About Us – The Story of Thymallus Fly Fishing Shop
One day, a web developer asked me to write something “about us.” He said every online store should have such a section. So here it is.
My life has always revolved around fishing. So much, in fact, that I spent many years working in fishing stores across Slovakia. But the time came to stand on my own — to build my own shop. I knew that if I wanted to succeed, I had to do things differently. To take a risk — quite literally, to put my own skin in the game.
Beginnings and First Steps
In the early days of Thymallus, we focused on organizing the fly-fishing exhibition “Muškárska sobota” together with friends from Kysuce. Shortly after, we started producing our first fishing videos, which you can find on our YouTube channel @srzkysuca.
Helping the Rivers
Over time, we realized that our main goal wasn’t only to sell fishing gear but also to help our rivers — both financially and actively. Our first support went to the Kysuca River. We provided funding that, along with a public campaign, helped stock the CHAP section with beautiful graylings and brown trout. The initiative received a warm response and showed that together we can make real change.
Our River – The Váh
The Váh River is very close to my heart because it’s where my childhood memories live. It’s the longest river in Slovakia — once home to the queen of our rivers, the huchen (taimen). Unfortunately, when Thymallus was founded, the Váh was in poor condition.
With the creation of CHAP, we began investing our own funds into restocking the river. The very first restocking proved to be the right decision — the river literally came back to life. It warms my heart that we took that step. Thanks to cooperation with MO SRZ Ružomberok, we established a lasting relationship and continued restocking efforts. Today, the results speak for themselves — beautiful catches, renewed spawning stocks, and natural reproduction of fish.
A Memory That Remains
“I met an old fisherman by the river. He said: Jano, I can no longer wade through the water, so I fish with my eyes now. For a long time, I couldn’t catch anything, but maybe now I’ll put on my waders again. Jano, the water is alive… and I can see fly fishermen here once more.”
Big River Race – When the River Invites
Life flows like the Váh River. Step by step, we reached the point where the river can once again invite anglers — even competitors. That’s how our next event was born — Big River Race. Its purpose is simple: to raise more funds for restocking. Because the Váh River truly deserves it from all of us.
Ján Táborecký
Thymallus.com