Flyfishing FWSW

Another weekend and again weather warnings.
This time it actually rained but luckily the lightning storms did not happen.

Again extremely low water, combined with the lowering of the weir at the watermill for
the bypass they are building meant that fish where concentrated in the few left over
deep pools. Never seen so many and big fish concentrated at one spot.
The down side … overgrown banks and very wary fish.
You could catch a few from the school and then it was all over.

As it was still warm and some spots where not fishable from the bank I did some
wet wading to get better shots at the fish.
At my hot spot for trout the low water was costly on my nymph supply but I did get
one single rainbow trout, a rare catch these days as they are officially not allowed in the stream
because it is regarded as an invasive species by some burocrats.

I could elude all the downpours, the last one while dining in the pub.
Fall is upon us as the swallows in the city have already gone south and leaves are
starting to fall.
Trout season closes mid october so we got to make the best of the
time we still have left.

It had been pretty hot here lately and the lack of rain had been taking a toll on the fishing
as the stream carried very little water.
As was often the case with this summer weather the extreme heat caused massive
thunderstorms that abruptly ended a series of hot days.
On the last days of August the weatherservice once again issued a weather warning but
I went fishing anyway and was lucky enough that the storms did not materialize in the
area I was out and about.

Work on a bypass of a mill in the upper reaches of my stream had caused the water to
drop to the lowest point I had ever seen so I started the day on section of another club
way downstream.
Very odd was the fact that I spotted loads of European bream (Abramis brama) on the move
and even caught a few of them on sight – rarely managed that.
Not a great fighter but still one of the heavyweights of the stream besides the carp.

After the bream I did have a few other smaller fish and as I had seen a pike in the water a week earlier I tossed a
small zonker streamer in the deeper pools in hope of a pike attack.
Unfortunately the best I could do was a small perch.

The clear skies of the morning quickly showed signs of thunderclouds developing and as the brutal sun got to me
in the open landscape I opted to head to my shaded upstream spots.
If all hell would break loose I would have at least to chance to sit it out in the pub.
The upper sections yielded the usual mix of dace and roach now concentrated in the few deeper spots that where
left after the drought. I even caught some brown trout for a change again.

I made the pub in one piece and although it got quite cloudy at times the skies cleared later in the day.
All that fishing really de-hydrated a person but there was nothing better than zipping away at a cool wheat beer
in the shade of the pub.

Thunderstorms avoided and all in all a very fine summers day that brought various fish to the net.

As my last trip to the so called Hoch Sauerland Kreis in Germany was pretty enjoyable
I soon schemed for a second go. I had some unfinished business down there.
That big trout that I lost was still edged on my mind and I just had to return to give it
another try
Also the presence of the big grayling intrigued me and I sure wanted to catch a few of those.
At the last visit I had only partly scouted the river and my intention was to at least see
the full length of the river I was allowed to fish in.
The hotel was also a blast with the excellent catering and the ideal location regarding the river.

I tried to convince some of my friends to tag along but as was often the case they lacked
either the funds, time or sheer will to go.
As I was determined to go I made arrangements to stay for 5 days at the same hotel
as on the last trip.
To my surprise one of my buddies who was also present at the first trip decided in the end that
he could join me for at least a couple of days.
Off we went on our way down south again.

The check in at the hotel was smooth as usual and after filling out the paperwork we where
ready to gear up and start fishing.
The river was carrying even less water than on the last visit so catching fish proved to be
tricky at times.
Even the weather played up during our stay with a sudden plunge of temperature and rain, in fact it got so cold
that the temperature in middle August was on par with that of Christmas last year.

The big brown trout eluded me but not my buddy as he told me he had caught the fish at the
same spot I had lost it due to a breaking leader about a month ago.
He managed to get the fish from out of its lair and measured it at 60cm in length.

I could skip the big trout for now and concentrate on the grayling instead.
The trout fishing went fairly decent even when the rains raised the water and introduced some
reduced visibility in the stream but the grayling where a whole different cup of tea.
I just could not get any of the big fish to eat a fly.
I got the small ones and had a lucky break when I found a spot with readily rising grayling but generally the
big ones just would not look at the flies I presented.

