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 ...
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...
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 ...
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...
Nymph fly-fishermen from Europe use a kind of fly named Czech Nymph, that was created by polish anglers. The models differ because of their braided abdomen, modified by Czech anglers who mainly use dubbing for this part ...
In our visit to the Zambezi River searching for tiger fish the most effective flies were Clouser Minnow-like streamers. In the Lower Zambezi, in Zambia, where we fished, there are many fishing eagles that watch the ri...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Some tiers choose not to use synthetic materials because they cannot obtain the same results as with the naturals. For example, the way deer-hair muddler heads push through water make it incredibly effective when fish...
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 ...
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...
In general, we do not find many minnow imitations that can be considered as realistic flies, those flies that usually resemble amazing insects and that allow the fly-tier to show his skills and defy the senses. Nevert...
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...
Scuds are crustaceans and are very important for fly fishermen because they can be found in many areas, not only in lakes. They are constantly active in hours of dim light or cloudy days, they represent an important sour...
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...
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...
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 use of silicon to achieve a special effect and body in different flies is not a new thing, but we have not yet seen that many designs, even when we know it allows us to tie designs that are lightweight and capable...
Flies with a given action used to be more common but seem to be forgotten today, yet they can be very effective.For many years, miniature versions of bass lures were very popular, flies with helixes a...
Gray Ghost is a great name for a fly. A name that may bring back memories of salmon and brook trout to many fishermen, and also of the green waters of the Curruhué River or the blue ones of the Traful in the distant ...
Fishing for golden dorados with top water flies is definitely the ultimate adventure if you are looking for high levels of adrenaline. Of all the flies we have tried, not one matches the results one gets with the Titanic...
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...
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...
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 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...
There are many different styles of fly tying English flies, one of the more distinct is the one used for flies used in the rapid and structured waters of the northern rivers.The way the hackle is tied, with long so...
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 ...
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...
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 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...
New tying materials appear every day. Many resemble materials from the past, but others give us new choices. This is the case of the new metallic heads called Fish Skull, which come in three sizes and various colors and ...
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...
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...
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...
The way in which we tie CDC in this emerger –as seen in the picture that shows it in action- makes the abdomen have the correct posture when on the water. The air bubble that takes form below the CDC wing case preve...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Competition nymphs are simple to tie and deadly effective on the river. As a fishing guide one must trust in simple flies, flies we can tie in enough numbers to replenish the exhaust boxes well in the middle of the ni...
Anytime during the season, the PMX Sparkle Orange works like real dynamite in fast waters. It can be tied with different combinations of colors, being especially effective the ones with orange legs and the ones that rese...
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...
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...
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...
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...