I finally found some motivation to visit the chub section. First stop was along en route to the places I wanted to fish. Water clarity was pretty poor despite the low water level, nothing to be had.
At the first major bridge I crossed I peeked down hoping to see any fish moving but again low visibility and no fish. So I continued straight to the feeder streamer where the fish kills happened to see if the spill upstream had effected the fish at the stretch I fished.
At the feeder stream you could see how low the water actually was, just inches of water. I caught some small chub but soon was on the road again looking for greener pastures. The next hotspot was near a bridge were you could usually see lots of fish. A peak from the bridge showed some very big chub moving about.
When I tried fishing from the bank the big chub submerged, again spotted. My last hope for the big one was an open stretch with a mixed bottom of sand and weeds. Tricky to get any fish but usually big ones present in numbers. There where big fish around but the combination of high banks, small and shallow stream did not
A change from sedge to hopper did the trick in the end. I finally found a proper chub on feeding station in the surface. That fish took the hopper with gusto from the surface and I could actually land it. It was midday, terribly hot so I called it a day and rested at a pub enjoying a few cold ones.
This was the first session on the stream since my return from the USA. I had already gotten a warning about how low the stream was and boy it was certainly low. Since it would be a hot day I left early and was at the water on time.
When I stepped into the remaining stream I had planned to fish a deeper spot downstream. What I did not expect was to encounter a fish in the shallow water in front of the pool. So the first fish of the day was scared away, one of many.
I dropped a nymph in the deep pool and soon was rewarded by a bite. A solid hit by a nice rainbow trout which I suspected was the fish I scared away. I checked out some other spots nearby and actually had hits on a dry fly from small dace.
When I returned to my starting point I noticed a trout again in the shallows. It was clearly a brown trout so that was the fish I spooked right at the beginning. With the water being so shallow I opted to change to a dry fly as not to scare the fish. That did not help though … scared away the second time.
I checked out many other spots on the stream but the low water made it tough. Approach fishing without spooking them was difficult. Still I had plenty of hits from roach, rudd, dace and the odd gudgeon. I even had a large perch chasing one of the roach I caught.
The low water meant that you had to fish many spots with deadfalls and debris as the fish where hiding there. It also meant losing a lot of flies by getting hung up in the rootwork and debris.
Late in the afternoon the heat reminded me that not taking anything to drink with me was a foolish decision. I called it a day and went to one of the local restaurants for something to drink and eat.
The hot weather reminded me also that the season was slowly slipping away and I had not even been on a proper chub session. So I chub session is called for in the near future when the weather conditions allow it.
For a change I decided to visit Florida before the hurricane season at the end of May. The primary target was Snook and then sight fishing for them in the clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The “no hurricane” part of the trip was achieved, the sight fishing part did not go that well.
Prior research meaning ask AI yielded the selected time frame as the period with the clearest waters. Unfortunately real world conditions proved to be otherwise. Steady SE winds kicked up waves early in the day and thus visibility was usually very poor.
Furthermore the lack of baitfish and visibility meant there were few Snook on the beach. So in order to catch fish it was either blindcasting near structure or fish near inlets where the water was usually clearer and Snook could be found. It was a tough fishery for sure.
Still fish where to be caught and besides the Snook I managed to catch a lot of Seatrout. I had one freshwater session, in hindsight I had not the right equipment with me for that. In the end the Tilapia and a Catfish cooperated and I also had a tussle with a Mayan Cichlid. Jumped a Tarpon, caught a Tarpon and spotted a couple others at the beach and in the ponds.
The Fall Mullet run is definitely a better season to fish with the risk of hurricanes and tropical storms as a drawback. Best performing flies a Flatwing Deceiver pattern which I sourced from Piscari Fly in Ireland. The flatwing in a Mullet livery worked good on the Snook. A Fulling Mill Foxy Clouser minnow with sili legs that resembled a sandfly was a good pattern for blindcasting near structure, that fly catches anything.
Last Monday was a National holiday so I had time off from work. Off course I went fishing but I started late as the morning was quite chilly. We had overcast skies and quite a strong north-westerly wind blowing.
Spring had sprung and the canopy over the stream was now green. All those blooming trees deposited lots of debris though on the water and patches accumulated at obstructions of the flow.
There where insects about, spotted some sedges and small mayflies. With all the debris floating on the surface no action on top. First fly of choice was a squirmy as it was heavy and went down quickly before getting snagged in floating debris.
The first fish came pretty soon, a small brown trout. After that it went eerily quiet and even switching to a more delicate nymph yielded no bites. I decided to move and noticed a big trout just behind a deadfall. I though I could sneak up on the fish but I was too clumsy and it bolted.
With the trout gone I tried the less wary shiners in front of me. Despite having a dozen or more fish right in front of me I could not get solid takes. The next deeper pool had fish in it, even a trout. With the drought going on the pool was shallow and again I was spotted first, game over.
Moving further upstream again a scene with lots of shiners and no bites. But then I spotted fish feeding in the surface which I thought where dace. I tied on a smaller nymph and with the second drift I hit the jackpot, a nice brown trout.
I was thinking that by now only shiners would be in that pool but again I spotted a rather violent rise. Another cast and bang, another solid brown trout. After that the shiners started biting with mostly roach and a nice dace. Further upstream I scared more trout but also landed some smaller ones. Best day of the season so far.
Weather predictions for last Sunday where bright sunny skies with only occasional a small cloud. Ideal to check if something was going on in the chub department. Off course way to early again as the bugs that chub feed on are still absent.
With the stream being extremely shallow and lacking cover it was almost impossible to approach the fish. If the fish spotted you first it was game over for the big fish … they did not grow big because they were stupid.
