Hello to all fly fishing enthusiasts! The year 2023 was filled with exciting adventures alongside great friends. As a fishing guide company, we are pleased to share with you a selection of the best fishing videos from the past year. Some feature clients who traveled directly with us, while others come from Yellow Dog Fly Fishing, the largest and most professional fishing travel agency in the United States, with whom we are delighted to collaborate:
Fly fishing in Mongolia is spectacular. Despite having only 3 million inhabitants and a territory similar to Alaska’s, it boasts exceptional wild rivers. Here, you can fish for lenok trouts, taimen, and pikes, including the world’s largest salmonid.
Fly Fishing Mongolia , a company that offers affordable guided fishing adventures to thoroughly explore Genghis Khan’s country, showcases this beautiful country through this article:
WHY IS MONGOLIA A UNIQUE DESTINATION FOR FLY FISHING?
Mongolia is special; it’s a destination that captivates, and once anglers visit, they dream of returning. What makes it so appealing?
SPECIES OF FISH YOU CAN FLY FISH FOR IN MONGOLIA
Mongolia divides its watersheds into three major drainage systems. Each of them is home to different species. Unlike other destinations, the impact of introducing exotic species has been nonexistent so far, making fly fishing even more appealing with the opportunity to catch 100% native fish. The watersheds are as follows:
Now you know the fish you can find in each region of the country; let’s delve into each of them in detail:
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FLOAT FISHING AND WADE FISHING WITH FLY FISHING IN MONGOLIA
In Mongolia, there are two main types of fly fishing trips: float fishing and wade fishing.
Float Fishing on Rivers: Most of the expeditions available in Mongolia for American anglers focus on this method. Using boats allows access to remote areas and enables fishing along an entire river with ease. The organization of these expeditions is excellent, with nightly stays in mobile camps by the riverside. However, these trips can often come with a higher cost.
Wade Fishing: Wade fishing limits the fishing areas, especially for taimen in larger rivers. Nevertheless, it offers an exciting and rewarding experience for lenok fishing in the small, crystal-clear streams. At Fly Fishing Mongolia, we have chosen this type of expedition because we believe it offers a more authentic and active experience. It allows anglers to explore the lesser-known corners of Mongolia: the small streams where Asian trout thrive.
GEAR AND FLIES FOR FLY FISHING IN MONGOLIA
For fly fishing in Mongolia, we recommend bringing two different sets of gear and flies: one for targeting taimen and another for targeting Asian trout and lenok.
GEAR AND FLIES FOR TARGETING TAIMEN IN MONGOLIA:
Regarding flies:
GEAR AND FLIES FOR TARGETING LENOK OR ASIAN TROUT IN MONGOLIA:
Regarding flies for lenok fishing:
For lenok fishing, dry flies like stoneflies and other terrestrial insects such as grasshoppers and crickets in natural sizes and colors are ideal for surface fishing. Large-sized and brightly colored nymphs like San Juan Worms or perdigones are effective in deeper waters. Additionally, small streamers ranging from 1-3 inches in brown, olive green, or black tones, like downsized Woolly Buggers, also prove effective.
FLY FISHING LICENSE IN MONGOLIA
The license to fly fish for taimen in Mongolia, as well as smaller fish like Asian trout and lenok, costs $450. This license is issued by the Department of Environment in each region. To obtain this license, it must be requested through a government-recognized company. This ensures that the license will be used correctly and guarantees the conservation of taimen in Mongolia.
This season has been a bit strange for our company. As you know, the current situation of the COVID – 19 has conditioned the fly fishing in Spain.
In spite of this, from Pyrenees Fly Fishing, we have continued working day by day to continue offering a service of maximum quality to our clients.
This year 2020 has served us to:
– To find and try new river sections.
– Check the state of the trout populations in all the rivers of the Pyrenees.
– Make new images for promotional videos.
– We have worked a lot in front of the winch. To have the fly boxes full of dry flies and nymphs for the 2021 season.
– We have cleaned up some new accesses to remote river areas.
– We have trained our team of guides in such important aspects as river safety and first aid.
– COVID safety protocols.
