Germany Archives - Page 7 of 49

Since the mill pool visits where pretty fruitless I skipped the purchase of a day ticket.
Instead I focused on the main stream.
Curiously I had no hits on the squirmy and the Perdigon nymph was apparently also not in great demand.
I sticked to the Perdigon and fished it deep.
That paid off as I battled my first brown of the day.

The silver fish let me down with only two dace.
I figured the pool I fished might hold more trout and boy it did.
After catching trout nr.2 from the pool action went dead.

Next I concentrated on fishing the spot under a bridge.
My strike indicator was hit by a trout and on a second cast I hooked the fish.
I lost the close quarters battle though as I had too much slack in the line, fish lost.
I kept trying though and within an hour I had caught three trout from under the bridge. My day was made and with the knowledge that it would be unlikely to get more fish from these marks I moved on.
The remainder of the day I tried several marks of the beaten path but they where totally dead. I could not even get a bite, weird.

Next stop the pub and the landlady told me that people had been stocking fish a day before.
That sounded mighty interesting and just as I was zipping on a cold I noticed an
Fisherman moving to the mill pond.
A familiar face as it was the guy in charge of stocking for this stream.

Went outside and chatted with the guy whom I knew well.
Supposedly the mill pool was stocked with several brown- and tiger trout.
Finished my meal early and fished the mill pool.
Water still higher than normal and wading extremely difficult because of all the rubble
used to stabilize the banks from way back when.

Tried nymphs and squirmy’s to no avail and for a while it seemed as dead as the other
stream I had finished.
The day was ending but suddenly I noticed rings at the end of the pool.
With nymphs being ignored I went for a sinking polyleader with a streamer and
hooked several perch in succession, no trout though.
Vacated the place near sunset as the action died down.

Germany 10-04-2023

12 April 2023 admin

Had another go at the stream and started a little earlier because a rain front was
predicted to roll in early evening.
Tried to sure shot spots but could not get any fish to bite, water was clear but could not spot fish.
The squirminator was useless, a perdigon nymph yielded a small dace.

With the mill pool void of people I gambled on purchasing a day ticket
hoping I would have the pool for myself.
Unfortunately it was not to be … as soon as I had purchased the ticket
two other syndicate members turned up with the same intentions.

The bait guys fished one side of the pond, both with two rods.
I had the other half but nothing was biting, even the bait slingers had no hits.
We blamed it on the east wind, always bad fishing when that happens.
I got bored and fished the outflow of the mill pool.
Managed a nice little brown trout on the perdigon.

In the mill pool itself I tossed streamers about and finally hooked one trout
but lost the fish.
Several hours later I hooked a larger trout but ran into trouble as the resident
pike intended to eat my catch.
Tried to land the fish quickly before the pike attacked but again lost the fish
prematurely … trout gone and pike gone.

The skies got darker in the afternoon so I called it a day.
Skipped the pub as I wanted to be home before the mess started.
Reached home as the first sprinkles fell.
Still early season on the stream so not much happening.
Hope it gets warmer and some foliage appears on the trees.

Germany 08-04-2023

12 April 2023 admin

With the rain finally gone it was time to check the stream yesterday.
The water was still a bit high but clear.
It was so clear that I could see a trout shoot away in the pool I was fishing.
First though I hooked a couple of dace on the squirmy, my to go fly early season
and in turbid conditions.

For some reason I could not get that trout to eat the squirmy.
I dragged a streamer through the pool and the trout came and chased the fly
but would not commit.
At another pool I saw another trout but the same story.

I took a small break and send a status report to one of my buddies who
also intended to fish the stream this day.
He asked if I had fished the mill pool which was temporary opened for
members of the syndicate if they purchased a day ticket.
I replied no since this occasion generally caused the influx of the meat fisherman
crowding the place … not my idea of fun.

I had not even looked at the pool but checked it out just in case.

My first observation … no signs of fish, the second … no people.
Since it was noon I figured the chance of any meat fisherman shelling
out 10 bucks for a couple hours of fishing was minimal.
Besides it was cold, not comfy sitting outside watching bobbers.

So I made the decision to get a ticket, my buddy soon arrived
and as I was wading he entered the premises.
Something big was swimming at my feet but I could not make out
it was a huge rainbow trout or a pike.

