Welcome to Just Old Flies

Welcome to 'just old flies,' a section of methods and flies that used-to-be. These flies were tied with the only materials available. Long before the advent of 'modern' tying materials, they were created and improved upon at a far slower pace than todays modern counterparts; limited by materials available and the tiers imagination.

Once long gone, there existed a 'fraternity' of anglers who felt an obligation to use only the 'standard' patterns of the day. We hope to bring a bit of nostalgia to these pages and to you. And sometimes what you find here will not always be about fishing. Perhaps you will enjoy them. Perhaps you will fish the flies. Perhaps?

Part One hundred seventy

Pas River

Pas River

Compiled by Deanna Birkholm


Spain probably isn't the first place one thinks of in relation to Atlantic Salmon - or a hot bed of tying. The truth is Spain has about sixteen rivers which are salmon rivers, eight of which produce large catches of salmon in the eleven pound range. According to Atlantic Salmon Flies & Fishing by Joseph D. Bates, Jr., published by Stackpole Books, "the most prolific river first, are the Sella, Cares-Deva, Narcea, Ason, Pas, Eo, Navia and the Canero."

Belarmino Martinez

Where there are salmon, there are tiers specializing in flies for the salmon. In Pravia, Spain lives one of the world's most accomplished fly-dressers, Belarmino Martinez. Among the flies he created are the Silver Martinez (Martinex Plateada) Cares River (Rio Cares), Deva River (Rio Deva), Esva River (Rio Esva), Navia River (Rio Navia), Ulla River (Rio Ulla) and the fly featured above, the Pas River (Rio Pas). Senor Martinez is also a well-known salmon angler.

This is the pattern, created and tied by Belarmino Martinez.

Pas River (Rio Pas)

    Head:   Brown lacquer.

    Tag:   Oval silver tinsel.

    Tip:   Red floss.

    Tail:   Golden Pheasant crest with two slips of barred Summer Duck over.

    Butt:   Peacock herl.

    Body:   In two equal parts: the first half, embossed silver tinsel veiled with yellow hackle tips and butted with Peacock herl; the second half, red flossed ribbed with silver oval tinsel and wound with green hackle.

    Throat:   Guinea.

    Wing:   Four red hackles, over which is a pair of Golden Pheasant tippets.

    Sides:   Lady Amherst Pheasant tippets.

    Cheeks:   Very small Lady Amherst Pheasant tippets.

    Topping:   Golden Pheasant crest.

Credits: Information and photos from Atlantic Salmon Flies & Fishing, we appreciate use permission. ~ DLB

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