Fly fishing in Northern Italy is simply spectacular. The Italian Alps offer fly fishermen the chance to catch marble trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, Arctic char and grayling, all the while, exploring one of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes.
In the Trentino region, we honour their deeply-rooted fishing tradition by continuing to fish in the distinctive fishing spots that this area has to offer, such as; mountain streams, alpine lakes, and trophy trout rivers. There are more than 1,200 miles worth of rivers and almost 300 mountain lakes. Our fishing guide company is located in the Italian paradise for fly fishing!
Italy is also an excellent fishing destination for couples. Not only can you enjoy fly fishing in places of great beauty, but you can tour historical Roman monuments, visit world famous operas, relish the Italian cuisine and wines or discover charming national parks.
Our fly-fishing trips in Italy are centralized in the town of Rumo (Trento), in the heart of the Italian Alps. Rumo is a small town near Bolzano known for being the capital of fly-fishing in Italy.
Our operations center is located 2 hours from the international airport of Milan Bergamo Airport, and 2 hours away from the Venice airport.
Our fishing vacations packages include airport transfers, meals, accommodation, licenses and permits, fishing gear, guided fly fishing and the option to provide alternative activities for companions.
As local fishing guides, we want you to be exposed to a unique fly fishing experience in Italy!
Do not hesitate to check the alternative activities for companions.
Sample trip:
Day 1: Arrival at Milan-Bergamo or Venice Airport and provided transportation to our operations center.
Day 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6: Early breakfast at the hotel. Transportation provided by guides to fishing area. Guided fishing day with a tasty picnic near the river and return to the hotel and dinner.
Day 7: Breakfast and provided transportation to Milan-Bergamo or Venice Airport.
Our guided fishing trip in the Dolomites Alps sets off from the town of Ponte Arche, located just 15 miles from Adamello Brenta Nature Park. From this strategic point, we have access to a multitude of rivers, streams and mountain lakes.
1. Alto Chiese
The Chiese River, and its tributaries, are born from the glaciers of the Alps. Its waters are crystal clear and the fish are medium-sized.
In Alto Chiese, you will find a fishing utopia surrounded by incredible alpine landscapes in the heart of a natural park. This area is also suitable for hiking and dry fly fishing. The rivers do not require great technical knowledge of fishing and most fishing spots are within a 30 minute-drive from our operations center.
The kind of fish you would expect to catch in this region are chars, brown trout, graylings and perhaps a surprise or two.
2. Alto Sarca
The Sarca River is known to be one of the spots where the World Fly FIshing Championship was held in 2019.
In this river, with its strong current, you can catch marble trout and large trout hybrids.
Sarca river is located at the bottom of the valley next to Trento and 30 minutes by car from our operations center. It is a medium-sized river, and it is not recommended for beginners.
There is plenty of opportunity for all techniques including; dry flies, nymphing and streamer fishing. You can expect to catch marble and brown trout, Arctic char and grayling.
3. Val di Sole
The Val di Sole is located in the Alpine valley in the Trentino-Alto Adigio region, about 1.5 hours from our hotel in Ponte Arche.
This valley has a plethora of whitewater rivers that offer a great opportunity for dry fly fishing. There are also some mountain lakes where you can sight fish for trout.
4. Val di Fiemme
The Avisio river in the Val di Fiemme offers fishermen the opportunity to catch the famous marmoratus trout and other large species of fish.
This area can be easily accessed by driving an hour and a half from the town of Ponte Arche.
5. Val di Non
Noce River, in Val di Non valley, is a slow moving stream that runs through a plain where hatches are large in number. Some common fishes you can find here are nice brown and marble trout. It is located less than 50 minutes away from the town of Ponte Arche.
Trentino region in the Italian Alps is suitable for fishing most of the year, it offers one of the longest fishing seasons in all of Italy; opening in mid-February and closing at the end of October.
Depending on the month of the year the river conditions vary:
In order to fish in Italy, you will need to acquire a fishing license and a day permit depending on the waters you would like to fish at. Fishing is regulated locally in Italy, so the license or permit will depend on the region you want to fish in.
When hiring the services of Alps Fly Fish licenses and day permits will be taken care of for you, we will just ask for some information beforehand.
To obtain the fishing license in Italy it is necessary to take a fishing exam. As a specialized travel agency, Alps Fly Fish is in the position to directly apply for the fishing licenses for our clients. We will also take care of acquiring daily fishing permits and choosing the best fishing spots depending on the time of the year.
All these procedures are included in our fly-fishing vacation packages in Italy.
We mostly use European flies for fly fishing in Italy, but we also do use other American patterns.
Our guides will stock you with all sorts of flies for fishing, we know the most successful flies for every river and time of the year.
In broad strokes, we would recommend the following:
It is difficult to choose «the perfect rod» to fish in all the rivers of the Italian Alps.
If we had to choose just one, we’d pick a fast action #5 9ft rod.
In the rivers of Italy, we don’t need heavy lines because the fish are not large. With this in mind, we need precision and easy handling.
Number 3 line 8.6 ft. rods are suitable for fishing in small mountain streams, and, in the case of lakes, #6 lines will do the job.
Regarding the reel, automatic ones are very helpful since they allow us to pick up the line very quickly in the mountain streams. In Italy, we frequently use Franco Vivarelly reels.
In the Italian Alps we offer two guided fly fishing operations:
Base in Rumo (Trento): Fishing in the best waters of Italy in the heart of the Alps.
Our fly-fishing trips in Italy are centralized in the single operations center located in Rumo (Trento). It is a four-star hotel that provides services and spaces that satisfy all a fisherman’s needs.
From this spot, we have access to an abundance of streams, lakes, and rivers at a maximum distance of 1.5 hours by car.