Travelling to fly fishing destinations is not usually cheap, but there are some affordable options around the world. Portugal is one. Target species is carp! Initially I thought about hiring a guide but with a little research I found some decent info and decided to wing it. As luck would have it, my old mate Tonio was in the country and keen to meet for a fish. He also had quite a lot of experience with Portuguese carp so the stars really aligned for me. My research had pointed me towards Lake Alqueva and I also got wind of some small lakes near Evora. This was the area Tonio knew so Iza and I booked our accommodation in Evora first and then on to Monsaraz beside Lake Alqueva. Fly fishing really does bring you to some super places. Evora was a nice little town but Monsaraz was something out of a fairytale! A quaint, rustic, romantic little walled village full of character and history. The perfect place to bring your other half. No need to mention the lake full of carp which occupies much of its magnificent vista. I met Tonio the evening before our 3 fishing days began. We drank a few beers and chatted about old times. Roll on the next three days!
Day 1 and 2 were good. At times the carp were few and far between and we walked kilometres of shoreline in search of them. My flip-flops on day one were a very bad choice of footwear with lots of walking on uneven ground and mud! I don’t know what I was thinking!! When we did find carp they were not easy. As I had learned in the Azores, travelling fish were hard to entice but a fish with his head down and tail up – actively feeding fish were catchable. I was armed with my 6 wt Hot Toroedo and a Harfin reel. 3x tippet seemed to be the right choice for the carp we were encountering. We were using small buggers to begin with but I experimented with other flies, even catching one on a buzzer! One fly really seemed to have some magic though. It was a simple size 12, unweighted nymph with a claret body of possum fur and a red game tail. Once I put this fly on I really started catching. I gave a couple to Tonio and he also did well on it. We fished 3 different lakes landing about 16 carp over days 1 and 2 with the best fish around 5lbs. Good fun and challenging but where are the big fish?? We did see one 8lb plus fish come to think of it, but it was a fleeting opportunity.
Day 3. One of Western Europes largest dams, Lake Alqueva. Tonio had little info on this huge lake so we just picked a random spot near the bridge looking back up towards Monsaraz on the hill. We covered a few ks of shoreline only seeing about 6 fish. We didn’t land any but to our delight they were a lot bigger. Three times the size of what we were seeing on days 1 and 2. We decided to pull out and go somewhere else in the hope of finding better numbers. Tonio had an idea to drive quite a long way, then we followed our noses down some dirt tracks back to the lake. On arrival we knew we in better water. Lots of points, bays, drop-offs and weed beds. The banks were firm and gravelly and not muddy like a lot of previous water. We had lunch in the shade of a cork tree before hitting the water. I couldn’t help but think that maybe the handle of my fly rod originated right here! I went right and Tonio went left. We had walkie talkies to stay in touch. Tonio was just out of sight when he came through on the radio. “I’m in” he said, “and it’s big!” I replied “I’m in too, and it’s big”. The claret nymph once again. My first fish was also my biggest. I’d say 12 – 13lbs. After seeing the larger fish earlier in the day I upped the tippet from 8lb to 14lb. I was very glad I did. The moment these fish feel the hook they go ballistic! They’re incredibly fast, powerful fish and they run! I was delighted with my fish. Tonio was too. We knew the lake had a reputation for fewer but bigger fish so we were hoping to land one each. That was not to be however! Around the next corner there was another one, mooching around in a dense weed bed. I cast the nymph about a foot in front of the fish and let it settle, one twitch as it got to depth and I saw the carp move in slowly, then a quick motion of its mouth and I struck instantly. Chaos! This fish was as good as the first if not better. He went straight out into the lake against tight drag almost to my backing. Then I made a mistake! I told Tonio over the radio that I was in again and inadvertently eased up on the fish as I fumbled with the radio. He got into the weeds and broke me. Lesson learned! The next fish I landed. I ended up hooking 8 and landing 5 for the day, all between 8 and 13lbs. All sight fishing. I know Tonio also had a great day landing a number of fish. A well timed strike seemed to be the key to success. The place is spectacular too. Wide open, wild space dotted with cork trees. I’m not sure what the best time of year to go is but I was there last September.
