Germany 06-04-2025

Germany 06-04-2025

During last week the weather was very warm, sunshine and hardly any clouds in the sky.
During the weekend temperatures would drop significantly.
When I went out on Sunday the temperature was about 34 F early on.
Once I was at the water the temperature had risen somewhat so it was not that cold.
A strong easterly wind was blowing over the land.

I was prepared with some heavier clothing as the highs for the day would be about 53 F.
Since my visit to the stream last week the outdoors looked quite a bit greener.
 I also noted that the algae mats where growing on the bottom of the stream. 
Those mats would die off later in spring when the foliage would block out the light.

My first goal was to catch those trout I missed last week.
Tried the same spots and heck nothing was present, in fact on most spots I got no bites at all.
Finally I spotted some tiny fish moving in a pool.
I order to avoid skunk I tried to get one of those, it was a school of gudgeons with some small
dace mixed in.

I wanted the dace but the gudgeons where more numerous so I caught one of those.
Maybe the trout had moved upstream so I checked any deeper pools there out.
Surprisingly  I got a hit from a small trout and it went airborne a few times only to throw the fly.
A pool further upstream the same happened.

Spots where I would normally catch shiners guaranteed where all dead.
Nymphs where useless, I got all bites on the squirmy.
There was one pool that was promising and since access was a bit harder than usual it
could be a bonus for finding fish.

I launched the squirmy in the beginning of the pool and got a hit from a good fish.
Turned out to be a brown trout of a decent size for this small stream.
I fished a light tippet so I had to fight the fish carefully with the chance that the
barbless hook would come out if I did not take care.
Luckily it all went to plan and I could land the fish.

I tried some other spots in a downstream section but although I could spot fish I did
not get any bites.  Surprisingly as I spotted a lot more insects in the air than last week.
I blamed it on the east wind.
Spring was in full swing, a lot drier than last year though so again weather in extremes.
Noticed the first swallows in the sky back from Africa, also spotted the first stork.

Germany 30-03-2025

Germany 30-03-2025

I opted to fish last Sunday which unfortunately was the day with the worst weather possible.
The rain showers where as expected and relatively light, rhe wind however was brutal.
Despite the conditions I could still spot some blue winged olives on the water … heck I call all small mayflies that name.

Any dry fly action was off course out of the question.
The blossoms of the elder trees where covering the water along with dead leaves.
I noticed algae growth had started in earnest as the floor of the stream looked dark from the growth.
It was time to deploy the nymph to see if anybody was home.
I noticed fish in the first pool I came along and managed mall dace and a little brown trout.

Another likely spot was void of fish, I had seen a report from a friend who caught quite a few big
browns so I was hoping to encounter some.
I tried a lot of places but with the low water due to weeks of dry weather fishing was tough.
Also without cover of the leaves and the strong wind stealthy approach was out of the question.

I moved up to another section that boasted more deeper pools but even there I hardly got
any bites. The best I could manage was yet another small brown trout.
I finally spotted a larger fish but from the high bank … I was also spotted and the fish
made fast tracks to safer places.

There was one spot where I had high hopes of catching a decent size trout.
The tricky thing was the wind and a submerged brush at the head of the pool where I expected
a fish.  After a few casts short of the target I hit the mark and hooked a big trout, for a short while
though as the hook came out.

Against better judgment I tried a second time at that spot knowing full well it was unlikely that the trout in question would hit the fly again.
Surprisingly though I hooked another fish, smaller thought but I also lost that one.
Other marks I fished where empty.
When I got into another shower I figured it might be time to call it a day and head for a sheltered place to get something to eat and drink.
Luckily my old haunt from days gone by was open again so I warmed up there and had dinner.

Germany 09-03-2025

Germany 09-03-2025

I had not been out much this season yet, weather conditions where not favorable so far.
Too often it was cold and miserable so fishing made not a lot of sense.
But we had some sudden outburst of spring when temps skyrocketed like on this day.
I went out pretty late in the morning as the nights are still cold.

Most pools I checked where empty but one or two had fish in them.
Dace where active as I noticed several fish moving about.
The water was clear and a little higher than expected for a period without much rain.
Some small mayflies where buzzing around but nothing to get fish rising as it is still
way to early.

I managed several dace on the pheasant-tail nymph and even landed an out of season brown trout (season starts middle march).
Migratory birds have returned like lapwings, oystercatchers and the likes and I have 
heard great cranes heading north in the night sky.

My go to pub had gone down the drain during the winter so to get anything to eat I had to go to plan B.
I still found a place nearby that was open so I could end the day with a warm meal.

Germany 21-02-2025

Germany 21-02-2025

Last Friday I had to extend my license at one of the syndicates I am in.
With the sudden warm spring weather it seemed a perfect opportunity
to take the day off and go fishing.

Since it had been cold for a long time I did not expect much to move.
The water was slightly higher than usual and visibility was good.
I only tried the most likely holding spots but all where void of life, could not spot anything.

