At the end of the month the pike season ends here so today we decided to fish a last time for Pike at the pond of the local University. We arrived at the ponds in the afternoon and met a few fellow fishermen who told us of lots of pike activity and catches in the morning hours.
Although spring like weather and temperatures where forecast for this Sunday it remained cold and grey. The pike did not show themselves as they had done on earlier visits. When I fished a quiet corner of the pond I suddenly noticed frantic baitfish moving away from the general direction of my streamer, surely a pike was on the prowl. When I probed the corner for a second time the streamer was promptly intercepted by the pike.
Pike nr. 1
I was hoping that in the afternoon the pike activity would pick up but several hours of fishing remained fruitless. The campus of the University was dotted with ponds so after a while I walked over to a long shallow pond where I had spotted pike on an earlier trip.
Pond at the campus.
At the end of the pond there was a lot of activity from baitfish so I was pretty sure that the one or other pike would lay in ambush there. My first strikes turned out to be debris from the bottom but after a while a pike hit The streamer instantly and put up a good fight.
Pike nr. 2
I was almost on my way to the first pond when I spotted jumping baitfish at a spot I had just fished. I could see the broad back from the pike coming out of the water as it chased the fleeing baitfish. Thinking it would be easy to catch that pike I doubled back and waited for an attack. Unfortunately nothing happened and after dozens of casts I decided to go back to the first pond. At sunset the sky cleared and the temperature dropped quickly. Pike where nowhere to be seen, we left when it became dark. So the pike season is over for the time being, now we are waiting for the opening of the trout season.
On Saturday May 24th I visited the Flyfair at Fort Altena here in the Netherlands. This was the first flyfair I went to after a very long time and I must say it was a worthwhile visit.
In the past the flyfair was held on the banks of the Ijssel river but this time they choose a 18th century fort as location. The majority of the members from my local flyfishing club attended the fair and so did most of the other flyfisherman from our country.
The organisation had provided a nice program with lectures and fly-casting demonstrations. The flytying tent was staffed with fly-tiers from all over Europe to even some folks from the USA. Since I was going on one of my major flyfishingtrips soon it was an ideal occasion to stock up with gear. We stayed all day at the fair and had a blast.
The moat with windmills in the far distance
Rows of people waiting at the gate
In front of the fort, my buddies pondering what to tell the wife:D
At the Ids Schukken booth.
Inside the main hall
Flytying tent.
Casting new rods and watching a two hand casting demonstration with Michael Ladefoged from Denmark.
Just returned from a fabulous fishing weekend that I spend in the deep south of Germany close to the borders with Switzerland and Austria. The river was quite low and the fish where picky most of the time.
I had it especially tough since I not a keen dryflyfisherman. There was however some room for my crude fishing tactics = dumping a conehead woolly bugger in the deeper holes. I also had some fabulous moments with the mayfly though.
Last Saturday somebody actually got me to do some work for a change. One of the German clubs had a so called working day at some of the waterways they Manage. Together with my buddy Joop I had tree planting duty at the main pond of the club. After digging holes and planting trees during the morning we had a well deserved break on a sunny day.
After the work.
We did not travel abroad off course without flyfishing equipment. Although it had rained a lot during the last weeks and streams where still pushing Loads of water we decided to try a small feeder stream just behind our clubhouse. One of our German friends showed us how it was done when he fished with bait behind the weir of the small watermill at the back of our pond. I tied on a heavy nymph and fished the same swim as my German friend and voila, a little rainbow trout took the fly. I had a take of a second fish but whatever I tried afterwards remained fruitless.
First trout of the year.
My buddy also managed to catch his first trout of the (still closed) season so we ended our working day successfully.
Rainbow trout.
Sunday was just as unusual warm and sunny as the day before so we decided to go after the pike at the local university. The usual competition had already disturbed our honey hole namely the unsavoury infidels of our flyfishingclub that preferred to fish with spinning gear. Even worse was the presence of a Cormorant slashing through the shiners, death to the those darn birds…
The pike where quite active but also very keen on the real thing so our streamers where left untouched all through the afternoon. At the end of the pond the students from the University sat on the waters egde. The whole lot had musical instruments with them and so the air was filled with traditional Irish music. We where not sure though if the music was beneficial to our activities, the pike just would not attack the streamers. With all the shiners in the surface I decided switch to nymphing gear and soon hauled in a little shiner. Still I had not come for the shiners so in the end I tied on the streamer for second try. Finally well after sunset a pike showered bait near the location where I was fishing. When my streamer went near the pike it suddenly stopped. At first I thought I had hooked the bottom but suddenly the bottom moved.
