The Bolsena experience


sure that when the North wind or the Sirocco is blowing, it is really frightening to fish here. The best thing to do is to consider such a possibility and choose a spot which can be reached even when we fish from the shore; in fact, we have noticed that when the lake is very rough, the water mixes at great depth and it becomes much more productive in terms of captures.


SUGGSTED PERIODS..


The best period to fish in Lake Bolsena is from the end of April to the end of January. In any other period it would be very difficult to find spots where carp lay up, unless you know the lake very well. At the beginning of the season the activity


of carp starts later than in other, shallower lakes. Just think about those natural lakes located on a plane with very shallow depth. In fact, through the action of the sun, in spring their water warms up more quickly. All this promotes a higher activity of carp living in such places: their ovulation, the egg laying…all of those phases take place earlier than in those lakes having a very deep water. At the end of the season the situation


is exactly reversed and what could be considered as a handicap in spring proves to be a positive factor for our captures. The water of those lakes having deeper water gets colder much more slowly than the shallow lakes and carp stay active until mid-Winter (generally ‘til the end of January). February, March and the first half of April (in anomalous seasons) are the hardest months for our fishing. The summer, differently from those


shallower lakes, guarantees great results because the huge amount of water allows a high concentration of oxygen in this season as well. Nevertheless, if we choose this period, we should not forget that Lake Bolsena is very well known throughout Europe, which means that it represents an important tourist destination. This is certainly good for the local economy but not for our discipline: mainly in August, it is really hard to find available places along the shores, as they are generally crowded with bathers and motorboats, which continuously scamper around the lake’s surface. Furthermore, in this period, guards’ control use to increase productivity for professional fishermen who, at this time, practice their activity more regularly in order to meet the restaurants’ demands…etc.


THE LAST METER.. If we fish in summer, when the aquatic


When the wind blows ..


In Lake Bolsena the wind greatly affects our fishing activity. Those areas which are mostly


exposed to the wind may be really interesting for us. Because of the action of winds such as the north wind and the sirocco, very high waves originate; the waves then move the bottom sediments and many food sources for carp emerge. The different colour of the water near the shore is visible to the naked eye. In this


eventuality, if we cast the line in the area where the water is light brown, we will have good chances to get good captures. We suggest you use a rubber


dinghy for a greater stability, heavy leads, small but resistant hooks and well anchored markers (the use of gps is the best choice); furthermore, it is advisable to prepare a spot to cast to, if strong winds prevent us from using the boat.


plants are thriving, or in rocky spots such as the ones described above, we suggest that you use leads linked on a lead clip. When the rig gets stuck on the obstacles on the bottom of the lake, the fish exercises its pressure directly on the linking part: in this way we loose the lead and it makes it easier to pull up the fish. Furthermore, in a case where we might break the line, the carp would have more possibilities to get free from the lead. During our sessions we found the


Elevator leads to be very good as they detach very quickly from the bottom, and that makes it easier to pull up a carp from


Some useful info and how to reach the lake .. ..


l In Lake Bolsena there are many professional fishermen. Consequently, carp are used to the long nets used by them, although only few of them fish specifically for carp. This causes a limited activity of carp during the night. For this reason, we go where we notice some movement. Those areas where you find the “martavelli” (a kind of net specifically used for eels) are very interesting too: it


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often happens that Atherinae get stuck in it, thus becoming a great food source for carp.


l The ichthyofauna of the lake includes: tench, pike, black bass, European perch, lake whitefish, atherinae, eels, carp and catfish.


lMost of the carp population consists of common carp of a large size, whereas mirror carp are quite rare and


the few which have been caught were swimming in an area near Capodimonte known as “la mergonara”.


lThe average size is about 14/15 kg in the period preceding spawning and, after spawning, it is about 12 kg.


lThe lake record, documented by pictures, is over 29 kg, but we are confident that in the future the lake will produce some nice surprises.


Magazine sponsored by Pescalis www.pescalis.com


lHow to reach the lake: To reach Lake Bolsena you have to drive along the motorway A1 Rome- Florence and turn to the junction of Orte; then, take the clearway Orte-Viterbo and turn off to Montefiascone.


lOnce there, you can decide whether to go to Marta, Capodimonte (left shore) or drive along the scenic road bordering the lake towards Bolsena (right shore).


the shore. When we fish in areas free from obstacles or during those periods of the year when there are not so many weeds, we generally use inline leads which are never smaller than 160 gr (5.5 ounces); in fact, with lighter ones, we would run the risk of missing our spot if it is very windy. As for the rigs to use during our fishing


sessions in this lake, the right choice depends on the period of the year. In winter and spring a rig for bottom baits might be a good choice because there are no weeds. In summer, when the presence of weed reaches its peak, or in autumn, when they start to decompose, it would be better to use


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