After two years, when the world almost stopped thanks to Covid, we went on vacation to the sea.
To the island of Rhodes. I don't like it when you just lie on the beach all week, but this time we only went for 8 days, so it was supposed to be more or less a relaxing vacation. It wanted to spice up the rolling by the sea a little, so the rods were also packed in the suitcase.
Don't expect any big catches on the high seas. I fished from the shore, in the rocks along the coast and in various pools. That too had its charm.
I tried to read something about fishing in Greece before the trip, but I couldn't find much on the net. It's just that you can do fly fishing inland, where people mainly go to catch trout. The preponderance of Greeks and tourists at sea try harpoon fishing. You don't need any special permit to harpoon up to 60m from the shore, it also looks like it, some areas around the coast are fishless. I don't really like that kind of fishing, but I understand it. Fishing for the locals is a way of making a living, it's not catch and release fun for them like here. Petting the fish, pouring water, mats and other things, they absolutely do not play with that. Fish = food. And even if he hits a fish with a harpoon, or a fish that is not edible, he simply throws it into the sea or on the shore among the 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 came to fish until 10 o'clock in the morning, with his granddaughter's backpack, a telescope and a large duck. A nice old Greek man who kept us company. Even though he only spoke Greek, we tried to communicate with him.
When he saw that we unhook the fish we catch and release them back into the water, he grabbed his head and laughed.
The next day, at the same place on the shore, I saw a fisherman with a harpoon going into the water. 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 refused it, I don't know what a person would do with it when the hotel room only has a refrigerator. He must have thought we were trying to catch some food. We explained to him that we were tourists and that we were fishing more or less for fun. He also didn't understand what sport fishing was. Nevertheless, he went on diving and harpooning. He just waved his hand over us and laughed.
It was interesting to observe what types of fish took different types of bait. Some liked mainly Greek bread and others liked mussels. After a few hours of fishing, you knew what fish you were targeting.
Photo Mussels
We caught the most fish near our hotel. There was a place not far from it that was full of boulders, there were also different depths of the sea.
There were many interesting places around the coast, but they were difficult to access.
Either one would have to swim or in a boat.
An integral part of my equipment was a pick-up from Fencl. More specifically, the King size M model for fly fishing with a silicone net. Its dimensions are ideal
in the trunk, it really fits everywhere.
Photo of the tray in the trunk
And now it is even more compact, because the landing net handle can be unscrewed.
Its quality is absolutely unbeatable, because even after a week of using it in salt water, it is still the same as the first day it arrived.
Photo of a landing net by the sea
So, if you are going abroad, where you would like to go fishing in addition to lounging by the water, I definitely recommend taking a look at Fencl landing nets.
This time, thanks to fishing, the vacation was a little more interesting, although one then climbs into the sea with more caution, because he sees what kind of sea monsters he can meet there. And if you don't go directly to fish, definitely pack things for snorkeling in your suitcase. There will certainly be places in the vicinity of your destination where the underwater world is worth it.
Photo of goggles and a fishing rod
If you have any questions, feel free to write me. I wish you all a wonderful summer, full of fish and unbeatable experiences.
