10 OF THE BEST

FEW PEOPLE GET TO TRAVEL FOR FLY FISHING AS MUCH AS FLY FISHING NATION’S STEPHAN DOMBAJ. EVEN FEWER DIVE AS DEEPLY INTO THE DESTINATIONS THEY VISIT. FROM POONS AT DAWN OFF REMOTE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS, TO GENTLE MANLY WHIPPINGS IN A RUSSIAN SAUNA, KOREAN KARAOKE AND MIDGET FISH, BACKYARD BROWNS AND FLATS FISHING FRENCHMEN IN CROCS, THESE ARE BOTH HIS TOP TEN DESTINATIONS AND KEY MEMORIES FROM A FEW DECADES OF FLY-FISHING ADVENTURES.

Photos. Stephan Dombaj and Fly Fishing Nation

About 20 years ago, I picked up fly fishing. Little did I know back then, that it would take me to some absolutely mind-blowing places. It was the key to a parallel universe where everything revolved around adventures and fishing. It is a simpler world governed by different rules: seasons, migration-pattern, moon-phases, tides, weather, barometric pressure, hatches, etc. Even more than that, the fly rod was a tool that allowed me to connect to a more natural world. Pinning down my top ten adventures in a shabby little social media post will not do justice, so I will keep it as general as I can. Also, there’s no hierarchy or order. There’s no such thing as “the best place”. Every time you venture off into your own backyard fishery or some far-flung place, the magic happens. Here are the ten fond memories that have altered my perception of fishing.

I started my guiding career in Argentina and fished it before that. Argentina is a love story in itself, despite the fishing. And yes, the opportunities are endless: dorado fishing in the north, trout all over the place in Patagonia, and chinook in St. Cruz... a ton of little side quests including boga, striped mullet, pacú, pati, pejerrey, hake, bonito, catfish, yellowtail amberjack, mackerel, sea bass, sharks, pejerrey de mar, flatfish, bluefish, sandperch and croaker. But the seatrout fishing is truly world class in the very sense of that description”. It is indisputably the best seatrout destination on the planet. On top of that, I am obsessed with swung-fly fisheries. There’s something magic about a fish pulling a line tight on a bite. The two big rivers: the Rio Grande and the Rio Gallegos are internationally known, but there are several other smaller rivers that are nothing short of spectacular. Seatrout fishing in Argentina - I freaking love it. Key memory: My initial reaction when I arrived in that country finding everything was new and exotic … I was very young. Argentina is one of those countries where I can’t just pin it down to one impression other than the first one. It’s been more than ten years which has become a wild blur of things and every single year it seems to add layers and layers of amazement on top. I arrived in late March/beginning of April 2007 and, from the early spring, we went down to the impending winter in Argentina which is bitterly cold and everything was just out of proportion. I quite literally jumped into the aeroplane and it was this Alice-in-Wonderland down the rabbit hole experience. We didn’t even have time in Buenos Aires. We just rushed immediately to the next airport and onto the next flight down to Rio Cachegos and then a transfer on to the lodge. The fishing was comparably slow, but it was absolutely outstanding for me because the fishing I had at home on the best days was a million times worse than a slow day in Argentina.

For a while, the travel industry was (and still is) obsessed with GTs, and every Tom, Dick, and Harry ventured off to find the next Seychelles. We did the exact same thing, and together with Rickard Sjöberg and Frenchman Claude Lombardo, I ended up in southern New Caledonia. Don’t feel too bad if you cannot immediately point it out on a map,. It’s far away in the South Pacific, east of Australia and north of New Zealand. It is as far away as it is mesmerizing. Our initial GT plans were thrown overboard as we ran into the first school of bonefish, pushing in on a sand-flat during a crazy flood tide. They were enormous. I caught several PBs and ran into fish that would shatter one record after another. This place was alive! On top of that, sharks everywhere. We had to leave the flats several times because big bull sharks were a little too inquisitive. This was ten years ago - it still is a fantastic memory.