Every evening the grayling would rise in their typical vertical way dipping their noses through the surface and although
I got a few on small spent fly patterns and small sedges I never got any of the big ones, it almost drove me mad.

After the higher water from the rains the weather improved and the river cleared up again.
Fishing became tougher, at the spot behind the hotel I could spot the grayling, trout and chub but
hardly ever got bites.
At the last visit I had boldly remarked that in the tackle shop that if I would fail to catch fish in this river I would pick up golfing …
during that first day a month ago blanked fearing the worst.
Now I was finding golf balls in the river and I was becoming afraid … a sign from above … hell fishing became worse.

One day number four I really struggled with the low water and the afternoons session seemed like
a bust. I opted to fish the end of the stream where I had done good business with the trout to at least
save the day and even there I could not get into fish.
When I was halfway up the river again I made a bad cast and got the leader tangled in the brushes of the riverbank.
When I pulled the line free I saw to my amazement that I now had two flies in my hand, on the one hand the nymph
I was fishing … plus a CDC sedge from somebody else who had obviously lost his fly in the shrubs on an earlier occasion.
I decided that this must have been divine intervention so I tied on the CDC sedge and guess what …
I started catching grayling and trout.

Hoping that my luck would continue on into the evening I made my way amongst the rising grayling again
but by now the magic charm had lost its power.
Still I pushed on as I did not want to leave the river before catching a fish and so I was still at it
when the light was gone and the moon was shining.
The break came as it was already dark when a small trout nailed the dry fly and so I could
end the day on a positive note.

On the final day I still struggled with the low water and wary fish but at least I had now scouted the whole river.
At the last spot which I had not fished I got a break when a nice brown trout nailed the sedge while I was fishing in a shallow pool.
That was the sign to pack my things, head back to the hotel and call it a day.

Are we finished at this river … no … in the days I spend at the river I got some new insights in the
grayling fishing and thought that there was still plenty of room for improvement.
So when I checked out at the hotel I vowed to come back in the near future.
I will overcome and adapt and in the end I will get one of these big grayling and maybe even that
big trout as I now know were it is living.

Allthough my last road trip was not that far in the past I could not resist joining another
one when my palls where planning a new one.

Actually a few days before the intended start of the trip it turned out that the guy responsible
for arranging the trip had done squat … bummer.
Quick thinking of one of my more reliable friends resulted in a booking of a hotel in the
Sauerland region on a decent trout stream.

So off we went to a stream I had only passed once on the way to another water.
We arrived late afternoon and visited the river for a late session in the afternoon.
My choice to fish downstream was a bad one as the river carried less water than usual
so the fish could see me for miles.
Even the deeper pools yielded nothing for me so I ended the day with the dreaded skunk.
That evening we sat in the pub watching the German soccer team loose out so a black day
for many 🙂

Next morning though the first fish came to the net and the world was ok again just as
the following few days.
The hotel was wunderfull, perfect location with the river running through the backyard and
staffed with good people.
Catering was out of this world and I think I will be back for a rematch later in the season.

Most memorable events on this trip was a battle with a very large brown trout which I lost as
the fish eventually managed to kill the leader by hugging the rock legde it was hiding under.
Tried the same spot a day later but to no avail.
In the catagory curious events I noticed that a bat had choosen my wading boot as a
place to nap while my waders and boots where drying in the drying room of the hotel.

It has been a while since I was in the mountains but we finally got enough people together for a short
three day trip to the east.
The resident trout where small as usual with some larger stockies mixed in.
We fished mostly a section above a large reservoir as it was not as overrun as the part below the
reservoir and had constant action from the many many roach that swam upriver from the reservoir.
Beautifull weather with a tad low water, we had a blast 🙂

If I had believed the weatherforecast I would have stayed home but well … I did not.
The whole day rain scenario turned out to be a light drizzle at most so I could happily drop
small nymphs in the stream scouting for fish.