We had some rain last week so the stream was a little bit higher and clarity was down. Also the algae mats that had grown on the bottom started to drift to the surface. Lots of debris on the surface so tricky for fishing.
Looking down from a bridge and was not sure the shapes in the water where chub or just weeds. I rigged up and checked the spot out, I could spot five big chub hovering in the current. I tried to coax them up with a spent mayfly pattern to no avail. Nymphs and streamer also failed and the fish finally disappeared.
The early morning was cold so I went to a shallow wide stretch in front of a weir. I was hoping the shallower spots would warm up early and hold fish. Insects where on the water and fish rising but they turned out to be tiny bleak. Had a few on the dry to get rid of the skunk and then moved on.
The third spot was again near a bridge and there was a lot of fish activity. The surface was crowded by bleak but deeper in the water column I could see chub. I opted for the nymph and that worked pretty well on the smaller chub. The bigger ones where too wary though and soon left because of the racket caused by hauling in the smaller fish.
The last hope for a big fish was to find some free ranging chub. I checked out an old hot spot with old meaning it used to be productive. Seeing other anglers with spinning gear was a bad sign but luckily they went in another direction. Big chub where present but again I was spotted first so no joy.
It was good to see that some chub are roaming the stream again but to early for productive fishing. We need some more bugs around and more aquatic plants for cover for improved conditions. The sight of the first mayfly was promising prelude, we just have to wait a little longer.
My goal for the weekend’s fishing was to check out the chub section of the river. The coming Saturday would be the warmest day so far with a whopping 22 degrees C. Alas a terrible headache kept me from going out.
Instead I went out on Sunday with a 180 degree change in weather. Light rain showers and a considerable drop in temperature. My first fishing spot was at the entrance of the stream to a village. I had not been there for a long time and noticed some pretty drastic changes.
Two of the large willows on the stream where in the process to be chopped down. No cover thus but access to spots otherwise inaccessible. And despite the sprinkles and strong wind I could see fish moving about. Unfortunately they where not in the biting mood and the only bite ended in a lost fish.
I finally ended up in a forested stretch of the stream. Some of the big trees leaning over the water looked pretty dead and dangerous in these windy conditions. With the drought going on the water was extremely shallow and I could not see any fish. Only hits from the tiny bottom feeders aka gudgeons.
Not many insects around so surface fishing still out of the question. Nymphing was again unproductive so the squirmy came into action again. Only managed one roach, a dace, a gudgeon and a small brown trout. Even the spots where I was not supposed to fish where empty…
Around five in the afternoon I called it a day and coincidentally that was precise the time when you could order something to eat at the pub. So while it started to rain again I sat inside and chatted with the landlord and the usual suspects. The landlord provided me with some high octane drink to flush away my fishing sorrow.
During last week the weather was very warm, sunshine and hardly any clouds in the sky. During the weekend temperatures would drop significantly. When I went out on Sunday the temperature was about 34 F early on. Once I was at the water the temperature had risen somewhat so it was not that cold. A strong easterly wind was blowing over the land.
I was prepared with some heavier clothing as the highs for the day would be about 53 F. Since my visit to the stream last week the outdoors looked quite a bit greener. I also noted that the algae mats where growing on the bottom of the stream. Those mats would die off later in spring when the foliage would block out the light.
My first goal was to catch those trout I missed last week. Tried the same spots and heck nothing was present, in fact on most spots I got no bites at all. Finally I spotted some tiny fish moving in a pool. I order to avoid skunk I tried to get one of those, it was a school of gudgeons with some small dace mixed in.
I wanted the dace but the gudgeons where more numerous so I caught one of those. Maybe the trout had moved upstream so I checked any deeper pools there out. Surprisingly I got a hit from a small trout and it went airborne a few times only to throw the fly. A pool further upstream the same happened.
Spots where I would normally catch shiners guaranteed where all dead. Nymphs where useless, I got all bites on the squirmy. There was one pool that was promising and since access was a bit harder than usual it could be a bonus for finding fish.
I launched the squirmy in the beginning of the pool and got a hit from a good fish. Turned out to be a brown trout of a decent size for this small stream. I fished a light tippet so I had to fight the fish carefully with the chance that the barbless hook would come out if I did not take care. Luckily it all went to plan and I could land the fish.
I tried some other spots in a downstream section but although I could spot fish I did not get any bites. Surprisingly as I spotted a lot more insects in the air than last week. I blamed it on the east wind. Spring was in full swing, a lot drier than last year though so again weather in extremes. Noticed the first swallows in the sky back from Africa, also spotted the first stork.
I opted to fish last Sunday which unfortunately was the day with the worst weather possible. The rain showers where as expected and relatively light, rhe wind however was brutal. Despite the conditions I could still spot some blue winged olives on the water … heck I call all small mayflies that name.
Any dry fly action was off course out of the question. The blossoms of the elder trees where covering the water along with dead leaves. I noticed algae growth had started in earnest as the floor of the stream looked dark from the growth. It was time to deploy the nymph to see if anybody was home. I noticed fish in the first pool I came along and managed mall dace and a little brown trout.
Another likely spot was void of fish, I had seen a report from a friend who caught quite a few big browns so I was hoping to encounter some. I tried a lot of places but with the low water due to weeks of dry weather fishing was tough. Also without cover of the leaves and the strong wind stealthy approach was out of the question.
I moved up to another section that boasted more deeper pools but even there I hardly got any bites. The best I could manage was yet another small brown trout. I finally spotted a larger fish but from the high bank … I was also spotted and the fish made fast tracks to safer places.
There was one spot where I had high hopes of catching a decent size trout. The tricky thing was the wind and a submerged brush at the head of the pool where I expected a fish. After a few casts short of the target I hit the mark and hooked a big trout, for a short while though as the hook came out.
