Slideshow « HANÁK OPEN |

HANÁK OPEN

Approximately in 2005, I started to help Karel Křivanec with the organisation of the fly-fishing competitions in South Bohemia. I had worked as the fisheries manager in the South Bohemian Board of the Czech Angling Union since 2001 and this position gave me an opportunity to help with the organisation of fly-fishing events. At first we established the lake bank autumnal competition called “Svatováclavský pohár” taking part at the Květoňov Lake close to Kaplice. The real reason for the origin of this competition was an increasing number of fly-fishing competitors in South Bohemia who had to travel for the quality lake competitions to the other parts of the Czech Republic or abroad despite we had an ideal lake almost backyard.

In November 2005, Franta Hanák returned from the “Grayling Festival” taking part in the famous River Dee, Wales and we were talking about the system of this unique competition in a pub. And I said ”why don´t try it in Vyšší Brod?” After few beers we decided to put these two competitions to one weekend in the end of September, Franta agreed to be the main sponsor and this was the origin of “Hanák Open”. So the present form of the Hanák Open consists of two parts, the lake and river competition respectively. They both are organised by the South Bohemian Board of the Czech Angling Union in cooperation with the local fishing clubs and with the Fly-Fishing Club České Budějovice.

The “Svatováclavsky Cup” is an individual lake bank fly-fishing competition established in 2005 and taking place at the Květoňov lake on 28th September (which is the Saint Venceslav Day and bank-holiday in the Czech Republic). From 2016, we fish also one sector from the anchored boats.

The Theodor Kouba Memorial is a team river fly-fishing competition taking place at the Vltava River below Vyssi Brod every last weekend in September since 2006. Every of 40 teams consists from three competitors. In every of the three rounds, two competitors of one team fish in one beat together and the third one is judge of the neighbouring team, competitors have to rotate in every round. In every of the five sectors is eight beats of the length 150 – 200 m. Since 2012, all caught fish are only counted to protect fish and to limit handling during measuring and to avoid displacement and stressing of fish during competitions.

The main aim of the organisation of our competitions is to bring together the top competitors and the leisure fly-fishers as well as the home and the foreign fly-fishers to compare their skills and to make new friendships. Every year we invite over 120 competitors including our friends from Belgium, England, Finland, Holland, Italy, Slovenia and Slovakia. The catch statistics also provide the important information about the structure and density of the fish stock in the Vltava River.

Posters, results, links to articles and pictures from the individual year classes you can find below.

Dates for Hanák Open 2025

Friday September 26th 2025, Svatovaclavsky Cup, Květoňov Lake

Friday – Sunday September 26th – 28th 2025, Theodor Kouba Memorial Cup, Vltava River

Hanák open 2022 – poster

Hanák Open 2023 invitation

Results of individual years

Svat. pohar Hanak Open 2024, river competition was cancelled due to the flood

Svat. pohár Hanák Open 2023 Memoriál T. Kouby Hanák Open 2023

Memoriál Theodora Kouby hanák Open 2022, SVATOVACLAVSKY CUP 2022

Memoriál T.Kouby Hanák Open 2021, Lake competition was cancelled

In 2020, both competition were cancelled due to COVID