I noticed that there've been a few questions on fly-fishing in Italy, and I thought I'd share my experiences fishing some of the rivers in Central Italy, particularly in the regions of Lazio and Abruzzo. I know that if you guys make it to Italy, you probably have other things on your agenda besides fly-fishing, but hey, you never know! Hopefully it'll be of some use to the forum.
Legal Requirements:
National "D" Fishing License for Foreigners, valid for 3 months, available from the municipal hunting and fishing office
Cost:
2 tax stamps of €14.62 each (can be bought at many tobacconists) + €8.52 payment at the post office addressed to the municipal/region in which you intend to apply for the license. Some regions will charge an additional small fee for other requirements like a "tally card".
Until very recently a foreigner would be required to get the National "D" Fishing license to fish any inland water. That has changed, with some regions now requiring only a payment to the local fishing office for a regional license, e.g., Veneto, in which Venice and Padua are found, and Tuscany require only the payment of €8.52 to the regional fishing office. Lazio and Abruzzo both still require the national "D" license.
The fishing license entitles you to fish any rivers and lakes not subject to additional local restrictions, e.g. the Province of Rieti in Lazio requires, in addition to the national license, their local license and tally card, and if you intend to fish the C&R stretches of a river, the C&R permit.
Fishing season for Salmonids:
From the last Monday of February to the first Sunday of October.
Some regions ban the fishing of a local subspecies of the brown trout, Salmo trutta macrostigma.
There are closed seasons on chub, barbel, whitefish, perch, tench and carp, which vary from region to region. There's usually no closed season for pike, crucian carp, minnows (!) except for some local restrictions. Most regions ban the fishing the inland shad and freshwater crayfish.
Fishing Generalities
Where fishing is permitted, class "A" rivers are governed by the trout fishing season, and cannot be fished using maggots as bait, multi-hook rigs, or ground-baiting. Fly-fishing is always allowed. There's often a restriction on the number of rods an angler can use, usually not more than 2.
These rivers are very often stocked during the fishing season, supposedly only with brown trout, although rainbow trout are so common in many of these rivers that one has to wonder. Stocking is not allowed where the S.t.macrostigma subspecies is present.
The limit is usually 6 fish with a minimum total length of 22-30 cm, depending on the region. Some stretches of the rivers below have a limit of 1 fish, or are only C&R.
Setup:
6.5-9 ft, 3-6 wt, floating lines.
Heavier gear is not required as you will seldom catch anything over 5 lbs unless you specifically target carp, and long rods are a hindrance since there are loads of overhanging branches etc. More than half the time I'm either side or roll casting. Casts are usually short, not more than 20-50 ft.
I used 5.5-7 ft furled leaders and a 1-3 ft tippet, generally Maxima Ultragreen 4 lb (0.17 mm).
Flies:
The classics work really well. I generally use only the following, and have never gone home without at least catching (and releasing 95% of the time) a fish. I fish dry flies all the time, but the nymphs listed below all work well. I fish flies sized 14-22, too lazy to deal with anything smaller, and generally use either the Davy Knot or the Duncan Loop for fly to tippet attachment.
Dries:
Adams and variants (Parachute, Female, Wulff, Irresistible)
Elk-hair Caddis
Various Daddies and Hoppers
Klinkhamers
G & H Sedge
Wulff flies, especially Royal and Gray
Griffith's Gnat
Midge flies in black, olive, Adams
Parachute Pheasant-tail
Parachute BWO
Nymphs:
PTN
GRHE
Gold Bead Head GRHE
GBH Copper John
GBH PTN
GBH Brassies
Czech Nymphs
Montana Nymphs (Killer for chub)
Some of the Class "A", i.e., Salmonid Rivers, of Central Italy
This is only a partial list. I've not included some famous rivers like the Velino -- I seldom fish this for a variety of reasons, so I don't have enough pertinent information to share.
The Aniene River, Lazio
A beautiful river, especially at the C&R section above the town of Subiaco. I've never seen chub in this part of the river, and the brownies are absolute beauties. Heavily stocked and heavily fished.
Location: between the towns of Jenne and Subiaco, and at the bridges of Agosta and Marano Equo
Type: freestone
Requirement: "D" license
The Aventino River, Abruzzo
This river is very heavily fished, and also very heavily stocked.
Location: from the town of Palena to its mouth at Lake Casoli
Type: freestone, with abundant snow-melt in spring
Requirement: "D" license, except for several locally managed stretches where a separate permit is required
The Pescara and Orta Rivers, Abruzzo
These rivers contains trout, but because their lower stretches are not classified "A", can be fished throughout the year although you can't bring home the trout you catch during the closed season. The stretches I fish are not as clean nor as scenic as the other rivers here, but do contain the lunker escapee rainbow due to the presence upriver of one of Europe's largest commercial trout farms, and a healthy population of wily, and wild, brown trout.
