Lake Varlaam

Lake Varlaam is located 25 km south of Bucharest in Romania. It’s a beautiful location for both carp fishing and feeder fishing. It’s about a kilometer from the village of Varlaam, close to the main road DN5A and is easy to find.
Lake Varlaam is easily accessible regardless of the weather, and all spots can be reached by car, allowing you to unload your gear. Lake Varlaam is a private area where no one is allowed to enter and has a lockable access, making fishing very safe. After this is done, cars are parked in the parking lot at the entrance. The parking lot is close to most fishing spots.
For customers traveling to Romania by plane, we can arrange pickup and transport from Bucharest International Airport. Transport costs may apply. For more information, please contact us.
For safety reasons, please note that arrival and departure are only possible during daylight hours.

Arrival and departure times
Arrival after 7:00 AM
Departure 12:00 PM
If you arrive later than 6:00 PM, you can call us or the managers for advice.
It is not allowed to leave the premises at night without permission.

The fish stock
In Sector A (the small lake), there are about 200-250 common and mirror carp swimming, with the largest being a common carp of about 33.6 kg. Many carp weigh more than 20 kg and most more than 15 kg. Several other large carp are approaching 30 kg.
The much larger Sector B (the big lake) has about 700-750 common and mirror carp, with about 50 carp around 20 kg, some of which weigh more than 25 kg. The record on Varlaam sector B is 30 kg. Last year, there were as many as 355 carp caught over 20 kg! It’s an open body of water with virtually no obstacles and many attractive features, including two large islands and variable depths. On both lakes, the carp are mainly high-shouldered carp with large mouths and large fins. There are also a number of mirrors with a similar shape. The lakes have no crayfish or catfish.

The fishing spots
All anglers receive as much help and information as possible to catch fish. The managers are available at all times and go out regardless of the time, day and night, to photograph all fish weighing more than 20 kg. Boats and bait boats are allowed at no extra cost. All spots are covered with gravel and remain perfectly clean on rainy days. The use of a large unhooking mat or a large inflatable mat is essential, and great care must be taken when handling the fish. No specialized equipment is required; standard fishing gear will be sufficient. A rod pod might be easier to set up on the hard gravel, but regular banksticks are also suitable.

Lake Varlaam Sector A
Has 11 large spots – 14 anglers – 7 hectares
The beautiful spots are spread across a picturesque peninsula with overhanging trees extending into the middle of the lake. See map in the photos. The spots are positioned so that everyone fishes from one shore towards the opposite side. There are no spots on the opposite side, everyone has enough space and can fish without being bothered by neighbors.
Sector A has 11 spots, strategically placed along the edge of the lake, with a maximum of seven anglers, so each customer gets their share of the water. All spots offer anglers many options on where and how to fish. There are many reed beds, overhanging trees, bays, banks, slopes, gravel bars, deep holes, silt beds, and even a sunken island. To prevent overcrowding, management allows a maximum of 7 (seven) spots to be fished at the same time. All spots are surrounded by young poplars and willows, so you can enjoy the shade in summer. All spots are large enough for 2-person bivvies. There are spots created for carp fishing and spots created for feeder fishing.
Carp spots are A1, A2, A4, A6, A7, A8, A9
Feeder spots are A3, A5, A10, A11

Lake Varlaam Sector B
Has 16 spots – 30 anglers – 25 hectares
All spots in Sector B are equipped with electricity. Some spots in Sector B (B8, B9, B10, B11, B13, B14, B15) have comfortable wooden chalets that can be booked together with spots. Most spots are large enough for two anglers with up to eight rods. The spots are very comfortable and many are surrounded by trees that can provide shade in summer. Each spot has access to a large water surface of at least 1 hectare, but often much more.

The facilities
Lake Varlaam is completely safe and maintained and offers excellent facilities, including charging points for mobile phones, bait boats and other electrical equipment, clean toilets and shower blocks, convenient parking, and easy access.
The showers and toilets are only 150 meters away from Sector A and are also clean, well-equipped, and spacious. There is electricity and water (from a source) in Sector A. The managers can help you charge your batteries. All spots in Sector B are also equipped with electricity.

Tactics
Lake Varlaam is a fantastic place to fish. There are so many features in the design
of the lake that no two spots are the same and will test your knowledge every time. Due to the topography of the lake and the amount of underwater features, Varlaam can present various challenges, but skilled anglers will do all ways do well, as long as watercraft becomes an essential part of their fishing.
Although the lake is not large, you need to know what you’re doing to locate the fish. Even if you’ve located the fish in a certain spot and you’re sure the carp are there, it’s possible you still won’t catch them.
Lake Varlaam is not an easy water, as carp fishing should be. It’s also not that difficult and can often be quite generous with big carp and multiple catches in a short time.

All good quality bait will catch, although we can supply a range of very keenly priced Dynamite Baits boilies and pop-ups that can be purchased locally. Large quantities should be ordered in advance.
Rigs don’t need to be complicated, but they do need to be safe. The managers routinely check the rigs and advise on what’s best to use.