Franco Cicerone

I have lived in Prättigau, Canton Graubünden, in Switzerland since being born there 57 years ago.

I began fishing more than 30 years ago and soon switched to just fly fishing. I started tying my own flies at first only infrequently, then with more knowledge and experience, and finally with a great deal of passion.

My fly tying, fly fishing, and hunting hobbies combine magnificently. For fly tying I like using self-collected, natural materials. Hair from deer, red deer, chamois, hare, fox, marmot, etc. as well as feathers from duck, pheasant, Eurasian jays, etc. all work very well and breathe life into the flies. Sometimes I reach into my wife’s knitting basket and soon find something that can be tied into a fly.

In our Casting Club Chur (CCC – Est. 1959) we hold fly-tying courses and fly-tying evenings in order to share and pass along our enthusiasm for this wonderful craft.

I was able to complete the Fly-Tying Awards Scheme of the Fly Dressers Guild and successfully achieved all awards. That expanded my fly-tying horizons.

Fishing in our Alpine waters is wonderful, sometimes easy and often demanding and difficult. Only a handful of flies are necessary on the water, but a fly box offers a lot of space so my boxes fill up with ever newer fly patterns.

My flies are diverse patterns which can be fished in Alpine streams and rivers. Simple to tie in order to fish successfully. They include dry flies, wet flies, and natural nymphs.

It’s a great honor for me to be invited to the EWF and be allowed to show my work at my tying vise. I look forward to seeing you at the tying bench.

Franco