It has been quite a while since we had any decent rain and frankly fishing gets kind of difficult if you fish an already shallow ditch.
Had to make quite some tracks today to get into fish and they sure where not willing to eat most of the nymphs I presented.
The low water and the lack of current really gives the fish the edge at the moment.
At least the dry fly saved the day with a very nice chub and a brown trout as last fish of the day.
Unfortunately the battery of the camera turned out to be dead so I had
to use the mobile for the (shabby) pictures.
Hot hot hot … unusually hot for September so off to the waters of
syndicate nr. two.
First time I fished this particular stream this year and pleasantly suprised
by the amount of (very wary) chub in the pools.
Got one fish on the dry fly, perfect sight casting fish .. worked like a charm.
Another fish fell for the nymph but after that the fish where on to me and
nothing worked anymore.
The waters of syndicate nr.1 only yielded some small gudgeons so it
was off to the pub early.
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.
It rained cats and dogs but I just had to try to catch something.
With the stream rising and turning into coffee color I had to be quick and was lucky to find a few perch willing to eat fly.
Icing on the cake was the brown trout that chased the streamer twice.
Switched from gray to black streamer and the fish struck.
I hooked the trout at a spot where landing was impossible so I had to jump into the stream to land the fish, I was wet anyway.
I looked like pig in the end but it was worth it.
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.