Against better judgment I tried a second time at that spot knowing full well it was unlikely that the trout in question would hit the fly again. Surprisingly though I hooked another fish, smaller thought but I also lost that one. Other marks I fished where empty. When I got into another shower I figured it might be time to call it a day and head for a sheltered place to get something to eat and drink. Luckily my old haunt from days gone by was open again so I warmed up there and had dinner.
I had not been out much this season yet, weather conditions where not favorable so far. Too often it was cold and miserable so fishing made not a lot of sense. But we had some sudden outburst of spring when temps skyrocketed like on this day. I went out pretty late in the morning as the nights are still cold.
Most pools I checked where empty but one or two had fish in them. Dace where active as I noticed several fish moving about. The water was clear and a little higher than expected for a period without much rain. Some small mayflies where buzzing around but nothing to get fish rising as it is still way to early.
I managed several dace on the pheasant-tail nymph and even landed an out of season brown trout (season starts middle march). Migratory birds have returned like lapwings, oystercatchers and the likes and I have heard great cranes heading north in the night sky.
My go to pub had gone down the drain during the winter so to get anything to eat I had to go to plan B. I still found a place nearby that was open so I could end the day with a warm meal.
Last Friday I had to extend my license at one of the syndicates I am in. With the sudden warm spring weather it seemed a perfect opportunity to take the day off and go fishing.
Since it had been cold for a long time I did not expect much to move. The water was slightly higher than usual and visibility was good. I only tried the most likely holding spots but all where void of life, could not spot anything.
The last hope was put on the dead arm of a feeder stream. That spot always held fish but when I arrived I missed the telltale signs of moving fish. It took a while before I spotted a dust cloud in the stagnant water.
At first I suspected a muskrat or carp but then I spotted an actual pike parked in the bank. Not soon after that a second pike appeared and a whole racket started. The pike where obviously in spawning mode.
A diving kingfisher showed me the location of fish. I dropped a squirmy in the water and got many nibbles from small fish. I could spot a lot of these tiny fish moving about and in the end I managed to catch one small roach, mission accomplished.
Last weekend the best day to go fishing turned out to be Sunday as the weathercast actually predicted a rare appearance of the sun. In the morning though the weather gods could not decide between fog or continuous light drizzle.
Temperature predictions where around 8 degrees C, so not particularly comfy. Opted for inner village fishing as I expected the most fish to be present there. My old hotspot that used to be a pool of some depth was apparently filled for the most part with sand. Having said that I spotted several moving about at the edges where it was a little deeper.
I opted to fish with a double nymph setup and tied on two pheasant tail patterns to gain some depth. That worked out pretty well and it was the first time ever that I had several double hookups. The fish species moving about where roach and dace. Another first was that I caught a little chub at this spot which should not be possible as the weir in the next village downstream poses an impassable barrier.
Of course, catching so many fish from the same shallow spot soon proved to much and the bite stopped. The upstream section was a straight shallow stretch, lifeless with the exception of one spot where the current had scoured a deeper hole. A lot of dace were around that even went for the indicator.
After a while I got tired of all the dog walkers behind me with their barking mutts so I tried the mill pool for pike or perch … nothing to be had though. In the end I went for the solitude of the forest but not much was moving there with the exception of one small gudgeon and a small dace.
In the mean time the solid cloud cover had finally broken and a glimpse of the sun could be seen. I fished a small rapid next that usually only produced tiny fish due to it’s shallowness but this time I hooked a solid brown trout. A hanging offence as trout season was closed but interesting nonetheless as the red markings on adipose fin almost made me believe it was a wild fish.
That trout was the icing on my fishing day and with a late start on this day time and daylight would soon run out so I called it a day.
Some unseasonably warm weather begged for an outing yesterday. With the shorter days my timing was a bit off as I arrived at the water at first light. With fall in full progress the clear water and fallen leaves where a challenge. So was finding fish and it ook quite a while before I finally located some.
The spots that normally produced fish where awfully quiet but some change in tactics brought some small roach to the surface. Instead of dragging the squirmy through the pools I opted to fish a team of pheasant tail nymphs.
With trout season officially closed oct. 20th. I concentrated on fishing for roach and dace with smaller flies. That did not prevent me from hooking a rainbow trout that immediately went ballistic, luckily the lighter tippet held.
My favorite dace spot was empty, with the sunny and warm weather I had expected to see some fish in the surface but that was not the case. Fishing the nymph yielded surprisingly a tiny brown trout. Another dace spot yielded another brown trout but this time larger.
The last spot of the session was a rather shallow pool formed by a small feeder
that entered the main stream. I noticed dace feeding in the surface and fished a sedge. I spectacularly missed all the strikes … I was to darn slow. Switched to nymphs but only got some gudgeons.
I called it a day after scaring all the fish and opted for an early dinner. Surprisingly not many people where out and about of what could be the last warm day of the year. I took my time for dinner and subsequently missed the sunset on the way back home but the skies colored nicely just after the sun was gone.
With a late start I opted to fish my secondary water conveniently located next to the pub. I started with fishing the mill pool hoping that the any pike that had flushed out due to an earlier snafu with the mill weir had returned back. Alas nothing hit the streamer I fished.
Since that weir blowout the already shallow weir pool had become even shallower so not exactly attractive for pike to hold. The seasonal clearing of the water made it apparent how shallow that pool had become.
I opted to fish the stream further back and found the usual small fish like roach and dace although I could swear that I spotted a trout scooting off. After a while I tried the mill pool again hoping for a perch on the squirmy. I would think that for a perch the squirmy would be irresistible but that assumption was incorrect.
In the end a pheasant tail nymph with a black bead and a pink crystal chenille collar proved to be the perch catcher. The weather on this day was nice but not as warm as I had hoped so surface action was not visible.
