site.btaDevin Hosts World Trout Fishing Championship This Week

This week, the town of Devin in the Rhodope Mountains hosts the finals of the 31st FIPSed World Trout Fishing Championship for nations and clubs using natural bait. Four nation teams (Italy, France, Croatia and Bulgaria) and eight clubs (including KSR Devin) will compete on the Devinska River. The sport fishing zone in the river will be stocked with half a tonne of brown trout.

The championship will be opened with a ceremony in the town square on May 7 at 6:30 PM. On May 8, the entrants will practice on the river. The competition proper will be held on May 9 and 10 between 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM in the part of the Devin River which runs by the local stadium.

As a sport, trout fishing is one of the most intriguing and dynamic disciplines. Anglers use 10 m long rods and constantly move along the riverbank trying to catch the most fishes. After they catch one, they unhook it safely and put it back into the water, where it can be caught one or several more times. What counts is the number of fishes caught. The hooks must be barbless, and the baits can be waxworms or earthworms.

Italy, which has won 30 titles in as many world championships so far, is clearly the frontrunner among the final-four nations in Devin. Bulgaria and France are expected to contest second place. Among the clubs, KSR Devin aspires to place high in the ranking.

Ugo Claudio Matteoli, the President of FIPSed (the Fresh Water International Sport Fishing Federation), is expected in Devin for the World Championship finals.

Bulgarian Sport Fishing Federation President Georgi Mihailov commented: “We have every reason to say that Devin, with its two rivers, the Devinska and the Vacha, is the trout fishing capital of Bulgaria. The town hosts a world championship for the seventh time, which is a high record among the host towns internationally.” Expectations are that entrants will catch between 2,800 and 3,000 brown trout during the competition.

Bulgaria is among the world’s leading trout fishing sport nations, both with natural and artificial baits. At the previous world championship, held on the Solano River in Italy in 2024, Bulgaria won the bronze medal in the natural bait division. In the artificial bait division, Bulgaria has earned one world title, one second place and two third places over the last five years in competition with 14 other nation teams.