My one and only pike of the day.
My buddy Joop had actually said that he had to go home but after witnessing my catch his priorities changed, he just had to get his pike. His persistence paid off and after two missed strikes he hauled in his pike.
Last pike of the evening.
So we ended the weekend on a positive note. We do not catch monsters down here but we always have a good time when we are out fishing.
Despite the extremely lousy weather today (it is expected to rain continuously for 72 hrs) we went out to our favorite pike pond this morning. During the low light conditions in the morning we could not spot any action in the water. Not only the low light but strong winds and continuous showers roughened up the waters surface.
Later in the morning we spotted fleeing baitfish and both managed to hook and land a pike. I was using the light rod again with a red/yellow streamer which was in fact a steelhead fly from a set I once purchased during a fly sale. The pike I got was a small one but a welcome sight since action was kind of slow.
Pike on small streamer.
I managed to hook a larger fish in another pond but unfortunately that fish came off at the last minute. At the end of our session I had another run in with the pike. While fishing along a wall I missed the strike of a pike, since the fish had not felt the hook I fished the spot for a second time and once again missed the strike. So the weather was terrible but the fish was biting and off course almost everybody else wasted time by staying home.
A pictorial of four weeks fishing at the beach in Collier county. Looking back over the years I wonder what ever happened to the Jack Crevalle’s I used to catch from the beach.
After the tropical fishing in Florida I went to my usual fishing haunts in Germany to get used to the local climate again.
In the morning hours we visited one of the smaller streams first. All I could manage was the smallest yellow perch that ever dared to attack a streamer. My buddy Joop did a whole lot better by catching a nice rainbow trout. Fishing was not that good in our little stream but at least we enjoyed the colourful foliage of fall.
In the morning hours.
In the afternoon we would visit another water where we would try to catch pike. The early morning hours where dull and gray but later the sun appeared and the wind picked up. When we arrived at the next water it was already later in the day and the first clouds appeared. We where now fishing a river on a windy plane, the water looked pretty dead as we fished the first the section. Finally I noticed a swirl in the surface indicating a hunting fish so I quickly placed my streamer near the disturbance. In no time the streamer was intercepted by a yellow perch.
Yellow perch.
A while later I got another hit on the fly. Joop had walked over a bridge to the other side of the river and asked me what kind of bite it was. I replied that it was most likely of a pike. It only took a few casts before I had another strike and this time the fish was on. The pike was not a monster but it did put up a pretty good fight. When I had the fish I tried to grab it but it slipped out of my hand and off it went. Too stupid I left my landing net in the car. So I tried to catch another pike and it did not take long before yet another fish attacked the streamer, it was no pike though but a quit sizeable yellow perch.
Yellow perch nr. 2
Light was fading and it slowly started to rain so we decided to call it a day. This was the first time we fished that particular river so late in the season and it was good that it all worked out as it did. Next time we would know where to start fishing and off course I will not leave the net in the car anymore.
After the two trips to the Harz Mountains it was time to fish one the nearby German streams for a chance. I took the train to Germany and after 50 minutes I arrived at my destination.
My first intention was to fish the canalized part of the river and then especially the outflow of the sewage treatment plant. I was unpleasantly surprised when the stream was fenced off by electric wire and the farmer had put sheep and cows in the meadows.
On the road, grey skies in the morning with blue sky appearing in the afternoon.
I had to move on to find a suitable spot for fishing so I walked to the first small weir in the river. Fish where recently stocked so maybe the odd rainbow trout would lurk behind the weir. A couple of casts with the streamer through the pool remained fruitless so I moved on. The pool of the watermill further downstream would surely yield some fish. As I walked through the fields I started to notice that a lot of people where cycling out there in the middle of nowhere. When I arrived near the mill I suddenly spotted a traffic jam of cars and then it came to me what day it was.
The good spot, a fish was constantly rising under the tree.
To my horror the mother of all festivities was held at the watermill, the annual farmers market. The whole agricultural neighbourhood had come out for this fest of fests.