Key memory: Claude made the trip simply because he was super French. I met Claude in Argentina. Having a dude who is supremely French on a tropical island like this is just crazy. He would smoke like a steam train, would always wade in his Crocs and everything about him was quintessentially European. So that made the experience completely surreal. It was a beautiful tropical Pacific Ocean setting, but with me (German), Claude (French) and Rickard (Swedish), we were not exactly born to be there. We were sleeping in this mosquito-infested hut because nothing else was available but it didn’t matter because we wanted those bonefish so badly. Plus, Claude had all these secret side missions so, on top of the bonefish, he took us jungle perch fishing in the New Caledonian jungle.

Salmon fishing, in all shapes and forms, is epic. Yes, the good old over-used word epic. But that’s simply what it is. Atlantic salmon fishing is something I am especially fond of. Sadly, in times when salmon stocks worldwide are plunging towards near extinction, good waters are not as readily available as they used to be. I have travelled to seven countries to fish for them and the one that thrills me every single time is Russia. And while it’s saddening and sickening what’s going on in the world right now (I don’t want to dig too deep into politics here) the Kola Peninsula remains one of the strongholds of Atlantic salmon. It’s a wild adventure and the fishing is just exceptionally good. Every single trip since my first one in 2010, has been outstanding. Even when the conditions were terrible, it was generally speaking better than most places when they are good, just like in Argentina. I have scouted and guided these sacred waters and I am eternally thankful for the memories.

Key memory: the first time you travel to Russia as a Western dude, it’s as if someone has lifted the veil of the Iron Curtain just a little bit for you to sneak through and then closed it right behind you, because you do not end up in Moscow or St Petersburg (both beautiful cities), you end up in Murmansk. Murmansk is an industrial and military settlement in the heart of the Kola Peninsula and it is pretty rough. You’ve got these plants, construction sites, socialist planned housing, old cars, decommissioned submarines and it seems as if time is standing still. Knowing that you are so close to the Arctic Circle or even above the Arctic Circle, you’re in this completely surreal scenario. The one year Frontiers and the Ponoi River Company asked me to come take some pictures at a river camp called Brevyenni that they no longer run. I landed up in camp with a group of five Russians, all super nice dudes. We had this communication barrier and I would end up drinking vodka with them in the sauna which they would call banya. I was not used to those banya rites where you gently whip each other with wet branches. So, being in my early twenties with these older established ginormous dudes who wanted to whip me with wet branches in a sauna, was not only unfamiliar but, because I did not know that culturally this was a thing, I was a little intimidated too. Then we drank vodka and I had to swim naked through the home pool. So that was my first impression of Russia. It’s only gotten better and better since.

Cheesy one but, if I could pick only one fishing day before I have to leave this realm of existence, I’d fish in my backyard fishery. Everything I have ever done with a fly rod finds its roots in some cheap public waters in Western Germany. Carp, pike, barbel, chub, grayling, etc... this is where it all started for me. Whenever I get the chance, you will still find me out there. The one thing that I love more than anything, is our big old native wild brown trout. They have a very special place in my heart. No one cares if I catch another giant brown trout in a far-flung place, only reachable with a helicopter but, big wild browns from public water on a consistent basis, that levels the playing field. Key memory: I’ve had my best fish in terms of numbers and sizes when I go alone, but my backyard fishing has taught me that it’s not really as cool as the shared trips I have with Marina, Paulo, Alex or the rest of the Fly Fishing Nation crew. Firstly, that’s because you end up having to land some of these really large brown trout by yourself which is always a pain on thin leader and small flies. A lot of things can go wrong. Secondly there is no one to tell the story with. I had a day with a 12.5 pounder, a 10 pounder and two fish that were about 7 pounds. I was there all by myself and just had my iPhone with me, because I hardly ever take a camera when I am fishing on my own. So, one of my most memorable big fish days, I could not share. I just have crappy pictures. It’s just in my mind and I wish someone had been there with me so I could share and tell the story to. That was a revelation. It showed me I had

Backyard browns in Germany (above), grayling and other species in the Alps (bottom left) and Atlantic salmon in Russia (top left).

transcended from one plane to another in my angling, where the selfishness of keeping all the big fish to yourself wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be.

