Last updated on January 10th, 2024.

Leonard Schoenberger

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Fabrizio Gajardoni from Rimini, Italy, is one of the most acclaimed fly tyers in Europe. He started out with normal flies, especially salmon and bass flies. Over time, his fly creations turned into little pieces of art that he now ships to clients around the world. 

His flies are beautifully dressed and he is an artist at the fly tying vice. His love for fly fishing doesn’t stop there however. Whenever he finds the time he heads out to the waters around his hometown Rimini at the Italian riviera. Although this area is not easy to fish with a fly rod, Fabrizio Gajardoni catches several species from the beach. It all depends on the right timing and local knowledge as to when which species comes close to the shore to feed. 

He also likes to fish with friends for bass in the many small lakes surrounding the region. Originally not a fishery that was practised by many, bass fishing has gained many new followers in Italy since it was introduced in the 1980s. 

We met up with Fabrizio Gajardoni to spend a day of fly fishing with him and learn about his way into fly tying. We also talked about the status of fly fishing in his home country Italy and what needs to be done to improve the quality of the waters in Northern Italy.

A big thank you to Fabrizio Gajardoni for spending a beautiful day with us at the water near Rimini.