
(b) Season Country Non-resident Permit (NRP-T): One Hundred pesos ($ 100)

B) Additional Permits

1. For all anglers:
(a) Troll fishing permit (AT) *: $ 40
* An ordinary permit is necessary in order to acquire this kind of permit and practice this technique.

4. Environments where the permits are valid. The permits issued by the provinces and National Parks which correspond to the categories and fees indicated hereinabove are valid for fishing in all Patagonian environments. Other category permits and fees are only valid for fishing within the jurisdiction issuing the same (provinces or National Parks) (See the Second Part).

5. Expiration dates for the permits. The Daily Country Resident Permit is valid only for the date indicated on the same. Non-dated permits are not valid, without exception.

6. Full-Day Fishing. During the whole season, the duration of a full-day fishing coincides strictly with the hours of daylight.

SPORT FISHING SEASON

7. Fishing season: The continental sport fishing season starts on 11/11 and finishes on 04/15. Each province and National Parks may establish the different opening and closing dates for the season in their fishing environments pursuant to the biological characteristics of the same. (See Alphabetical List in the Third Part).

SPECIES

8. Fishable species: The following species have sport value all through Argentina and they are subject to the practice of sport fishing:

01 – Land-locked salmon (Salmo salar)
02 – Brown trout (Salmo trutta)
03 – Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
04 – Lake trout (Salvelinus namaychush)
05 – Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
06 – Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.)

9. Other fishable species in the provinces. Apart from the species mentioned in the previous item, the following have sport value within the provincial fishing environments:

07 - Perch (Percichtys spp.)
08 – Patagonia atherine (Odontesthes microlepidotus)
09 - Pejerrey bonaerense (Odontesthes bonariensis)
10 – Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
The remaining local species (catfish, puyén, peladilla, etc.) must be released into the water alive and with as few injuries as possible.

10. Non-fishable species in National Parks. Within the Andean-Patagonia National Parks fishing environments, all specimens of local species (perch, Patagonian atherine, catfish, puyén, etc.) must be released into the water alive and with as few injuries as possible.

11. Land-locked salmon. In all fishing environments, all land-locked salmon specimens must be released into the water with as few injuries as possible in the same spot where they were caught.

FISHING MODALITIES, EQUIPMENT AND LURES

12. Authorized lures. Salmon fishing must be practised only with artificial lures and only one hook, either simple, double or triple. Whenever a lure with more than one hook is to be used, the remaining hooks should be removed or made useless so that they do not get dug into other fish. The use of lures containing batteries is forbidden as they have high contaminating power.

13. Authorized Techniques. The following are the fishing techniques allowed:

(a) Spinning: Use of an artificial lure of any kind, tied to a nylon monofilament line or similar. The weight for casting is given by the lure or another gadget and not by the line.

(b) Fly Fishing. Use of a lure called fly, tied to a line specially designed for the fly, and also called rat tail, through a nylon track or similar, called leader, cast by a rod appropriate for this technique. The weight of the casting is given by the line and not by the lure.

(c) Trolling. Use of an artificial lure of any kind dragged from a boat with any kind of propulsion.
All these techniques must be practised with the specific elements corresponding to each of them. The fishing art called "tarrito" is allowed, using in all cases artificial lures and subject to the provisions of these regulations.

14. Number of equipments. Each angler is allowed to use only one fishing equipment with only one lure.

15. Fishing other species. For the fishing of any of the species mentioned in item 9º within provincial fishing environments, other fishing arts and techniques may be authorized (see the Exhibits to the Second Part and the Alphabetic Lists of the Third Part).

LIMITATIONS AND MEASURES

16. Daily limitation per anglers. No salmonidae may be sacrificed in rivers and streams. All salmonidae caught must be released into the water. In lagoons and lakes, one trout is the maximum number of salmonidae allowed to be caught by a angler. All land-locked salmon specimens must be released.

17. Special daily limitations. In some environments there are special limitations different from those stated in the previous item. These limitations are mentioned in the Alphabetical List of the Third Part and they are non-cumulative, regardless of the fact that the same angler fishes in different environments in the same day. If a angler reaches its daily limit, he may continue fishing but he must release at once all fish he might catch, without causing them any injuries, following the procedure indicated on page XX of these regulations. As from April 1st to the end of the fishing season the release of all trout caught in rivers and streams, without exception, is compulsory, and a barbless hook is to be used.

