Yasmany Picorel

 WILD TROUT founder and Head Guide
Yasmany Picorel Nieves was born in Guanabo Cuba, a small beach town east of the city of Havana. From childhood he spent most of his free time around the water: swimming, diving, sailing, and, above all, fishing. While most kids were playing baseball, he preferred to be at the beach, intent on catching a bonefish, barracuda, or any fish that chose to bite. After university, he moved to Spain, finding his “place in the world” in the mountains of Leon. There is no sea nearby but those mountains have more than 3000 km of rivers filled with totally wild trout and have a long tradition of fishing. He quickly fell in love with fly fishing, perfecting, with help of great masters, his technique, fly tying, and the art of casting. Before long, he was entering the circuit of fly fishing competition with very favorable results. He won championships in the Spanish lake fishing league and also set point scoring records. Later, in 2015, his participation in the Spanish national competition on the Orbigo river in Leon resulted in advancement to the highest national level of fly fishing (the national team). At the Spanish Championship on the Segre river in Cataluña in 2016, he won the individual gold medal and first place in the rankings of the national team. He was chosen to lead Team Spain as they defended the world title in the 2017 World Championship in Slovakia, the team winning a bronze medal there. He has collaborated on programs on radio and TV, local newspapers, fishing brands, and stores. After participating in competition, Yasmany founded the WILD TROUT company and also currently teaches, in several countries, theoretical and practical courses as a FFI Certified Instructor and competition techniques specialist. He acts as a guide or manager for national teams from, for example, Slovakia or Japan and is also a boat Captain. But his main passion is to share, with his guests, amazing fishing days on the shores of his favorite river.

- I am usually here in León with my guests in our WILD TROUT lodge, other times catching bonefish and tarpon in my native Cuba, permit in the Florida Keys, or fishing in the Mediterranean Sea from my boat, "the Guanabo," where I take my fly fishing friends for a change of scenery enjoying fishing for dolphin fish, bluefin tuna, or barracuda. That is life for me. Fly fishing is something that I enjoy in all its facets, above all, to learn and teach, sharing moments. In sum, for me, fly fishing is much more than a sport. It’s a passion, a way of living with nature through respect and observation.-

Yasmany Picorel