Saturday, February 21, 2015

DIY Fly Fishing Argentina: Pennsylvania Nymph Fisherman in Patagonia, Part 1

How to search this blog for helpful information?  Use the blog search engine and type in key words such as Float Trip, Walk-Wade, Float Tube, Lessons, Pesos, Fy Rods, Flies, Best Months, etc.  The search engine is located on the right side, just below the weather.  FYI, there are over 100 post about fishing Patagonia... the information you are looking for, is probably on this blog. Thanks.

One could easily argue that Pennsylvania has produced some of the best nymph fishermen in the United States.  You might say this record of claim started when a student at Penn State University went fishing with Ralph Watts, the dean of the agriculture school. The two anglers fished for Brook Trout, and after 4 hours, the student, using flies, had caught 25 trout, while the Mr. Watts, the teacher, using bait, only caught 2 trout. The year was 1932 and the student's name was George Harvey.  Ralph encourage George to become 'the teacher,' by creating and teaching a fly fishing and fly tying class.  He did just that and in 1942, after spending a few years away from the Penn State community, George returned to his alma mater, and the first fly fishing class was offered at PSU. George taught this class until his retirement, in 1972.  The next instructor to succeed George is well known throughout the world; legendary angler/instructor, Joe Humphreys. Joe taught the class until his retirement is 1989. This one class has taught over 10,000 students and has produced highly ranked competition nymph anglers.  Lucky for me, one of those students just spent 30 days in Patagonia and did his fair share of nymph fishing.

Daron Swire is a normal guy, who like me, is addicted to nymph fishing (it's a passion not commonly found in the dry fly world of Patagonia).  His buddy, back home in Pennsylvania is the USA distributor for Hemingway's Flies.  These flies are commonly known as realistic's https://hemingway-s.com/  I have never used realistic flies, so I was anxious to fish with Daron and learn more.

I must admit, when Daron first showed me the realistic nymphs, my brain could not process what my eyes were seeing.  I thought to myself," they look like edible gummy bears, in the shape of stone flies." Apparently, Patagonia trout think they are edible as well... no BS, each day he fished, Daron netted bigger than average fish.       

One of many trophies landed. 
Fish the conditions!  Early season this spot is primo for nymphs, but today, the dry fly was the best choice.
Look at the above photo.  This beauty was caught under the willows.   
On one of his days off, I took him down the middle section of the Chimehuin.  The next run does not look like much, but it is!  Daron is contemplating risk vs. reward...he chose smart (safety).  
When clients stay longer than a week, chef Foley usually cooks up a hearty meal.
Onion burger with salami, cheese, my homemade guacamole, topped with chime-churi sauce, all on a toasted bun and washed down with a glass of Malbec.    


Final Word

If you were to fish Patagonia with only a dry-fly, I would say you are cheating yourself.  The use of nymphs, whether traditional or realistic's, can greatly increase your chance of catching trophy fish, on a daily basis!

Part 2. Daron is on a mssion, fishing rio Rividavia, located in Los Alerces National Park.
http://firstcastflyfishing.blogspot.com.ar/2015/03/diy-fly-fishing-argentina-pennsylvania.html

Thanks for reading and hope to see you in Patagonia.

Abrazos,

Mark

PS. Forgot to mention that Daron singed up for walk-wade, float, camp, and more.  If you have 2 weeks or more, we'll keep you busy.