When the light faded I came to the conclusion that the water was not really that warm so the choice to call it a day and go get something to eat was quickly made.
The last days of fine weather and pending fall motivated me to give the chub a last shot before the weather shuts down that fishery. I opted to fish the most accessible spot I knew but I was a tad early as the sun had not yet hit the water.
I could not see any fish moving other than some surface action by the very tiny bleak that even went for my tippet ring. I persisted fishing the sedge that despite it size was a legitimate target for the tiny bleak. Luckily some chub where also inclined to eat the sedge.
I soon moved off to another easy spot but when I looked down on the water from a bridge I could not spot a single fish which was kind off unusual. So off to the next spot where the high banks and the stinging nettles made it difficult to move about.
I spotted large chub but mostly to late and if I had a shot the fish would take no look at the fly. Larger patterns like big mayflies or hoppers also did not work. My last hope was to move back to the first spot of the day as the sun would cover that place by now.
The first spot indeed had fish, several sizes and even the odd big one. Still for some reason, the fish ran from the dries as soon as they landed on the shallow water. The best I could do was fishing a nymph in the nearby fish ladder that had some deeper pools. Nymphing yielded the last chub and a roach.
With the sun low in the sky spotting fish became difficult and I did not expect conditions to improve so I called it a day. To my surprise I seemed to have a reserved table at the pub as they where expecting me … even a cold one was ready when I entered. A day earlier my usual spot was occupied due to an event so I had to move what they call the sinners bench at the bar so they wanted to make up for that.
The project I was working on was on hold and since I had nothing better to do on my Friday home office day I decided to go fishing instead. With the exceptional fine weather soon ending I could think of no better way to spend the day.
In the bright sunshine it seemed pleasant to hide under the canopy of the trees as they still had leaves. I fished a spot I had avoided most of this season as it just was no good anymore. Fishing the nymph and getting no bites was a reminder why I skipped this spot.
A glimpse of hope was the sign of a continuously rising fish. The way the fish rose was for me a sign that it had to be a trout. A light breeze blew a steadily supply of debris on the water that caused the fish to rise. My weapon of choice was a spent mayfly due to its silhouette and color and it did the trick as I could hook a nice brown trout.
With the water being very low I could not find good deeper spots that held fish. Most of the time I spotted fish moving in front of me in the shallow water. With a small nymph I was able to get the odd roach or dace.
It was time to move to other spots that boasted deeper water. My goal was still to catch more trout and at a deeper pool I thought that I spotted a dark green back of a rainbow trout. Again the fish was feeding in the debris lane. I tried to re-acquire the trout after setting up but could not see it anymore.
Luckily I saw an even bigger fish further downstream actively scouting the debris. The fish was of such size that I opted for heavier tippet, I also tied on a spend mayfly pattern. As soon as the fly came into view range the trout hit it and it gave quite a fight with jumps included. Second trout of the day was a fact.
My last shot of a trout came when I spotted one standing right under the adjacent bank. I figured a 100 percent hooking chance when drifting the spent mayfly over but the fish was suddenly gone. I could not see where the fish had gone… until I spooked it by wading upstream.
For the remainder of the afternoon I could not get anything anymore to bite. I still spotted some fish but no trout, with sun getting low I called it quits and visited my home away from home for dinner.
I had an early start last Saturday as I had planned another chub session. The season so far for chub was not good, lots of rain usually made fishing for them useless. With a dry day and some sun in the forecast I gave it another shot.
On Friday the weather changed from a quite fresh and windy morning to a warm and muggy afternoon. All that moisture moving in had an effect on the weather this Saturday, fog. Conditions not good for spotting chub when I arrived at the first spot I visited.
I could barely make out one larger chub but it just would not take the sedge I tossed. At times it looked like the fish was interested but veered off every time. The only fish I got was a tiny bleak that was brave enough to pick the sedge of the surface. I had hoped the sun would clear out the fog and upcoming wind would blow away the moisture but it did not happen.
Time to move, the second spot had a lot of fish moving about. By now the fog had lifted but clouds blocked the sunlight so spotting fish was not that easy. I managed to catch a few fish on the sedge and even some on the nymph. The racket though caused by catching these fish caused action to die down quickly.
The third spot of the day was a longer stretch of the stream where sometimes chub would travel in groups. These fish where very wary and most of the time eluded me. I spotted several large fish but most bolted as they noticed me first.
At one location a group of four to five large fish more or less stayed stationary in a riffle. I had some good shots at them with a sedge and mayfly pattern but they just would not come to the surface to pick the fly up.
At a bend in the stream I finally had a real interested fish and I watched the moment that big chub mouth opened to suck in the fly. Just at that moment, the fly started dragging and that put the fish off.
I finished the day at the spot I started the day. With the sun now full out I figured conditions had to be better. I spotted indeed more fish but every time I dropped the fly to chub would move away. Not a good day thus for chub fishing it seemed.
After tossing several flies at a real large stationary fish I called it a day. The sun was getting at a low angle so spotting fish was almost impossible. At least I had caught a few fish so all was good. Leaves where falling … the water was getting clear so fall is definitely around the corner.
Last weekend boasted exceptionally fine weather. I choose the Sunday for a trip to the stream. Fall was in the air, fields harvested … the swifts already migrating back to Africa. With a relatively dry week I expected the stream to be at a low stage.
The stream was low indeed and it was also pretty clear. There was a warm breeze blowing with but very bearable when under the canopy of trees that dotted the stream. I fished the most accessible section of the stream as I had good results there on previous sessions.
My hope was to catch some fish on the dry fly and maybe the one or other trout. Despite the clear warm weather there where not many insects flying so top action was almost non-existent. I spotted some dace and tried a large selection of flies on them. The best I could do was for them to inspect the fly and then reject it at the last moment.