Nothing represents fly fishing in Europe as well as the Alps. Europe’s most extensive mountain range stretches across the borders of Southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Northern Italy, Slovenia, France, and Lichtenstein. The fishing possibilities are endless. When I was a teenager in Germany, our southern neighbour Austria seemed like the holy land. Big brown trout and grayling in crystal clear lakes and streams, readily rising to about every ugly fly in my box. That was my preconception of it and a lot of it turned out to be true. I spent years of my life in this part of the world and I loved every second of it. From little public bathing lakes with carp and other fish, over private and hidden river beats with amazing fish all the way to tiny high mountain creeks with little brookies... whatever your heart desires. And the food? Don’t even get me started! Brettljause (bread and cheese boards) and a proper beer, some Kaiserschmarrn (scrambled pancakes) for dessert, and you are done for the day.

Key memory: I was invited to fish in Austria in summer by the guy who owned the skiing hotel I used to visit to ski. He was well in his sixties and I came with three friends and we fished his river which was called the Möll. It is a beautiful little river in a national park with the highest peak in Austria visible there. I caught what, back then, was my largest brown trout on a dry fly in this super picturesque scenario. I was 16, with long blonde hair and dark fingernails from a rock festival, while this guy was obviously born and bred there and was rather like a mountain goat. He took me to this mountain lake that he said was a 40 minute hike away. It took me two and a half hours to get there while it took him exactly 40 minutes. I was impressed because, when you are 16/17, this whole concept of mortality and physical fatigue is so far away from you and I learnt a funny lesson. I just looked at him and thought, “Motherfucker! He’s running up that mountain and I am a flatlander.”

The Amazon is about more than just fish. Stephan, Paulo Hoffmann, Rodrigo Salles and Leandro Ettomi celebrate having a meal with legendary chef Doña Brazi

Jungle fishing in South America for golden dorado and peacock bass is something I really enjoy and that has left a deep impression. You have these two large systems from which you can create a basic separation between the two species. The Amazonian system is the peacock bass area and the Parana is the dorado area, though there is a tiny bit of crossover with tributaries like the Tsimane and its dorado, which ultimately drain into the Amazonian system. I have travelled to many jungles on this planet for fishing but this is the one that has left the deepest impression. Because of my upbringing and the media I consumed as a child (e.g. the Jungle Book), the jungle has a deep fascination. Exploring the green, dark heart of the jungle first hand is something I have always appreciated. As for the fish, jungle fish are beautiful. Our very definition of tropical fish for fish tanks is based mainly on Amazonian fish. These fish smash each other, they are either brutal, fast or have teeth. Peacock bass are wonderful acrobatic fish that hunt in packs. Dorado are wild and gorgeous. That stark ‘survival of the fittest’/’eat or be eaten’ vibe? You see that first-hand in the jungle. Key memories: perhaps my longest-lasting memory from the jungle is not about the fishing itself but of the food. Amazonian cuisine. My pre-conceived Western images of Brazil were basic - the Batida de Coco (coconut cocktail), tropical coconut tanning oil and the model Adriana Lim. So my pre-conception of the food was similarly basic - churrasco, the Brazilian BBQ. I felt quite stupid to arrive there and learn that the Amazonian cuisine is completely different and absolutely wonderful, with flavours that you would not even think of. We were introduced to the cooking of a woman called Doña Brazi, a very famous indigenous Amazonian chef who cooks with traditional ingredients from the jungle. Rodrigo Salles of Untamed Angling and his chef from the Rio Marie River boat organised everything. The chef was super stoked that Doña had some availability and would cook for us in her backyard. We had surubi catfish with vegetables on top. There was manioc, there was tapioca and Amazonian jungle chili that is absolutely to die for and a lot of other things you don’t really eat in a globalised world. It was cheap, we had a lot of beers with it and it was one of the best meals I have ever had. Having these original jungle flavours and fresh food from a short local supply chain was a really wonderful experience that connected me much deeper to the country than fishing ever could. This is how you experience a country really – fishing, eating their food, exploring their waters or mingling with their people. It’s a deeper, more immersive way to travel.

