In Bocca al Lupo: Club Pescatori a Mosca Ticino

Unintentionally, I joined the Club Pescatori a Mosca Ticino: the Swiss-Italian fly fishing club. There are no regrets!


How I joined the Club Pescatori a Mosca Ticino (CPMT)

The evening has proceeded quickly. The wine glass was empty, and I found myself still cruising websites researching on some rare strains of trout in and around Switzerland. As I dived from scientific articles to videos of how to communicate with aquatic, gill-bearing animals, I landed on the website of the Ticino fishing club, called “Club Pescatori a Mosca Ticino” or in short: CPMT.

Clicking through the page, I understood pescatori and mosca but struggled with unirsi (join). Expecting to sign up for a newsletter about the fishery in Ticino, I was surprised to find a deposit slip in my inbox with the first booklet. The brochure looked promising, and I decided to pay the bill to continually receive post from Ticino.

It was not until the second letter arrived that I realized my mistake: By paying the club fee, I officially became a member of the CPMT!

Stonefly nymph from Ticino
Stonefly nymph from Ticino

Meeting up with the Club Pescatori a Mosca Ticino

For a while, I remained a passive observer and just followed them on their social media accounts. Yet, at some point I decided to go and meet a few members of the club in person. I had made contact with Marco (Walk and Wade Fishing) before, so I was really stoked to meet him in person.

Weekend Trip

Planning a weekend trip, I combined the stay in Ticino with a night in Locarno. My girlfriend and I enjoyed a beautiful evening with good food and excellent red wine. By featuring lush green palm trees, a pleasant warmth, and the slowed down pace, Ticino just emanates this Mediterranean ambience.

Ticino just emanates this Mediterranean ambience.
Ticino just emanates this Mediterranean ambience.

SIM T.L.T. Course

Signing up for a course offered by the Club Pescatori a Mosca Ticino, I met the members on a Saturday morning in the local club restaurant. The course was about SIM, which stands for the Italian Casting Style (la Scuola Italiana di Pesca a Mosca). The added T.L.T. is the acronym of Tecnica di Lanzio Totale, which directly translates to “total casting technique”. In contrast to the fascist undertone of the technique, it is very helpful in fishing small mountain creeks. They are abundant in Ticino and mostly overgrown. Therefore, one needs to have full control of the line, rod, and fly. Roberto Pragliola is the inventor of the Total Casting Technique (TLT) recognized internationally as “Italian Fly Fishing Style”. The SIM suisse casting instructions were given by Piero Zanetti.

Although the language barrier persisted throughout the course, I did my best to follow the instructions. We learnt several casts among them the one where the fly lands first on the water. Moreover, putting the tippet in one spot crumbled on the water, extremely helps for longer drifts in swift currents. This was pretty mind-opening, because I mostly cast the leader straight, even if it is not the best option. These are extremely useful casts for tiny streams and demanding currents.

Getting to know the people from the club, it quickly became clear that we were cut from the same cloth. Hence, we all got along very well. Enjoying the company with a streamside wine and other beverages, we ate a wonderful lunch.

CPMT
CPMT

Fly Fishing Ticino

The next day, I stayed in Ticino for some proper fishing, because the previous day we had only trained casting with the SIM style. Having been fly fishing in the Ticino before, I was looking for a small stream on my way back north. Marco joined and pointed me in the right direction. After spending the night in the tent at a remote camping with a dodgy road leading to it, it was time for some fishing.

Spending the night in the tent at a remote camping with a dodgy road leading to it
Spending the night in the tent at a remote camping with a dodgy road leading to it
Fly fishing Ticino with Marco Pollini
Fly fishing Ticino with Marco Pollini

Before wishing farewell to Marco, I wondered whether there is a phrase in Italian like “tight lines”. After giving it some thought, he explained that there is not any particular saying related to fishing. However, hunters usually wish “in Bocca al Lupo”, which literally translates to “in the mouth of the wolf” meaning: Good luck!

That’s quite a grim sense of humor!

 

After giving it some thought, he explained that there is not any particular saying related to fishing. However, hunters usually wish “in Bocca al Lupo”, which literally translates to “in the mouth of the wolf” meaning: Good luck!

CPMT

If you also want to sign up for a newsletter — or is it becoming a member? Visit the homepage of the CPMT and fill in the form. It is a great club, with awesome people and the Ticinese atmosphere just never ceases to amaze.

Wishing you a great time and tight lines! Or as they say in Ticino:

In Bocca al Lupo!

Walk and Wade fly fishing Switzerland
Walk and Wade fly fishing Switzerland

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