A few days fishing in the north of the Neuquén province, in Argentina, made us realize that we can still dream about Patagonia and other sites that have not yet lost the magic that enchanted Darwin in his trips.We were ...
I never liked that much the Matukas made with hen feathers, maybe because these feathers wrinkle in the boxes and lose its shape a bit, something that is terrible for a perfectionist person. Still, once at Patagonia, ...
Stonefly nymph imitations are very effective in fast water rivers with big rocks on the bottom. The impressionistic ones with soft materials that move attractively underwater with the slightest currents are especially...
I’ve always been impressed by the European tiers because of the originality of their designs and wise use of natural and traditional materials, like deer hairs of all types. Francesco Palú’s flies guided me to explo...
CDC feathers have unique properties due to the characteristics of their structure. Properties that make them ideal for certain type of flies of streamlined and ethereal silhouettes, more similar to real insects, especial...
Since I first started fly fishing I was attracted by large streamers, both those made with feathers or hairs. Brooks’ Blondes have always given me good results, they are timeless I’d say. That’s why I made new adap...
The idea was to design a different fly for tarpon. I wanted the shape of the body and the way it pushed water to be related with the pressure waves generated by the fish tarpon prey on. I also wanted it to move naturall...
My romance with tube flies began over 32 years ago. The construction of Kautapen lodge was being finished and I was lucky to guide the first groups of anglers together with Rolland Holmberg, a known Swedish guide with...
Fly fishing is something much deeper than catching fish, and something similar happens with fly tying, where a passionate fly tyer can find amazing stories and knowledge that will be invaluable in the river.
The Tup's I...
In classic Patagonia rivers such as the Aluminé and Chimehuín one can no longer see in the afternoon so many adult stoneflies like there were a decade ago, but their imitations still produce violent surface strikes,...
Trout fishing invites one to meditate and at the same time gives us the chance of understanding the deep meaning of a sunrise, the trees, or the wind on our faces.The quilted moss over the rocks turns into an ideal site ...
Since I first saw the Matukas I fell in love with its intelligent design. The first ones were tied with heron feathers, but when those were difficult to obtain, anglers started using hen, rooster and other kinds of fe...
Traditional wet flies are coming back to the fly fishing. In the shadows of nymphs and emergers for a while, this kind of flies that served well for years is today studied again by the finest anglers that find unique sol...
At the moment there is not a lot different variations of the tarpon fly, which could possibly be due to the fact that Tarpon are not plentiful in many places. Therefore anglers prefer to use proven flies then test new pa...
Ancient human traces reflected through the tools and art scattered around the basaltic plateau where the Strobel Lake is located get together with exceptional trout fishing, offering to the traveler an image of Patagonia...
There was a time when Marabou Muddlers were the flies to catch big trout. I still remember some strikes at the bend of the Chimehuin River’s La Boca (river inlet) in Patagonia with some black Marabou Muddlers almost at...
Most big browns from Patagonia owe their size to a rich diet based on a type of crayfish called pancora. There are big quantities of them in some rivers, this is why we must make good imitations if we want to catch these...
The first tube flies came around the year 1945 in Scotland. They were tied on turkey wing feather quills that were later replaced by plastic tubes, the ones used for medical surgery. The possibility of tying the mater...
I started experimenting with models that imitate minnows after several trips to the main golden dorado destinations, such as Goya, Esquina and La Paz, all in Argentina. During certain moments of the season, millions...
There are many Hopper imitations nowadays and lots of them are undoubtedly very effective. I choose the simpler ones which have an undressed silhouette that does not bother when casting. I recommend soft rubber legs, esp...
Since Frank Sawyer gave the Pheasant Tail the shape of a nymph, the simple design with feathers from the tail of a pheasant and fine copper wire has not stopped catching trout around the world.
The variants for the eter...
George Francis Grant was without a doubt an accomplished artist at developing techniques to shape hackles using animal hair. His skill went beyond the ones of a regular tier. In his books, “Master Fly Weaver” and ...
Flies made with tubes of different materials are getting more and more useful to me. These last long because we can change the hooks if they break or loosen, and we can use hooks for different kinds of water, like saltwa...
Without even thinking about it I was back at the Jurassic Lake plateau. By observing the lava surroundings of the green pond I had a strong feeling that in this basaltic plateau, deeply eroded by the winds, there is some...
Many times I have shared great fishing trips with friends that catch tarariras, or wolf fish, with lures, and the only way to get similar results to theirs is by using flies that are actual lures adapted to be cast with ...
