Germany Archives - Page 3 of 49

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.

Germany, August 4th 2024

5 August 2024 admin

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.

Germany 28-07-2024

29 July 2024 admin

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.

Germany 21-07-2024

27 July 2024 admin

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.

Germany 23-06-2024

24 June 2024 admin

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.

Germany 09-06-2024

16 June 2024 admin

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.

Germany 26-05-2024

26 May 2024 admin

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.

Germany 21-05-2024

24 May 2024 admin

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.

Germany 20-05-2024

24 May 2024 admin

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.

Germany 19-05-2024

24 May 2024 admin

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.