Fishing in the Chascomús Lagoon

The Chascomús Lagoon (whose name stands for “salty, very salty water” in the native tongue) is one of the best water bodies in the Province of Buenos Aires to fish silverside and trahiras. It used to be a real sanctuary for these species decades ago and thousands of anglers visited this spot every weekend in the year.

It was so popular and silverside fishing was so good that this species became institutionalized in Chascomús and gave life to a great deal of clubs and fishing piers which still stand all round the lagoon.

The silverside undoubtedly is the king of this lagoon. Its fishing is banned in the entire province from September to December, when the species needs quietness in order to spawn.

The silverside has managed to turn this lagoon into a geographic icon but the decrease of catches in the last few years, along with the lack of control, caused fishing to remarkably drop quality. This was the situation for decades.

Today, everything seems to be changing in favor of anglers. The Instituto Tecnológico Chascomús (IN.TE.CH) -which stands for Chascomús Technological Institute-, settled on the lagoon bearing the same name, is in charge of planting alevins of this species, not only in this but also in other surrounding water bodies.

It is possible to see anglers scattered all around the Chascomús Lagoon perimeter (3,012 hectares). There are those who prefer to fish from the coast and others who chose boat fishing. The possibilities are much higher for the latter.

Following Route 2, there are other lagoons in the area which, together with the Chascomús Lagoon, give shape to the so-called “Las Encadenadas” (the Chained Lagoons).

Some of these lagoons are called Vitel, La Adela, Del Burro, Chis Chis, Tablilla and Barrancas, the smallest one, where there are watercrafts for rent and minimal services available to spend a good fishing day.

Located on the Chascomús waterfront avenue, Club de Pesca La Plata and Club Pesca y Náutica organize boat outings that increase the chances of catching a great “matungo” (a big silverside) outstandingly.