Anyways we fished the pool and boy it was dead, not much going on.
My buddy had been there a few days before and said lots of trout where in the shallows … not today.
I switched to a streamer and finally hooked my first fish, a tiger trout.
Then after an hour a small pike nicked my fly.

At the end of the day I managed a small brown on the squirmy.
My buddy … no bites at all.
I spotted one blue dun on the water but that was the only insect action of the day.
Blind casting seemed useless so we called it a day.

I made a stop at the pub on the way back home.
Apparently it had been busy a few hours before my arrival but now it was quiet.
Went for the mushroom soup as starter with as main dish the porkchops with mushrooms.
Finishing it all off with coffee and a piece of gooseberry cake.

Germany 26-03-2023

12 April 2023 admin

After a week of continuous rain a fishing session to the stream would be futile … I went anyway.
I had tasked myself to catch at least one fish.
En route to my best spot I crossed another stream and noticed it was pretty discolored and high.

The stream I wanted to fish was completely blown out.
I could get into the water but the current was really pushing.
Visibility was zero but I figured if I could find a calmer spot something might go.
The first thing I got was cold feet, I waded too deep and the current pushed the water into the waders.

I had a bite or two but could not get any fish.
After fishing another pool upstream to no avail I tried fishing from the bank.
Close to some tree roots I had a few hits and finally caught a small roach.

Maybe the stream at the pub would provide some other fish but alas blown out also.

Germany 19-03-2023

12 April 2023 admin

The weather has not been exactly inviting the last few weeks for fishing
with either low temperatures or deluges.
A quick look at the river gauge and predicted high temps coaxed me out today.
There was a pretty flow in the stream and some coloration in the water.

In this high flow situation the fly of choice was once again a pink squirmy.
I caught dozens of dace in short order but was surprised that I could not
get a trout.
A day earlier the local club had stocked trout in the mill pool and although
off limits I expected some of those fish to go on a walkabout in the main stream.

There where some bugs in the air and for the first time this year I spotted
a dace rising for something in the surface.
I tried some other pools along the stream but could to no avail.
Some spots where unreachable with my hip waders … to deep.

The lack of trout bothered me so I tried the first pool again this
time armed with a heavier squirmy.
The added weight did the trick and I caught a nice brown.

Called it a day earlier as the water was still to high in my book to fish effectively.
Ended the day at the pub which was pretty empty when I arrived.
That all changed when the sun came out for a while and suddenly the crowds
of daytrippers arrived.

Germany 05-03-2023

12 April 2023 admin

Pondered if I would fish today or not as temps. would not exceed 42F.

Usually the start of spring is a time when not much is going on anyway.
Eventually decided to try anyway so I checked out the mill pool in one of
the German streams.

I was hoping for Perch and tossed a small streamer through the clear water.
Lost about three streamers in snags on the bottom until I finally caught one.

Next I tried the stream for shiners with the squirmy and got only one hit.
Tried the mill pool again but the cold finally got to me or to be more precise my feet.

With the pub next door the choice what to do was easy … early break.
Had the soup of the day with the porkchops and as finishing touch the apple cake.
On the way back home spotted lots of deer, did not run into the wolf that was
seen last Friday at the outskirts of the city where I live.

Germany 12-02-2023

12 April 2023 admin

After a successful first session of the year on Jan. 8^th. I hoped for another good
session a week later but alas conditions where against me.
Heavy rains had turned the stream in to a chocolate colored mess and my
best was not good enough to produce any fish.

With more bad weather and a case of the flu it was only last weekend that I
finally could get out and about again.
I went straight for one of my honey holes where the squirmy yielded some
small dace and roach.

The rainbows from the first session of the year had obviously moved on although
Managed a small brown trout that was hitting my indicator all the time.
I had a short tussle with a larger brown trout but the fish was not properly hooked.

In search for the rainbow I tried some pools downstream and got one bite from
one fish that was located under some tree roots.
I fought the fish for a while but the hook came out so no joy.
Only the small shiners seemed to cooperate.

There had been some talk from one of the syndicate members that he had seen
a lot of large fish upstream.
Not a reliable source but I opted to check it out anyway.
Before leaving I tried to catch that trout that I had missed earlier.

