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GUIDETO TROUT FARMING BASED

ANGLING TOURISMAuthors: GYÖRGY HOITSY,

ANDRÁS WOYNAROVICH andTHOMAS MOTH-POULSEN

GUIDETO TROUT FARMINGBASEDANGLING TOURISM

Authors:GYÖRGY HOITSY,ANDRÁS WOYNAROVICH andTHOMAS MOTH-POULSEN

Budapest, 2012

Photos and illustrations by courtesy of

GYÖRGY HOITSY

The designations employed and the presentation of material inthis information product do not imply the expression of any opin-ion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organi-zation of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal ordevelopment status of any country, territory, city or area or of itsauthorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers orboundaries. The mention of specific companies or products ofmanufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, doesnot imply that these have been endorsed or recommended byFAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not men-tioned. The views expressed in this information product are thoseof the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAO.

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Intension of this book is to inspire initiatives of local govern-ments, communities and entrepreneurs regarding developmentof angling tourism in general, and trout angling tourism in par-ticular. One of the most important aims of this book is to initiateand support the combined utilization of local socio-economicand natural resources of mountainous regions in countrieswhere angling tourism is none existent, or minimal.

Authors wish to express their gratitude toMs. KATA WOYNAROVICH for translation and to Ms. ÉVA KOVÁCS, Junior Aquaculture Officer (FAO-REU)for participation in the elaboration of this document.

We would like to thank the photos of Mr. JANNE TURUNEN,Coldfin (Finnland) which helped us to illustrate in Figure 5how diverse the preparation of trout could be in differentfarm restaurants.

Thanks are also due to Mr. ISTVÁN FÁBIÁN (www.ajel.huand [email protected]) for the typographical design andwork of this publication.

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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Preface 3Acknowledgement 31 Introduction 52 Angling tourism 5

2.1 Participants of angling tourism and their effects 62.2 Seasons of angling tourism 6

3 Trout angling based tourism 63.1 Ensuring fish abundance 6

3.1.1 Waters suitable for trout angling 73.1.2 Stocking trout in angling waters 103.1.3. Management and maintenance of trout streams 12

3.2 Infrastructure of angling tourism and its development 133.2.1 Fishing on natural waters 133.2.2 Fee fishing 143.2.3 Hospitality services connected to angling tourism 143.2.4 Match angling 15

References 16Glossary 17

Box 1: The most popular freshwater fish species of anglers 5Box 2: Creation of spawning grounds in quarry lakes 8Box 3: Angling licences and tickets, and what they licence 13Box 4: Recommended equipments and services

of angling camp sites 14Box 5: Practicing of the motions of fly fishing 20

Figure 1: Angling tourism within the tourist industry 6Figure 2: Typical trout waters 7Figure 3: Natural food of trout 9Figure 4: Stocking of trout of different sizes 11Figure 5: Farm restaurant and shop 15Figure 6: Trout angling and its award 18Figure 7: Equipment, materials and samples of artificial flies 19Figure 8: Motions of over-head cast 21Figure 9: Motions of roll cast 22Figure 10: Motions of side cast 23Figure 11: Motion of catapult cast 24

Angling techniques of trout 18

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Boxes

Figures

Appendix

TROUT FARMING BASED ANGLING TOURISM4

1� INTRODUCTION

Changes in touristic habits and the char-acteristics of most countries, abundant inwater resources, would give reason forthe growth of angling tourism, an area oftourism which has been rather forgottenover the past years.

With the help of angling tourism agreat number of visitors could be at-tracted to beautiful but less developed re-gions. In spite of this, tourist schemesrarely focus, or even deal with anglingtourism. They concentrate on huntingtourism instead, which may well be a bet-ter spending branch, but it also has asmaller tourist base. Above this, it is oftendifficult to decide whether angling tourismis a form of ecotourism or active tourism.

Though there are debates where toclass angling tourism, the sustainable useof water resources in mountainous re-gions calls for development. Hence, theseregions, abundant in water resources,could ensure income growth and employ-ment opportunities from fish farming sup-ported angling tourism.

Angling tourism is a complex industry.Therefore, in addition to fishing services,income could also be expected fromshops, restaurants and accommodation.Above the income generated through fish -ing and supplementary services, social andfinancial benefits can also be expectedfrom conservation and manag e ment of fishand their habitat, and main tenance of bio-diversity (Brainerd, 2010).

The objective of this reference book isto support fish and trout farmers and de-cision makers of local communities withthe necessary basic information and de-tails regarding angling tourism in general,and trout angling tourism in particular.

To satisfy interest for specific details aglossary has been compiled. Further-more, tables and an appendix have beenattached. For the sake of easier identifi-cation and finding additional information,italics and asterisk symbols (*) are usedat words clarified in the glossary.

Introduction / Angling tourism 5

The most popularfreshwater fish species

of anglers

Family Acipenseridae – Sturgeon Family Salmonidae – Tout, salmon, Danube salmon,

white fishFamily Esocidae – PikeFamily Characidae – Tambaqui, pacuFamily Cyprinidae – Common carp, asp, breamFamilies Siluridae,Ictaluridae, Bagridae,Pangasiidae andClariidae – CatfishFamily Centrarhidae – Black bassFamily Latidae – Nile perchFamily Percidae – PikeperchFamily Ciclidae – Tilapia

Box 1

2 � ANGLING TOURISM

All over the world the economic value ofangling activities is steadily increasing.Effect of this growth can be summarisedas the following.