The water was off color but fish where present and surprisingly I hooked a rudd which is kind
of rare in this stream.
Could not get into anything large with the exception of the dace I hooked from underneath a bridge.

The bankside vegitation is now so high that you can hardly get to the water let alone toss a fly with a short fly rod.
I was fishing the chub stretch today which lies well downstream from my usual haunts.
Eventually I got a chub but only a small one, the carp size chubs still eluded me.

In the afternoon I took an extended break at the pub near my home waters.
I got into the waders to fish a particular spot where I should not fish but with the
now darkening skies I gambled that no one would be about to spot me.
Fish where rising and after hooking a few dace I got into a brown trout.
The brown trout threw the hook but interestingly it was accompanied or rather chased
by a much larger specimen.

Knowing the location of the large trout I tried the dry fly with no results so I
switched to a small nymph that did the trick.
This brown trout was strong and rare for brown trout around here it jumped several times.
With the light tippet and barbless hook I thought it would be over quickly but
despite the best attempts of the trout I could land the fish.
I tried for more fish but the wind suddenly picked up and the rains started in earnest
so I ran for cover back to the pub and waited it out.

On a scouting trip to the Ems river, graciously invited by the local angling club.
Lovely water, tough fishing if you are a first timer down there.

Another chilly day with a little rain but less wind than two days ago.
Plenty of fish spotted but tough to get them on the fly in the shallow water.
Mental note … always bring the net (lost a big one at the last moment).

As I had joined the work party last week and prospected our new pond with all the carp
in it my plans for the weekend where to get the trout I missed last week and try to catch
my first carp on the fly at the pond.

What I had not taken into account was the fact that the weather had turned.
It started just in time on Friday and before you knew it the temperatures dropped from
a balmy 27C to 10C the next day.
Wind and some rain where added also and we got some totally different to cope with.

I tried my hotspot early in the morning but this time no fish where present.
With the extreme low water and exposed banks I looked at some spots otherwise
not reachable but had to take care not to sink in the muck.
The water was in fact so low that at another spot I could climb down and walk
on the stones exposed at the bank to make a more stealthy approach at a spot where I had seen a couple of trout.
Even with the stealthy approach the fish were on to me as the water was extremely low.
Many spots I could I have fished under normal circumstances where now empty, just too
shallow and I guess gone forever.

It was early as I moved into the village where at one bridge massive numbers of
dace and roach would hold in the almost stagnant waters.
Many fish where lined up there but the nymph travelled through them like it was a ghost.
In the end I tried a small segde and got one dace, the school of fish dissappeared
though to safer places.
Darks skies and the chilly wind kept the fish down so I moved further upstream.

The shallow section upstream was a good spot for the dry but with the wind and
low temperatures it was useless to fish there.
This only left a weir as the last interesting spot in the village.
The nymphs did not do anything there so I figured I might toss in a small streamer to
scout for any predatory fish willing to chase the fly.

That worked as I had several hits on the fly, it was the same fish that tracked the fly
time after time but did not take.
I did get a fish from another spot at the weir and it was the most acrobatic brown trout
I had seen for a long time, jumped like a tarpon 🙂
Before I would leave further afield I tried the nymph once more and with a little adjustment
regarding depth and currents I managed a little trout and a dace.

For this day I had taken with me bread and some bread flies to fish the newly aquired pond of our fishing club.
I had it all for myself but as expected the weather had put the carp down and even the chumming did not convince them to feed on top.
All that lasted was to get that trout that had eluded me last week.
With the water so low I could access the spot with the boots I had on by wading through a shallow spot in the stream.

This time though no rising fish where to be seen at the pool were last week
a fish was clearly rising regularly.
I fished the pool thoroughly but had nothing to show for.
By now the wind was blowing full force in the afternoon and rain showers fell.
I was closed properly for the occasion but still looked forward to a pub visit
where I could warm at the fire.

After my usual lunch at the pub I was ready to go out for a last fishing session and well I did
a little poaching as I fished a spot which was off-limits to me.
Nobody was looking though and so I hoped to hook some of these big dace that where usually present at that spot.
It was a pleasant surprise that something else hit the little nymph I was fishing and allthough the fish
was rather ugly it was fun getting it on the four weight.