Other relevant news and milestones of 2020 have been:
WORK TO RECOVER THE POPULATIONS OF ZEBRA TROUT IN THE PYRENEES
The government of our region, is making a determined bid to promote fly fishing in the region. For it, one is working in the recovery of the populations of trout Zebra by means of the placement of boxes of embryonic eggs in the rivers.
This action is having incredible results and year after year we observe how there are more and more trout in the rivers. Very good news!
NEW SPOTS FOR FISHING THE BARBEL, THE GREAT UNKNOWN
Many of the fishermen who choose Spain as a fishing destination are attracted by its landscapes, friendly climate, gastronomy, and excellent populations of wild trout. In recent fishing campaigns, we have realized that many of our clients are attracted to complement their trout fishing with a day of fishing for a different fish. And that fish is the barbel.
The barbel is a fish with a behavior very similar to that of the bonefish: it eats among the vegetation of the banks, sometimes it takes part of its body out of the water, it has a great size and its fight is spectacular.
The team of guides of Pyrenees Fly fishing has worked on researching new dry flies for their fishing and new accesses to rivers with good populations of this fish.
We hope that the year 2021 will be a year in which we can all enjoy our favorite hobby again and that we will be able to go on fishing trips again. At Pyrenees Fly Fishing we are prepared to make sure that you enjoy a safe vacation in a natural environment without crowds and totally wild. We are waiting for your friends!
Many years ago, in 2003, we had the opportunity to see Carlos Rodriguez, who was fishing with a series of small nymphs that were very effective. Flies that at that time were already being used by the French fly fishing team.
These nymphs did not have mobility, they were not realistic, they had striking colors … and despite all this, they fished like no other
The secret of its effectiveness was none other than its ability to deepen in a very fast way, deepened like shot pellets. Hence its name, name that was used in code by many competitive fishermen.
Nowadays fishing with “perdigones” has been popularized enormously among fly fishermen and there are many mounts of enormous effectiveness such as some of these:
Origin and new secrets not yet revealed by French and Spanish competitors of the most refined nymph fishing technique of the old European continent.
Ernest Hemingway when in the 1920s he visited the Spanish Pyrenees to fly fishing he would not have imagined that the waters he fished would be the scenarios where competition fishermen would develop a novel, sophisticated and effective nymph fishing technique that would revolutionize the world from fly fishing.
ORIGINS
The French competition fishermen in their desire to improve the fishing technique to nymph in order to capture more fish adapted the essence of fishing to Czech nymph but using a long leader or fishing exclusively with tippet.
Throughout this last decade, Spanish anglers have incorporated some variations and improvements to achieve what is now considered one of the most effective nymph fishing techniques.
Thanks to this method in recent years Spain and France have obtained the best results in the international fly fishing competitions.
WHAT DOES IT CONSIST OF?
In certain European rivers, with wild fish that are very difficult to fish, nymph fishing consists in getting deep into nymphs of small size. Achieving the greatest possible depth and a natural drift of the nymph.
This is how techniques like Czech Nymph emerged that would evolve into Spanish / French Nymphing. Briefly consists of fishing according to the Czech model (the tip of the rod moves accompanying the drift of the nymphs with the arm of the stretched fisherman) but without the line touching the water, a big difference with the fishing techniques nymph in the USA.
This modality has kicked the essence of fly fishing, since the cast is not achieved thanks to the weight of the line but to the weight of our nymph, so to start in their practice it is necessary to temporarily forget the basic guidelines about the fly cast.
On this basis, experienced fishermen have refined the method using “perdigones” nymphs, spiral indicators, boiled leaders, long rods with parabolic action, improvements on the reels … We present you some of these little secrets:
Fishing with fine tippet helps to catch more trout, but not only because of their lesser vision, but also because they exert less resistance to water and make it easier to go deep.
This fact has a big problem: the finer the tippet is, the more possibilities there are to break the thread. This reality has been tried to solve by the fine Spanish competition anglers using long soft action rods (very flexible), which cushion the strike and fight with the fish and using very elastic leaders (this is achieved by boiling them in water a few minutes ).