For anyone living in Europe this fishery is very accessible with regular, inexpensive flights to Lisbon. We saw some great deals from Boston too. There is a fly fishing guide operating out of Evora. He can pick you up at the airport and take you to his base. He has a package deal with accommodation, food and transport included and it’s reasonably priced. You can contact Jose Rodrigues through his website –Â http://www.carponflyadventures.com. The other option is to go it alone! I was lucky enough to have Tonio to show me a few lakes near Evora. With respect for local anglers, I won’t name these lakes but just look on a map. My guess is that all the lakes have carp (but maybe I’m wrong!). A simple plan if you were to go unguided would be to base yourself in Monsaraz (or anywhere near the lake) and fish Alqueva every day. The lake is vast (250KM2, 1200km of shoreline) with a multitude of different types of lakeshore. The fish are big. Walk, stalk, you’ll find fish! I can’t recommend it highly enough. There are black bass there too!
On a final note, it was really great to hang out and fish with Tonio again. It’s been a long time! We fished almost an entire season together in NZ about 10 years ago. I met Tonio and Paul for the first time a few years before that. They were filming “The Instructor” which I happily got involved in. That was the beginning of my involvement with the madness that is Sexyloops and the beginning of my friendships with both Tonio and Paul. There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since! We had a superb 3 days fishing! I hope it’s not 10 years til we do it again.. Many thanks, Tonio!
Tight Lines,
Ronan..
If you’re thinking about a trip to NZ next season and you’d like my guidance, please drop me a line. Well over half of next season is booked up already. Contact me on www.ronansflyfishingmissions.com or email me ronan@sexyloops.com
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Great to meet Tonio again.. We fished lots of the South Island together back in 07 ish..
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Tonio!
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First fish!
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One for me. Day 1 was slow but we landed 5 or 6..
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Pretty happy with this one!
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Tonio applies the pain!
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While Tonio and I fished, Iza went to the Chapel of Bones in Evora. I was sorry to miss this!!
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Bones! Lots of them..
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More bones..
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Good fun..
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Walking and sighting as we go..
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Nice water..
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Almost there..
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Plenty carp in these reservoirs..
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Tornado!
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Day 2. I love this old bridge! Great stone work..
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The region is famous for its cork!
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Probably enough here for a rod handle.
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Didn’t find many here..
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We left this lake after a slow morning..
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Cork trees..
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The cork grows back for multiple harvests I’m guessing??
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Like a poodle!
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This was a little better..
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Tonio stalks one..
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This part of the lake was very muddy but the fishing was good. We landed lots!
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Low water!
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One on the blind.. very rare!
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Lovely..
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2 beers for me and ice-cream for the driver!
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Monsaraz was a magical place..
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We had this old haunted room.. The kings bed!
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..Iza though it was haunted, I was oblivious! This ceiling is from the 16th century. I think this was the kings room!
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Lovely to walk around the walled village.
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Stonework everywhere..
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Sunset..
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Myself and herself..
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Dinner! Simple and fantastic!
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Dining with a view..
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Day 3. The view over Lake Alqueva.
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We spent the morning here.
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???
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The view back to Monseraz on the hill.
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Not many fish here..
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..so we had lunch..
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..and went here. Same lake – it’s huge! The nicest water we’d seen over the few days.
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Double hook-up for Tonio and I, staying in touch with walky talkies. This fish was heavy! 12lbs plus.
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Perfect scales! Didn’t notice the grit at the time!
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Lovely drop-offs with weed banks. Very fishy!
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All sight fishing, extremely powerful fish.
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There had to be one here..
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..and there was!
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There’s one..
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..got him!!!
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Back he goes the brute!
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Lake Alqueva.
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This type of weedless shoreline didn’t hold many fish..
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Tonio stalks one!
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Fish on!
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Tonio was on the other side of the lake! He only took a few shots with his phone!
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I hooked 8, landed 5. This is number 5!
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Another tank! These are indeed a worthy species on fly. Challenging fishing and they fight hard!
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Back with him..
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The end of a superb 3 days of fly fishing and catching up with an old friend. Day 3 was up there with some of the most enjoyable fly fishing I’ve had. Tonio nailed it too..
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Back to Monseraz to my fine lady!
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And this feast. Again, simple and feckin amazing. Lamb!
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