There was a time when I worked with the R&D department of Loop Tackle Design and I was sent to the factories in Korea to work together with Tomas Ögren on the original design of the Loop S1 rods. He was the head of design back then so under his masterful eye he taught me everything I know about modulation, how to measure rods properly etc. Korea is a very exciting place to be for a Westerner. Needless to say, part of the R&D phase is to go fishing. We were taken to the Korean Alps to fish some of the most gorgeous little creeks for tiny fish. Everybody who knows me knows that I am not really a small fish dude. It’s not that I don’t appreciate them, it’s just that physically I am 6’6”. Doing something like this is something I thoroughly enjoy but you hardly ever see media around it because it looks weird on me. Even a one metre GT looks kind of small on me. The scenery was to die for. We took plenty of pictures that Fly Fishing Nation is known for because we hit a rainy day and instead of all these dull grey colours that you usually have, the wet leaves lit up in a way that bright sunlight never could. It was rich and bright, life in technicolour and a wonderful, crazy experience. After catching fish so small that they would fit into the palm of my hand, we then stopped in a little tea house to have hot tea to warm ourselves before going back to the casting pond where we ate the spiciest egg and cheese ramen noodles I have ever had.

Key memories: The most memorable thing about Korea was when the guys from the factories invited us to join a karaoke night. I convinced Tomas to come, saying, “It will be funny. We can just sit back, enjoy the show and have a few beers.” Little did I know that A) all of these dudes are very good at karaoke and B) they are not into beers. They like to drink heavy liquor like whisky in amounts that would put a Scottish ghillie to shame. It started as planned. I sat back in the corner. Then the guy who owned the factory said, “I would like to welcome our guests from abroad and because Stephan is new to the circle, he will do the first round.” I did not see that coming and was really not prepared for it. I could not say no so I picked Radiohead’s Creep to sing and it was awful. Everyone clapped their hands and was entertained. Afterwards the boss took me aside and said, “Stephan, karaoke is not about how good or bad you are, it’s about you going up on the stage and being happy to entertain us without reservations.” It’s a thing of beauty, a soul trip. You are on the spot, you are not pretentious, you just get up there and go for it and the group appreciates that you did it for them. I thought, ‘Okay, I was bad, but that must mean everyone sucks.’ Then the Korean guys got up and were really good, belting out pitch perfect opera-style songs like Andrea Boccelli’s Time To Say Goodbye.

Venezuela and Cuba are two unique saltwater destinations that have left a very deep impression on me. After Stephan and Alexander Haider from Austrian Outdoor Sports contacted me about a DIY trip to Los Roques, I went to Venezuela for the first time around New Year’s Eve 20082009. Jason Jaeger had recently published something in Catch magazine about the bonefish and pelicans that would bomb down on the minnows and it was just spectacular. It was a dream place for us as central Europeans. Back then if someone in my inner circle had caught a permit, that guy was a hero so being there and being exposed to this crazy environment, seeing the tropical islands of the Caribbean fisheries for the first time, was quite amazing. Los Roques was for a long time considered to be the best wading fishing on the planet for bonefish, but it also has really good tarpon, permit fishing and triggers too. That was a memorable trip because I saw tarpon smoke bonefish and even permit for the very first time and I learned to spot bonefish on crystal white flats. The first morning the guide woke us up, 5:30 and tarpon were rolling all over the place, something I had never seen before. Up till then tarpon was a mythical creature that I had only dreamed about and, all of a sudden, this thing materialised in front

Before he got engaged, Stephan broke a few hearts on Los Roques.

of me crushing bait. Time stood still when I saw it for the first time. I could not even pick up a fly rod as I was behind the camera, so I just took pictures. I can say the same thing about the permit fishing in Cuba. When I first committed to permit fishing I went to Jardenias de la Reina and I was just blown away by everything. Having unpressured flats like that means the fish are easier. I think that’s a great thing because I do enjoy technical fishing. Personally, I like my fish to be big and dumb. No shame. I will take an easy fat dumb fish any day. Key memories: Los Roques is one of very few fisheries where you actively engage with the local people, whether it’s the guides who are all Venezuelan or with what you do after fishing. On the main island at Los Roques you don’t go back to a fishing lodge. You go into the village and just hang out there at a local beachfront bar with the locals and just sit there, feel the sun on your skin and the warm breeze of the Caribbean. It’s a more real, immersive experience than the static, overly hygienic, hermetically sealed generic lodge experience. It’s the good kind of dirty, the good kind of rough. I’ve nothing against lodges as they provide part of my income, but I sometimes like a rough experience just to remind myself that fishing still is an adventure. For the very same reason I like Venezuela and Cuba. Culturally, they live in their own little microcosmos and that’s what I want. I travel to get away and forget, not to remember where I am from.

