Which fly should come first for Argentine Patagonia?

A big foam dry, Chubby Chernobyl style. Patagonia is terrestrial country: that pattern imitates everything that drops in the water, hopper, beetle or big ant.

Why heavy-wire hooks in Patagonia?

The trout here are wild, in full health and far more powerful than in France, with real chances of a big fish. A fine-wire hook opens on the first run.

What tippet diameter should I use?

Very rarely below 0.14 mm, about 3X, in Patagonia. In France, on trout and grayling, 0.09 to 0.10 mm, 5X to 6X, is sometimes enough: the gap says it all.

Do you have to tie your own flies?

Not necessarily. What counts is quality: right proportions, right materials, right hooks. Artisan tyers like Bruno (MENDO FLIES) or Youenn Le Fur (YL Flyfishing) do work that shows up on the water.

Can flies be bought on site?

Yes, a kit can be prepared there, but it has to be asked for in advance so it can be tied. More than the kit can be ordered.

Handcrafted flies: why tying makes the difference

There are thousands of fly patterns out there, and behind every one of them a tyer who put time into it. It is a world without end, and that is exactly as it should be. But if I had to keep a single one for Argentine Patagonia, it would be this: the Chubby Chernobyl. Big, foam-bodied, with rubber legs that wriggle on the drift, it looks like nothing in particular — and that is precisely its strength. The trout here take it the way they would take a fat grasshopper blown off the bank.

The one shown here is tied by Bruno, an Argentine friend, guide and instructor, and a tyer of rare talent. His work is worth a look on MENDO FLIES. His flies are the ones in my box when I fish here.

Bruno’s step by step

Heavy-wire hook in the vice with a thread base along the shank — The base: a heavy-wire hook in the vice, thread laid down along the whole shank.

Flash fibres tied in as the tail of a Chubby Chernobyl — The tail: a few flash fibres tied in at the back, the length of the shank.

Olive dubbing body brushed out with flash on a Chubby Chernobyl — The body: olive dubbing brushed out, mixed with flash, worked forward.

Foam strip tied in at the middle of the shank to form the Chubby body — The foam: the strip is tied in at the middle — it will form the body and the head.

White synthetic wing tied on a Chubby Chernobyl — The wing: a clump of white synthetic fibres, highly visible on the water.

Barred yellow and green rubber legs on a Chubby Chernobyl — The legs: barred yellow and green rubber, two on each side.

Adjusting the legs and proportions of a Chubby Chernobyl — The adjustment: legs spread evenly, proportions balanced.

Red dubbing trigger spot set in the middle of a Chubby Chernobyl — The red spot: a touch of bright dubbing in the middle, the trigger, then the front legs.

Chubby Chernobyl silhouette closing up: foam, wing and legs in place — The detail: the silhouette closes up, foam, wing and legs in place.

Chubby Chernobyl almost finished, only the head left to tie — Almost done: only the head is left to finish.

Finished Chubby Chernobyl in the vice, ready to drift — The finished Chubby Chernobyl, ready to drift.

Bruno, Argentine fly tyer, tying a fly at the vice — Bruno at the vice. When someone loses too many flies and Bruno has a moment…

This is not one more tutorial. It is the hand of a tyer who fishes what he ties, and you feel it on the water.

The flies I take with me, and why

For dorado, I also use streamers tied by Bruno: heavy-duty patterns on extremely strong hooks. With that fish it is not a detail, it is the condition for bringing anything to hand.

For trout and grayling — in France as in plenty of places around the world, wherever there are salmonids — I fish the flies of my friend Youenn Le Fur, YL Flyfishing. Youenn is a very good angler, and he happens to be a fantastic tyer as well. I have fished his flies just about everywhere I have been lucky enough to travel, and they have never let me down.

Quality isn’t a luxury

Having good flies when you travel matters for two reasons. The first is obvious: giving the fish what it actually eats, with the right silhouette and the right proportions. The second is less so, and it is the one that costs you when you forget it: the hook.

In Patagonia, forget fine wire. Really. It would never cross your mind to go after marlin with a trout rod — well, it is exactly the same thing. The odds of running into a big fish are real, and above all the trout here are wild, in full health, far more powerful than ours. A shank that opens on the first run is a memory walking away.

Same logic for tippet: I almost never go below 0.14 mm, roughly 3X here. In France, on the same species, I fish 0.09 or 0.10 mm, 5X to 6X. The gap says it all.

What goes in my box

A selection of big foam dries — Chubby, Madame X, hopper, beetle, ant — because Patagonia is terrestrial country. A few heavy nymphs to hold the strong currents, and sturdy streamers for the start and the end of the season. For summer, of course, small flies: CDC patterns, sedges and the more classic models we know back home. Do not forget small nymphs for sight fishing, and a few scuds. The rest is filled in on site: Bruno prepares kits for those who come, provided it is arranged in advance.

Bruno holding bags of handcrafted flies tied to order — The kits, tied to order by Bruno.

Bags of handcrafted flies handed out on a table at the lodge — Handing them out, at the lodge.

Frequently asked questions

Which fly should come first for Argentine Patagonia?: A big foam dry, Chubby Chernobyl style. Patagonia is terrestrial country: that pattern imitates everything that drops in the water, hopper, beetle or big ant.
Why heavy-wire hooks in Patagonia?: The trout here are wild, in full health and far more powerful than in France, with real chances of a big fish. A fine-wire hook opens on the first run.
What tippet diameter should I use?: Very rarely below 0.14 mm, about 3X, in Patagonia. In France, on trout and grayling, 0.09 to 0.10 mm, 5X to 6X, is sometimes enough: the gap says it all.
Do you have to tie your own flies?: Not necessarily. What counts is quality: right proportions, right materials, right hooks. Artisan tyers like Bruno (MENDO FLIES) or Youenn Le Fur (YL Flyfishing) do work that shows up on the water.
Can flies be bought on site?: Yes, a kit can be prepared there, but it has to be asked for in advance so it can be tied. More than the kit can be ordered.

Going further: the bag comes together with the essential gear for Patagonia, the dates are chosen in the best time to fly fish in Patagonia, and the setting is discovered in A northern Neuquén no one fishes. When your plan takes shape, we can talk it over on the fly fishing in Argentine Patagonia page.

The author

Baptiste Conquet

State-certified fly fishing guide and instructor. I guide in Aveyron and Lozère, and design fishing trips to Argentine Patagonia, Jurassic Lake and the golden dorado waters.

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