Professional Fly Fisher

Fly fisher, passionate salmon fisher, author and bon viveur

Professional fly fisherProfi-Caster

Outdoor life, the kitchen, the wine cellar and other such nice things
are just as important to him as fly fishing.

Fly fishing, especially salmon fly fishing is a passion of HRH. He wrote “The Fascination of Fly Fishing”, took part in 14 educational films, which are still actual today in DVD format, and had an active role for the special subjects fly fishing and salmon fishing. Besides this, it is known that he is a gourmet and wine expert – he also enjoys and cultivates the other nice things in life like art, literature and music. After his heel injury, hunting and golf have taken a lesser role in life but photography and more importantly the botanic are further interests he follows with great enthusiasm.

He was born on 09.12.1942 under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius and has enjoyed 65 lucky years under easy circumstances despite the fact he has always lived under a mountain of work and duties. He has three children and six grand children. He has written his book, planted a tree, fit as a fiddle and is always of a cheerful disposition. He has met most of the big names in fishing and has undertaken something like one hundred fishing trips to destinations all over the world. He has shared his passion for fly fishing with: Charles Ritz, John E. Tarantino, Pierre Creusevaut, Jim Hardy, Ian Blagburn, John Halford, Mike Lunn, Fredy Cavallasca, Moritz Straub, Pierre Düby, Pedro Pujol, Leigh H. Perkins, Peter Hässig, Walter Brunner, Hans Gebetsroither, Sepp Prager, Horst Hansen, Michael Lehner, Had Verhejien, Wolfgang L.R. Ecke, just to name few of his fly fishing friends. Further, he has contributed a number of essential things to the special fields of fly casting and fly fishing. Over the decades, and with the help of some of his 15’000 fly fishing pupils, he has greatly improved fly rod casting in Europe and was instrumental in raising this to a level very clearly considered the best in the world. He has held on multiple occasions Swiss, European and World championship titles for casting.

The Hebeisen casting style can be easily recognised when you see someone casting effortless, elegant, tight loops one after another. The natural hand position – the HRH grip – is easily recognised when someone with a powerful rod fishes for salmon with the greatest of ease for hours on end against a strong wind!

He has also achieved his business goals: for decades the company HRH Hebeisen has been the top fishing tackle supplier in Europe and his fly fishing school has been a clear leader. Apart from his damaged heel he has no further problems and is looking positively to the future with great composure - he has entered the last quarter with full awareness.

Finally, a clear statement: HRH is a pot fisherman and showers with hot water. He had enough of cold showers during his two years spiritual guidance in boarding school and following several years doing military service in the Swiss army. Sixty years ago all fishermen were pot fishermen - including HRH as a young boy. He used to come home from the Lake of Zurich with 30, 40 or even 50 bleak which were carefully scaled, gutted and presented to his parents with pride because he had provided a tasty meal for the family. His father used to fish the River Limmat every Sunday and later they fished the rivers in Canton Schweiz together. In those days it was normal that all sizable fish were taken and eaten over the following days. Fish on the table was normal by the Hebeisens three or more times a week because it was considered healthy and contributed to the household budget which, in those days, had a meaning.

Just as his own children, who also enjoyed eating fish, started to leave home the “Catch & Release” wave started. Because there was no big requirement for fish at home HRH joined the wave. He soon realised that he was not going fly fishing as much but then for the pleasure that he knew that someone would be pleased with the catch and preparation of the fresh trout.

In the meantime, and also because of various other reasons, he has come to the clear opinion that a general “Catch & Release” does not make sense on conservation grounds because it is only for a limited time. The structured taking of a given number of fish – especially the larger specimens – belongs to the good management of a water just as much as stocking with fry and young fish does. In places where cultivated stock fish are released it can be considered that serious water management has been dispensed with and the “Catch & Release” policy, in most cases, is associated with an expensive daily permit, has been adopted to cover the running cost of the water. Is this really what we want?

"Limit your kill – don’t catch your limit", was a sticker we distributed about 20 years ago among the fishers with great success. We are still of the same opinion: fly fishing – yes, take fish – yes, how many? You should only take what you can eat yourself or with friends today or tomorrow, the rest should be returned. We should not forget that we alone cannot control the continual reduction in catch figures for a water because we are at the end of the line or attached to the horse’s tail. With correct management and ideal conditions a water should be sufficiently productive so that we can take fish to eat. If any of the other conditions are not in order there will be less and less fish even if we do not take any fish. To demonstrate this a blunt but serious question: Decades ago, would there have been less trout in Canton Graubünden when the fisher was allowed to take 20 fish a day? Think carefully about this.

 

Alles über H.R. Hebeisen und seine Frau Heidi Hebeisen

Fliegenfischerkurse
mit H.R. Hebeisen


Presseberichte
HRH Fishing Hebeisen - Shop