18. Total limitations for trout and seals. The maximum number of trout that a angler may sacrifice during the whole season is a total of five (5) specimens, respecting in all cases the daily limitations established for each environment. All sacrificed specimens must be identified at once with numbered yellow seals that will be provided at the moment of acquiring the fishing permit. All sacrificed trout not identified by the corresponding seal shall be considered illegal. The seals shall be provided only with the permits and shall be valid for the whole season. Trout sacrifice is not valid for daily permits. Each jurisdiction may establish special total limitations for their environments and they may provide a bigger amount of seals but, in such case, the seals must be a color other than yellow and the sacrificed specimens may not enter other jurisdiction territory as they will not be valid pursuant to the provisions of the agreement.

19. Stock limitations per anglers. The maximum number of trout (in any condition they might be) that a anglers may have in the fishing spot or may transport is equal to the daily limitation.

20. Compulsory Release: In all environments and mandatory release seasons, a barbless hook should be used or a hook with its barb crushed and all fish caught must be released into the water at once, in the same spot they have been caught, alive and with as few injuries as possible.

21. Ways of measuring a fish. The distance between the end of the scout and the end of the tail is considered length. It is compulsory to release specimens that do not meet the fixed requirements for each case into the water alive and with as few injuries as possible.

22. Measurements. No minimal measurements for the sacrifice of specimens are stated in these General Regulations. But in some special environments there are limitations for measurement. Such environments are listed in the Alphabetical List of the Third Part. In order to improve the quality of sport fishing, it is recommended that in the environments where it is allowed, anglers who desire so, sacrifice only one specimen of small size, releasing the larger specimens, which are more valuable for natural reproduction.

FISHING CONTEST

23. Fishing contests. Fishing contests must abide by these Regulations and its exhibits, and they must tend to the promotion of the sports activities, to the integration of sportsmen and to the preservation of the resource.

OTHER IMPORTANT RESTRICTIONS

24. Bans. The following activities are banned all through the country:

(a) Fishing in boats on lakes or lagoons within an imaginary circle of 200 metros of radio which center is the source or end of a river or stream;

(b) Subaquatic hunting;

(c) Using explosives, toxic substances or any other element that might damage aquatic life in the aquatic environments;

(d) Fishing with nets, traps, longline trawling, harpoons, fixed spool rods, hooks or FIRE guns and the use of baits;

(e) Obstructing the pass of fish through the use of frames, screens, dams, dikes or any other means. When authorized after careful consideration, the installation and observation of a system that may ensure the free transit of fish may be demanded;

(f) Trading the product of sport fishing whether fresh or processed in any way;

(g) Rotating sources, not stopping at a fishing environment when another angler advances, and entering the water at more than 100 meters from another angler, whether upstream or downstream, pursuant to the direction of advancement of the same;

(h) Causing contamination or damage of the aquatic and land environments and ecosystems by any jeans, such as washing vehicles in the aquatic environments or their banks, throwing waste of any kind, lighting fire near trees and bushes or in areas where fire risk is high;

(i) Fly Fishing in rivers and streams in the area contained within the 500 meters upstream and downstream from all works that prevent the free pass of fish, such as dams or dikes;

(j) Extracting through any method fish in artificial closed places, such as channels, ponds, dumps and water intakes;

(k) Disturbing the sport fishing activity in any way;

(l) Maintaining caught fish in captivity in the wildness;

(m) Transporting live fish of any kind and stage of development without authorization from competent authorities.

24. Restrictions for sources and ends. The restrictions established for each river and stream includes lakes and lagoons within an imaginary circle of 200 meters of radio from the source or end.

RECOMMENDATIONS

26. Special recommendation. In the rivers and streams where the sacrifice of specimens is authorized, it is advisable to release at once the rainbow trout specimens (Oncorhynchus mykiss), including its variety known as “silver” alive and with as few injuries as possible, until November 30, as they are in recent post-spawning stage.

27. Whirling Disease. Those who had fished recently in areas affected by the Whirling Disease, mainly in the U.S.A. and Europe must wash their fishing and wading equipment carefully in order to avoid spreading this disease, non-existent in Argentina. It is specially recommended to use new equipment.

SAILING IN RIVERS AND STREAMS

28. Sailing and floating. In Argentina, fishing from boats in rivers and streams is forbidden, except for the cases in which it is specially stated otherwise. Floating in water courses is regulated by the legislation existing in each jurisdiction. Belly boat fishing is also considered as fishing from boats.

SEALS FOR SACRIFICED TROUT

During the Sport Fishing Season, the seal on all sacrificed trout in all environments in Argentina is compulsory. The seals to be used shall be provided at the moment of acquiring the fishing permit.
Adapt yourself to nature and do not make nature adapt to you