LUCA MONTANARI – A YOUNG ITALIAN WHOSE FLIES ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD

I met Luca by chance when he was on a film shoot in Cape Town last year and I enjoyed a day on a Cape stream fishing with him and Mark Krige, even if it was a day when the wind would not lie down. Both of them are ultra keen fly tiers, so it’s not surprising they have since become good friends. There was a lovely interlude in Mark’s home in Somerset West after the spell of fishing we had when I watched the two of them tying flies and swapping ideas, all the while realising they were in another league!

Luca lives in Rome and is author of a beautifully illustrated book, Flies – Mosche da Pesca. Of course it is written in Italian, but that takes nothing away from the book’s appeal and richness.

I am guessing, but I’d say that Luca’s chief passion is salmon fishing and his first love in fly tying is creating flawless, totally authentic salmon patterns. They are simply quite exceptional. But then he ties a few extremely interesting trout patterns as well.

Evening Star

Gitana

Green Highlander

Jock Scott

Irish Dream

Opposum Iris

P L Grey Emerger

Red Gold Devaux

Pupa di Chironomo Nera

Pearly Fry

Popping Mackerel 

All images are the property of Luca Montanari and may not be copied or used without his express permission