The whole place was turned into an amusement park, goodbye quit fishing. Luckily my good spot was more or less unaffected of the racket. A fish was constantly rising under a tree, problem was that a sunken tree was just lying downstream of the good spot. After losing two nymphs and trying to get the fish on the dry I decided to concentrate fishing on the easier spots. I tried the streamer and felt a take of what I believe was a trout, unfortunately the trout missed. To increase my chances of catching other species of fish I tied on a small goldbead nymph. A couple of deep drifts along a deadfall resulted in another contact with a trout, this time the take was solid and I hauled in a small Rainbow trout.
Rainbow trout.
I tried to get some more fish but bites slowed down after the Rainbow trout. There was a deep pool a short distance downstream so I tried to coax some fish there but there where no takes. When I returned to my honey hole three kids where dunking worms there so I asked them how they where doing.
Seemed they already knew me as one of those two Dutch flyfishing guys that had joined their club. I wished them good luck and moved upstream within sight of the Ferris wheel at the mill. Some shiners where clearly visible below me so I tied on a Copper John and let the nymph drift in the middle of the school of fish. One fish dived for the nymph and took it firmly.
Dace on the Copper John.
For some reason I was walking around the river without my usual fishing clothing. Instead I had some pretty light colored pants when a small accident happened. Due to recent flooding a fine layer of silt was deposited on the steep banks. I slipped and fell in the dirt so I looked like a pig, I had to wash the dirt off in the river to be at least somewhat presentable when heading back home.
After drying up I decided to give the spot near the Ferris wheel another try, I was sure a trout would be hiding under the debris at the bank. Letting the nymph drift deeply along the debris was the ticket for a quite large Rainbow trout. When I carefully stepped down the bank the fish came of so no pictures of that one.
With all the racket going on and people moving up behind me I called it a day and made my way back to the train station. Clearly it was not my day, at least the two Rainbow trout made the trip worthwhile. Next time I will keep better track of the fair dates…
Last week one of my fellow flyfishingclub members called me if I was interested in a short fishing trip. May basic response to such question was always with the counter question “do cows eat grass?” So that issue was solved, the next issue was where to go. Basically we would have to choose between a four hours drive to the Bode River in former Eastern Germany or the Diemel River in the federal state of Hessen. The weather predictions where extremely bad during our departure, flooding and lots of rain where predicted. The Diemel River would probably turn into brown soup while the Bode would run higher but keep clear water, so the Bode it was.
The Hotel.Early morning at the Bode river.
Since the Bode was a four hours drive from our neck of the woods we would opt for a nights stay in a hotel so we could fish the next day early. It was peak tourist season so getting lodging on short notice was difficult but in the end we found a place to stay. After work we packed our gear and headed to the east. Late in the evening we arrived at our hotel, luckily the cook was still on the premises so we could get a hot meal. The next day we would first go the local trout hatchery to get our license and fish for a while before getting breakfast at the hotel.
I knew some pretty good spots near the hatchery with almost a catch guarantee, since my companion Harry had never been to this river I thought it would be the best location to go. We parked the car on the mountain road and got into our gear, Worrying sounds came up from the mountain; there was a logging operation going on and the sound of falling timber made us wonder if it was safe to leave the car there. We proceeded to the river and as I saw the water I noticed it was almost two feet higher than usual. The weather was rainy and misty and it looked almost like I had arrived in the middle of fall. There where no rising insects or signs of feeding fish so I knew fishing would be very tough.
Harry making his first casts on the Bode River.Almost like fall.
This river we fished in was tricky to wade due to large slippery stones. I warned Harry that he should watch out where to set his feet. It was all in vain though when I heard a loud splash, Harry went swimming but fortunately he stayed sound and safe. On the piece of water I had chosen it was normal to catch 5 or more fish in a short time but now nothing happened, even deep-fished nymphs where left untouched. For me skunk was avoided when a tiny brown trout decided to nail the Czech nymph I was fishing.
Skunk avoided, first fish of the day.
After an hour fished the results where one fish caught, one lost and Harry still fishless. We had to return to the Hotel in order to not miss out on the breakfast. After a short break at the hotel we went out again, this time on what I called the senior citizen stretch.
The “senior citizen” stretch.
