B is for Bug, B is for Bond, B is for Bentley and B is for Brown Trout (and also for 'Bow)

Chris Sandford a long time BUG-BOND user, team member, ambassador and all-round good friend of mine gave me a phone call...

Chris:  "What are you doing Friday 12th July?"
David: "Nothing at present Chris"
Chris:  "Would you like to come fishing on the River Test for the day?"

My response was an unequivocal "Yes!"

Now me and trout... well I can probably name all the captures to date... I've been a dyed in the wool predator and saltwater fisherman... that was until I had my first sea trout in Norway in March and then at SIM in Italy last month. There has to be something about this trout caper!

So arming myself with a Guideline Fario 9' 5wt, Guideline 5wt WF 4Cast and a Nautilus 5/6 FWX reel I drove south!

This is Chris's motor!

I arrived with Chris on Thursday and although I had a selection of Fulling Mill dries and a few I'd tied up myself, Chris kindly presented me with a small box of flies he'd tied for me... including 'Sandford's  BULLET' (now there is a hint for a fly that worked on the day!)

We fished a stretch of the River Test below Stockbridge... this IS God's own country... a little piece of heaven, call it what you will... it's a cracking piece of river!

I'm not going to do a blow by blow account... it was a great day and a very kind invite... and we did it in style.

Thank you Chris!

PS you can read more about Chris at www.chrissandford.com

Sergio Cordoba from Argentina - joins the BUG-BOND Team

It is always a pleasure to invite new people to the BUG-BOND Pro-Tying Team and I am therefore delighted to introduce Sergio Cordoba to you.

During my recent visit to Italy I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Sergio and to spend some time with him and to see his work at first hand. We have corresponded for some time now via the internet - in fact since Sergio was placed second in a realistic fly tying competition organised by Andrés Touceda where I was a both a judge and sponsor of the event. Sergio's talent is undeniable and he is a super nice guy as well!

As you will see from the photos great tying involved great fun and friendship...

Sergio Cordoba

 Andrés and Sergio 

 Deep in discussion with Andrés

 This Damsel was a generous gift from Sergio

 It is all in the detail!

Sergio's attention to detail in his tying is amazing and these are a few words from the great man:

"The great variety of aquatic and terrestrial insects in our rivers in Argentina led me to start to take an interest in the beauty of their physiognomy and their complex structures.

Living close to places which - I believe - are the finest for fly fishing, such as Patagonia, has allowed me to observe plenty of species.

Tying “fishing flies” didn’t seem to be enough, so I decided to find another way of reproducing them.

After seeing creations captured in display cases or images of insects which appeared to be almost alive, I turned unequivocally to realistic fly tying.

Every single fly is a unique undertaking which requires a lot of time to assemble, as I endeavour to reproduce the smallest of details so that they look as real as possible.

I relied on various people as I embarked on this project.  Marcelo Malventano gave me the very first pieces of advice, Adrian García also helped me when I began to publish my work abroad and Andrés Touceda encouraged me to set up my web page (www.elatadorealista.com.ar), lending me his unconditional support.

Finally, I’d like to say that tying a realistic fly requires a lot of patience and time which is why, above all, I must thank my family who have given me so much of theirs and allowed me to produce these flies."

Sergio, thank you for sharing your talents with us all and welcome to the team.

Muchas gracias a mi buen amigo!