I spotted a rainbow trout in the surface whom was also resistant to any dry fly I dropped. After presenting anything from sedges to mayflies I tried nymphing. The squirmy yield a half hearted attack but the trout was not convinced. A dragging with the streamer failed to get any takes.
Nymphing finally yielded a trout but it was the smallest rainbow I ever caught. I switched to fishing nymphs and that yielded some roach and dace at various spots. At a spot that regular held large dace I tried the sedge again in order to get a fish on the dry fly. After some heart-stopping takes I finally bagged one on the sedge.
I came along one of my friends and talked shop. While I was doing that I noticed a consistent rise and knew it was from a trout. As my friend went on his way I tried to nail that fish but it was rising in a tight spot. My cast where to clumsy and it resulted in the trout racing past me for safer grounds.
I had one last shot at a trout when I hooked one at a spot where a small creek flows into the main stream. That creek dumps water from a treatment plant but it is pretty clean water. A drift near one of the tree roots yielded an instant hit. The tippet I fished was light though and my attempt to prevent the fish from running in the brushwork backfired … not at the fly disintegrated. Called it a day after that breakoff and went for dinner.
Last Sunday was prone to be a perfect chub fishing day, sunny and hot. I opted to fish the lower part of my stream and selected one of my hot spots first. With the banks being mowed access was to the water was guaranteed. The presence of fish however not, it turned out that the water was pretty empty.
The high banks and clear water where not exactly a good ingredient for stalking. So the few fish I spotted where aware of my presence and would either scoot or stay deep. Tried everything from hopper over large dry fly to streamer but nothing worked.
Having wasted quite some time at the first spot it was time to avoid skunk and find a place where also smaller fish where present. The smaller fish would often take a sedge or other dry fly with gusto. The plan worked so I avoided a skunk day.
I was still eager to catch a larger fish. With the bigger fish staying deep I tried a shallower feeder where I finally spotted a larger fish. It took about two casts with the spent mayfly before the fish committed, nice size one.
Almost had a second fish of the same size but my handicap worked against me. Chub, especially the larger ones are extremely wary and inspect the fly first before a take. I spotted the fish … lost my nerves and struck too early … boom, fish gone. Next I spotted an even larger fish close to the bank but whatever I tried it showed no interest at all.
Late in the afternoon I tried the last spot in the open fields. Boy it was really hot and with my drinking supply gone it was tough. Walked a mile or so along the stream and all I found was a rather large muskrat swimming underwater past me.
With thunderstorms and rain predicted last Saturday I postponed my fishing session one day. As was common this summer, the amount of rain dumped resulted once again in a blown out stream. Sunday morning I checked the stream gauge and deemed fishing might be doable.
At the stream the brown soup did not gave me confidence of catching anything other than gudgeons. Those gudgeons where the first fish being caught on the squirmy I fished. Oddly despite the high and murky water I noticed a rainbow trout rising close by. I tried a spent mayfly first to no avail and then opted to use the squirmy.
That failed also so next was the mop fly, that fly floated at first despite the tungsten bead on it. To my surprise the trout came up for the fly and took it right from the surface. It took me some time to coax the fish close enough to net it but it got off at the last minute. I then switched back to the squirmy and fished some of the shallower stretches catching more gudgeons. I was lucky enough to run into another trout, again a rainbow and this time I could net it.
I checked a spot where I had previously missed trout hoping they would still be there. A pool behind some branches only yielded bites of the gudgeons. In front of the pool I fished a nice run in the bend of the stream was obstructed by branches. No way to get a cast in there without getting tangled.
The murky water was now a plus as I could wade close enough without being seen to just dump the fly among the branches. After a few drifts a trout hit the fly at exactly the spot where I had seen a riser during an earlier fishing trip.
Other spots where I repeated that tactic brough two nice roach to the surface. En route to the next hot spot I decided to fish some shallow sections that looked fishy and surprisingly caught another brown and missed one.
One of the last spots I fished had a deadfall that shifted position during the last blowout. Instead of laying in the water at a 90 degree angle it was now 45 degrees. I positioned myself next to the deadfall and dropped the fly over the trunk in the water. There was only a short drift possible but I had noticed a rising trout. The trout however did not fall for the trick so I had to admit defeat in this case.
I did scout out one last spot but it was so overgrown that I could hardly reach the water. Himalayan Balsam growing everywhere and slippery banks due to the sediment deposited from the high water. I could not spot any fish and with only bites from the gudgeons I decided to call it a day.
After the countless days of rain, flooding and so forth I finally dared to go out and about to the stream. I picked my streams in reverse order meaning I would visit the one with the normally lowest flow first. I was early and hoped the mill pool would be void of fisherman. Luckily it was but I just couldn’t get any fish to bite, water level elevated – visibility not that great.
I had nibbles of small fish and now and then I even spotted the odd fish in the surface. My squirmy presentation however did not lead to any decent bites. I even tried streamers in the hope of a lost trout or a remaining pike but to no avail.
My last hope was the stream further below, with the murky water the gudgeons where out in force so bites plenty. I managed some Dace and Roach and had one good fish on that pulled but no idea what it was as the hook slipped.
I even saw some rising dace in the murky water and managed one on the dry fly. All that flooding had pushed grass high in the tree branches so it gave an idea of how high the water actually was. I still wanted to catch a trout so it was off to the other stream where I fished the end portion first.
At the second stream the same signs of high water where visible, one of the deadfalls had actually shifted. The last time I fished that spot many trout where hiding but this time I only spotted dace and some gudgeons.
