Guide & fly tier
Miguel Blanco
Self-taught tier who caught a trout on the second fly he ever made. Ten years of travelling rivers across Europe, but his real specialism is the most selective wild browns — and the perfect drift.
Languages
Spanish, English
Specialities
Dry fly, Selective wild browns, Fly tying, High mountain streams
Miguel grew up in the heart of the Sierra de Gredos in central Spain, surrounded by mountains, forests and rivers. His parents gave him a fly-tying vice along with tools and materials when he was young. Entirely self-taught, he began making his own flies, and with only his second attempt he caught a trout. Fly fishing became the way he lived from that point on.
When it came to choosing a university he picked Biology in León — Spain's Mecca of fly fishing. Discovering the region's rivers was the turning point. He spent those years fishing and exploring everything from remote mountain streams to the larger reservoir waters.
Over the past ten years he has become something close to a fly-fishing nomad, travelling rivers in France, Andorra, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Norway, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, and picking up guiding experience along the way. He has caught Atlantic salmon, grayling, Arctic char, rainbow trout, marble trout, sea trout, huchen and barbel.
His real specialism, though, is wild brown trout — particularly the most selective ones. He is an expert dry-fly angler who enjoys every technique, has written for specialist magazines in several countries, and appears at fishing fairs. He is a Guideline ambassador and a professional fly tier.
Record
Guideline ambassador, Professional fly tier, Studied Biology at the University of León, Contributor to specialist magazines across Europe
“Always in pursuit of the perfect drift.”
Miguel Blanco