After two years of COVID bringing the world to a near-standstill, we went on holiday to the seaside.
Don't expect any big fishing in the high seas. I fished from the shore, in rocks along the coast and in various pools. Even that had its charm.
I tried to read something about fishing in Greece before my trip, but I didn't find much online. Just that you can do fly fishing in the interior, where people go mostly to catch trout. Most Greeks and tourists at the sea try speargun fishing. You don't need any special permission to use a speargun within 60m of the shore. It also looks like some areas around the coast are fish-free. That kind of fishing doesn't appeal to me, but I get it. Fishing for the locals is a way of making a living; it is not fun for them to catch and release like in our country. Petting fish, pouring water on them, using mats and other accessories – they absolutely don't do those things. Fish = food. And if the speargun hits a small fish or one that’s not edible, they just dump it in the sea or on the shore between rocks. Nature and other animals will take care of it.
I had the chance to fish twice with a local Greek who also fished from the shore like us. He didn't come fishing until 10 a.m., carrying his granddaughter's backpack, a telescopic handle and a large float. A nice Greek old man who kept us company. Even though he only spoke Greek, we tried to talk with him.
When he saw that the fish we caught were being hooked and put back in the water, he grabbed his head and laughed.
The next day, at the same spot on the shore, I saw a fisherman go into the water with a speargun. After about half an hour, he emerged from the water directly below us with a fish on a harpoon and offered it to us for lunch. We turned it down. I don't know what a man would do with it if he had only a fridge in his hotel room. I'm sure he thought we were trying to catch some food. We explained that we were tourists, and that we catch more or less for fun. He also didn't understand what sport fishing was. However, he went on diving and harpooning. He just waved at us and laughed.
It was interesting to see what kinds of fish they caught on different kinds of lures. Some liked mostly Greek bread and others liked mussels. After a few hours of fishing, you knew what fish you were targeting.
We caught the most fish at our hotel. There was a place near it that was full of boulders, with differing water depths.
But there were lots of interesting places around the coast; they were just hard to reach. One would either have to swim or take a boat.
An integral part of my gear was a landing net by Fencl. It was specifically the model King size M for fly fishing with a silicone net. Its dimensions are ideal for a suitcase. It really fits anywhere.
And now it's even more compact, because the landing net handle can be unscrewed.
Its quality is absolutely unsurpassed. Even after a week of using it in salt water, it is still the same as on the first day it arrived.
So if you are going abroad and you’d rather fish than lie by the water, I definitely recommend checking out the Fencl nets.
This time the fishing made the holiday a bit more interesting, although one then wades into the sea with more caution because one can see what kind of sea creatures one can encounter there. And if you're not going fishing, make sure you pack your snorkeling gear. There will certainly be places around your destination where the underwater world is worthwhile.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me. I wish you all a wonderful summer, full of fish and unbeatable experiences.
Jessica
Team Fencl
