Flyfishing FWSW

This Saturday was officially a date for a working party at our hatchery but when I
spotted our former club president actually working … meaning bossing around all the
kids to do the work I decided I might better of just going fishing.
So I did and as the previous day had yielded so many fish I thought it might be
time to see how the headwaters where looking where fishing is tough … because
there just are not that much fish 🙂

As I had heard from friends the deep pools where all sanded in so no places
anymore for fish to hide.
I found a few spots that boasted a little depth and as I spotted fish moving about
I was able to catch a few small shiners and a little trout.

I was close at the source of our stream, it actually is formed by a junction of two
little creeks that each have their own names.
One was no good, never had much water in it and although I checked it out for a
short distance I found it not worth too look any further.
Feeder nr.2 was also low but the good spots still existed and even though it
was not deep my hotspot still yielded some roach.
I even lost a trout, this time of better size.

At the end of the day I ended up at one of my hotspots downstream and
did my best to get to the fish.
I still got a brown trout and a rainbow trout from the water with some added
roach and dace.
It was chilly and windy though so conditions where not the best.

I noticed that my former watering hole is being refurbished.
A sign announced that the beer garden would be opening May 1st.
and the restaurant a few weeks later.
Maybe I will check the place out at the end of May to see if it is
worthwhile to stop there again.

I case you are wondering what the tank car is doing in my pictures …
Two of them have been bought by the local distillery, just for fun.
The distillery makes Korn = Schnapps … the same stuff that used to be
transported in the tank car.
Never been at the distillery but as it was so close to our hatchery I
decided to take a look.

This was the last day of the week that it would supposedly be warm…
It started out sunny but it all ended in tears … from the sky that is.
Fish where present though and pleseantly surprised by the number of
trout I encountered.

Quite a cold day and not much going on … somebody shrunk the trout.

With this single hot weather day forecast I decided to have a go at my chub hotspot.
As I arrived fish where indeed rising and I messed up a couple of good bites.
Tossing the leader with the leader ring still attached was not that smart … it was too splashy.
Still I got a fish on the sedge, not the intended chub but a dace.
For some reason however the rising stopped and I could not spot a single fish anymore.
I tried fishing the cascades with a nymph but only got a very small battered dace.

Somebody in the village had obviously been feeding the ducks in town with bread as
the leftovers came floating down the stream.
Interestingly I noticed a big disturbance in the surface and spotted some hefty chub
going after the bread.
Would have loved to have a go at these fish but with the high steep banks I had not a
change to even come near.

Overall I found surface activity to be minimal, plenty insects about especially alder flies but
the stream was surface wise like a mirror.
I checked out several spots at the lower end of the stream but could not find any signs of life.
My last stop for the day was at a spot where one of my pals had recently hooked a signal
crayfish.
I spotted a boatload of bream in one of the deeper pools and drifted a flashback pheasant tail
nymph deep.
After several nibbles I finally had a good hookup and although bream do not fight spectacular
this one earned a gold medal for resistance as it just would not give up.

At the crayfish spot I fished behind the weir of the mill, the weir was open and the water was
running fast.
I had the heavy flashback pheasant tail nymph still on and after long trying I landed a little trout.
The weir was raised and flow almost ceased, the water level dropped and so I tied on a lighter
nymph only to catch a small perch.
With the absence of any flow and no signs of larger fish about I called it a day.

As my trips to the border waters where not that great lately I decided to hit the home waters
again as it just had better quality water and held more fish.
Yesterday I received a call from one of the hatchery guys asking if I would be
willing to relieve the natural pond of the big brown trout.
That call brought my plans in disarray but oh well … somebody had to do it
The trout had become too big and as the natural pond had no aerator their survival was
at stake.

The first few fish where easy, then they figured out something was wrong and got spooky.
Nymphs had lost their effect and so I turned to the last resort = streamers.
The streamers got most of the remaining larger trout out.
The removed fish where stocked in a different pond that had an aerator so they would
last until a later day when the fish would be stocked in our stream.

After the work was done I found the time to hit the stream which was now at the lowest level
since months and pretty clear.
Trout where not be had on the spots I fished but at least the dace and roach showed
themselves be it that the big roach where absent.
All in all a nice and productive day.

So back to the venue from yesterday, armed with traces this time.
The mill pool … zero bites … no following perch … no pike attacks.
Tried the nymph … absolutely nothing which I found very odd as there had to be at least dace around.
So back into the woods to look for rising fish as the sun came out but again … totally dead.
Figuring there had to be fish in that stream I tried the nymph again and behold after a lot of work one little dace.
Maybe the fish are put-off by the extensive manure spraying of the farmers.
Always hate when the surface of the water begins to foam…

Sometimes it just does not work out.
No bites from the silver fish, instead two tiny perch. Next on the agenda big perch so I tied on a streamer and ran into three pike.
Two unhooked themselves, one got away with the streamer.
Left the mill pool and tried the stream but no life and thus no bites. For a brief moment the sun came out and a fish started to rise.
Tied on a segde and finally got a small dace.
When they turn on the heating again I think it will get better.

Headed out again to the local stream where for some reason I could not get into
fish. Only after several hours I managed the first couple of roach and dace.

I had a chat with some of my fellow anglers and it seems that somebody has recently
managed to catch quite a hefty brown trout from our little stream.
I am still hoping that one of these days I will manage to get one of these ultra-rare 27 inchers from the stream.

The first couple of chubs have been caught in the section of the stream I fish which
means that the removing of a couple of weirs has had an effect as this species
was barred from moving upstream in the past.
It should make fishing more interesting as you now might run into more surprises.

With the fine warm weather a lot of anglers where on the move and the many footprints
at the deeper pools where not exactly giving me hope but I still managed to catch a few
nice brown trout.

And back again for another head clearing session.
Cowslip and windflowers are abundant and fish are slowly returning to their summer hideouts.
Some spots are still desolate though, according to a fellow syndicate member it will take a couple of weeks more before we see more fish in the open.

I wanted to check up on my chub hotspot and for a brief moment conditions where perfect as several chub had taken up position in the shallows behind our clubhouse.
Dry fly was the way to go and so I tossed a small f-fly over the chubs and voila the first chub on the season incidentally also the first fish on a dry fly this season was fact.
The wind picked up rather quickly and surface feeding was cancelled.

I went to another more sheltered stream, could not spot many fish there.
One spot did have fish and allthough it was not easy I managed several dace and roach on the nymph.

At the end of the day I went to an open spot out in the fields that could be good for surface feeding dace.
I found them as they where lazily cruising in the surface picking up food items.
My casting with the wind was sloppy though and I totally messed up a good chance by striking too early … oh well there will be more days.