I’m an avid angler, a life-long outdoorsman, and a devoted conservationist and naturalist, who has taken part in several river preservation projects. My relationship with nature has served as the inspiration behind my career choices thus far, and I’m continuously looking to further hone my skills. As a guide, I feel I’ve found my life purpose since it combines my fondness for nature, my passion for teaching, and my need for adventure, as well as giving me the opportunity to educate people and pass on my love for the natural world.

Personal Information and Work Experience

My name is Stanislav Mihaylov Mankov and I am a fly angler, guide, and online fly tackle shop owner.
I was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1988. Fly-fishing has been my life ever since I was 14, so a precise outline of my work experience is rather difficult to give. My love for the sport lead me to become a fly fishing guide and instructor, open up my own shop, and acquire a wide array of qualifications directly (and indirectly) related to my work. I’ve also written numerous articles for various fishing magazines and made a series of Bulgarian documentary films about fishing for trout,
grayling, and salmon. I am currently living in Bulgaria and on the water all around, fresh & salt more than 150 days a year.

International Fly Fishing Guide

As a specialized guide, I have explored much of the Balkan Peninsula, where I’ve organized and continue to organize fishing trips and holidays. I also conduct similar expeditions abroad and have organized a number of Hosted Salmon Fishing trips to England. During this time I have fished in Bulgaria, Serbia, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Greece, Bosnia, Sweden, Norway, England, Wales, Scotland, Denmark, New Zealand, and Seychelles.

I especially enjoy working with children and inexperienced fishermen. I teach them how to treat the fish they catch with respect, how to induce minimal harm while handling it, and how to return it to the water unscathed. The nature of these expeditions is purely educational, so ethical conduct is paramount. I am very adaptive and take pride in my ability to impart knowledge in a calm and focused manner and in a digestible format. I love a challenge, so I’m always striving to improve.

I love my country, Bulgaria, very much and even though fly fishing is a relatively new phenomenon here it is a pleasure to watch it grow and I do everything I can to make it more popular. Bulgaria has unique rivers, creeks, and mountain lakes that can measure up to any European country.

Fly-Tying and Casting Instructor

I have been tying my own flies since the very beginning of my fly-fishing journey and it’s an aspect of the sport I take very seriously. Another such aspect is fly casting, so I strive to incorporate both of these into my coaching. There really is no end to the skill and know-how one can accumulate in these respects, and I have invested a great deal of effort and time into them.

I like to think of flies myself and experiment with new materials and techniques. When I have time I like to tie semi-realistic flies. I take part in a few fly fishing fairs in Germany, England, Denmark, Finland, Holland, and of course Bulgaria. I have the desire to attend and part take in fares and shows all around the globe. In 2015 I have participated the EFFA Open fly tying competition and won 1st prize for the Dry Fly category and second prize for the Nymph category.

Since October 2011 I am qualified as an Advance AAPGAI game angling instructor for single rod techniques. Since 27. October 2012 I am qualified for EFFA as a basic instructor after I passed an exam held in Hohenem- Austria.

Education

  • Honorable Bachelor’s Degree in WildlifeBiology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge – 2011
  • Master’s Degree in Alternative International Tourism, New Bulgarian University, Sofia,
    Bulgaria – 2015
  • PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, 09.2011
  • AAPGAI Game Angling Instructor, 10.2011
  • EFFA basic instructor, 10.2012
  • Emergency First Aid at Work Course 10.2011
  • Certificate of Competence as Skipper of Seagoing Vessels up to 40GT – 10.2018

Languages: English-C2,  Serbian-C2,  Bulgarian-Native

Competitions

I have competed for the Bulgarian fishing club “Old Otters” since 2005. I have been in the national team for 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.
I won the Republican Championship of Bulgaria Individually 5 times – 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013 & 2017.  Came second with my team in 2005, 2006 and 2008. In 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2017 we were champions.
I have participated in four European and four World Championships – Slovenia `06; Norway `07; New Zealand `08; Scotland `09; Bosnia and Herzegovina- `10; Slovakia `13; Bosnia and Herzegovina 15 and Slovakia `17. Most of my international tournaments have been individual.
My best individual achievement so far has been at the World Championship in 2015 where I had a chance to win first place but lost the fish that could have brought me the gold medal in the last session on the lake. Then I blanked and finished 15 in the world.

One of my dreams came true when we as Team Bulgaria represented the country for the first time in the history of the World Fly Fishing Championships in 2017 and finished 7th in the team Ranking out of 31 teams. I was proud to be the captain of the team.

In 2015, I won the individual gold medal in the 6th Danubean-Adriatic Cup and took second-team place, which is so far the best Bulgarian achievement on the International scene.

I have participated in other international challenges, like the International Grayling competition on River Dee in Wells, the Orvis Cup in Prague, and the Hanak competition.

For 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018, I organized the National Championship in Bulgaria.

In recent years, I’ve mainly focused on progressing my career as a tour operator and a guide, but my time as a competitor has without a doubt given mе skills that have elevated me above the level of the average angler.

Press & Media

I have written articles for fishing magazines since the age of 14. I have written tens of materials for every Bulgarian fishing magazine and had contributed to magazines such as Fish und Fliege in Germany, Eat-Sleep-Fish in the UK, The Drake in the US some Danish and Serbian press as well.

I have made fly fishing movies filming home and abroad catching trout, grayling, and salmon.

Some of my recent work:

  • Authorship of a chapter in Nymphing – the new way: French leader fishing for trout by Jonathan White, Merlin Unwin Books, 2018
  • Front cover and an article in Fisch & Fliege, issue № 68, 2022.
  • Happy Days Fly Fishing in Bulgaria is a short film about fly-fishing in Bulgaria.

Through this website, I hope to meet many new people for whom fly fishing is much more than a hobby. For me, it is a sport, a way of life and a great way to understand nature!

Tight Lines!