There is no doubt the Jungle Ghost resembles Lefty Kreh’s Deceivers from the 60’s. Since those times, that style went around the globe and infinite variants and combinations of this fly appeared everywhere.A mo...
The Prince is a nymph that has a very important place in the fly fishing world and rightfully so, because its effectiveness is indisputable. Originating in the thirties, it was first known as the Forked Tail Nymph and wa...
Since I was very young, mice have called my attention. Especially fat clever country mice, the ones we used to catch in the old hay barns.Big browns and rainbow trout seem to have a similar attraction towards m...
Originally, bucktails were streamers whose wings were made with white-tail deer hair. Today, bucktails are those streamers whose wings are made with different hairs, and not only deer tail.The first elegant fli...
Rabbit strip flies are an effective aid when we go for big emotions while streamer fishing in the fall. The way the strips move in the water and the size they give to flies are very special, all kinds of trout seem to be...
The problem with Africa is that it gets in our blood from the very first minute. It´s a feeling that I had heard or read about a thousand times, but I did not think that I could feel firsthand.Now, leaning over my compu...
Carefully exploring the shores and tails of deep pools or the borders of runs is the best way of finding a big trout, because those are their favorite hunting spots.A while ago, watching a European video about mayflies a...
Tying artificial nymph gills is usually a problem. This is why I bring you this simple way to do it, a technique I saw some time ago and applied to many of my nymphs. It’s ideal for small nymphs, to achieve clear an...
Articulated flies are no novelty, they have been with us since a long time. Even before Richard Waddington started to use an articulated hook fly in English rivers in the 50’s, there already were old books on diverse f...
Intruder-like flies have proven to be very effective with preying fish, especially with salmonids. From the original patterns tied with pheasant, heron, ostrich and other birds, many other variants which include syntheti...
Among tube flies, there is no doubt that the Sunray Shadow is one of the most popular and effective ones. My first contact with it was in the Kau tapen Lodge in Tierra del Fuego. They had begun their operation not long a...
The Fat Albert is an interesting variant of the Chernobyl Ant with a bigger and bulkier body. It hits the water clearly calling trout´s attention. With some variations, we have used it successfully to catch golden do...
Frank Sawyer must have never imagined that this simple nymph, perfected in the River Avon, would become a classic that is included in every angler’s fly box. Sawyer wanted a nymph that made an attractive sound when rea...
The primitive Streaker owes its name to its effectiveness when it is stripped at high speed. It was originally designed for catching sea species in southern California. Yet, we have adapted it to fish for trout, peacock ...
Foam is now available in variety of different forms and is here with us to stay replacing many materials such as the bodies of flies usually tied with dear hair as it is far more durable. Also with foam it is much easier...
The Zonker Variation is a particular streamer that was created by Dan Byford from Steamboat Springs in the 80s. It has resisted time with only some slight modifications in its original style and design. We have used it f...
Shuri Shumakov was a key character on reviving the popularity of tube flies. His short patterns, with cone heads, soon lead the way to countless variants, combining plastic tubes with metallic pieces to achieve highly...
Small pearly glass beads can be used creatively to tie many different flies. These give us a chance to experiment with transparency, iridescence and density of our flies. Fly tiers willing to try new things will find tha...
Bombers and their relatives, Buck Bugs, are flies from New Brunswick, born in the famous Miramichi River. These deer hair flies have then found a place in remote distant waters such as those in cold Russia, Pacific steel...
This sculpin model presented in the International Tackle Dealer Show of 2012 in Reno, Nevada, is really interesting when it comes to fishing for trout, golden dorado, wolf fish and other fish.I have tied them in ma...
Most adult dragonfly imitations have the same defect: the wings that we can see in commercial flies make a terrible sound when cast, and also tangle up the line, making us use thick tippets; and therefore limiting our...
The Mc Nally Frog Popper, originally from the 50s, has a special place in my fly boxes because it has never let me down. It is easy to cast and, because of the shape of its legs, it swims and moves the water in a grea...
There is no doubt that classic streamers and bucktails fish well. Nevertheless, if we apply the same care and dedication that we do with when tying dries and nymphs in its different stages, to imitate smaller fish perfec...
Pellets are nymphs designed to sink rapidly due to its tungsten head, much heavier than bronze or lead. The smooth body offers no resistance to water and its conic head with prominent thorax is enough to perfectly imitat...
For many years mayflies have been taken for hexs, but these are not related, they only have similar sizes in the adult stage. Chiloporter nymphs are skilled swimmers that live close to the shore in fast waters of stre...