When in Rome(ania) – Lure Fishing For Asp

My deployment with the Royal Air Force took me to Romania’s eastern Black Sea coast for five months, where I was in command of six Eurofighter Typhoon jets and 200 personnel. Initially, the role was intense, but as the mission settled, an opportunity arose to take a well-earned break. Naturally, my thoughts turned to fishing – lure fishing for asp in particular!

Having several Romanian friends back in the UK, I had already gathered some intel on the local angling scene. Reports suggested that illegal poaching and commercial fishing had significantly impacted predator populations. The Danube was home to perch, zander, and pike, though sizes were modest compared to UK standards. However, one species immediately caught my attention—the asp (Leuciscus aspius). This hard-hitting, aggressive predator isn’t found in British waters, and the chance to target them was an opportunity I couldn’t resist.

Planning the Trip

After speaking with my good friend Bogdan Pascaru, I was introduced to Romanian international angler and national team captain Rares Boeriu. A plan was quickly formed: two days fishing in the famed Danube Delta, one of Europe’s greatest wild fisheries. Rares arranged everything, including picking me up from the airbase at 5 am sharp on Friday morning.

When he arrived, I was instantly impressed by his Finval boat, decked out with the latest tech—unsurprising, given his day job selling boats and marine electronics in Bucharest. The launch site was just a couple of hours’ drive away, and we wouldn’t be seeing the car again until Sunday morning, as our hotel had its own marina. With the boat loaded and fuelled, we were on the water by 8:30 am, ready to chase Romania’s apex river predator.

Day One: Learning the Ropes

By 9 am, we were casting. Rares had a huge selection of lures laid out, ready to switch as needed. His rods and reels were top-tier, and I was intrigued to see him fishing braid straight through, with no fluorocarbon leader—a testament to the asp’s lack of teeth and the rarity of pike in this stretch of the river. Even the braid was camouflaged with marker pen, a small but telling detail that showed the level of thought put into his approach.

It took a couple of hours before we found fish willing to bite, but when the first asp hit, I immediately understood their reputation. The take was ferocious—one moment the lure was working through the flow, the next my rod was nearly ripped from my hands. After a brief but spirited fight, my first asp was in the net—a bronze, torpedo-shaped predator of around 40cm, looking like a hybrid between a chub and a tigerfish.

The rest of the day was a grind. The sun was relentless, pushing temperatures to nearly 40°C, and the river was several feet higher than usual, carrying an unexplained murky stain. We covered huge distances, clocking close to 150 km at speeds of 60 kph, exploring both the St. George and Sulina branches of the Danube. By late afternoon, we reached the point where the river meets the Black Sea—a surreal location, with a massive stone breakwater separating fresh and saltwater, and huge cargo ships navigating inland trade routes.

As the day wound down, we finally found a few willing fish, particularly as the sun set over the delta in a spectacular blaze of colour. After 13 hours on the water, we returned to the hotel’s marina, where a pre-ordered dinner of pickled herring, pike roe, and fried carp awaited—a true Romanian feast.

Day Two: Refining the Approach

We were back on the water at 6:30 am, enjoying a sunrise coffee before setting off. Rares wanted to try targeting asp around mooring buoys, where baitfish often congregate, but after an hour without success, we reverted to casting at slacks, eddies, and submerged snags along the St. George’s branch. By now, we operated like a well-oiled machine—Rares would take the first cast into likely spots, while I followed up with a secondary cast to the next target area.

Mid-morning, I finally connected with a better fish. Casting a Rapala Countdown Elite 75 into a tree slack, I felt an explosive hit. The asp immediately powered toward a sunken branch, and I thought it was game over, but luck was on my side—the branch snapped, and I managed to land the fish. At 60cm, it was the biggest of the trip, gleaming in the sun. We continued to pick off smaller fish throughout the afternoon before calling it a day, enjoying another incredible delta sunset before heading back. That night’s dinner featured scrumbie, a seasonal herring that migrates up the Danube to spawn—another unforgettable culinary experience.

Day Three: A Perfect Finish

With a VIP visit scheduled that afternoon, I debated skipping the final morning’s lure fishing for asp session, but Rares convinced me otherwise. His instincts were spot on. The first two hours after dawn were electric, with fish hitting lures aggressively in the misty half-light. Switching to a crankbait, I had an instant reaction bite under a tree, watching an asp leap several feet clear of the water, lure in its mouth. It turned out to be another solid fish, just over 50cm, its golden flanks shimmering in the early morning sun.

For two hours, we worked a tree-lined stretch, picking off fish steadily. By the time we pulled the boat out of the water, we had put together a double-figure haul, the best session of the trip. Then, it was back to the airbase—a surreal transition from casting lures in the wild Danube Delta to briefing high-ranking officers on operational developments.

Reflections on Lure Fishing for Asp

Fishing for asp was everything I had hoped for—fast-paced, aggressive, and utterly addictive. The Danube Delta is a truly special place, combining breathtaking wildlife with incredible angling opportunities. While the conditions were challenging, the thrill of those explosive takes and the raw beauty of the location made it a trip to remember.

For any lure angler seeking an adventure beyond the UK, lure fishing for asp in Romania should be high on the bucket list. With the right guide, the right approach, and a bit of perseverance, the rewards are well worth it.

If you are interested, you can see more of my worldwide fishing adventures here!