Dace Archives - Flyfishing FWSW

The annual fisher king contest … well, I failed again catching a single trout.
Off course fishing in the most shallow part of the mill pool especially in
these times of low water mean you are without a chance if you flyfish.
Best spots as always the deepest parts of the mill pool under the weir.

In the morning session at the river I was amazed how low the water level was.
Only a trickle flowed and without any deep spots you could only get small dace
and gudgeons.

The afternoon session in the mill pool a waste of time as usual.
With some higher water you would have a chance to find trout in the shallows but
on this day even the shiners where absent.
Still a perfect day weatherwise, very warm and lots of sunshine.
So on this day only dace, rudd and gudgeons for me.

Germany, 19-07-2025

22 July 2025 admin

This was the first session on the stream since my return from the USA.
I had already gotten a warning about how low the stream was and boy it was certainly low.
Since it would be a hot day I left early and was at the water on time.

When I stepped into the remaining stream I had planned to fish a deeper spot downstream.
What I did not expect was to encounter a fish in the shallow water in front of the pool.
So the first fish of the day was scared away, one of many.

I dropped a nymph in the deep pool and soon was rewarded by a bite.
A solid hit by a nice rainbow trout which I suspected was the fish I scared away.
I checked out some other spots nearby and actually had hits on a dry fly from small dace.

When I returned to my starting point I noticed a trout again in the shallows.
It was clearly a brown trout so that was the fish I spooked right at the beginning.
With the water being so shallow I opted to change to a dry fly as not to scare the fish.
That did not help though … scared away the second time.

I checked out many other spots on the stream but the low water made it tough.
Approach fishing without spooking them was difficult.
Still I had plenty of hits from roach, rudd, dace and the odd gudgeon.
I even had a large perch chasing one of the roach I caught.

The low water meant that you had to fish many spots with deadfalls and debris
as the fish where hiding there.
It also meant losing a lot of flies by getting hung up in the rootwork and debris.

Late in the afternoon the heat reminded me that not taking anything to drink with me
was a foolish decision.
I called it a day and went to one of the local restaurants for something to drink and eat.

The hot weather reminded me also that the season was slowly slipping away and I
had not even been on a proper chub session.
So I chub session is called for in the near future when the weather conditions allow it.

Germany, 13-04-2025

14 April 2025 admin

My goal for the weekend’s fishing was to check out the chub section of the river.
The coming Saturday would be the warmest day so far with a whopping 22 degrees C.
Alas a terrible headache kept me from going out.

Instead I went out on Sunday with a 180 degree change in weather.
Light rain showers and a considerable drop in temperature.
My first fishing spot was at the entrance of the stream to a village.
I had not been there for a long time and noticed some pretty drastic changes.

Two of the large willows on the stream where in the process to be chopped down.
No cover thus but access to spots otherwise inaccessible.
And despite the sprinkles and strong wind I could see fish moving about.
Unfortunately they where not in the biting mood and the only bite ended in a lost fish.

I finally ended up in a forested stretch of the stream.
Some of the big trees leaning over the water looked pretty dead and dangerous in these windy conditions.
With the drought going on the water was extremely shallow and I could not see any fish.
Only hits from the tiny bottom feeders aka gudgeons.

Not many insects around so surface fishing still out of the question.
Nymphing was again unproductive so the squirmy came into action again.
Only managed one roach, a dace, a gudgeon and a small brown trout.
Even the spots where I was not supposed to fish where empty…

Around five in the afternoon I called it a day and coincidentally that was precise the time
when you could order something to eat at the pub.
So while it started to rain again I sat inside and chatted with the landlord and the usual suspects.
The landlord provided me with some high octane drink to flush away my fishing sorrow.

Germany 30-03-2025

31 March 2025 admin

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 10-11-2024

11 November 2024 admin

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.

Germany 26-10-2024

28 October 2024 admin

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 01-09-2024

2 September 2024 admin

Last weekend boasted exceptionally fine weather.
I choose the Sunday for a trip to the stream.
Fall was in the air, fields harvested … the swifts already migrating back to Africa.
With a relatively dry week I expected the stream to be at a low stage.

The stream was low indeed and it was also pretty clear.
There was a warm breeze blowing with but very bearable when under the canopy of trees
that dotted the stream.
I fished the most accessible section of the stream as I had good results there on previous sessions.

My hope was to catch some fish on the dry fly and maybe the one or other trout.
Despite the clear warm weather there where not many insects flying so top action
was almost non-existent. I spotted some dace and tried a large selection of flies on them.
The best I could do was for them to inspect the fly and then reject it at the last moment.

I spotted a rainbow trout in the surface whom was also resistant to any dry fly I dropped.
After presenting anything from sedges to mayflies I tried nymphing.
The squirmy yield a half hearted attack but the trout was not convinced.
A dragging with the streamer failed to get any takes.

Nymphing finally yielded a trout but it was the smallest rainbow I ever caught.
I switched to fishing nymphs and that yielded some roach and dace at various spots.
At a spot that regular held large dace I tried the sedge again in order to get a fish on the dry fly.
After some heart-stopping takes I finally bagged one on the sedge.

