On the south of the province of Buenos Aires, where the Atlantic Patagonia begins, the internationally famous “Fishermen’s paradise” is located. There, you can fish excellent sharks, croakers of great size and varied sea fishing. With this article you will get to know every spot of this privileged coast, the offered services in the village and which are the best seasons to fish different species.
San Blas Bay hosts several islands of different size, separated from the mainland by estuaries or entrances of the sea. The most important one is Isla Jabalí, where there is the sea village that has the same name as the bay.
San Blas is linked to the history of Carmen de Patagones and it knew eras of corsairs and adventurers who toured the north-Patagonian shore. It was also the land of landlords who fought for it with the Indians. One of the latest battles took place in 1870. An English cattle-farming company, Mulhall, Buckland and Peirano exploited the Gama and Jabalí Islands and it sent salt shipments from there. Nowadays, Jabalí island is the center of tourist activities linked to fishing while Gama Island, the wildest one, is populated by rheas and wild boars.
San Blas Bay, also known as “Fishermen’s Paradise” or “Shark’s Mecca” is a true fishing village. Everything there has been thought around fishing: specialized shops with a broad variety of hooks and fishing lines, fishing tackle rental and sale, bait sale, fishing tours with a guide, ships for rental, and even restaurants and barbeque places where they cook what you have caught.
The special feature of this colorful pebble coast is a significant slope, also near the coast, the depth is of 15 meters, a fact that allows for good castings from the shore. The calm waters, with little waves turn it into a true sea well.
The coast runs along the village’s jetty, from the camping site La Rebeca, passing by the Navy (Prefectura) until reaching the mouth of the estuary.
Playa de Arena is a bit further ahead, this area is ideal for fishing small sharks, specially from September to December. The ones who accompany the fishermen can bathe in the sea, the sharks are not to be feared since they are not aggressive species. During low-tide you can find clams on the beach that are used as bait.
San Blas has a wide offer of motorboats that tempt fishermen to get into the sea to try better casts. The drivers are experts who know the channels, the currents and the banks. Besides, most of them have devices that allow for the detection of shoals of fish, a guarantee for fishing success.
Among the permanent services in the village, there is a first aid room, a police station, phone booths, gas station and mechanical shops.
What do they fish?
The king of fish in San Blas is the shark. The ideal season for fishing is from September to December. The copper shark joins it from mid December to mid February. During the whole summer fishing is varied, it is made up by sea trout, croakers, “gatuzo” (kind of shark), flat head fish, eagle ray and rays.
There are also small currents where you can fish an autochthonous silverside species.
Fishermen have even caught sevengill sharks of 135 kilograms and 3 meters of length. While embarked, you can fish the biggest kinds of sharks: cazón (baby shark), “palomo”, sandtiger shark, escalandrun shark, hammerhead and dogfish shark.
Events
“24 horas de San Blas” is a sportive fishing event of national importance. It has been taking place on the third weekend of January for thirty years and it starts on a Saturday at 12 and it ends on Sunday a 12. They count the number and the weight of the pieces.
Another important event is the “Safari embarcado del tiburón” (literally, Shark’s navigation safafi) during February’s first weekend, in two consecutive days. The arrival of the motorboats constitutes a real show since you can watch the day’s fish.
How to get there
San Blas Bay is located on the kilometer no. 918 of the National Route no. 3. There, in the Paraje La Querencia there is a detour towards the west through an unpaved road that will first take you to José B. Casás, around 22 km away from the paved road. Afterwards, you will have to travel 35km more in order to get to the estuary that separates the Isla Jabalí Villa.
From Carmen de Patagones, which is approximately 100 kilometers away, there are daily shuttle services during high season.
Where to stay
The village has a number of accommodation proposals: house rental, apartments and fully-equipped bungalows and motels. There are also camping sites with all the services you may need.