Even though it was cold, raining and blowing like hell I did noticed for the first time this season that a lot of the big mayflies where on the water.
The fish also noticed as I spotted a big wake in front of me when a large fish nosed up in the surface to take a natural.
A few casts with a large mayfly pattern did not get the desired reaction from the fish but a small nymph did …
So the last hour after the pub visit turned out to be the golden hour and brought a surprising number of large trout to the surface.
I still had time to revisit some of the spots I felt could yield more fish in the morning but decided to call it a day
as it could not get any better than this.
The last task I set myself was to get a picture of the local bird of prey that always sat on a tree near the place I fished
so I carefully scouted the forest in order to spot it before it spotted me.
Again a big fail as I had not noticed that it sat on a fence post right in front of me, you can guess the outcome.
The only thing I spotted was the supplier of the material used in most of the nymphs I tied.

Best day on the stream so far and might make a visit this monday to see if I can
get some more fish before the working week starts again.

Last Saturday I had two appointments and I had to choose which one I should honor.
Appointment one was the annual breakfast and fishing with the flyrodders from over the border,
always a lot of fun although the fishing was never that great as it was foremost a social outing.
Appointment two was a working party at the recently leased pond of my German fishing club.

In the end I choose number 2 as I had volunteered for pond duty but had not attended a single
outing because I was on vacation.
As I was early that morning I could still sneak in an hour of fishing at a spot I should not
have been but it was the nearest spot of deep water in the vincinity of the pond.
Despite the depth (only 2/3 ft.) the fish spotted me and moved further away so I had to make
some longer casts with the two weight to get things going.
After donating a few nymphs to the rocks I caught some small dace and yet another little brown trout.

I had to leave pretty soon for the pond that used to be a resevoir for the local fire brigade.
The pond had been neglected for 15 years and a lot of work was in the planning to bring it into
shape, I think they had set aside two years for the works to complete.

The main reason to lease the pond was opportunity and the fact that the youth members of the
club would have a stillwater right at their doorstep to fish in.
An old derelict shelter had already been torn down and a base for the new shelter had been
build in April.
The new shelter was graciously sponsered by a local construction company which provided materials and manpower.
As the club had some good craftsman amongst it ranks construction went pretty smooth and
after a half days work the basic construction with roof was standing.

One of my fellow clubmembers had been appointed groundskeeper for the pond and told me what the plans where for this little gem.
This pond was spring fed but one side of the bank (more like a dam) was unstable so it had to
be fixed as the fear was that it could break and flush out the pond.
The overflows had to be improved, trees had to be cut and in general the banks had to be mowed and improved.

The pond had been unattended for 15 years, during that time lots of silt had filled in the pond.
Before any fish stocking the pond had to be dregded and that would be a risky business with
the unstable banks and the amount of silt present.
Inquiries where however on the way and one interested party for the work would be visiting the pond in the coming weeks.
At this point the main inhabitants of the pond were carp, zander (walleye) and a host of small shiners.

In the afternoon I left the working party as remaining chores where best left to the roofers and trained carpenters.
I had skipped the barbecue at the pond as I had planned to visit the pub that for some unearthly reason
turn out to be closed on this summer like day.
Seemed I had turned up an hour or so too early, in order to kill the time I visited the elderly couple at the local watermill and was invited for coffee.
Eventually the pub opened and I ordered my usual choice of food and drink. It was quiet at the pub, thats what you get with late opening hours 🙂

Just before sunset I tried the stream for a decent trout of any fish for that matter but it all seemed pretty dead.
There was one spot where I noticed a rising fish amongst the debris now floating in abundance on the water.
I was pretty sure it was a trout but there was no way on earth I could put a fly on that spot from the bank.
Location was noted however so maybe I would have a go at that fish some other time.
With a little wading I might get this fish afterall.

As it had been too cold for the season here and warm weather has just arrived (for the moment)
it would take some time before fishing picked up.