The most significant change affectsthe market of angling tackle. Anglers typ-ically buy more and more expensivetackle, so, for example they own a differ-ent tackle for different angling methods. Inrecent years the purchase of manufac-tured feeds and lures, or baits has in-creased.

In most countries angling tackles areimported, whereas lures, live baits andfeeds are manufactured locally, within thegiven country.

Other important effect of angling is thatit provides fish farmers with a stable andcontinually expanding market. This is dueto the fact that the natural restock of fishis steadily decreasing, because nature isunable to compete with the catch demandof the raising number of anglers. Missingfish, both predator and peaceful species,are recovered from stocks bred in hatch-eries and reared on fish farms.

Angling tourism generates additionalincome and the use of natural water re-sources for commercial and recreationalfishing creates numerous workplaces.

2.1 � PARTICIPANTSOF ANGLING TOURISM ANDTHEIR EFFECTS

According to a survey, visitors of fishingponds and natural waters can be dividedinto two types: anglers staying for oneday, or anglers staying for a longer periodof time. Within both groups there are twosubgroups: anglers coming alone and an-glers coming with their families. However,whereas one day anglers can belong toboth subgroups, those arriving with theirfamilies are nearly always from the sec-ond type.

While examining the effects of anglingtourism the following should be kept inmind. Anglers arriving for one day staymostly in the immediate vicinity of the an-gling facility, so they only affect that par-ticular area. Not angling family memberstend to move away from the immediatevicinity of a given angling area. Hence,they may affect the whole region. Anglersarriving with their families often take partin excursions themselves.

2.2 � SEASONS OFANGLING TOURISM

Seasons of angling tourism differ in sev-eral points from seasons of mass tourism.The period between March and May isusually considered to be low-season, butthe registered number of anglers in thisperiod matches the number of anglersduring the summer months. For naturalwaters this is not so common, but apartfrom the July-August high-season ofwater tourism, angling tourism is commonduring spring and autumn as well.

Drastic regression of visitors only oc-curs during winter months, and continuesuntil the middle of March. Where ice fish-ing is possible, and where it is traditional,the decline is less pronounced

3 � TROUT ANGLINGBASED TOURISM

In regions where trout farms or other fish-eries are located, angling should be de-veloped according to conditions of theregion. Extensive or intensive fish pro-duction and water systems connected tothe region insure this development.

Two basic factors of angling tourismmust be guaranteed; fish abundance andinfrastructure of hospitality elements (e.g.accommodation, food, activities, travel etc.)

3.1 � ENSURINGFISH ABUNDANCE

Anglers will only visit an area if they cancatch fish there on regular basis, or if in thegiven area the catch of a specific fish spe -cies is possible. Fish abundance can onlybe achieved if natural resources are usedand not abused. If the fishery’s manage-ment or the lease holder of a water bodydoes not ensure the replacement of caughtfish, then after some time anglers will aban-don the given area. This is why fish has tobe stocked on a regular basis, regulationsset by law only provide a legal base for that.


Angling tourism can be well connected to manydifferent types of active tourism. The lines aim toindicate the duplex relation between the differentbranches. The lines also demonstrate that theymay utilize the same resources. Hence, they canweaken or strengthen each other, depending onwhether they compete or cooperate.

Figure 1:Angling tourismwithin the touristindustry

EcotourismActive tourism

Village tourism

Water tourism

Biking tourism

Riding tourism

Hunting tourism

Winter sports

Angling tourism

3.1.1 � Waters suitablefor trout angling

Utilization value of commercial and recre-ational fishing of natural waters is deter-mined by several factors, of which themost important ones are as follows.

� Composition of fish stock, meaning theratio of favoured or game fish to dis-favoured and uncatchable fishes.

� Ecological state of the region whichdetermines water quality and stockingconditions.

� Accessibility and guarding capability ofthe water body.

� Streams, rivers

It is widely known that trout inhabits cold,highly oxygenated, swift flowing streamsand rivers. Trout thrives in cold waterswhich contain 5–12 mg/l dissolved oxygen.

Trout grows best in streams and riverswith a temperature between 14–17 °C. Ifthe water is highly saturated with oxygen,they are able to tolerate 20–24 °C tem-porarily, but 25–56 °C is already fatal forthem. With the increase of water tempera-ture the dissolved oxygen (DO)* level pro-portionately decreases. However, oxygenconsumption of fish rises. This is due to thefact that the metabolism of fish increaseswith the rising of water temperature.

Trout angling based tourism 7

Figure 2:Typical trout waters

Trout, if possible, avoids swift flowingsections/reaches, and rarely stays therefor a longer period of time. Although itsbody is perfectly adjusted to swiftly flow-ing waters (it can move remarkably wellin such a medium), trout can withstandthe flowing current only with high energyusage. As a result, trout is never found inflowing currents, but behind partly or to-tally submerged rocks, tree trunks wherethe flow of current is broken. Trout likes tolurk in the dead spaces of whirlpools,under hollowed out banks, in front ofdykes and dams, or under the still partsof rapids.