During the heydays of GT fishing, I was part of a programme called GT X, Giant Trevally Exploration and we ended up in India where the company, Solid Adventures, was exploring the fisheries on the Lakshadweep Islands, an Indian territory north of the Maldives. It’s a former Pakistani military base that was repossessed by India. Without special permission you could not even get to the island. We went there to see if we could develop a tourist programme. We would go out with the local dudes and explore both popping and fly fishing. It was basically reef-walking with a couple of sand dunes. We were dirtbagging it, eating fish curry with coconut milk for every meal, sleeping on these open boats at night, driving to a new island, anchoring there, fishing it the next day and trying to figure out the tides.

We caught quality fish. The popping and triggerfish fishing was out of this world. Every day we would have a couple of shots at GTs. We found very few bonefish but the ones we did find were very big and there were also lots of pelagics around. When you think about fly fishing in India you immediately think about mahseer in rivers, but not necessarily proper saltwater fishing like this. Sadly, because of government issues, when they realised we were successful at what we were doing they wanted their share and the whole programme ultimately collapsed.

Key memory: The island is a completely Muslim population so, technically, there is no vice (alcohol, pornography etc). One of the local guys caught a nice fish and asked me to give him the pictures I took of it. When he gave me a pen drive/memory stick. It had a bunch of folders labelled ‘Mia Khalifa Compilation’ after the famous porn star, which was quite funny. When he realised the mistake after I gave it back to him, he tried to say, “It’s not what you think it is”. I said, “I’m not judging, two thirds of the internet is that kind of content.”

As a young angler, not having the financial means or the access or the connections to find reputable waters, I was heavily dependent on shitty local waters. Around this time, I developed a love for what is known in the UK as ‘coarse fish’: carp, chub, barbel, pike, perch, grayling all of these kinds of fish, not necessarily game fish. In the UK, trout and salmon are considered game fish, seatrout too, the rest are coarse fish. I think fly fishing for pike, catfish and carp is an absolutely amazing experience. To trick all of these larger white fish that are generally a lot bigger than the average trout, never gets boring. Carp on the fly is epic. Pike on the fly is fucking exhilarating. Fishing arm long streamers for pike and seeing them crush it is just wonderful. Same for barbel, a completely underrated fish, which people now travel to fish for. All of these fish will teach you more about fishing and they are a lot more universal than salmon, a GT or tarpon ever could be. You have pike in most northern hemisphere countries and carp are literally everywhere. If you know how to feed a tailing and mudding carp and get the hook set right, it is like the best dry-humping training for permit. I know some absolutely mind-blowing permit anglers that fish for carp almost every day when they have the chance. That is their training fish. These fish offer you a chance to get good at fly fishing for your dream fish at a very reasonable rate.

Key memory: I used to run every other Saturday with my friend Paulo in a local park and there was a millpond in there that was managed by 12 old guys. It was really hard to get hold of them to ask for fishing permission, because they hardly ever fished it and there was no one there ever. Eventually I got hold of one of them and asked for membership and the reason why I wanted to join this tight

From the exotic - Napoleon wrasse onLakshwadeep - to local lovelies like carp and European barbel, Stephan does not discriminate.

circle of old men was because while that millpond was no bigger than three or four tennis courts, it had a decent amount of carp and two or three incredibly large pike. On joining the club I learned that any sort of artificial lures were forbidden and they just fished with maggots and worms. Fly fishing was however allowed because it was deemed as ineffective. Happy days! These fish were smart. They were used to people walking around and as soon as you stopped they noticed that they were spotted and they would disappear into deep water for the rest of the day. We had to figure this out. The first fish I caught was a 32lber which was deep in some branches. I was walking, did a bow and arrow cast in front of it while still moving and he hit it. Paulo got a 27lber a couple of days later.