The last hope was put on the dead arm of a feeder stream.
That spot always held fish but when I arrived I missed the telltale signs of moving fish.
It took a while before I spotted a dust cloud in the stagnant water.

At first I suspected a muskrat or carp but then I spotted an actual pike parked in the bank.
Not soon after that a second pike appeared and a whole racket started.
The pike where obviously in spawning mode.

A diving kingfisher showed me the location of fish.
I dropped a squirmy in the water and got many nibbles from small fish.
I could spot a lot of these tiny fish moving about and in the end I managed 
to catch one small roach, mission accomplished.

 

Germany 10-11-2024

Germany 10-11-2024

Last weekend the best day to go fishing turned out to be Sunday as the weathercast actually predicted a rare appearance of the sun.
In the morning though the weather gods could not decide between fog or continuous light drizzle.

Temperature predictions where around 8 degrees C, so not particularly comfy.
Opted for inner village fishing as I expected the most fish to be present there.
My old hotspot that used to be a pool of some depth was apparently  filled for the most part with sand.  Having said that I spotted several moving about at the edges where it was a little deeper.

I opted to fish with a double nymph setup and tied on two pheasant tail patterns to gain some depth.  That worked out pretty well and it was the first time ever that I had several double hookups.  The fish species moving about where roach and dace.
Another first was that I caught a little chub at this spot which should not be possible as the
weir in the next village downstream poses an impassable barrier.

Of course, catching so many fish from the same shallow spot soon proved to much and the bite stopped. The upstream section was a straight shallow stretch, lifeless with the exception of one spot where the current had scoured a deeper hole.
A lot of dace were around that even went for the indicator. 

After a while I got tired of all the dog walkers behind me with their barking mutts so I tried the mill pool for pike or perch … nothing to be had though.
In the end I went for the solitude of the forest but not much was moving there with the exception of one small gudgeon and a small dace.

In the mean time the solid cloud cover had finally broken and a glimpse of the sun could be seen.
I fished a small rapid next that usually only produced tiny fish due to it’s shallowness but this time I hooked a solid brown trout. A hanging offence as trout season was closed but interesting nonetheless as the red markings on adipose fin almost made me believe it was a wild fish.

That trout was the icing on my fishing day and with a late start on this day time and daylight
would soon run out so I called it a day.

 

Florida 2024

Florida 2024

To put it short this years trip was a combination of disasters being hurricanes back to back
and personal tragedy that caused me to break off the trip after one week.

So back to business … prior to my departure hurricane Helene had pounded Florida, Georgia and the
Carolinas so I was not sure if my flight would depart due to damages along the route.
With the airlines usually not that forthcoming with giving info about cancellations the decision to
cancel or not cancel was made by using info from poweroutage.us.

With all counties that I had to pass having power for 85 percent or more I figured airports and 
other important facilities should be operational.
With no negative advice from the hotel I stayed in I was good to go.

Although my destination was not directly in the path of the hurricane the damage was still done
by the storm surge. The beach road was swamped by several feet of sand so impassable.
Beach accesses and public parks where closed with only some access points open.

Fishing was dismal for the first couple of days due to wind and wave action causing the usual 
muddy mess in the Gulf of Mexico.
The only fish willing to play where small ladyfish that would hover around structure like pilings
and rip rap.

After a few days the water cleared up and more access was restored.
The main target remained ladyfish although I spotted some snook and tarpon at certain locations.
A trip to the southern end of the beach convinced me that the beach was missing 3 to 4 feet of sand
due to erosion caused by the hurricane.

I could only reached the last part of the beach at the inlet by wading waist deep at low tide during calm weather. This would be a dangerous venture during rough weather and higher tides …
So fishing was off … I barely managed one small snook after losing a big one as there where not many around.  Had some shots at the tarpon but they where not willing to play.

With access to the southern end of the beach difficult I concentrated on the northern end where the
inlet was always good for some fish. Mostly small ladyfish and blue runners that would congregate on
the incoming tide to harass the baitfish.
Action on the beach itself was pretty slow, highlight for me was catching a nice redfish while fishing
a clouser-minnow for any bottom feeding fish that might be around.

After a week the next hurricane was looming but I had to cut my stay short due to the passing of
a family member. A few days later the area I was staying in received a mandatory evacuation order
due to hurricane Milton so all in all a pretty bad time.

Germany 26-10-2024

Germany 26-10-2024

Some unseasonably warm weather begged for an outing yesterday.
With the shorter days my timing was a bit off as I arrived at the water at first light.
With fall in full progress the clear water and fallen leaves where a challenge.
So was finding fish and it ook quite a while before I finally located some.

The spots that normally produced fish where awfully quiet but some change
in tactics brought some small roach to the surface.
Instead of dragging the squirmy through the pools I opted to fish a team of pheasant tail
nymphs.

With trout season officially closed oct. 20th. I concentrated on fishing for roach and
dace with smaller flies.
That did not prevent me from hooking a rainbow trout that immediately went ballistic,
luckily the lighter tippet held.