The first hit was from a dace which missed the squirmy but I noticed that the
brown trout had also come out of hiding.
The squirmy drifted near the brown trout and it just could not resist to hit
the fly, this time I managed to land the fish.
The upstream section did not yield the fabled big fish.
Not surprising since the source was known to be all talk…

Along the way I ran into my buddies and talked some shop with them.
It was late in the afternoon and I was ready for the pub.
My friends still wanted to fish a little so I pointed them to the rainbows.
At the end of the day I met up with them a the pub and on of them
had indeed caught a rainbow trout.

Germany, 08-01-2023

9 January 2023 admin

Went on the first session of the year last Sunday.
After a dry summer and fall the weather finally brought some much need rain.
The border stream out of the moor carried water for the first time since spring.

The first larger stream I crossed carried a lot of water so I opted to fish a stretch
where I knew I could catch fish in high water conditions.
Fly of choice was a pink squirmy that performed well in these conditions.
Takes where plenty and although the catch consisted out of small roach and dace
I was happy catching the first fish of the year.

The partly blue skies did not last and at noon light rain started.
Combined with the wind it was not exactly comfy but temperatures where pretty
high for January.
I headed for a more sheltered spot in the forest and suddenly got a take from
something bigger.
When I noticed the size I figured trout and as it was light in colour I wondered if
it was a rainbow trout … it was.

Knowing the stream and the fact that those trout could only be recently stocked
I figured there might be more of them.
I checked out an eddy near some fast flowing water and immediately hooked
another fish, again good size.

The party continued until I had caught four nice rainbows, extra fun when
getting them on a 3-4 glass rod.
With the sun setting I called it a day and ended this fantastic in the pub.

Germany 06+07-08-2022

10 August 2022 admin

The dog days of summer, hot weather and low water meant chasing chub again.
Weatherwise Sunday was the best day with smaller clouds and enough sunlight all day to spot the fish.
The cooling tower plume of one of the last few remaining nuclear powerplants in Germany
was clearly visible from miles.

My hotspot at the feeder had such low water that the chub did not venture there anymore.
Luckily the main stream still had some deeper parts that where fishable when not completely overgrown with waterweed.

The waterweed caused trouble, lost two good fish in there as they dove in it for cover.
Even my telescopic landing net of 3.6m could not coax them out.
All left to do was pull on the leader and the hook came out.

With that skinny water the fish where even warier than usual but I still caught a few fish
with one close to the 50cm range which I consider big for a chub.
Most banks where mowed with plenty of fish around, all chub off course.

Germany, 31-07-2022

1 August 2022 admin

With the drought continuing I went for another chub session at the lower end of the stream.
Conditions where not exactly favorable with overcast skies.
Sunlight was lacking for proper sight fishing.

I started late as some showers where predicted early on.
Luckily it stayed dry so I headed to a good spot near a bridge to scout for chub.
One chub I spotted was particularly big but it just did not respond to the fly.
Even a school of medium sized was unfazed by my offerings.

Clouds soon became thicker and it actually started to rain.
I sheltered under the bridge and noticed some fish moving about.
As the hopper did not seem to entice the fish I tried a sedge and tossed it to a school of fish.
Surprisingly a dace hit the fly instead of the present chub.

With not much happening I went on my way to spot nr.2
As I crossed the bridge I noticed fish moving at the other side.
I stopped and found a large school of smaller chub, perfect for a hopper presentation.
As soon as the hopper landed on the water one of the chub grabbed it.

With the banks mown I moved downstream and spotted a slightly larger fish moving
right under the bank.
All I had to do was to drop the fly over the edge and it was hit by the fish.
The school was gone now so off to the next spot.

My hotspot had many fish but without of sunlight I could not spot the fish with
their dark backs over the dark weed.
Only at the sections with sand bottom you could see moving fish, I scared most fish away.
At one of the more fast flowing riffles my fly suddenly disappeared in the current.
It was not the current though but a chub … noticed it too late and so the fish was gone.

It rained on and off during the day with light rain in the morning through some
heavy showers in the afternoon.
To bad I could not elude them all but there where plenty of fish around so still a productive day.