Do not let the size of the river fool you. Massive sea trout are present; certainly within reach of those caught and expected on the Rio Grande. Landing them, however, is a different matter! This, to me, is what makes the Irigoyen so special and unique. Not only do you have to think about the cast and presentation but you also have to think about a battle strategy. You are forced to think about every single cast; what depth am I fishing at? Am I giving the fish enough/too much time to see my fly? How close do I dare fish to the snag? Are there submerged branches? How wide is the undercut bank? When hooked, what is my exit strategy for the fish? What other obstacles are there in the pool that I need to be aware of when playing the fish? There are few guarantees in fishing, there are even fewer on the Irigoyen. The sea trout are present in healthy numbers, getting them to take and landing them is a different matter. Every fish feels like a reward and that your effort and thought process deserved the outcome. This, again, is what makes the Irigoyen special to me. It is not a river of ‘chuck and chance’. The daytime fishing is predominated with nymph fishing – akin to high-sticking for trout. Line control and accuracy takes precedence over distance. You must approach each hole with stealth and then present the fly within a hair of an obstacle whilst immediately allowing it to achieve the necessary depth before the current sweeps it away and passed the fish.
Another beauty of the Irigoyen is that it is all single handed rod fishing. A 10ft #8 is the perfect companion. Nothing more than a floating line is needed either, adding to the simplicity. You do, however, need tips of varying sink speeds; everything from intermediate to type 7-8. Again, make sure they are up to the task as many will have low breaking strains. Evening fishing for sea trout is special and on the Irigoyen is no different. The habits of these sea trout are the same as those found closer to home and as the light fails the sea trout soon betray their daytime lairs. This is when your daytime reconnaissance comes into use and hopefully you have remembered the key structure in a given pool. As light levels diminish many, if not most, of the sea trout will move out from the undercut banks, drop out of the deep holes and recesses, and wander from underneath the logjams and structure. They will drop onto the shallower tails of the pool, onto the edge of the drop-offs or move towards the run into a pool if they are tempted to vacate and find another home further upstream – sometimes this is just to test the levels and they will then decide against this course of action until water levels change or time becomes pressing. No matter what the reason, this action presents them as an easier target and it should be fully capitalised on. Under these conditions there are two flies I would never be without; the sunray shadow and the leech.
Tungsten is invariably the key; be it in bead or dumbbell form. You must then have nylon that’s up to the job; no lighter than 15lb in the daytime with 25lb being the material of choice for the evening. Fluorocarbon is a good choice with its extra abrasion resistance. Sometimes it’s a case of hit and hold or there’s a need to drag a fish away from an impending obstacle; turn the fish or lose it, it really is that simple. With fish of over 20lb hooked every week this is definitely easier said than done… Your hooks, too, must be up to the task in hand. Indeed, every aspect of your tackle will be tested and nothing should be left to chance. Strong salmon or steelhead hooks should be used or carp hooks, which are my personal preference as you get a lot more variety and they are immensely strong.
FLYFISH EUROPE - SPRING 2017
13