Trout tolerates murkiness only up to acertain point, because above this level itcan directly damage its gills. If concentra-tions of floating organic and inorganic par-ticles, which create murkiness, are lessonly the feeding of fish is disturbed. It is be-cause visibility is reduced in such waters.

� Reservoirs

Although trout is a rheophilous fish*, theflow of water is not an important factor inits development. If the temperature is suit-able and water contains enough food,trout develops just the same in still watersof mountain lakes or aquifers/reservoirs,than in swift waters of mountain streamsand rivers.

� Quarry lakes

A new or only 2–3 year old quarry lake’scapacity to produce organic materials islow, so in this stage it is an oligotrophiclake*. Inflowing water comes from under-ground and it oozes in, either through thebottom of the lake or the embankment.Therefore, water supply is filtered througha layer of pebbles and arrives to the lakeclean. So it does not contain any plant nu-trition. Inorganic nutrition only dissolvesthrough the subsoil, or is washed in fromthe soil around the lake.

As a result of deep quarry mining thedepth of these lakes, compared to theirsurface, is relatively big. The fluctuationof water level is small. Depending ongroundwater recharge and surface runoffit does not exceed half or one meter. Dueto this the water amount of quarry lakesis approximately permanent. Their tem-perature, owing to their depth, is lower.The natural thermal circulation of water*in quarry lakes is slower or only sea-sonal. It is because deeper and coolerwater layers and the layer of surfacewater are sharply separated and wavesare uncommon. Natural water circulationonly occurs during spring and autumnwhen as the effect of temperaturechanges the 4 ˚C densest layer begins tomove. The water of quarry lakes is cleanand transparent, the epipelagic or photiczone* is wide.

Because their nutrient content is low,these lakes are not rich in plankton*. Dueto this reason, and because of the bankvegetation, water depth and unproduc-tiveness of the lake bed, it does not havemacro-vegetation. As a result, their or-ganic matter production is low, thus theyare deprived of nourishment. Rearingfish in such waters is nearly impossible.However, quarry lakes are suitable fortrout.

If quarry lakes are intended to be usedas angling sites, it is advisable to stockthem with fully grown fish. These could becommon carp, pike perch, pike, trout,breams and other smaller fish species forpredator fish to prey on. For sexually ma-ture specimens artificial nests can beplaced out, in order to allow them tospawn (see Box 2).


Creation of spawning groundsin quarry lakes

If stocking is done with sexually mature fish, spawningplaces/grounds must be provided for them, because newquarry lakes lack these sites. As a result, in shallower parts– for pike, pike perch, bream and common carp – it is ad-visable to make artificial substrate and nests from willowroots, pine branches and juniper. Nests can either be sunkto the bottom by rocks or bricks, or they can be strung upbetween two poles. Nests should be placed with a minimumof one meter between them. In case of pike perch the nestshould be placed out in March. After the spawning of pikeperch, breams will also use the nests, sometimes more thanonce. Mortality rate of fry hatched in lakes is always higherthan of those hatched in fish farms and stocked as finger-ling/parr.

Box 2


1st Group: Nematodes and Annelids: 1.1 Worms,1.2 Leeches,2nd Group: Small and large aquatic crustaceans:2.1 Copepods, 2.2 Cladocerans, 2.3 Ostracods,2.4 Amphipods, 2.5 Water louse, 2.6 Crayfish,3rd Group: Different development forms of aquaticinsects: 3.1 Dragonflies, 3.2 Damselflies, 3.3 Stone-flies, 3.4 Caddis flies, 3.5 Mayflies, 3.6 Soldier flies,3.7 Water boatman, 3.8 Mosquito larvae, 3.9 Mos-quito pupae, 3.10 Chironomus, 3.11 Haliplid beetles,3.12 Dytiscid beetles,4th Group: Water snails and molluscs,5th Group: Fishes of different age/size,6th Group: Reptiles, birds and mammals (afterWoynarovich, Hoitsy and Moth-Poulsen 2011).

Figure 3:Natural food of trout

1st Group

6th Group5th Group

4th Group3rd Group

2nd Group

3.1.2 � Stocking trout inangling watersIn recent years trout angling is once againgaining popularity, so both fishing associ-ations and private people are stockingwaters with trout.

Of course, stocking of mountainstreams and reservoirs is completely dif-ferent from stocking of quarry lakes.Again, stocking trout in common carp win-tering ponds of lowlands and plains forautumn and spring fishing seasons, isalso different.

� Stocking eyed eggs

In the 1940s and 1950s modern equip-ments of fish transport (plastic bags, oxy-gen etc.) did not yet exist. Due to this,eyed eggs were stocked just beforehatching. The reason for this was mostlythe convenience of transport, since in thisstage of development under the right cir-cumstances – in small boxes, linen cov-ered wooden frames, with small amountof ice – eyed eggs can survive up to 2days of transport.