The next spot was the inflow of a small brook where fish would be located close to the bank. That spot yielded instant roach and one rather nice rudd but no trout though. A little downstream tree-roots and a deeper pool where the next ticket for my trout search. I dropped the squirmy near one of the tree-stumps in the stream and immediately hooked a brown trout.
Further downstream I could spot large dace in the surface but no place to make an accurate cast. I tossed a squirmy with some roll casts to the adjacent bank and nailed a nice roach. Somewhat later at another spot I hooked a rainbow but it jumped and tossed the hook. There was a second rising fish upstream but again on a spot you could not reach.
At the last spot of the day I noticed a trout aggressively moving in front of a pile of debris. I put myself upstream from the rising fish but the current pushed the spent mayfly out of range of the trout. With the murky water I opted for the squirmy and after a few tries the fly reached the proper spot. The indicator went under and I hooked the best fish of the day, a nice sized rainbow, icing on the cake as they say.
We’ll, this was surely a case of you should have been here yesterday. Yesterday … clear skies and 32 degrees C thus ideal weather to go chub fishing. Lazy me however decided to ignore the wake up alarm and once I was awake I figured it was to late to go fishing.
So on to the next day … another shot at the chub and when I came at the hotspot fish where present. What was also present where thunderclouds early in the morning. I barely got the first chub on the dry fly as I heard the first rumble.
Rain was immanent but I figured I could get to spot nr. 2 and get at least one hour of fishing without having to worry for a storm. That was a misconception because when I arrived at the location thunder was heard direct above me… to close for comfort.
Luckily the spot had a shelter so I waited the storm and downpour out. With more mess on the way I figured spot nr.3 might be in order where shelter was nearby. At spot nr.3 I spotted some big chub but again the thunderclouds rolled in and I had to clear out fast.
With so many storms on the way my best bet was to head to the pub and I almost made it without get wet … almost as on the last leg all hell broke loose and the skies openend. I managed to find shelter in a farm building and waited the rain out. After dinner at the pub I tried to make it home without rain but it started and did not stop.
The route home was a struggle, roads under water and closed off. The city had gotten pounded with 100mm rain and many parts where flooded. Luckily I live at a higher elevation so troubles in my street.
Last Saturday I deemed the waterlevels of the local streams too high due to the many downpours but on Sunday all looked good. I went for an early start hence the number of deer encountered en route was significant.
As I had noticed last week that fish where stocked I tried one of the upstream stretches hoping to find feeding or rising fish. Well, I found plenty and had some nice battles with jumping rainbow trout.
Most fish came on the mop fly but also a few on the squirmy. Although mayfly action was zero I tried a spent pattern on some dace I spotted in front of a pool. I could only nail one on the mayfly but it was good fun.
The particular stretch I was fishing should better be left alone on Sundays due to the path alongside it = to many dogwalkers tossing sticks in the stream. I had one dog jumping right next to me in the drink but on its own accord … The fish returned though once the dog was gone.
I caught most of the fish species available in the stream. From gudgeons to roach, rudd, dace and trout all where inclined to take the fly. Not many insects on the water but at some spots fish where regularly taking stuff from the surface.
For a change no rain on this day, I was early out an enjoyed the relatively clear skies. Goal for the day was to catch a trout on a dry fly, preferably on a mayfly pattern. On my way to the stream I noticed a red kite flying over, never seen one so close to the border.
At the stream I first made a stop at my old honey hole and was again disappointed as usual as there where no decent fish about. The spot used to be good for the one or other trout but this season it has been empty of any fish species except gudgeons.
After a few futile attempts it was on to another mark. That whole dry fly fishing idea was quickly blowing away by incoming clouds and a very strong wind. There where no insects on the water and the rather low temperatures did not help either.
I tried nymphing that only yielded more gudgeons. At the spot I fished I noticed one rising fish and it looked like a trout. The dry fly was ignored so i tried a streamer to no avail. I moved further upstream and at a likely holding spot I switched over to a spent mayfly as it was not that deep and delicacy was required. That paid off when a nice rainbow trout hit the mayfly, mission accomplished.
At the next pool the depth made it feasible to use a streamer which would surely provoke an attack from a trout. It actually did but the fish kept tracking the streamer but would not take it. From the colors it was again another rainbow trout.
At the last marks for the day I noticed several trout, obviously somebody had been stocking fish. I scared most of them off but at one deadfall i noticed a few fish that stayed put. The dry fly did not generate any reaction so I tried a tan mop fly. That mopfly did the trick on a rather stocky brown trout.
As I spotted another brown I tried to copy the mop fly trick and it surely worked. This trout however was a jumper so it skillfully dispatched the mop fly. After that last trout interaction I called it day, the trout action was quite good so I was content with how the day had worked out.
Went on another mayfly session to the local stream and soon spotted the first rising fish at a location where I had seen a trout last week. Some of the rising fish where dace but one was definitely a trout.
Targeting the dace was tricky because of overhanging trees. After every clumsy cast I waited a while so everything would calm down and fish would continue to rise. That tactic yielded two dace and a spectacular hit from the trout … who completely missed the fly.
When the action died down I tried tossing a streamer close to the bank to see if any trout where present. The trout that previously was rising took the streamer but managed to flee in the submerged roots of the trees and broke off.
I moved further upstream and heard a loud plop as if something had fallen from the trees in the water … but it was caused by a fish. Off course a trout and when I launched a spent mayfly pattern under the trees the hit was instant.
On my way upstream I noticed dace close to the adjacent bank rising now and then to debris floating by so again I presented the spent mayfly and got two fish. Upstream from me the outside of a bend provided a continuous supply of debris floating close to the bank. The spot was not deep but I figured one or two fish might be station there. On the second drift the spent mayfly was nailed by another brown trout.
