Flyfishing FWSW

Fishing is getting tough down here … it has not rained for ages … hot and sunny weather only.
It is the first time that I have seen one of the feeder streams run dry and I guess the fish in there were lost.

As the upper stream that I fish is low on water I have ventured downsteam and to be more exact to one
of the feeder streams that still carries some water.
The main attraction are the chub and although I have hooked a few of the biguns I have not landed one yet.

Might give it a try tomorrow and toss some blue damselflies to the chub as I have noticed that they
try to intercept them whenever they come close to the waters surface.

It took some planning but we managed to get to the Harz mountains once again.
Part of the problem was that I had to get time off from work and as I had recently
switched employers I did not want to start my first day at work with asking for free time
even though this trip had been long in the planning.

One major hurdle was the fact that our interpretation of off season did not reflect the
reality of life meaning all the hotels near the river where booked.
So we ended up in the town of Braunlage quite a distance from the water meaning every
day a 25 minute commute along a country road winding though little settlements in the
mountains.

My buddy had booked the hotel and soon saw the errors of his ways as it had no opportunity
for our usual drinks after the fishing sessions usually after 21.00 hrs in the evening.
At the first evening we went into town for some beers but at the first pub we were only
able to get one round before they kicked us of the premises because they closed early.
Luckily thanks to the power of Google I had found an Italian restaurant that stayed open
a little later so the second round was still a possibility.
The way back to the hotel was an uphill battle … literally as the road seemed to be build
at an 45 degree angle … we always joked we needed an extra beer just to account for the
sweat lost while climbing the hill.

The fishing … not as good as usual due to the very low water table but we still managed to
catch our fair share of fish and had as usual tons of fun.
Weatherwise the afternoon thunderstorms caused us to make fast tracks a few time as these
storms would appear out of nowhere when they came over the mountain top.
All in all in this trip went pretty smooth and even the hotel where the reviews stated it was left
stuck in time was pretty ok for a few guys going on a fishing trip.
Looking forward for another trip to that region although it will probably not be this year.

It was not so long after the flash flooding at my fishing spot and the water
was still very murky.
As usual the banks of the river were slippery as hell as the deposited mud had
the consistency of grease …
My descent from the bank to the waters edge  was rather uncontrolled and ungraceful.

Grey skies and drizzle dampened the mood somewhat but despite the murky
water a very decent dace decided to take the nymph … amazing.
Today was the first test of the recently purchased Bloke glass rod build and oh what
a joy it was to cast and catch fish with that rod.

I got everything from Dace over Roach (or a hybrid) to a very decent trout and
the rod handled all situations exceptionally well.
The skies got friendly at the end of the day and even the sun appeared.
My stopover at the pub was well deserved and I ended the day making a visit
up on the hill to gaze over the land below and thinking about what a great day it was.

Another hot day and as those hordes of fish in the stagnant water above the mill haunted
me I tried for them this morning again.
Unlike yesterday the fish were not stacked up on top as the day before … it took a while
before I spotted them.

The fish where not cooperative … whatever fly I used it was in vain.
Carp where spawning and making a lot of racket, they ploughed through the schools
of shiner scattering the fish in every direction.
Further upstream some dace where moving in the surface and were willing to take a
sedge.

The heat and humidity were unbareble so I headed for some sheltered spots in the
forest but even there nothing was biting.
A break at the pub seemed like a good idea.

The afternoon session was cut short after the skies darkened and an eerie wind
started to pick up.
A weather warning was issued for areas to the south predicting thunderstorms and
hail … I did not wait for that to happen and left early.

It has been hot around here for the last couple of weeks and with the absence of rain the
stream I fish is slowly reduced to a trickle.
The big mayflies are still around and allthough fish are on them I usually prefer to fish a small
sedge as these are more often accepted by the fish.

The big mayfly pattern came out when I spotted a nice brown trout.
I made a sloppy cast which resulted in a dunked mayfly … the darn thing sank … lucky for me
the brown trout did not mind and just zipped in the submerged fly.

Tomorrow will even be hotter so I will make the most of the day again hoping to encounter
some more willing fish that fancy dry flies.

After my last attempt to go fishing was torpedoed because of perks of the new job
I was able to get out at last.
The fact that Mayflies have appeared has not gone unnoticed, not by me … the birds or the fish.
Quite some hits on the dry fly today although the nymph worked its magic like usual.
The stream was low so at some spots I just could not get the fly to rising fish without spooking
them first.
For the next outing the mayfly box has to come out …

A bright sunny warm day … very nice to be outside.
The water table was low, tons of small flies on the water but not a lot of surface action.
At my former hot spot I managed one roach and wondered now that the water was low where

the heck all the fish had gone.
Fished the end of the pool last and noticed a big swirl in the water of a hunting fish.

I had seen that fish before and thought it was a big brown trout … at least for this stream.
It took a few drifts with the nymph but then it hammered the nymph and as I was fishing with
very light tippet I feared it would all end it tears.
The massive fish went ballistic but whatever it tried the barbless hook stayed put and in the\
end I could land the fish … chuffed.

Fished the stagnant higher channel of the mill next as I spotted tons of fish in the surface.
Carp, roach, European bream, Yellow perch and even a small Northern pike where present.
My flies and presentation though … no good.

After my pub break I scouted some spots in the forest and caught a few more fish amongst
them a very nice rainbow trout.
Lots of insects about and I spotted one of those big mayflies … first time this year.

As my time of leisure ended I went out for a final time to the stream.
In the night before a front of thunderclouds and rain had passed and made way for
a low pressure system with lots of wind and showers.

At the place formerly known as my hotspot I did not see any fish, somehow it seemed
that all fish had disappeared.
Only after a long time I finally got a hit and caught a roach on the ptn.
I tried other spots both with nymphs and streamers but nothing showed up.

After the pub break I tried hard to catch fish but it was tough going.
The temperature was six degrees lower than the day before, rain showers fell and
the wind dumped a lot of debris from the trees in the water.
There were some breaks in the clouds and when the sun came out thousands of
insects would hover over the water … no rising fish though.
In the end I scraped a few small roach and dace from the stream with as highlight
a brown trout that was hiding behind some submerged branches.

Tomorrow it is the start of my new job and as it is a totally different role than
the work I did the last 17 years it is kind of a gamble.
The landlord of the pub said “if it doesn’t work out I see you Wednesday” …
I hope not 🙂