Fishing Gear Guide for Czech Waters

Czech fishing tackle shops are well-stocked and reasonably priced. You can arrive with nothing and be properly equipped within an hour of landing at Prague airport. That said, knowing what to buy and what not to waste money on makes the process considerably faster and cheaper.

This guide is organized by fishing type, since the gear requirements for carp fishing on a slow river are quite different from what you need for trout in a Sumava mountain stream. I have tried to focus on practical recommendations rather than brand loyalty, though I will mention specific products where I have found them genuinely superior to alternatives.

Carp Fishing Setup

Czech carp fishing is predominantly bottom fishing with hair rigs, boilies or corn, and electronic bite alarms. The standard setup has been refined over decades and works well across most conditions you will encounter in Bohemian waters.

Rods: A 3 to 3.5 meter rod with a test curve of 2.5 to 3 pounds covers most Czech carp fishing situations. For river fishing where you need to cast further or deal with current, the heavier end of this range is more useful. Czech-made rods from brands like Sportex are excellent and available locally at prices significantly lower than equivalent UK brands.

Reels: A medium-sized baitrunner reel with a good drag system is standard. The baitrunner function is important for carp fishing as it allows fish to take line without triggering the alarm prematurely. Shimano and Daiwa are widely available in Czech tackle shops, as are several Central European brands.

Line: Monofilament in 0.30 to 0.35 millimeter diameter for still water, braided line in 0.18 to 0.22 millimeter for river fishing. Fluorocarbon hooklinks of 0.25 to 0.30 millimeter are worth using in clear water conditions, which you will encounter in many Czech rivers during summer low-water periods.

Terminal tackle: Size 4 to 8 hooks for carp, depending on bait size. Czech anglers tend to use slightly larger hooks than their British counterparts, particularly for corn fishing. Leads of 50 to 100 grams for still water, up to 150 grams for river fishing in current.

Pike and Predator Fishing

Pike fishing in Czech Republic is done primarily with lures and dead baits. Live baiting is prohibited on most managed waters, which has pushed Czech pike anglers toward lure fishing techniques that are often more refined than what you see in countries where live bait is still permitted.

A medium-heavy spinning rod of 2.4 to 2.7 meters, rated for lures up to 60 or 80 grams, covers most Czech pike fishing situations. Pair this with a 3000 to 4000 size reel loaded with 0.20 to 0.25 millimeter braid and a 30 to 40 centimeter wire or heavy fluorocarbon trace.

Lure selection for Czech pike: large rubber shads and swimbaits in natural colors work well in the clear water of Bohemian rivers. Jerkbaits are effective in the larger reservoirs. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits produce fish in weedy areas. The standard advice to match lure color to water clarity holds true here as elsewhere.

Trout and Grayling Fishing

Fly fishing is the traditional and most respected method for trout and grayling in Czech mountain streams. Czech nymphing, a technique developed on Bohemian rivers and now used worldwide in competitive fly fishing, is particularly effective in the fast, clear water of the Sumava and Krkonose mountain streams.

A 9-foot rod for a 4 or 5 weight line is the standard Czech trout setup. Czech nymphing uses a longer leader and heavier nymphs than traditional European wet fly fishing, allowing precise presentation in fast water. If you are not familiar with the technique, it is worth spending time learning it before your trip, as it outperforms other methods significantly in the right conditions.

Spinning for trout is permitted on some Czech waters with small spinners and spoons. A light spinning rod of 1.8 to 2.1 meters, rated for lures of 3 to 15 grams, is appropriate. Ultra-light fishing with 0.12 to 0.16 millimeter monofilament produces the best results.

What to Buy Locally

Several items are worth buying in Czech Republic rather than bringing from home:

• Boilies and groundbait from Czech manufacturers (Carp Expert, Mivardi, Radical) are formulated for Central European fish and often outperform imported products
• Czech nymphs and wet flies tied locally are excellent and inexpensive compared to imported alternatives
• Fishing permits and maps, obviously, need to be purchased locally
• Corn, bread, and other natural baits are available in any supermarket and are often more effective than commercial alternatives

What to Bring From Home

Quality items that are harder to find or more expensive in Czech Republic:

• High-quality polarized sunglasses for spotting fish in clear water
• A good unhooking mat if you practice catch and release (Czech shops stock these but quality varies)
• Waders for trout fishing, as the selection in Czech shops is limited outside major cities
• Any specialist lures or flies you have confidence in from previous experience

For more information on Czech fishing tackle and where to buy it, the Wikipedia article on fishing tackle provides useful background on equipment types, and any major tackle shop in Prague or Brno can advise on local specifics.