When I’m fishing pressured rivers and the trout have seen everything, I want a nymph that looks normal, behaves naturally, and doesn’t scream “artificial.” That’s exactly where my Yellow Swimming Baetis Nymph works—especially when I’m fishing nymphe à vue (sight nymphing). This pattern is built around subtle realism: a slim, clean silhouette, a translucent yellow body, ...
Today I’m tying a simple caddis larva pattern that I keep coming back to again and again. For me, caddis larvae have always been a confidence fly—especially on small mountain streams—so every now and then I get that “caddis tying fever” and I just have to sit down at the vise. Normally I tie this model ...
Sometimes I get a “fever” for tying caddis larvae. I don’t know why—probably because a long time ago, when I was a kid fishing small mountain streams in summer, these flies were the most effective ones for me. I also simply enjoy tying them. They have a very distinctive shape, and it’s genuinely fun to build ...
Today I had to tie a few streamers. A good friend of mine asked me to make some in rusty brown, as he fishes in Austria for big rainbow trout — over 60 cm — and told me that this color works really well in autumn. Since he was in a hurry, I decided to tie ...
Autumn is the season when grayling feed intensely, preparing for the winter ahead.You’ll find them in the slower, deeper sections of the river, swimming in gentle currents and waiting for the last small mayflies to hatch. During this time, if you’re fishing on a beautiful autumn day, look for the middle of the day — when ...
When grayling become selective in autumn, this little nymph never fails.The Black & Red PT Killer has proven again and again to be one of the most effective patterns for cold-season fishing. Its slim silhouette, black body and a tiny red flash provided by ribbing make it irresistible in clear or slightly tinted waters. It’s a ...
Atomic Green Ribbed Nymph was created to offer strong contrast in deep pools or murky water. It’s designed to be fished in fast currents, behind structures and large rocks where trout often hide. For this reason, I made the body dark—but not completely black. I used a blend of squirrel dubbing in black and pepper ...
I haven’t posted in a while, and I want to explain why. I’ve been dealing with some serious frustration with WordPress. I'm getting hundreds of spam messages every day, and on top of that, I can't properly edit my text while writing. Because of this, I have to write everything in Word or somewhere else ...
When the season begins, visibility can be a challenge—murky water, snowy water. low light or too bright light, and fish still adjusting to changing conditions. That’s when a bright, high-contrast nymph can make all the difference. This Green Perdigon, tied by my Spanish friend Dudu Sanz, is a perfect choice and I used it several ...
The Danica CDC Emerger is a superb fly pattern designed to imitate the emerger stage of Ephemera danica, also known in the USA as the green drake mayfly. This stage, when the mayfly transitions from nymph to adult, is a prime feeding opportunity for trout. In this article, I share my version of this emerger, specifically ...
