Fly Fishing Insider Podcast
Munich sits about 60 miles north of the Alps, which puts Austria within ninety minutes by car, southern Bavaria's alpine rivers closer than that, and Slovenia about four hours away. One trip can cover brown trout, rainbows, grayling, char, pike, marble trout and taimen without changing base more than once.
Leonard Schoenberger is a German journalist and angler who runs The Wading List, a fly fishing publication covering gear, travel and the culture around the sport.
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How far is the fishing from Munich airport?
Munich sits roughly 60 miles north of the Alps, so a rental car from the airport reaches Austria in about an hour and a half and the alpine creeks and rivers of southern Bavaria sooner than that. Slovenia is roughly a four-hour drive from Munich, and the marble trout valleys there are about two hours from Venice, with Milan another two or three hours beyond. Trains run well through Austria, Switzerland and Italy, but a car matters in Slovenia, where the best water sits up narrow valley roads that trains do not reach.
What species can you fly fish for around Munich?
Rivers flowing out of the Alps near Munich hold brown trout, rainbows and grayling, and some of them hold char as well. Pike have become a popular fly rod target in the rivers around Munich, and in northern Germany pike over 40 to 50 inches are caught in the shallow brackish water of the Baltic, mostly in autumn. Perch fill the small ponds and lakes and are worth a light rod. South of the Alps, in Slovenia and northern Italy, the marble trout is the endemic species, and the huchen - a taimen-class predator - is the winter fish.
Do you need a license to fly fish in Germany?
Germany requires residents to pass a state fishing exam before they can fish at all, then buy a permit for the specific lake or river, though many areas now sell tourist permits good for about a week. Austria and Switzerland are similarly strict but issue tourist permits that make short visits easier, and one large Swiss canton sells a single permit covering a whole county's rivers, alpine lakes and small creeks. In Italy and Slovenia you buy a license for a particular river at a local fly shop, usually somewhere around 20 to 50 dollars a day. Emailing or calling a local fly shop before the trip is the fastest way to get a straight answer for any given water.
How big do marble trout get in Slovenia?
Marble trout live in rivers that can be 30 feet wide and gin clear, and fish of up to 40 inches are possible there, though most marble trout landed run 20 to 25 inches. Marble trout are usually caught on nymphs, and the guest's experience is that the smallest patterns take the biggest fish rather than the large nymphs anglers reach for first. Streamers turn on when the water is high and slightly colored, either rising or dropping, because marble trout lose some caution and hunt bait in that water.
When and how do you fish for huchen in the Alps?
Huchen fishing happens in winter, often sub-zero and snowing, because that is when these fish are found and targeted. A huchen in winter may feed only once or twice a week, so the fishing is about hours on the water rather than numbers, and fish of 50 to 60 inches and 50-plus pounds exist. The guest fishes 10-inch streamers on a two-handed rod and recommends at least an 8-weight, preferably a 10-weight. Because a huchen has a very hard mouth, a strip strike and a heavy saltwater hook are what keep the fish attached; lighter hooks get spat out.
Why do big trout eat a streamer at the end of the swing?
For big trout and for huchen, the guest uses a traditional salmon-style swing: cast across at about 45 degrees and let the streamer come around under tension. The take most often comes at the very end of the swing, just before the first strip, when the fly slows, hangs and wiggles in the current at its most natural. Fish will also follow a swung streamer all the way to the angler's feet without eating, which is normal for these predators rather than a sign of a bad presentation.
Does carrying fewer flies make you a better angler?
Carrying fewer flies pushes the angler to fix the drift instead of changing patterns, and the guest usually goes to the river with two nymphs and a couple of dry flies. On the east branch of the Delaware he spent 20 casts failing at a rising brown, stopped, watched, and worked out the fish was feeding on a roughly 20-second interval without ever moving off its lie - then caught it once the timing and drift matched. Time spent staring into a fly box is time not spent watching how a fish actually feeds, and presentation is what decides most refusals.
Key takeaways
- From Munich airport, Austria is about ninety minutes by car and Slovenia about four hours, so a one-week trip can cover several countries and several species.
- A 5-weight covers brown trout, rainbow trout, marble trout, grayling and perch across the region; huchen need at least an 8-weight and preferably a 10-weight.
- German fishing law requires residents to pass a state exam, but tourists can often buy a week-long permit - contact a local fly shop before traveling.
- In Italy and Slovenia, a river license bought at a local fly shop typically runs about 20 to 50 dollars a day.
- Fish small nymphs for marble trout: the guest's experience is that the smallest flies take the largest fish, with streamers reserved for high or slightly colored water.
- Set the hook on a huchen with a strip strike and use a heavy saltwater hook - their mouths are hard enough to reject lighter wire.