I came along one of my friends and talked shop.
While I was doing that I noticed a consistent rise and knew it was from a trout.
As my friend went on his way I tried to nail that fish but it was rising in a tight spot.
My cast where to clumsy and it resulted in the trout racing past me for safer grounds.

I had one last shot at a trout when I hooked one at a spot where a small creek flows into the main stream.
That creek dumps water from a treatment plant but it is pretty clean water.
A drift near one of the tree roots yielded an instant hit.
The tippet I fished was light though and my attempt to prevent the fish from running in the
brushwork backfired … not at the fly disintegrated.
Called it a day after that breakoff and went for dinner.

Germany 28-07-2024

29 July 2024 admin

After the countless days of rain, flooding and so forth I finally dared to go out and about to the stream. I picked my streams in reverse order meaning I would visit the one with the normally lowest flow first. I was early and hoped the mill pool would be void of fisherman.
Luckily it was but I just couldn’t get any fish to bite, water level elevated – visibility not that great.

I had nibbles of small fish and now and then I even spotted the odd fish in the surface.
My squirmy presentation however did not lead to any decent bites.
I even tried streamers in the hope of a lost trout or a remaining pike but to no avail.

My last hope was the stream further below, with the murky water the gudgeons where out in force so bites plenty.
I managed some Dace and Roach and had one good fish on that pulled but no idea what it was as the hook slipped.

I even saw some rising dace in the murky water and managed one on the dry fly.
All that flooding had pushed grass high in the tree branches so it gave an idea of how high
the water actually was.
I still wanted to catch a trout so it was off to the other stream where I fished the end portion first.

At the second stream the same signs of high water where visible, one of the deadfalls had actually shifted.
The last time I fished that spot many trout where hiding but this time I only spotted dace and some gudgeons.

The next spot was the inflow of a small brook where fish would be located close to the bank.
That spot yielded instant roach and one rather nice rudd but no trout though.
A little downstream tree-roots and a deeper pool where the next ticket for my trout search.
I dropped the squirmy near one of the tree-stumps in the stream and immediately hooked a brown trout.

Further downstream I could spot large dace in the surface but no place to make an accurate cast. I tossed a squirmy with some roll casts to the adjacent bank and nailed a nice roach. Somewhat later at another spot I hooked a rainbow but it jumped and tossed the hook.
There was a second rising fish upstream but again on a spot you could not reach.

At the last spot of the day I noticed a trout aggressively moving in front of a pile of debris.
I put myself upstream from the rising fish but the current pushed the spent mayfly out of range of the trout. With the murky water I opted for the squirmy and after a few tries the fly reached the proper spot.
The indicator went under and I hooked the best fish of the day, a nice sized rainbow, icing on the cake as they say.

Germany 23-06-2024

24 June 2024 admin

Last Saturday I deemed the waterlevels of the local streams too high due to the many downpours but
on Sunday all looked good.
I went for an early start hence the number of deer encountered en route was significant.

As I had noticed last week that fish where stocked I tried one of the upstream stretches hoping to
find feeding or rising fish.
Well, I found plenty and had some nice battles with jumping rainbow trout.

Most fish came on the mop fly but also a few on the squirmy.
Although mayfly action was zero I tried a spent pattern on some dace I spotted in front of
a pool. I could only nail one on the mayfly but it was good fun.

The particular stretch I was fishing should better be left alone on Sundays due to the path
alongside it = to many dogwalkers tossing sticks in the stream.
I had one dog jumping right next to me in the drink but on its own accord …
The fish returned though once the dog was gone.

I caught most of the fish species available in the stream.
From gudgeons to roach, rudd, dace and trout all where inclined to take the fly.
Not many insects on the water but at some spots fish where regularly taking
stuff from the surface.

Germany 26-05-2024

26 May 2024 admin

Went on another mayfly session to the local stream and soon spotted the first
rising fish at a location where I had seen a trout last week.
Some of the rising fish where dace but one was definitely a trout.

Targeting the dace was tricky because of overhanging trees.
After every clumsy cast I waited a while so everything would calm down and fish would continue to rise.
That tactic yielded two dace and a spectacular hit from the trout … who completely missed the fly.

When the action died down I tried tossing a streamer close to the bank to see if any trout where present. The trout that previously was rising took the streamer but managed to flee in the submerged roots of the trees and broke off.

I moved further upstream and heard a loud plop as if something had fallen from the trees in the water … but it was caused by a fish.
Off course a trout and when I launched a spent mayfly pattern under the trees the hit was instant.

On my way upstream I noticed dace close to the adjacent bank rising now and then to debris floating by so again I presented the spent mayfly and got two fish.
Upstream from me the outside of a bend provided a continuous supply of debris floating close to the bank. The spot was not deep but I figured one or two fish might be station there.
On the second drift the spent mayfly was nailed by another brown trout.

Last week I had some takes on the streamer in a deeper pool so today I checked that spot today hoping for a solid strike. This time all went to plan and I hooked surprisingly a nice rainbow trout.
Later in the afternoon clouds and winds killed of the surface activity.
With rain showers immenent called it a day, a good day with the dry fly.