Last week I had some takes on the streamer in a deeper pool so today I checked that spot today hoping for a solid strike. This time all went to plan and I hooked surprisingly a nice rainbow trout. Later in the afternoon clouds and winds killed of the surface activity. With rain showers immenent called it a day, a good day with the dry fly.
With Tuesday as a day off coinciding with the last day of somewhat stable weather I went on a mission to catch something on a large mayfly pattern. With the water still murky I first tried the squirmy and that got me a small rudd. No signs of stocked trout not even on the spots where you are not allowed to fish…
I next tried the section of the stream where the syndicate issues day permits to so non-club members can fish there also. Off course it is a big scam as there are hardly any fish in there particularly the advertised trout.
Streamer fishing only caused lost tackle as you could not clearly spot the obstructions in the water. I soon was back on track fishing the dry fly hoping to get one or the other fish that way. There where some fish rising but they where dace not trout. I tried the sedge first but they rejected it every time. A large mayfly pattern was investigated but did not meet the approval of the fish.
My last resort fly which I had never used was a spent mayfly pattern. That seemed to be the ticket as it immediately was gobbled up by the dace. In front of me a fish was aggressively rising and I was sure it was a trout. The brushes in front of me however prevented me from presenting the fly properly.
When the action died down I went out to search for the fish but my due to my clumsy wading the trout spotted me first and bolted off. During all this dry fly tossing the wind picked up and the skies became darker.
My final spot was in a woody area and by now surface action was almost zero. I had one go at a rising dace but that soon ended. As I stood on the bank watching for possible targets near a likely spot I saw another trout scooting away. It became pretty overcast fast so I called day before the rain came.
On Monday I was in a lazy mood and choose to fish the mill pool of the nearest stream over the border. I had misjudged the amount of rain that had fallen in the previous day or at least the effects on the water clarity. The stream had risen a few inches and visibility was very poor.
I tried all the tricks in the book but only got nibbles from the tiniest of tiny fish. Tried streamers for pike and perch but none of those around or in biting mood. All I could get was a dace, a gudgeon and a ruffe which I never had caught on the fly before.
I had the pool for myself for most of the time and only saw one bait angler for a few hours. He caught one or two fish but nothing spectacular either. The move to the adjacent pub was an easy choice.
Last week I had an extended weekend due to a public holiday and a day off. The early success at the chub spot motivated me to visit that spot again. The section above the weir / fish ladder was again empty with only some tiny bleak (smallest shiner species) picking up stuff from the surface.
The best I could do was one small chub from the bank. Fishing a dry like a sedge or large mayfly pattern was futile so I switched to tossing small black streamers in the pools of the fish ladder. That worked but not as intended, I hooked something but not the desired species.
I had actually hooked a pike and it was quite big. With no trace and not that strong tippet I thought I would be cut off any minute. But for some reason luck was on my side and I could counter all sudden runs of the pike. I even managed to keep up as the pike went over two of the boulder weirs.
At the second weir the pike was showing signs of tiring and just maybe I could land that fish. That landing proofed to be a challenge as my landing net was designed for chub and not a rather large pike. In the end was able to slide the fish on the bank, a post spawn fish so pretty skinny but still measuring 70cm.
When I battled the pike I noticed a second pike be it smaller in the same pool. Not what I wanted but I commenced fishing and when I hooked the second fish in that pool it turned out to be a nice chub. After the second fish I had one chub following the fly but no take, action then died down.
Looking at the skies I saw thunderclouds brewing so I moved to a spot where in case of a downpour I could shelter. There where plenty of chub moving on this spot but the dry fly only yielded one small fish. I switched to a small mop fly and that yielded another larger chub, no luck with the monsters though.
The skies opened and boy it poured with thunder directly overhead, luckily I could shelter under a bridged. It seemed wise to wait out the storm and call it a day as other storm cells where en route.
This Saturday I choose for the lazy option to travel the first leg to my fishing spots. I opted for the first train to Germany. The train however was late and when I settled in the train driver walked by and notified me that where not leaving any time. The reason … a dead body on the tracks.
So rather than waiting for service to commence which usually takes several hours I opted to bike the distance. Since early fishing was now off the cards my first port of call would be the mill pool at stream nr 2 as it was the closest and probably void of anglers.
Luckily the mill pool was empty and at first I dragged a streamer with a trace through the shallow water in case any pike had remained after the mill weir was pulled permanently. No response from the pike so next step tying on a small black streamer with an orange tungsten bead. That yielded a tiny perch and off course nibbles from small gudgeons.
I then tried the squirmy and got a good hit right at my feet from something big. Turned out the be a carp and frankly that carp showed me all the corners of the mill pool. With the light tippet I could not exert any pressure on the fish other than the bend in the rod and the line dragging in the current. In the end the barbless hook came out, otherwise I think I could have landed it.
I fished downstream from the mill pool in the now very shallow water and caught some dace and roach in the remaining deeper pools at bends and under tree roots. I noticed that by now a lot of sediment that had filled the mill pool after the weir pulling had moved downstream into the river.
I tried the mill pool once more with the squirmy and got one roach and actually missed the take of a trout, quite unexpected. Next I headed to stream nr. 2 where I caught some roach and had a go a rising dace with the sedge. Caught one nice dace on the sedge but could not find more rising fish despite numerous big Danica mayflies on the water.
The rest of the stream was pretty quiet, no action until I arrived at one spot where a small brook enters the river. By now the stream was shallow as hell so spotting fish in the open was rare. At the inflow rising fish got my attention, one rising fish was quite aggressive so I thought it must have been a trout.
I entered the stream somewhat ungraciously due to the steep banks but luckily far enough downstream not to cause fish to flee. The sedge did not work so I tried a small mop fly that was not too heavily weighted. That did the trick and I could hook a spunky small brown trout. Called it a day after that trout and went to one of the local restaurants for dinner.
