Ivo Balinov
Ivo boasts over 44 years of fishing experience from Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and New Zealand. As a seasoned instructor, he has guided numerous anglers through their initial steps into fly fishing. His expertise extends to coaching advanced anglers, including several National Champions of Canada and members of Canada's National Youth Team. Ivo's own wealth of knowledge has been enriched through learning from some of the world's most accomplished competition anglers from Spain, France, the Czech Republic, and the UK. Always eager to explore new techniques, Ivo delved into European nymphing in 2004 when these methods were largely unfamiliar North America. He later played a pivotal role in introducing numerous anglers to these highly productive fishing techniques through organized classes and casual encounters on the water.
Guided by a passion for continuous improvement and a desire to assist others, Ivo organized first-of-their-kind master classes in Canada, featuring top competition anglers from continental Europe. These sessions have covered a spectrum of advanced techniques, including dry fly fishing, lake fishing, nymphing, and more.
Today Ivo is the visionary and organizer behind the Smart Angling World Class Fly Fishing School. This initiative encompasses a series of on-the-stream and online classes, showcasing the forefront of global and Canadian fly fishing expertise.
Ivo is a successful competition angler with top finishes at major international and national tournaments. He is a former Commonwealth Champion (teams) and has finished on the podium of Canadian National Championships nine times, including five consecutive team golds. Ivo is also former provincial Champion of both Ontario and Quebec. He has represented Canada at five World Fly Fishing Championships and was part of the country's best team performance in 2023 in Spain.