Novelty nymphs “PELLETS”
The essence of the Spanish / French Nymphing originated when detecting the need to present small nymphs at great depth so as to be able to cheat the difficult wild Zebra Trout from the Spanish Pyrenees.
“Perdigones” were designed with this intention:
1 キ Great weight and small size.
2 キ Manufactured with materials that do not exert water resistance and they favor its sinking.
3 キ Striking colors that change underwater.
Assembly video of a shot:
Among the rules of competition, fishing is prohibited the use of Strike indicators. The bite of the fish can only be detected by observing the tippet.
Initially, some competitors ruffled and denatured colored tippet with a great memory and later greased them to try to float and exert more resistance to the rupture of the surface tension of the water. These functioned as false indicators.
The technique was refined with the invention of the elastics coiled indicators, consisting of a colored thread as a spring that acts as an indicator. In the following video we show its manufacture and operation:
In certain occasions when there is a high environmental humidity or fishing in the rain the tippet sticks to the blank of the rod due to surface tension and it is very difficult for us to run through the rings, making the set difficult.
For this, we wind a thread on the last section of the rod as if we were ringing it. This is how we get the tippet not “stick” to the blank of the rod.
Tip: we should not use tippets that favor adhesion due to their composition (high gloss tippet treated with wax or siliconized products).
When we fish with a lot of tippet in our reel they usually cause problems and entanglements due to the very wide entrance mouth of the line and with joints that hook the tippet. The solution can be small artisan inventions like the following, in which we have used for its confection a ceramic ring, a piece of PVC pipe and epoxy resin:
We hope this article will be useful and help you explore new fishing formulas. If on any occasion you are encouraged to visit the Spanish Pyrenees from Pyrenees Fly Fishing (www.pyreneesflyfishing.com) it will be a pleasure to guide you in these amazing mountains that have us spellbound and if you are interested I we will help you to know better this way of fishing.
Spain is the country with the greatest contrasts, the best climate and the most beautiful landscape of the old European continent. These are some of the reasons why more than 80 million visitors visit us every year.
Fly fishing in Spain is spectacular, the fisherman can enjoy a variety of mountain rivers, lakes, large rivers … where you can fish for Mediterranean Zebra Trout, broke trout, and even barbel with a dry fly. The enjoyment is guaranteed!
But have you thought about a fishing trip with your friends and wifes? Maybe this is the destination …
Pyrenees Fly Fishing offers a multitude of tailor-made activities for companions from our two operations centers. The angler can enjoy assured that his company has multiple options to choose from.
Some of the most important activities are:
Hiking through the Ordesa National Park.
Visit wine cellars
Cultural tours through monasteries and castles.
Tour of “tapas” and wines by cultural towns such as Jaca and Ainsa.
Relaxation and massages in Spas …
In many occasions, the fishing day happens in remote places to which we arrived by 4×4 vehicle through restricted access roads. These places are fascinating for the companions since they can enjoy the landscape, hiking and a wonderful gourmet meal in the company of their loved ones.
Our goal is to make fly fishing holidays in Spain with family or friends an unforgettable experience.
g holiday very close to the city of Barcelona.Is fly fishing from Barcelona possible? Catalonia is a region of northern Spain with excellent beaches and holiday resorts by the Mediterranean Sea, historic architecture such as the works of Antoni Gaudí, the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia or Park Güell, spectacular National Parks such as P.N. Aiguastortes and Sant Maurici … And excellent rivers for fly fishing!
Many tourists visiting Spain and Catalonia in particular those unaware that the country of tapas, siesta bulls and the sun are some of the best venues in Europe for fly fishing.
Did you know that only in the Catalan Pyrenees do we have the possibility to fish for 4 different salmonids and a spectacular cyprinid and all this with a dry fly?
This article aims to help you in the organization of your fishing holidays in Catalonia:
Licenses and permits to fish in Catalonia
Fishing in Catalonia requires a fishing license. There are licenses of weekly, annual, 5 years … This document allows you to fish some waters of Catalonia.
In the vast majority of cases, in addition to the fishing license, it is necessary to have a daily fishing permit for certain waters.