Another advantage was its cheapness.However, mortality rate became too highif the river section where they werestocked was not protected, or if there wastoo many one- or two-summer old trout,because those inevitably prey on theyoung fish. Larvae of caddiflies and dip-pers (Cinclus cinclus sps.) also endan-gered the stocked eggs.

� Stocking swim-up fry

Swim-up fry is the young fish which hasjust started to swim and feed from the en-vironment. Stocking should be done insprings and upper headwater zones ofstreams, or in branches of streams.These locations are good stocking sitesfor more then one reason. Firstly, nolarger trout can commonly be found here,so they would not feed on the fries. Sec-ondly, they are rich in natural food (seeFigure 3), and thirdly, swim-up fry can findsufficient hiding places, such as largerrocks, submerged tree trunks, braches

and aquatic mosses (Fontinalis sps.).In a stream which has about 10–15

l/sec water flow about 1 000–2 000 swim-up fry/km, or in other words, about 4–6swim-up fry/m2 can be stocked. Under op-timal circumstances survival rate ofstocked fry will be about 30 percent.

Swim-up fry should be stocked afterthe spring thawing and floods when thealluvium has cleared. They should bestocked in small groups of 10–50 fish in20–50 meter distances. As a result birdsand frogs feeding on fry will not noticethem and natural food supply will not runlow. If swim-up fry are all stocked in oneplace their food supply will eventually runout and they will start eating each other.

When stocking, it is extremely impor-tant to remember that the temperature dif-ference between the receiving water andthe water of the transporting tank mustnever exceed ~3 oC. One of the best so-lutions is to add some stream water to thetransporting water. This way the two tem-peratures will equalize. After stocking, fryfirst stay pressed together at the bottomof the stream. Then while shoaling theyare seeking hiding places and after a cou-ple of days they spread out.

� Stocking advanced fry

Advanced fry is about 4–5 cm long and 1–2 months old. This age group is alreadystronger, and compared to swim-up frytheir survival rate is better by about 50–60percent (Hoitsy 2002). As for the way ofstocking, the previously described methodis the guideline. Per kilometre about 100–300 advanced fry should be stocked.

� Stockingone-summer-old trout

A one-summer-old brown trout weighs30–100 grams and is 12-20 cm long. Big-ger specimens of this age group are ofangling size in some countries (22 cmTL*). A stream rich in natural food can bestocked during autumn and by springthese fish will reach angling size. Mortal-ity rate of one-summer-old trout is about10 percent.


Bigger specimens instantly start look-ing for hiding places. If the stream hasplenty of bank cover (fallen trees), wash edunder bank sections, rapids and commonbutterbur (Petasites hybridus), about 1–2fish can be stocked per 15–20 meters.

In small mountain lakes or cold waterreservoirs annually 100 kilograms of troutcan be stocked per hectare (Hoitsy 2002).

If possible, trout should be habituatedto natural food which means before theyare released they should be fed withsmaller live fishes. These waters are usu-ally rich in bleak (Alburnus sps.) androach (Rutilus sps.) so directly after stock-ing trout will start preying immediately.

� Stockingtwo-summer-old trout

One, one and a half year old trouts areabout 25–30 cm long and weigh approxi-mately 200–500 grams. It is advised tostock them in waters where there is a de-mand for angling-size fish, and more thenone annual stocking can be carried out.Due to the hunger and greed of trout (itwill grab anything, even corn), within ashort period of time the whole water bodycan be fished out if stocking is done inone round. Usually there are no fishingprohibitions after stocking.

When stocking is done in streams 1–3specimens per rapids or, according to thestream bed, 1–2 specimens per 20–50meters can be released. In case of lakesit is advised to stock 100–150 specimensper hectares (Hoitsy 2002).

Many times leaseholders stock the

same amount of fish in every year. How-ever, they should take into considerationfactors such as natural reproduction andthe number of anglers visiting the area.After such assessments they should ad-just the stock size accordingly. These as-sessments and proper adjustments instocking plans could ensure a trout popu-lation of advocate density and age. Thisway the survival of the fish stock couldalso be guaranteed.

� Seasonal stocking of smallponds and wintering ponds

Stocking of carp ponds and 100–1000 m2

large wintering ponds mentioned at thebeginning of the chapter should be as-sessed and treated in a different manneras done at natural waters. This type of an-gling, which is popular everywhere fromJapan to the USA, should be judged froma different standpoint than the angling oftrout in streams and natural waters. An-gling for trout in overpopulated fish pondsand wintering ponds where fish grabnearly anything can not and should not becompared with the complexity of fishingin nature (see Annex 1).

These lakes should be stocked ac-cording to their oxygen-content, tempera-ture, the number of daily water exchangeand the number of visiting anglers. If watertemperature does not exceed 14 ˚C andthe water is exchanged about 1–1.5 timesper day, up to 500 kilograms of trout canbe stocked per 100–200 m2.

Water temperature should be closelymonitored, because if it exceeds 18–22 oC


Figure 4:Stocking of trout of

different sizes

and the stock has not been completelyfished out trout can easily die. This is animportant issue, since even the most pop-ular fee fishing resorts cannot afford to letdead fishes floating around on the surfaceof their waters.