The combination of a mandatory day off from work and bright sunshine and warm water called for the first mission of the year to the chub spots. Now it was way to early as the chub probably would not yet be in their summer haunts or surface feeding but it tried anyway.
What gave me hope was the fact that numerous mayflies where hatching, such a big morsel would surely be tempting for any chub. I checked out one of my summer haunts and found it completely void with life, no fish at all. My break came at a bridge where several fish where moving about.
In the surface tiny bleak where feeding, on the bottom I spotted chub and dace. A dace was the first fish that I caught, on a small mop fly. I spotted chub following the mop fly but only hooked a small one. Next I tried the squirmy and again I hooked a chub this time a little larger.
Obviously it was not yet the season for surface feeding fish. The last stop was a wide shallow spot at a weir and on a positive note I spotted a large chub. But… there was also a pike and it messed up the scene as it was in attack mode. Then I spotted an even larger pike moving in the shallows.
So next I tried for the pike but the trace on the leader was so heavy that I only caught weeds. The only hope to get something larger was to fish the deeper pools of the fish ladder. Weapon of choice was a small black streamer with an orange tungsten bead. I dropped the streamer in the fast flowing water and retrieved it slowly.
Suddenly I got a hit and it was something big. At first I thought it was a big perch but when the fish came to the surface I noticed that it was a nice size chub. After releasing the chub I tried the same spot again and to my surprise I hooked another big fish. Turned out an even larger chub had taken the streamer.
The quest for the trout continued last Saturday. At first I tried one of my regular spots just to see if any fish where present. The water level had dropped considerably since last week. Although it was early morning insects where about and I even spotted many insects on the water.
I fished with nymphs first but got no hits, subsequently I fished a sedge to coax any of the dace to take the fly. When I spotted a mayfly I tried one of those hoping the odd trout would be keyed in on them and rise, it did not work.
I visited some other marks but did not spot any fish activity. Since one of my friends often has success with streamers I tried that type of fishing. I tied on a small black streamer and retrieved it past some submerged tree roots. To my surprise I got a hit and could land my first brown trout of the season.
I continued fishing the streamer and soon had another brown trout be it a small one. The small black streamer did the trick. I spotted one large trout tracking the streamer but it would not commit. There was more trout action at other spots but only small fish. In the end I lost two brown trout, landed three of them.
There was a lot of debris on the water, flowers from the blooming chestnuts. I noticed some big dace rising and tried a few casts with a sedge pattern but they would not have it. At an inflow of a small brook I noticed an aggressively rising fish. Hoping it would be a trout I tried the dry fly again but no take. When I fished the squirmy it only yielded a roach and a gudgeon.
My last fishing spot of the day was the upper reaches of the stream where I had spotted a large trout last week. With the water level so low all the fish had moved elsewhere and I could only access one spot that I deemed deep enough to hold fish. After several drifts with a squirmy I got a big roach, alas no trout anymore.
It was a pretty good to be out and about. The weather started out fine but in the afternoon some shower passed. After the showers cleared the weather improved again. Late afternoon I called it day and went to the local pub for dinner.
The idea behind this site is to document my flyfishing exploits. Living near the Dutch / German border in Enschede offers interesting fishing opportunities.
The streams over the border are well suited to flyfishing. That resulted in memberships of German fishing clubs so I could have access to several small streams. The major attractions are chub and dace but as a bonus a few brown trout.
Although I prefer to fish small rivers saltwater flyfishing has always been of interest to me. Saltwater flyfishing for me ranged from sea run browns in Denmark, Stripers and Bluefish in Rhode Island to several different species of saltwater fish in Florida.
Upper reach during summer
Lower reach during summer
The water
Most of the small streams entering the Netherlands at the eastern border with Germany originate from the remnants of a bay from the cretaceous period. The streams I fish are mostly straightened watercourses by man but some parts are still more or less left untouched. These streams have a high fluctuation in water level as they are for the most part dependent on rainfall. The streams are lowland streams with sediment consisting mostly of sand with some sections made up of sandstone. Man made obstructions like weirs and watermills have made the streams impassible for migrating fish. Due to the EU guidelines many weirs have been removed in recent years while others have been made passable for migrating fish. I have not seen any migratory fish myself yet but have heard stories of other anglers who did encounter them.
The fish
The species of fish available in the streams I fish varies widely. Upper reaches often hold dace, roach and trout. Further downstream where the streams go wider species like bream, chub, barbel and asps join in with off course pike and perch. Any section above a weir will have carp roaming the slow moving water. The fish species I have caught in the stream where: bleak, bream, brook trout, brown trout, chub, dace, gudgeon, perch, pike, rainbow trout, and roach.
Flies
Duo to the limited clarity of the streams my preferred fishing method is fishing small nymphs most of the time. Besides shrimp the nymphs of caddisflies and mayflies are often found. There are however always moments where a well fished dry fly is a killer. Mayflies can be abundant in spring with St.Marks flies (bibio) with caddis flies being a favorite of mine as they always seem to work. I seldom fish with streamers due to the shallow nature of the streams but sometimes when dryfly and nymph are fruitless a streamer can work. The chub fishing can be good in Summer when hopper flies are in demand.
Equipment
Upper part of the streams often feature a landscape I refer to as the jungle with shrubs and trees everywhere leaving no room for back casts. A short rod like 7ft. with a 4-weight line is best suited for fishing close quarters. The lower reaches of the streams feature an open landscape with steep banks. A longer rod up to 9ft. is then more practical to use plus a telescopic landing net with some considerable reach. In the upper reaches wading or crossing the stream is usually possible, the lower sections are often to deep or impossible to get out due to the steep banks.
Brown troutDaceLocal stream
Questions? message me in English / German or Dutch.