The processing of the fishing license and day permit can be done at the following link:
http://web.gencat.cat/es/tramits/tramits-temes/3587_Llicencia-de-pesca-recreativa-de-superficie
It is very important to consult the fishing regulations of Catalonia because there are certain rivers that can not be fished every day of the week and have specific regulations.
Species of interest for fly fishing in Catalonia
Depending on the stretches of river in Catalonia we can enjoy fishing for the following species:
Brown trout of European Central origin.
Mediterranean trout or zebra trout.
Broke trout
Arctic char.
Barbel.
Where to fish – best rivers
The best rivers to fish in Catalonia are in its western part, very close to the limit with the Autonomous Community of Aragon. In the heart of the Pyrenees and next to the National Park of Aiguastortes and Sant Maurici.
Some of those rivers are:
Season
The fishing season varies according to the river sections. Generally:
Opening of the season in the month of March and closes in September or October.
The high mountain opens in the middle of May until the end of September.
There are certain stretches of river where you can fish all year round.
For more information you can consult the fishing regulations in the following link:
http://web.gencat.cat/es/actualitat/detall/20150316_Temporada-de-pesca-de-la-truita-00001
Fly fishing holidays in Catalonia – Spain
If you want to enjoy spectacular, family fishing holidays with the maximum guarantees, we recommend hiring a specialized company.
Pyrenees Fly Fishing is a family and professional company that offers the most complete fishing operation in the Catalan Pyrenees.
From one of our operations centers located on the border between Aragón and Catalonia we offer the following fishing packages:
How to get?
Pyrenees Fly Fishing We offer transfer from Lérida train station to our center of operations in Graus. Located less than 1 hour by car.
From Barcelona to Lérida there are numerous AVE high-speed trains that connect these two Catalan cities in around 1h.
Contact
For more information you can call us at 0034653081173 or by email writing to the following address: [email protected]
Six of the 10 best rivers for fly fishing in Spain are in the Pyrenees. The beauty of its mountains, wild fish, and color of its waters make this spot a unique place to enjoy a fishing vacation.
Spain is the fourth largest country on the European continent, with an average altitude of 650, the fifth most mountainous country in Europe after Switzerland, Austria, Andorra and Liechtenstein.
There are numerous mountain ranges in Spain:
The Pyrenees.
Béticos range
Cantabrian Mountains.
Iberian range
Sierra Morena.
Central range
Mountains of Toledo.
This rugged terrain hides some of the best rivers for fly fishing throughout Europe, but without doubt the Pyrenees are the national jewel, its variety of water in a short range, beauty of its mountains, good Zebra trout populations, its location near some of the most spectacular national Parks and the beauty of its villages they have become a national destination for fly fishing lovers.
Top 10 rivers for fly fishing according to us are
Ara River (Aragon)
Gállego River (Aragon)
Veral River (Aragon)
Esera River (Aragon)
Tormes River (Castilla y león)
Porma and Esla Rivers (Castilla y león)
Cares River (Asturias)
Noguera de Cardos River (Catalonia)
Sella River (Asturias)
Ter River (Catalonia)
Permits and licenses to fish in Spain:
In Spain there are no private rivers, all waters are public.
To be able to fish in the Spanish rivers it is necessary to have the fishing license of the corresponding autonomous community. But to fish in some of the best waters we will need an additional fishing permit on a daily basis.
To obtain these fishing permits it is usually necessary to participate in a previous draw for which you have to apply months in advance.
We must recognize that there are many bureaucratic obstacles to fishing in the best rivers in Spain, so the safest and most viable way is fishing with a fishing guides company.
Reviews about fishing in the most spectacular rivers in Spain:
Our guided fly fishing tours in rivers of the North of Spain:
Pyrenees Fly Fishing is a family company of local anglers. Our guides are experienced anglers and also speak English. We offer the most spectacular fishing holidays in the best rivers of the Iberian Peninsula. Our three main all-inclusive fishing trips are:
Contact:
If you are interested in knowing the highest and most spectacular mountains in Spain and fishing in some of its best rivers, you can contact us by email at the following address:
[email protected]
or by calling 0034653081173