Location: adjacent to the Scafa-Alanno exit of the A25 motorway
Type: freestone
Requirement: "D" license
The Salto River, Lazio
At this point, the Salto is a pretty little stream full of small chub and trout. Almost no need to cast here, dapping the fly will do!
Location: the stretch to the east and west of the town of Torano di Borgorese near the Valle del Salto exit on the A24 motorway
Type: freestone (I think. It's got a really rich weed growth that makes me think it could be a chalkstream)
Requirement: "D" license and the permit from the province of Rieti
The Santa Susanna Chalkstream
A beautiful, limpid chalkstream (spring creek) with loads of trout, both brown and stocked rainbow. I generally fish the fly-only C&R stretch.
Location: below the town of Rivodutri, province of Rieti
Type: chalkstream
Requirement: "D" license, Rieti C&R rivers permit
The Sangro River
For angling purposes I divide the river into 2 parts, the Upper and Lower Sangro. For me, the Upper Sangro runs from the town of Castel di Sangro to its mouth on Lake Bomba. The Lower Sangro runs from the tailwater of the dam to where it meets the Adriatic Sea. This river is very heavily stocked and fished and the Italian Fly-fishing museum and school is found in Castel di Sangro. Despite the heavy fishing pressure, and in Italy C&R is still very much in its infancy, trout is plentiful and chub abundant, if not practically a nuisance! On the Lower Sangro trout is less plentiful, but chub, roach, barbel and carp are common. I've even caught an eel on a fly here!
Location:
Upper Sangro - From Castel di Sangro to Lake Bomba
Lower Sangro - From Lake Bomba to the Adriatic Sea
Type: Freestone with abundant snow-melt in spring. The Lower Sangro is subject to the daily opening of the dam gates on Lake Bomba
Requirements: "D" license, except for several stretches, notably at Castel di Sangro and at Villa Santa Maria, where local permits are required
The Tirino
The quintessential British chalkstream, beautifully clear waters loaded with insect life and fat brown trout.
Location: 110 miles from Rome at an elevation of about 1,500' ASL, exit Bussi on the A25 motorway
Type:chalkstream
Requirement: "D" license, daily rod fee of 10 euros for visitors
I've placed photos in my gallery for those of you who're interested: Image Gallery
Legal Requirements:
National "D" Fishing License for Foreigners, valid for 3 months, available from the municipal hunting and fishing office
Cost:
2 tax stamps of €14.62 each (can be bought at many tobacconists) + €8.52 payment at the post office addressed to the municipal/region in which you intend to apply for the license. Some regions will charge an additional small fee for other requirements like a "tally card".
Until very recently a foreigner would be required to get the National "D" Fishing license to fish any inland water. That has changed, with some regions now requiring only a payment to the local fishing office for a regional license, e.g., Veneto, in which Venice and Padua are found, and Tuscany require only the payment of €8.52 to the regional fishing office. Lazio and Abruzzo both still require the national "D" license.
The fishing license entitles you to fish any rivers and lakes not subject to additional local restrictions, e.g. the Province of Rieti in Lazio requires, in addition to the national license, their local license and tally card, and if you intend to fish the C&R stretches of a river, the C&R permit.
Fishing season for Salmonids:
From the last Monday of February to the first Sunday of October.
Some regions ban the fishing of a local subspecies of the brown trout, Salmo trutta macrostigma.
There are closed seasons on chub, barbel, whitefish, perch, tench and carp, which vary from region to region. There's usually no closed season for pike, crucian carp, minnows (!) except for some local restrictions. Most regions ban the fishing the inland shad and freshwater crayfish.
Fishing Generalities
Where fishing is permitted, class "A" rivers are governed by the trout fishing season, and cannot be fished using maggots as bait, multi-hook rigs, or ground-baiting. Fly-fishing is always allowed. There's often a restriction on the number of rods an angler can use, usually not more than 2.
These rivers are very often stocked during the fishing season, supposedly only with brown trout, although rainbow trout are so common in many of these rivers that one has to wonder. Stocking is not allowed where the S.t.macrostigma subspecies is present.
The limit is usually 6 fish with a minimum total length of 22-30 cm, depending on the region. Some stretches of the rivers below have a limit of 1 fish, or are only C&R.
Setup:
6.5-9 ft, 3-6 wt, floating lines.
