MANFRED MAYER

Who introduced you to flyfishing?
I`m fishing since 35 years with the fly and learned it by friends and flyfishing schools.

Can you tell us a little about your home waters and the fish you persue there?
I`m managing a fishing-club with about 150 members and we own about 80 kilometers of creeks and rivers in bavaria. Thre are many kinds of fish in this waters:

trout (fario and rainbow), greylings, huchen (a kind of sweet water salmon), pikes, carps, perches, perch-pikes, cat-fish, barbel, tenches…totally 18 kinds of fish.

All this kinds of fish you can catch with the fly – and this varability of fishing is very nice.

What`the height of the season for you? What time of year is you personal favorite?
Mostly summer and autumn. You can have big fights with huge carps, trout fishing is good up to septembre, and in the late autumn is a very good time for pikes.

What are your favorite travel destinations? Whats on the bucket list?
Especially in winter and springtime I like to go for saltwaterfishing. I was in florida, bahamas, antigua for bonefish, tarpon, jacks, barracudas…

Since 5 years I spend about 5 weeks in Patagonia to fish for trouts and salmons. I like to be in regions, where you are alone with nature…and fantastic fishing regions.

Sometimes I was also for atlantic-salmon-fishing in Norway, Denmark, Fiinlad and Russia. A few years ago I was also in Kanada/Yucon and Alaska.

Next trips: in February I go to the bahamas (grat exuma) for bonefishing, in may to Bosnia for grailing-fishing, in July to Kola(Russia) for salmon fishing, i august to Belice for chasing Permits, Bones … and in January I go again to Patagonia for 5 weeks.

What you like most about Thomas & Thomas rods. Which rods do you fish?
20 Years ago I was in a flyfishig school in Austria. The teacher was Roman Moser and he had a T&T rod. I liked theis fantastic rod, because it was a very good handling in all distances. I bought this rod # 5 (HS 905) an I have it still with me in Patagonia for the very hard fighting trouts. T&T rods are very strong and powerfull but very comfortable to cast with precision. Espacially in saltwater, the solar-rods are my favorites.

What is your current go-to fly?
I like to tie of all insects we have in germany. In the last years I have much fun in tying big bugs and dragonflies for my trips in Patagonia – for instance stag-beetles in a very huge size(up to 10 centimeters).

I`ts spectacular, how the fish chase for this flies. Beside this I tie big flies for pikes and flies for the saltwaterfishing.

Other than fly tackle, what peace of gear do you find indispensable?
I like very good but also light-weight equioment which I can rely on. This is necessary, when you are in regions, where you cannot find an equipment-shop nearby.

What`s you ideal lunch when on Water? What do you actually pack?
When i go fishing, mostly I forgot eating, because I`m so fixed in what I´m doing.

I take with me a sandwhich, some water – maybe one beer.

What flyfishing blogs/magazines do you read regularly?
I have a subscription for 3 magazines:

“Fliegenfishen” (Flyfishing)

“Fisch und Fliege” (Fish and fly)

“Global Angler”

When I`m not fishing you find me:
I have a little lake with a hut – and there is always much work to do.

With my wife I go skiing, tours with the bicycle and wandering in the bavarian mountains.