The senior citizen stretch was a wide slow flowing stretch in a valley with a road on one side and a row of hotels on the other side. I nicknamed it also a zoo since you where watched by the tourists from almost all sides, the plus was that the place usually held cooperative fish. It was normal to see rising fish on this place and even during this high water stage I noticed a few fish rising. To get a fish to bite was a different story, I received no hits on the nymph.
Harry doing his best.
I had directed Harry to the better bank and he was actually starting to catch fish. He lost a nice one who decided to make a dash into the weeds. I continued to fish under the watchful eyes of the tourist and eventually I got a nice Bode trout on the nymph.
Finally a good fish on the pheasant tail nymph.
We fished the place thoroughly but the results where pretty poor. Since it was almost noon we decided to grab something to eat before we would continue. After a good meal we where ready to fish the rest of the day. The question was only where to go. The senior citizen stretch might improve when the weather would clear a little and insects would come off the water but we could also visit one of the faster flower stretches and see how things where there. Since Harry had never been to this river before I opted for the faster flower stretch so he could see other parts of the river.
Fog on the river.
When we entered the river fog was falling down over the hillside and onto the river. As I waded out I saw to my surprise rising fish and soon I hooked another little trout on the nymph. Harry was also doing well by catching some of the bigger fish in the river.
The fish where active for a short while but suddenly all activity ceased as the fog became thicker. I headed further downstream and ended up in a slower flowing section where a few fish where rising. I decided I would try some dry fly fishing and tied on a tan Klinkhamer. A few fish rose to the fly and I ended up with another tiny trout.
Late in the afternoon we decided to call it a day amidst light rain and fog. I ended up with four fish caught and Harry with nine fish. Fishing was quite bad considering my earlier experiences on this river but all in all I was pretty pleased to be out there again. Catching fish and preferably big fish is nice but to be in a nice surrounding in good might be even more important. The season on this river closed in mid September but we vowed to return before that date under better conditions.
The fishing in our first German river had been so dismal during this summer that we skipped that water altogether and went to the river of club nr. 2 instead. Our first stop was the pool behind the watermill to see if any trout had survived that constant attacks of the conventional fisherman. Apparently the other guys had done a good job of cleaning the trout out since all I caught where very tiny yellow perch. I always wondered what happened to the big yellow perch, there where some real nice fish in there but it seemed that they had gone on vacation. The pool was still very shallow so the plans to dredge the pool where obviously not implemented yet.
The next stop was the river itself, we fished the deep holes we knew would hold trout. To our surprise the water looked dead, even the streamers where left untouched so I was quick to state that the bait fisherman had cleared out the holes. Just as I spoke those words a fish suddenly rose under a tree. It showed once again that there where more fish about than you would expect. While I kept to nymph fishing Joop tied on the smallest CDC fly he could find. I had seen no insects about whatsoever so I was curious if that dry fly would yield any response from the fish.
Joop with trout.
Joop made a clever move by using the dries, as soon as the fly landed under the tree a rainbow trout came up and grabbed the fly. In the mean time I was drifting nymphs in the same location and had not a single bite. Even when a second fish made his presence known I could not get the trout interested in taking the nymph. Joop tried again and before I knew it he was into his second fish. That sight was too much for me so I left for a quiet place.
The other pools had only small shiners in them which would readily rise to a dry fly but I found them too small to target. I stubbornly fished the streamer and finally hooked something, not a trout but a nice yellow perch.
Yellow Perch
We tried some other parts of the river upstream and wondered why such a pretty stream had so little fish in it. We would have to talk to the club member responsible for stocking to release some more fish in the river, not only trout but also other species.
High summer.
Pretty stream, not many fish in it.
The last couple of hours fishing would be spent at the small lake where club nr.2 had fishing rights, we would fish there the conventional way (with sweetcorn) It was a small man-made lake in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees. Flyfishing was tough there since the trees made it impossible to get the line far out. Furthermore the place was rather deep so it was not exactly the ideal flyfishing spot. The lake would be ideal for bellyboating but boating was forbidden there.
Hazelnuts at the lake.
[ The lake.
As I mentioned the bellyboating thing to one of the clubs official he mentioned that it might be possible to get permission to use a float there so I requested a official ok from the clubs president. If I would get the go-ahead then my next purchase would be a bellyboat to chase the pike near the lily fields. After a few fruitless hours on the lake we called it a day, it seemed like our conventional fishing skill where a bit rusty. Hopefully on my next fishing outing to the lake I will be floating on its surface.