Heavier gear is not required as you will seldom catch anything over 5 lbs unless you specifically target carp, and long rods are a hindrance since there are loads of overhanging branches etc. More than half the time I'm either side or roll casting. Casts are usually short, not more than 20-50 ft.
I used 5.5-7 ft furled leaders and a 1-3 ft tippet, generally Maxima Ultragreen 4 lb (0.17 mm).
Flies:
The classics work really well. I generally use only the following, and have never gone home without at least catching (and releasing 95% of the time) a fish. I fish dry flies all the time, but the nymphs listed below all work well. I fish flies sized 14-22, too lazy to deal with anything smaller, and generally use either the Davy Knot or the Duncan Loop for fly to tippet attachment.
Dries:
Adams and variants (Parachute, Female, Wulff, Irresistible)
Elk-hair Caddis
Various Daddies and Hoppers
Klinkhamers
G & H Sedge
Wulff flies, especially Royal and Gray
Griffith's Gnat
Midge flies in black, olive, Adams
Parachute Pheasant-tail
Parachute BWO
Nymphs:
PTN
GRHE
Gold Bead Head GRHE
GBH Copper John
GBH PTN
GBH Brassies
Czech Nymphs
Montana Nymphs (Killer for chub)
Some of the Class "A", i.e., Salmonid Rivers, of Central Italy
This is only a partial list. I've not included some famous rivers like the Velino -- I seldom fish this for a variety of reasons, so I don't have enough pertinent information to share.
The Aniene River, Lazio
A beautiful river, especially at the C&R section above the town of Subiaco. I've never seen chub in this part of the river, and the brownies are absolute beauties. Heavily stocked and heavily fished.
Location: between the towns of Jenne and Subiaco, and at the bridges of Agosta and Marano Equo
Type: freestone
Requirement: "D" license
The Aventino River, Abruzzo
This river is very heavily fished, and also very heavily stocked.
Location: from the town of Palena to its mouth at Lake Casoli
Type: freestone, with abundant snow-melt in spring
Requirement: "D" license, except for several locally managed stretches where a separate permit is required
The Pescara and Orta Rivers, Abruzzo
These rivers contains trout, but because their lower stretches are not classified "A", can be fished throughout the year although you can't bring home the trout you catch during the closed season. The stretches I fish are not as clean nor as scenic as the other rivers here, but do contain the lunker escapee rainbow due to the presence upriver of one of Europe's largest commercial trout farms, and a healthy population of wily, and wild, brown trout.
Location: adjacent to the Scafa-Alanno exit of the A25 motorway
Type: freestone
Requirement: "D" license
The Salto River, Lazio
At this point, the Salto is a pretty little stream full of small chub and trout. Almost no need to cast here, dapping the fly will do!
Location: the stretch to the east and west of the town of Torano di Borgorese near the Valle del Salto exit on the A24 motorway
Type: freestone (I think. It's got a really rich weed growth that makes me think it could be a chalkstream)
Requirement: "D" license and the permit from the province of Rieti
The Santa Susanna Chalkstream
A beautiful, limpid chalkstream (spring creek) with loads of trout, both brown and stocked rainbow. I generally fish the fly-only C&R stretch.
Location: below the town of Rivodutri, province of Rieti
Type: chalkstream
Requirement: "D" license, Rieti C&R rivers permit
The Sangro River
For angling purposes I divide the river into 2 parts, the Upper and Lower Sangro. For me, the Upper Sangro runs from the town of Castel di Sangro to its mouth on Lake Bomba. The Lower Sangro runs from the tailwater of the dam to where it meets the Adriatic Sea. This river is very heavily stocked and fished and the Italian Fly-fishing museum and school is found in Castel di Sangro. Despite the heavy fishing pressure, and in Italy C&R is still very much in its infancy, trout is plentiful and chub abundant, if not practically a nuisance! On the Lower Sangro trout is less plentiful, but chub, roach, barbel and carp are common. I've even caught an eel on a fly here!
Location:
Upper Sangro - From Castel di Sangro to Lake Bomba
Lower Sangro - From Lake Bomba to the Adriatic Sea
Type: Freestone with abundant snow-melt in spring. The Lower Sangro is subject to the daily opening of the dam gates on Lake Bomba
Requirements: "D" license, except for several stretches, notably at Castel di Sangro and at Villa Santa Maria, where local permits are required
The Tirino
The quintessential British chalkstream, beautifully clear waters loaded with insect life and fat brown trout.
Location: 110 miles from Rome at an elevation of about 1,500' ASL, exit Bussi on the A25 motorway
Type:chalkstream
Requirement: "D" license, daily rod fee of 10 euros for visitors
I've placed photos in my gallery for those of you who're interested: Image Gallery
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