At Outside Days, we believe dreams should be lived not just lusted after. So we’ve set about finding accessible alternatives to infamous bucket list destinations.
So you want to walk sun-drenched flats in search of tailing fish? The cognoscenti aren’t losing precious fishing hours to the longhaul flights, layovers and jetlag that stalking the fabled sands of Bermuda, Cuba, or (in reverent, whispered tones) Fiji entail. Instead, they’re hopping cheap flights to Madrid in pursuit of Europe’s own bonefish, barbel on the dry fly.
Best described as upside down bonefishing, you see cruising barbel as they come into the shallows to hunt, fins above the water like small scale golden sharks.



Or maybe you’re like our friend Tony who’s invested a small mortgage’s worth in pursuit of salmon. He’s found himself on the wrong end of the spate on Scottish rivers. And the opposite (but equally wrong) end of the spate on Norwegian waters. But if it’s kit you’re after, he’s got to be considered an authority. Having resorted to renovating to create space for it all.

Wild, wide-bottomed, boulder-strewn rivers and idyllic forested banks are an excellent reason to brush up on the basics of Scandi-style casting (roll casts, sinking lines and heavy shooting heads).

Have you unearthed an exotic location with fishing at high street prices? Or maybe a species behaving in an extraordinary way like Spanish barbel? Or something no one’s thought to flick fluff at, but is hilarious fun or an infuriating challenge? Then let us know. We’re always on the look out for tip offs and the inside scoop on fishing breaks. Give us the skinny and we’ll make sure to take you along on a trial trip!
Tags: barbel fishing, bucket list, dry fly fishing, fly fishing, spanish fishing, sweden, wish list