3.1.3 � Management andmaintenance of trout streams

Fish carrying capacity of natural riversand streams depends mainly on naturalfactors. However, with proper approach,persistence and human intervention thesize of fish populations can be increased.Every angler knows that the developmentof trout is determined by several factorsof the habitat*, such as the amount offood, rate of and pace of water flow, con-ditions of stream bed and number ofrapids and pools. The more food and hid-ing places a stream has, the more trout itcan feed and hide.

Trout is said to be a predator fish, butlike pike and pike perch, most of the timeit does not prey on fish. The explanationof this is that if it did, it would die instreams where there are no other fishspecies, or it would start eating its ownkind. Therefore, trout mainly feeds onsmall animals. Trout swim-up fry, just likeany other fry, chiefly feeds on insects,worms and larvae living on stream banksand in slow flowing stream sections (seeFigure 3). As long as they can find watercrustaceans and other insects, they willnot feed on fish. Trout notices and grabsevery small moving creature or objects.They even jump out of the water to catchinsects flying near to the water surface.

In trout streams it is the top consumer.As a result, the structure of food chainshould be examined and species of theprimary (natural food of peaceful fishes)and secondary levels (peaceful fishes)should be determined (see Figure 3). Theresult will show what to do in order toboost natural food supply. If the neces-sary steps are taken, trout population willsteadily increase.

Natural food production capacity ofstreams is defined by factors that deter-mine the amount of living organisms onwhich trout feed found in a given water

body. Gammariade (order: Amphipoda) isthe main food of trout. They consumefallen leaves and branches found instreams. Therefore, if the flow of a givenstream is too swift, it will wash away theseleaves and branches and the food capac-ity of the water body will be low. Crus-taceans, Chironomus larvae and otheraquatic insects, presented in Figure 3,dwell in shallow puddles near the banks,waterlogged marshes and seepages. If,with a ditch, these are connected to astream, insects and larvae will be able toget across and so a sufficient food supplycan be provided for trout. Of course, whiledigging the ditch, it is important not to dis-turb or alter natural circumstances, i.e. thestream should not wash through thesepuddles, marshes and seepages. Plantsfound in streams, such as aquaticmosses, can also function as food pro-duction mediums, because for many in-sects and insect larvae it can be a habitaton the one hand, and its decaying partscan serve as food on the other hand.

Vegetation along the stream banks,e.g. common butterbur (Petasites hy-bridus), willow or alder also contributes tothe nourishing of trout, because small in-sects, snails and slugs can fall into thewater from them. Where vegetation is ab-sent or scarce on stream banks, it is ad-visable to plant some artificially. Later,when shadows and roots already stretchinto the water, plants can enhance fishcarrying and preserving capability of astream. In such places the water is alsosuitable for hiding.

When dealing with stream mainte-nance, based on the characteristics oftrout, two things should be kept in mind.Firstly, trout is light avoiding fish, and sec-ondly, it sticks to one place. It tries to hidebehind or under inward leaning trees, big-ger rocks, cavities in river banks orwashed under sections. Once a troutfinds an appropriate place, it will guard itand not leave it. At the edge of the cho-sen spot it hovers in position, facing up-stream, preying on passing animals. Inopen water, or near the surface, troutpreying on food is only found at dusk.Trout feeds two times a day, once duringthe morning between 5 and 7, and onceduring the evening between 5 and 9.


Trout has a very good eyesight andbased on surface reflections it accuratelycatches insects flying above the water. Itsvelocity also helps its efficiency. With onestroke trout can reach the speed of 60 km/h.

Sometimes there are too few hidingplaces in a stream. If this problem occurs,boulders or large rocks can be rolled intothe stream bed1. This way the monoto-nous water flow will be broken, that is, itwill be split into two and trout will be ableto hover behind it. This is especially goodfor smaller fish which have been chasedaway by larger specimens.

With building rapids bigger spaces canbe created for trout to hover in. The easiestspots to build these rapids are at the nar-rowest parts of the stream bed. Dams ofnew rapids must be constructed in a waythat the swelling of water, mainly duringheavy rains and thawing, does not flood thesurrounding forests. Ends of the used logs,both upper and lower sides, should be fas-tened by rocks or sticks. Above and underthe rapids, in a two meter stripe, streambank should be protected by wicker-work.The water of the rapids quickly washes outa pit where after a few days trout starts tohover. In case of faster flowing streamsrapids should be built in such distancesthat they do not allow alluvium to settle.

In maintained streams trout populationcan quickly multiply. In bigger biotopes1

fish also grow to a bigger size, and be-cause these water bodies are rich in food,trout will rapidly reach a catchable size.

3.2 � INFRASTRUCTURE OFANGLING TOURISM AND ITSDEVELOPMENT

In each stage of angling tourism it is re-quired to introduce newer and newer prod-ucts and programmes connected to theseproducts. In order to put each developmentinto action the following preconditionsmust be existent: sufficient amount of an-glers and their demands in a region andcapital to carry out developments.

3.2.1 � Fishing on natural waters

In many countries angling is done mostlyon natural waters such as rivers, lakesand backwaters. Permits for these areasare distributed by leaseholders. Despiteof their large size, a really good manage-ment regularly restocks and guards thearea. Typically, angling is done from riverand lake banks, but sometimes the use ofboats is allowed as well. This can be ben-eficial, because it facilitates other serv-ices, for example boat renting, boatstorage, harbouring services etc.

In regions which are streaked by riversand canals there may also exist a slightlydifferent type of boat angling. In this caseanglers go to fishing sites that could notbe easily accessed by other means oftransport. A guide could also accompanyanglers both to help them with the catchand also to give a kind of training.

The most popular fishing sites of natu-ral waters are smaller lakes, because ifthey are regularly stocked their fish densityis high. These areas can be well guardedand anglers, especially less skilled ones,can expect better catches (see Figure 2).

Usually for streams and quarry lakesone day permits are more expensive, butanglers do not have to pay an extra fee forcaught fish. In these areas waterside par-celling, weekend house building and ap-pearance of hospitality services are moreand more common.


Angling licences and tickets,and what they license

In countries where angling is a well-organised tourist in-dustry fishing licences and one day permits not only allowthe purchaser to catch a fish, but also define terms of thecatch.

Fishing licences: In most countries a state issued licenceis required for angling. This can be acquired after a suc-cessful examination where applicants have to demonstratetheir knowledge of fish species, size restrictions, open andclosed seasons etc.

Permits: Permits are valid for one given water body andare distributed by leaseholders. A permit may hold for oneor more days, a week, or even a year. These permits also in-clude restrictions of a given area.

Box 3

1 Before improving angling sites on this way consequencesof such an action should be considered, among others sizesof changed cross sections, freeness of water flow and theprobability of other negative effects.

3.2.2 � Fee fishing

Popularity of fee fishing on lakes and fish-ponds has radically increased in the pastfew years. The reason for this is that thesewater bodies are regularly stocked, usu-ally once, but sometimes more than oncea week, so catch is almost always certain.This service also developed many subvariants with various products connectedto them (see Box 4). Best operating areasare the ones with drainable fishponds andpond systems, because fee fishing canbe best realized here.

Angling is usually done on more pondtypes with different species of fish. Pondscan range from the traditionally largeones to small ones overstocked with trout.Fees of one day permits are usually dif-ferent for each pond. Anglers are usuallyobliged to take their catch with them, butsome places allow or even demand visi-tors to release hooked fishes, such ascommon carp or catfish. However, smallerspecies must be taken.

Anglers must pay for fish which are notreleased and the price contains a profitmargin. If the fish is produced on the spot,this margin can be significant. About 2–3kilos of annual fish catch per angler canbe calculated. However, during summer,on Fridays and Saturdays, this can go upto 5–6 kilos, because summer is the sea-son of barbeque parties.

In a part of many fish farms fish forcatch are also produced to sustain the

level of fish population. If fish are pur-chased they can also be stored on thespot.

Around these ponds everything is pro-vided for the comfort of anglers; they canreach the ponds via clean, mud freeroads, they can use roofed fishing sitesand can fish from boats or jetties. In de-veloped areas other services, such asrestaurants and various types of accom-modations (camping sites, chalets, apart-ments) are at the disposal of visitors.

One of the most important traits of feefishing is that a family friendly aspect ofangling tourism was developed here. Theimportance of it is that while one familymember is fishing the others can find ac-tivities to their interest. Most commonfamily friendly services are listed in Box4. With the help of these services the an-gler, who is usually the head of the family,can convince the whole family to spend amini-break or a summer holiday at feefishing ponds. Non-angler family mem-bers can be the target of other servicesof the region.

A chance of constant catch and the in-frastructure of fish ponds can attainlonger fishing seasons and a higher num-ber of visitors than other natural waters.Above this, the annual spreading of visi-tors will become less fragmented.

3.2.3 � Hospitality servicesconnected to angling tourism

Today buffets are essential parts of fish-ing resorts where not only drinks and lightsnacks, but baits, lures and basic fishingtackle can also be bought. On most fee-fishing pond resorts the income of buffetsare equal to the income from one day per-mits and fish sales.

As far as accommodation goes, an-glers prefer camping and ‘rough camping’in particular, due to the freedom it gives.Where safety is an issue closed camp-sites or other forms of accommodation(caravans, chalets and 4–5 roomedhouses) should be provided. With the in-crease of visitors and wealthier anglers,the need for guest-houses and pensionswill also increase.


Recommended equipments and servicesof angling campsites

1. A place to clean fish2. A deep freezer for fish intended to be taken away,

but not yet cleaned3. Open air grilling spots4. A place to lock away fishing tackle5. Family friendly services:

• playground• roofed area with toys and games• swimming pool or pond• sunbathing area with deck-chairs• pony lunging (possibly in association

with a local stable)

Box 4

One-day anglers rarely stop at restau-rants. Such services are more commonlyused by those who come for a longer pe-riod of time. The need for restaurants canbe enhanced with the right types of serv-ices. If, for example, a restaurant spe-cialised in fish dishes made from cleanedand quickly prepared fish caught by an-glers, more one day visitors would startusing the services of it.

Recently more and more people arebecoming interested in the operation offisheries and fish farms. Many anglersand ‘civilians’ want to know what happensup until the fish is caught or delivered ona plate. Many small things can be con-nected to this notion from which the fishfarmer will profit. These can be guidedtours around the fishery, purchase offresh or processed (smoked, soused) fishon the spot, etc. The best is if there is asmall restaurant in the immediate vicinityof the fishery, so that visitors can taste theoffered fish (see Figure 5).

Holiday-makers often want to take asmall souvenir with them which can alsobe a steady source of income.

3.2.4 � Match angling

By organizing angling competitions ortournaments the number of visitors of aregion can be increased. The success ofcompetitions and tournaments can beraised if beforehand sufficient amountand sized fish is stocked. It is wise to or-ganise competitions with more cate-gories, because this way whole familiescan be attracted to the area. These cate-gories can be the following: children,women, men.


Figure 5:Farm restaurant

and shopFarm restaurants and

fish shops are oftenparts of a trout farm.Outdoor and indoorrestaurants are built

together with theproduction unit.

Fried fish and a largevariety of fish products

attract tourists.

� REFERENCES

Allaby, M. 1994. The Concise OxfordDictionary of Ecology, OxfordUniversity Press.

Brainerd, S.M. 2010. European Charteron Angling and Biodiversity,Pre sentation of NINA2 andESUSG3 specialist on9 April 2010, Strasbourg, FRANCE

Hoitsy, Gy. 2002. A Pisztrángtenyész tése és horgászata, 152p.

Thain, M. and M. Hickman, 1980 – ThePenguin dictionary of biology,Penguin Books

Woynarovich, A.; Hoitsy, Gy.; Moth-Poulsen, T., 2011 – small scalerainbow trout farming.FAO Fisheries and AquacultureTechnical Paper No. 561. Rome,FAO. 2011. 81 pp.


2 Norwegian Institute for Nature Research3 European Sustainable Use Specialist Group

PhytoplanktonIt is the collective name of floatingmicroscopic plants.

PlanktonIt is the collective name of micro-scopic plants, animals and bacteriawhich float or drift in the water column.Accordingly, the plankton consists ofbacterioplankton, phyto plankton* andzooplankton*.

Rheophilous fishThe fish which thrives in runningwater.

Thermal circulation of waterDaily changes of water temperatureensure the circulation between thesurface and the bottom of a pond. Thewater is warmer at the surface than atpond bottom during sunny days. Atnight when the air is cooler, the waterat the surface also cools down whiletemperature remains higher at thebottom. Since the specific weight ofcooler water is higher than of warmerwater, it sinks down to the bottom,pushing the lighter warm water up to-ward the surface. As the water gets tothe surface it starts to cool down, so itsinks again. This process maintainswater circulation and prevents pondwater from permanent stratification.

TLIt is the abbreviation of the total length of

fish. This measurement also in-cludes the caudal fin of a fish.

ZooplanktonIt is the collective name of tiny worms and

insects swimming passively or ac-tively in the water. In other words itis the animal members of plankton(Thain and Hickman, 1980).

References / Glossary 17

� GLOSSARY

BiotopeAn environmental region charac-terised by certain conditions andpopulated by a characteristic biota,plants and animals occupying theplace together (Allaby, 1994).

Dissolved oxygen (DO)DO is the abbreviation of dissolvedoxygen which ensures the respira-tion of fish. The actual oxygen con-tent of the water depends on someimportant physical and chemicalcharacteristics of it.

Water can dissolve only a certainquantity of oxygen at a certain tem-perature. The possible maximumdissolved oxygen content of water(100 percent saturation) dependson the actual water temperature andthe partial pressure of oxygen in theatmosphere. Dissolved oxygen con-tent changes slightly with the qualityand quantity of other materials dis-solved in water. The altitude alsomodifies the oxygen content ofwater.

Epipelagic or photic zoneThe upper layer of a water body intowhich the light can penetrate.

HabitatIt is the living place of an organismor community, characterized by itsphysical or biotic properties (Allaby,1994).

Oligotrophic lakeA lake is oligotrophic when its wateris poor in plant nutrients and its dis-solved oxygen content is high.

Table of dissolvedoxygen content of

fully saturated waterat different

temperatures

oC

1

2

3

4

5

DO(mg/l)

13.92

13.52

13.20

12.88

12.52

oC

6

7

8

9

10

DO(mg/l)

12.21

11.91

11.62

11.33

10.10

oC

11

12

13

14

15

DO(mg/l)

10.83

10.61

10.38

10.15

9.96

oC

16

17

18

19

20

DO(mg/l)

9.75

9.55

9.35

9.16

9.00

oC

21

22

23

24

25

DO(mg/l)

8.82

8.67

8.41

8.36

8.22

� APPENDIX

� ANGLING TECHNIQUESOF TROUT

Though anglers have a deep knowledge ofdifferent techniques for catching trout de-cision makers and entrepreneurs who de-velop and maintain angling tourism in aregion should also know some basics re-garding the actual options of trout angling.

