Fly Fishing in Israel

As the Fly Fishing Rabbi, I occasionally receive an email asking about fishing in Israel and whether trout can be caught on a fly rod in the holy land. Being that Israel is a desert nation, I assumed that a trout could not be found. After correspondence with two of my readers, one in the US and one in Israel, I learned a few surprising facts about a country that I thought I knew so well. Much of the information to follow comes courtesy of these two friends.

Israel is small, the size of the state of New Jersey, but has great variety in its climate. The south is scorching desert. Tel Aviv is a warm costal town, surrounded by fertile valleys. The area surrounding Jerusalem, the Judean Hills, is filled with some of the most desolate and beautiful spots of solitude and peace found anywhere. And in the north of Israel stands Mt. Hermon, Israel’s only mountain, a snow-capped peak in the winter. Flowing down from this mountain, there are spring-fed streams that empty into the Jordan River. Not too long ago, a number of trout farms opened, making use of the cold water creeks. Some of the trout escaped, and live in those streams.

Fly fishing in Israel is illegal. The streams are situated in designated nature reserves, where fishing is prohibited. Those who chose to ignore this law are subject to fines, and rangers patrol the stream to stop anyone from fishing. I believe that the intent of the prohibition is good; to protect the natural treasures of Israel. And I think that we should follow this law and not fish on these streams.

I would however, propose the possibility of making fly fishing legal in Israel. In many cases where fishing is permitted and properly regulated, the stream and environment benefit from the presence of fly fishers. Trout Unlimited, which is a fly fishing organization, is dedicated to “conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.” (Courtsey of http://www.tu.org/). TU believes that fly fishers, when given the opportunity to fish a stream, will also work hard to protect and preserve it for future generations. I agree. Allowing fly fishing in Israel could prompt some environmental awareness in the Jewish State and in the long run might help the streams remain pure and pristine.

According to my friend in Israel, unfortunately some people chose to fish illegally on the streams. Since there are no regulations, they use any method they like, including spear guns, and keeping every fish they catch, no matter how small. These tactics are clearly not good for the fish or the natural sites. If fly fishing were made legal, but a minimum length and a maximum number of fish were enforced, the overall health of the stream and nature preserve would probably remain strong or improve. For now, my belief is that we must follow the law and not fly fish on any streams in Israel.

While the small rivers may be off-limits, Israel does offer a taste of fly fishing for those so inclined. Here is the report from my friend in Israel: “Kibbutz Dafna has a trout farm and they opened one of their pools to pay fishing. They stock it with half to one kilo rainbow and charge slightly less per kilo for caught fish than you would pay at their store. I have taken orders from friends and fished there, catching 4 or 5 fish in less than one hour. It is like fishing in a barrel! It is not easy to fly fish the pond, so I have used spinners, but it is possible to use a fly rod, especially if you are there when no one else is. So I guess you can say there is fly fishing for rainbows in Israel! The price for caught fish is about $4.5 per pound (40 IS per kilo), so the average fish cost about $5.” This fly fishing friend of mine in Israel also runs a terrific guesthouse near the Sea of Galilee. For more information: Click Here.

The next time I travel to Israel, I will leave my fly rod at home. There are plenty of others amazing experiences to be had in the Holy land; from walking the walls of the old city of Jerusalem and praying at the Western Wall to participating in an archeological dig; from snorkeling in Eliat to swimming in the Mediterranean to floating in the Dead Sea; from cosmopolitan Tel Aviv to holy Jerusalem and every place in between. Maybe someday, Israel will permit fly fishing. But until then, I prefer to soak up all of the other treasures that my homeland has to offer.

Here are some pictures from the year I lived in Israel in the late 90s: