1) Choice of equipment, rods, reels, fly lines, fly floatants, clothes, glasses and other useful items.

I prefer rods that are fast and reactive in the butt section and more sensitive in the tip. The size I mainly use is 7'6". This is not a personal whim, I just consider it as the best size to facilitate right oscillations during the unloading phase on fast casts. Nevertheless, in rivers like Gacka, I use a 9' 4#to avoid bank vegetation. I

am really fond of Hardy’s reels, Featherweight being my favorite. I strictly use DT lines, mainly 3 weight. They ensure good casting speed, control and precision a short/medium distances. When I was young I used to wear thigh-high boots, saving stocking-foot waders for big rivers. Nowadays, however, thigh-high boots

are no longer a suitable option for me. I use CDC oil as fly floatant, applied to flies as soon as they are removed from the tying vise.

2) Leaders material, build up, length and knots

I use customized knotless leaders for, with a total length ranging from 4.60m to 5.40m. Powerful butt leaders, not less than 0.55Ø, with a tip diameter of 0.20Ø / 0.18Ø, to which I attach a tippet of about 1.30m with a knot

or small loop. The tippet’s diameter varies from 0.10Ø to 0.20Ø, depending on the fly’s size and on the environment.

3) Approach and stealth

I try to get into the water as little as possible, and only when the surrounding environment forces me to do so. I cast upstream, at distances that are neither too long nor too short, allowing me to maintain maximum control of the fly/leader and to remain outside of the fish's visual cone.

4) “Reading” the water

I’m spending 80% of my fishing time in “hunting mode”, carefully searching every spot where a trout could hide. I cast on the undershore currents, near dens covered by vegetation, rocks or where currents join themselves, always looking for paths naturally crossed by food. I’m also searching for unexpected spots,

sometimes in shallow water, where surprises can be very pleasant! I use quite large flies, size 10/12/14, with a selection of patterns created for this purpose. During small and medium ephemeral hatches, I reduce the size of the fly and the diameter of the tip.

5) Casting ability - which casts are essential

Good casts go hand in hand with good fishermen, improving their catch potential and, last but not least, affecting the aesthetics of their fishing action. I believe that the art of casting has a lot to do with beauty. If fly fishing was just about catching fish it would be a poor thing.

All casts are fundamental, after all they are like arrows for our bows. However, if you ask me about which aspect I consider really prominent, I’ll definitely answer that the in-depth study of the angled trajectory is what could increase our presentation skills and accuracy.

If the fly lands first in the water, the fly fisherman could do a whole range of maneuvers on the leader and line to avoid dredging and to control its descent. One could imagine a particular design of fly, leader and line, modeling it in his head while everything is still in the air…

It is important to limit or to avoid mending and corrections after the fly has been touching the water, since it could be counterproductive. With a slow and therefore not very tight cast, too much line will lean on the water, making it impossible to model the line/final system in a specific shape. The subject of angle casting is really worthy of insight, but I don't want to linger on this too much, it would be too long of an argument. Long story short, the knowledge of curved casts is fundamental in fishing, not only to avoid dredging but also to be able to apply some very stimulating rod movements, such as right and left fly-skating, and so on.

6) Entomology, what should we know

I’m not one of those who think that every fly fisherman should achieve a master's degree in Entomology, but I am sure that one should know how to tell a mayfly from a caddisfly, a diptera from a plecopter or a hymenoptera and so on.

Sometimes we all should stop fishing, just for a while, to observe the transformation of an emerging nymph into a subimago: this could give really useful hints about surface fishing. It is also necessary to know and recognize the stages of dun, spinner and spent, and to realize which type of movement, autonomous or induced by the wind/current, is created by certain species on the surface film. So, not a master’s degree, but a basic knowledge for more conscious fishing.

7) Rise forms. Can they tell us something?

A dull, gloomy noise, then water lifts a little, without any splash... and your intuition suggests you to prime a fly with a more “intimate” impact on the water, simulating an emergent’s last stage, like a parachute, to be clear.

A well-emerged dun, on the other hand, gets attacked more aggressively, being a prey that could escape at any moment. Egg-laying sedges often end up eaten with a violent splash or jump. These elements should definitely condition our strategy.

8) Fly selection, size, shape, materials, which flies are essential

Usually, I fish with a series of about 25 flies, crafted with the aim of obtaining visibility, stability, lightness and buoyancy. I call them “disheveled”, from the frequent use of the breast feathers of the mallard and the particular way of wrapping it. Chamois hair is also often used in these flies. Sizes range from 18 to

8 and they imitate mayflies (emergent, dun and spent), caddisflies (final emergent and adult), ants and more. With just two fly boxes I can fish almost everywhere with good results. My Inspiration comes from an old passion for the palmer and for impressionistic flies in general, as well as from the non-stop search for flies

that blend perfectly with the cast. Soft hackles are an excellent material for this purpose. I was inspired, from time to time, by H. Bresson (Peute, Sauvage, French tricolor) and by Gianni Pallotto, artist of minimal dressings and friend of mine. Sizing can also be increased compared to the natural ones, as they do not break through the surface film and create a small, light footprint. Imitation is obtained through the ability to imprint the water gently, with a small "stain", always respecting the shape and size of the original. Few elements and support points modeled by an apparently chaotic winding. When I switch to “hunting mode” I often use large replicas; small ones, conversely, when in need of selectivity, using dressings more or less adherent to the water, in relation to the present stage of development. I use parachutes flies when simulating an insect in the final stage of development coming in contact with the air; a mixed parachute/classic wrap to raise the

buoyancy a bit; classic collar winding for dun and dancing insects. I developed the upstream "go-back skate" cast with dry flies, after having seen how D. Whitlock, about thirty years ago, animated the popper in a Dutch Fly Fair. These flies move in an easier way, and they are useful during dead moments on the surface and in other situations.

9) Presentation and drifts

A good presentation should be considered of great importance; when line and fly^are cast carelessly it’s hard - if not impossible - to finalize our fishing action in a positive way. Casting straight-on can be successful in flat water and in uniform currents, but when currents intersect in multiple forms the presentation must be

free from dredging. To avoid negative pulls on the leader and line, I use various tricks in order to create a more or less small curve upstream of the target. The bend is often on the leader, but it can be on the line as well, when spaces are larger. That's why I avoid knots on the leader, they are too rigid and therefore not

very malleable. Various casting dynamics are used to obtain this "anchoring" upstream, one being a short and fast opposing thrust at the end of the forward cast, opposite to the initial trajectory. The angled and fast laying of the fly that falls first or nearly so in the water will ensure that the thinnest part of the leader will continue its run forward or sideways, depending on the amplitude of the lateral movements given

to the rod. A good signal is when cast flies maintain a lower speed of descent than the debris or tannin bubbles , our natural indicators. Sometimes, however, a little animation could be profitable, and it can be expressed by the classic skating or by small tremors given by tip movements. This could be the subject of a dry fly casting clinic; this technical advantage can change a bad day of dry fly fishing into a funny and rewarding one.

10) Upstream or downstream?

Mainly upstream but the environmental situations could suggest - or force - other strategic choices.

11) Fighting fish

Honestly, if I lose a fish during the fight I am happy, but only when the confrontation has come to an end. Joke asides, reeling tactics should be as fast as possible, we don't want to create dangerous accumulations of lactic acid.

Orientating the rod, directing the head of the fish to exploit its strength in rapidly approaching the landing net could be a good technique.