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3. Fly Fishing in Italy

I am traveling to Italy next month and was curious if anyone ever fished in the Tuscany area rivers. I can't decide if I want to book a guide (which i assume is pricey) or bring my own equipment and find the trout holes myself.

Thanks a lot,

Jonathan
Huntsville, Alabama

I haven't fished Italy at all, but I know regulations in that part of the world can be very different from over here (in neighboring Slovenia, much fishing is done by permit for specific rivers, not a general "fishing license" usable anywhere). If you aren't hiring a guide who can take care of that stuff for you, make sure you take the time to figure out the possibilities and rules before you leave here.

From Jonathon to Jonathan:

If you can get ahold of a copy, check out James Prosek's "Trout of the World". He discusses some of the varieties of trout you might encounter over there and where they can be found. There is supposed to be a lake with a unique subspecies of brown called a "cave trout", which lives in caves in the side of a large hump of mud in the middle of the lake...

Jonathon

Bama,

Nice advice there Jason...Europe isn't the easiest place to fish...

You might want to try and contact Michael Mauri http://www.mauri-flyfishing.us/#/about/4571868279

He is from Bavaria but lives in the Pittsburgh area...Funny what love will do for you. He is a primo caster and has guided Europe for quite some time. He has visited our club here and was a guest at our annual fly fishing show...He starts his season in northern Italy in the spring and follows the seasons north until he ends up fishing salmon somewhere north of the North Sea in Scandinavia.

He will blow your mind with his casting skills and is nice as hell...He didn't even correct my German and pretended to actually understand me. :)

What is a Spence post without a story? In 1996 I was travelling in Italy with my wife and a friend from southern Germany. He had been our exchange student in 91/92 and his brother stayed with us 97/98.They both played ice hockey for our local high school...Surprised?

We were in my friend's mother's Fiat and drove from Venice to the Tuscany area...We arrived around midnight without a reservation...After being chased away from one motel I decided to pull the car off on a two-track in a farmers field and told everyone we were going to sleep there in the car until morning.

I awoke just after dawn to one of the most beautiful landscapes I'd ever seen...There were rolling hills of olive groves and grape vines and the valleys were filled with fog...It could of been a landscape painting hanging in the Uffizi in Florence.

I rousted my gang and we went for an early morning hike. We crossed a small bridge over a little rolling creek and there were Jenny Spinners in the air...I grabbed one and showed it to them only to have my wife shake her head and mumble something about, "Does it ever stop with you?!" :)

Anyway...That's as close to Fly Fishing Toskana (Tuscany) I ever came.

Spence

From Prosek's "Trout of the World", page 74:

"Two types of trout are known to exist is the crystal-clear spring-fed Lago di Posta-Fibreno in the province of Frosinone, located in the south-central Italy. One is simply called trota, the common trout, and the other, like the trout of Lago di Garda, is called carpione. The carpione trout of Fibreno was named a new species in 1989, Salmo fibreni, by Italian ichthyologists. A very small trout, sexually mature at 5 inches (12.7 cm) and rarely exceeding 10 inches (25.4 cm), apparently lives in small holes in the side of a mud outcropping in the lake and comes out only to feed and spawn. As Johannes Schoffmann, who has observed them while diving describes it, 'Salmo fibreni lives in caves from spring to fall. It leaves the shelter of the caves in November to December to spawn.' "

Just to whet your appetite for adventure...Prosek lists several other trout varieties (or species?) in Italy. If you get any, please post pics so we can see them no matter what size!

Jonathon

Don't they have those Marble Trout in Italy? Look like Brown trout but the spots are all connected sorta?

I'll be in and around Rome from July 8 to 16. Any thoughts on fly fishing?

Ha. Ha...No I think those are the pointillist trout...Invasive species from France.



Is this true Bruce? You will have way more to do than worry about chasing trout...You will need to seek an audience with the Pope and see if he has any forgiveness for you for fishing with nymphs...;)

Spence

Spence
I will seek forgiveness for my fishing ways, and for the company I keep on the streams. Ha! I'm working, but I will find a fly shop around Rome if there is one.
Bruce

Whatever you decide to do don't let a fly box hang out of your vest pocket very far. They have some exceptionally skilled pick pockets in Italy.

Bruse...Those Pennsylvania Boys are ok, but there are more than a few "Hail Mary's" in your future for fishing with that crazy Dutchman from Michigan...;)

I fished on the Tevere River in Tuscany with Luca Castellani as a guide and had a great day. I don't think I could have managed the licensing process and stream access with out him.
It was really one of the best fishing days of my life, caught more 15-18 inch browns than I could count.
I highly recommend Luca, it was a great day and the browns are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I didn't think the rates were too unreasonable, but don't remember what I paid. It really added to my trip, although Tuscany is pretty spectacular even without fishing.

These links may help those seeking to fish in Italy:

http://www.terenziosilklines.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=88&lang=en

http://www.westerneuropeantravel.com/nera.php

http://www.waderson.com/1502-Flyfishing-Guide-In-Central-Italy.html

http://www.flyforums.co.uk/european-rest-world-fishery-updates/50608-short-guide-fly-fishing-rivers-central-italy.html

Bruce, since you will be meeting the pope, be sure to get your equipment blessed.

Louis, its going to take more than that for our buddy Bruce here! ;)

Spence

PS My first post with my new iPad and it has to be smart assed...Go figure.

Has anyone fly fished for trout in southern Italy? I ask because I am touring the area now (in late March 2016) and there seem to be a number of likely rivers in the Cilento National Park area such as the Bussento and Mingardo in Salerno Province. Anyone know anything more about these rivers? Regards, Andrew

There is an Italian graphite fly rod builder named Sandro Gatti. He has a web site in Italian and another in English. He often fishes in Croatia and Slovenia. I've provided the address of his web site and you could call him and see what he thinks of the waters you are inquiring about.

http://www.gattiflyfishing.it/

Many thanks, I'll have a look. Tight lines! Andrew