Yasmany Picorel Nieves

Yasmany was born in Guanabo, a small coastal town east of Havana. He spent most of his childhood in the water — swimming, diving, sailing and, above all, fishing. While the other children played baseball, he was on the beach hoping for a bonefish, a barracuda, or anything that would take.

After university he moved to Spain and found what he calls his place in the world: the mountains of León. Far from the sea, but with more than three thousand kilometres of rivers full of wild trout and a fishing culture centuries deep. He fell for fly fishing quickly, and sharpened his casting, tying and technique with the help of local masters.

Competition followed. He won championships in the Spanish Lake Fishing League and set several scoring records. A strong showing at the 2015 Spanish National on the Río Órbigo took him to national level. In 2016 he took individual gold at the Spanish Championship on the Río Segre in Catalonia and finished first in the national team — which made him captain of the Spanish squad defending its world title at the 2017 World Championship in Slovakia, where they took bronze.

He has contributed to radio and television, written for newspapers, and worked with fishing brands and shops across Spain. After stepping back from competition he founded Wild Trout. He now teaches as an FFI Certified Instructor with a specialism in competition technique, coaches national teams including Slovakia and Japan, and occasionally works as a boat captain.

Mostly, though, he is here in León with guests on his favourite rivers. The rest of the year he might be chasing bonefish and tarpon in Cuba, permit in the Florida Keys, or fishing the Mediterranean from his boat, The Guanabo, with friends — mahi-mahi, bluefin tuna, barracuda.

Record

World Championship bronze — Slovakia 2017, Captain of the Spanish national team, Spanish National Champion — Río Segre 2016, Spanish Lake Fishing League champion, FFI Certified Instructor, Coach to the Slovak and Japanese national teams

“Fly fishing is much more than a sport. It's a passion, a way of living in harmony with nature through respect and observation.”

Yasmany Picorel Nieves