Trout angling is the most athletic, nat-ural and environmental friendly form ofrecreational fishing. Trout anglers love, re-spect and know nature. They are aware oftrout habitats and diet. They are familiarwith the fish, the insects on which theyfeed and pray, and waters where they live.

Trout anglers practice this noble sportalone in the forest, away from noise andin unity with nature. A clattering angler willmost certainly scare away trout. Sincetrout has perfect eyesight if anglers do not


Figure 6: Trout angling andits awardIt is one of themost challenging waysof catching fish

take cover behind bushes or camouflagethemselves, trout will be frightened away.Regardless of the best efforts to lurethem out with the finest baits, they will notappear again for hours.

FLOAT ANGLING

Float angling is rarely done when fishingfor trout. This technique is mostly used onquarry lakes and when the aim is to pop-ularize angling with children.

LURE ANGLING

Lure fishing is the best technique for an-gling large water bodies in a short periodof time, and also when the access towhereabouts of the fish is difficult. Thistype of angling started to develop rapidlywhen ‘technical revolution’ reached reelsand lines. Due to this, advanced anglersare able to cast farther and more preciselynow. Lure angling is also a serious sportand it requires strength and stamina.

Appendix 19

Figure 7:Equipment, materials and samples

of artificial flies

ARTIFICIAL FLY FISHING

Artificial fly fishing is the most difficultform of angling, because ranging uphillthrough mountains, crawling and climbingalong rivers and streams searching fortrout calls for flexible joints and athleticmuscles.

It is fantastic to watch artificial fly fish-ing, but many feel intimidated by its mys-tique and do not dare to try it. Manypeople believe that it can only be taughtby veteran anglers. Of course, it is alwaysgood to have a more experienced anglerat hand to pick up small tricks, but manyhave become maters of fly fishing on theirown. As always, practice makes perfect(see Box 5). So, after a couple of hours’practice anglers can pick up the basics ofthis technique; the harmony of the rodand line, how to pass our energy to therod and by moving the rod back and forthhow to keep the line in the air.

It is very difficult to describe the se-quence of fly fishing and probably it ismore effective to demonstrate it in action.

However, in the following section an at-tempt will be made to portray the stan-dard cast, the over-head cast and othercast types.

The motion cycle must always be firmand dynamic. The distance between lineand rod holding hands should always bethe same. The tip of the rod must be di-rected as if there were imaginary parallelwires in front of, behind and above us.There are more than one style of swing-ing. According to one, the upper armmust stick to the torso and the actual mo-tion is done by the elbow. According toanother one, the angle between theswinging fore- and upper arm must be un-changed, and the motion itself is done bythe shoulder-blades.

Beyond the above described overhead cast (Figure 9) there are other cast-ing techniques, such as roll cast (Figure10), side cast (Figure 11) and catapultcast (Figure 12). The usage of each tech-nique is determined by the conditions of agiven angling spot.

A classical variant of the over-headcast is the parachute cast. When the rodis pointing upward, the line is at the sameheight as the tip of the rod and the leaderis straight. The tip of the rod is dropped tothe surface of the water. As a result, in-stead of the fly, the line reaches the waterfirst.


Box 5

Practicing motions of fly fishing

Technically, if there is an open space of 20 – 40 meters,casting can be practiced anywhere from meadows, gardensto river and lake banks.1. The rod should be set up. Attach the reel and the line to

the rod, then slip the line through the rings and fastenthe leader. Finally attach the fly.

2. Reel down 2-6 meters of line and lay it on the water sur-face or grass. In the casting hand the rod is in line withthe horizontal forearm. The other hand holds the line.

3. With a stronger lift the rod is moved from horizontal tovertical position. The line first follows the motion of therod, then passes it and straightens out backwards. Afterthis, with a forward swing, steer the rod into its originalplace, but not into complete horizontal position.

4. During the next backswing an arm length of line is reeleddown. Although, when the rod is swung forward the lineis released, the index finger and the thumb form a kind ofring, and that is where the line runs through. The line islet to move forward until it straightens out in midair.

5. The backward and forward swing is done until the de-sired distance is reached. At that point the line is re-leased and the rod is slightly lifted. The leader straightensin the air and the fly gently drops onto the water surface.

Reproduction of trout in the nature 21

Figure 8:Motions of over-head

cast

At dry fly fishing the serpent cast is oftenused. In the course of this cast the linereaches the water in a series of curves. Inother words, the casting hand performs aseries of small whipping movements.

Roll cast is used when there is no available roomfor back-casting due to high bushes or othercircumstances. When performing the cast reeldown two times longer line than the rod and startout as if doing a side cast, but in mid movementbring the rod into a vertical position and cast itforward from that position. The line will follow themovement of the rod, thus creating a spiral whichripples through the whole line.


Figure 9:Motions of roll cast

Reproduction of trout in the nature 23

Side cast is used when there is no or little roomfor back casting. It is very similar to the over-headcast. The only difference is that the rod is broughtback horizontally, not vertically.

Figure 10:Motions of side cast


This cast is used when there is little spacedue to bushes and branches. Resilience of therod is used to shoot the fly to the target area.

Figure 11:Motion ofcatapult cast

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