Interview with David Chlumsky

FOR THIS YEAR I HAVE PREPARED FOR YOU several interviews with fly fishing competitors and people who live for fly fishing! 🎣

The first one to interview, I asked my friend, the fisherman, the beekeeper and the great person, DAVID CHLUMSKY. 🐟🐝

For many years, DAVID has been one of the best fly fishing competitors in the world. THE INDIVIDUAL WORLD OF THE WORLD CHAMPION WAS STILL MUCH STAINLESSLY ON A FEW OF FISH LEAKING OUT, BUT I AM absolutely sure that he will get it one day He deserves it! 🏆👍

🐟 David, what do you think first when you say fly fishing?

🐝 Stay outdoors in nature, ideally as far away from civilization as possible. Of course, some nice water and at least a theoretical chance to catch some nice fish in it ☺

🐟 How old were you and how did you get into fly fishing?

🐝 As a little boy, fly fishing has fascinated me for years looking at fishing books. Then I saw the sport a few times during the fishing camps on the Sázava River when I was about twelve. My parents bought me the first fly rod for Christmas when I was 14 years old.

🐟 Do you still remember what first fish you caught and what was the fly? Did you tie it yourself or was it bought?

🐝 I bought basic fly tying equipment at least a year before I had my first fly fishing rod, so the first fish caught were mostly on my own flies. If I remember correctly, I caught the first fish on the fly in the Sázava River early in the spring. I could not wait to try the new rod, so despite the high state of the river I set off. The river was spilled all the way to the meadow, and in the puddles that had formed there, I managed to catch a few small chubs on such patches of dry ephemera and caddis.

🐟 Where did you fished most often as a boy and what fish did you catch? Did anyone teach you fly fishing or were you more self-taught?

🐝 Most often it was home Sázava river, where I caught mostly chubs, here and there some other kind of white fish. I also often went to trout tributaries of Sázava where some water was still flowing at that time. I was fortunate enough to start competitive fly fishing in my early fly fishing, so I could learn quite quickly and there were plenty of people to learn from. Probably the most important teachers for me at that time were Radek Svašek and Milan Čubík.

🐟 What is your favorite method of fly fishing and what river do you prefer to fish with?

🐝 I prefer to go around natural lakes, where there is a chance for a decent fish and "retrieving" various woolly buggers. Then, of course, a dry fly.

🐟 I know that you travel to fish a lot and that you have been fishing somewhere. In which countries have you been fly fishing, and which place is closest to your heart?

🐝 There are several countries where I have been fly fishing. Spain, France, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Scotland, England, Tasmania, New Zealand ... I like fly fishing in Scandinavia. There are many fly fishermen there, but there are plenty of places to go, so if you are not lazy, you can find places where you can hardly meet anybody.

🐟 What is the biggest brown trout you have caught, where and how?

🐝 Although I don't carry my scale with me, the biggest trout were definitely about five kilograms. In our country it is typical (though quite nonsensical) to deal mainly with the length of fish, which in the case of my biggest brown trout was less than 73 cm. I caught this fish on dry fly in New Zealand.

🐟 What do you enjoy about fly fishing or fishing?

🐝This is exactly the same answer as the first question ☺

🐟 You have won many titles in your competition career, including those in international competitions. In 2013 you were the third individual in European Championship in Slovakia. Is this title most valuable to you, or is it another and why?

🐝 ME 2013 in Slovakia was one of my ten championships which I enjoyed the most and I remember it the most. But it wasn't because of the individual medal. More important for me was definitely the team gold, which we won there. Among the titles and medals that are most valuable to me are probably my first “senior” title of the Czech Republic champion in 2014, the world champion title of the same year (team) and most recently the second place among the "Svratka grayling" teams from last year. Although I managed to win the competition among individuals, the second place of our team of friends, from whom nobody (including us) expected much more weight for me and I was very happy about it.

🐟 Where else would you like to fish with the fly rod and what fish would you like to catch on the fly?

🐝 Maybe I would be tempted by some warm sea over time, but everybody who has had a chance to try it out says it's pretty addictive so I don't know ... we'll see :-)

🐟 Where are you going to fish this year?

🐝 I do not plan any major trip after a long time. I look forward to Sázava's home the most when I drop feeders on predators in the summer ☺

🐟 If you had a magic ring, and after turning it, could you one day appear anywhere in the world with a fly rod, where would you like to spend that day?

🐝 Some of the favorite places in Scandinavia or New Zealand

THANK YOU DAVID FOR INTERVIEW AND WISH MUCH SUCCESS IN THE FUTURE YEARS!