My favorite dace spot was empty, with the sunny and warm weather I had expected
to see some fish in the surface but that was not the case.
Fishing the nymph yielded surprisingly a tiny brown trout.
Another dace spot yielded another brown trout but this time larger.

The last spot of the session was a rather shallow pool formed by a small feeder

that entered the main stream.
I noticed dace feeding in the surface and fished a sedge.
I spectacularly missed all the strikes … I was to darn slow.
Switched to nymphs but only got some gudgeons.

I called it a day after scaring all the fish and opted for an early dinner.
Surprisingly not many people where out and about of what could be the last
warm day of the year.
I took my time for dinner and subsequently missed the sunset on the way
back home but the skies colored nicely just after the sun was gone.

Germany 25-06-2024

Germany 25-06-2024

With a late start I opted to fish my secondary water conveniently located next to the pub.
I started with fishing the mill pool hoping that the any pike that had flushed out due to an earlier snafu with the mill weir had returned back. Alas nothing hit the streamer I fished.

Since that weir blowout the already shallow weir pool had become even shallower
so not exactly attractive for pike to hold.
The seasonal clearing of the water made it apparent how shallow that pool had become.

I opted to fish the stream further back and found the usual small fish like roach and
dace although I could swear that I spotted a trout scooting off.
After a while I tried the mill pool again hoping for a perch on the squirmy.
I would think that for a perch the squirmy would be irresistible but that assumption was incorrect.

In the end a pheasant tail nymph with a black bead and a pink crystal chenille collar 
proved to be the perch catcher.
The weather on this day was nice but not as warm as I had hoped so surface action was not visible.

When the light faded I came to the conclusion that the water was not really that warm
so the choice to call it a day and go get something to eat was quickly made.

Germany 22-09-2024

Germany 22-09-2024

The last days of fine weather and pending fall motivated me to give the chub a last shot
before the weather shuts down that fishery.
I opted to fish the most accessible spot I knew but I was a tad early as the sun had not yet
hit the water.

I could not see any fish moving other than some surface action by the very tiny bleak that
even went for my tippet ring.
I persisted fishing the sedge that despite it size was a legitimate target for the tiny bleak.
Luckily some chub where also inclined to eat the sedge.

I soon moved off to another easy spot but when I looked down on the water from a bridge I could not spot a single fish which was kind off unusual.
So off to the next spot where the high banks and the stinging nettles made it difficult to move about.

I spotted large chub but mostly to late and if I had a shot the fish would take no look at the fly.
Larger patterns like big mayflies or hoppers also did not work.
My last hope was to move back to the first spot of the day as the sun would cover that place by now.

The first spot indeed had fish, several sizes and even the odd big one.
Still for some reason, the fish ran from the dries as soon as they landed on the shallow water.
The best I could do was fishing a nymph in the nearby fish ladder that had some deeper pools.
Nymphing yielded the last chub and a roach.

With the sun low in the sky spotting fish became difficult and I did not expect conditions to improve so I called it a day. 
To my surprise I seemed to have a reserved table at the pub as they where expecting me … even a cold one was ready when I entered.
A day earlier my usual spot was occupied due to an event so I had to move what they call the sinners bench at the bar so they wanted to make up for that.

Germany 20-09-2024

Germany 20-09-2024

The project I was working on was on hold and since I had nothing better to do on my Friday home office day I decided to go fishing instead.
With the exceptional fine weather soon ending I could think of no better way to spend the day.

In the bright sunshine it seemed pleasant to hide under the canopy of the trees as they still had leaves. I fished a spot I had avoided most of this season as it just was no good anymore.
Fishing the nymph and getting no bites was a reminder why I skipped this spot.

A glimpse of hope was the sign of a continuously rising fish.
The way the fish rose was for me a sign that it had to be a trout.
A light breeze blew a steadily supply of debris on the water that caused the fish to rise.
My weapon of choice was a spent mayfly due to its silhouette and color and it did the trick
as I could hook a nice brown trout.

With the water being very low I could not find good deeper spots that held fish.
Most of the time I spotted fish moving in front of me in the shallow water.
With a small nymph I was able to get the odd roach or dace.

It was time to move to other spots that boasted deeper water.
My goal was still to catch more trout and at a deeper pool  I thought that I
spotted a dark green back of a rainbow trout.
Again the fish was feeding in the debris lane.
I tried to re-acquire the trout after setting up but could not see it anymore.

Luckily I saw an even bigger fish further downstream actively scouting the debris.
The fish was of such size that I opted for heavier tippet, I also tied on a spend mayfly pattern.
As soon as the fly came into view range the trout hit it and it gave quite a fight with jumps included. Second trout of the day was a fact.

My last shot of a trout came when I spotted one standing right under the adjacent bank.
I figured a 100 percent hooking chance when drifting the spent mayfly over but the fish was suddenly gone.
I could not see where the fish had gone… until I spooked it by wading upstream.

For the remainder of the afternoon I could not get anything anymore to bite.
I still spotted some fish but no trout, with sun getting low I called it quits and
visited my home away from home for dinner.