Roach Archives - Flyfishing FWSW

A day later, same water but different weather conditions.
Within a day we went from warm and sunny to wet and windy.
The temperature kept falling during the day and wind kept increasing in force.
I was on-site at daybreak and the only fisherman around.

I had hoped to get instant hits but fishing was extremely slow.
Early morning some fish where active and now and then I could see rainbow trout
moving past me. I hooked two fish who skillfully jumped and threw the barbless hook.
I then tried to concentrate on any dace or rudd but nothing hit the fly.

My last resort to get any bites was to fish the deepest part of the mill pool right under the weir.
Fishing a nymph very deep worked for a while and after a roach I finally landed two rainbow trout.
As the day progressed however the bites stopped and whatever I tried failed to get fish.

Although I anticipated the weather change the strong wind did cool me down more than expected.
So late in the afternoon I decided to take a break and get something to eat and drink.
The comforts of the pub and the fact that it was already late kept me from returning to fish.
Have to say I still prefer the flowing stream to the mill pond.

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 21-02-2025

22 February 2025 admin

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

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 11-05-2024

12 May 2024 admin

This Saturday I choose for the lazy option to travel the first leg to my fishing spots.
I opted for the first train to Germany.
The train however was late and when I settled in the train driver walked by and notified
me that where not leaving any time. The reason … a dead body on the tracks.

So rather than waiting for service to commence which usually takes several hours I opted
to bike the distance. Since early fishing was now off the cards my first port of call would be
the mill pool at stream nr 2 as it was the closest and probably void of anglers.

Luckily the mill pool was empty and at first I dragged a streamer with a trace through the
shallow water in case any pike had remained after the mill weir was pulled permanently.
No response from the pike so next step tying on a small black streamer with an orange tungsten bead.
That yielded a tiny perch and off course nibbles from small gudgeons.

I then tried the squirmy and got a good hit right at my feet from something big.
Turned out the be a carp and frankly that carp showed me all the corners of the mill pool.
With the light tippet I could not exert any pressure on the fish other than the bend in the rod
and the line dragging in the current.
In the end the barbless hook came out, otherwise I think I could have landed it.

I fished downstream from the mill pool in the now very shallow water and caught some
dace and roach in the remaining deeper pools at bends and under tree roots.
I noticed that by now a lot of sediment that had filled the mill pool after the weir pulling had moved downstream into the river.

I tried the mill pool once more with the squirmy and got one roach and actually missed the
take of a trout, quite unexpected.
Next I headed to stream nr. 2 where I caught some roach and had a go a rising dace with the sedge.
Caught one nice dace on the sedge but could not find more rising fish despite numerous
big Danica mayflies on the water.

The rest of the stream was pretty quiet, no action until I arrived at one spot where a small brook enters the river. By now the stream was shallow as hell so spotting fish in the open was rare.
At the inflow rising fish got my attention, one rising fish was quite aggressive so I thought it must have been a trout.

I entered the stream somewhat ungraciously due to the steep banks but luckily far enough downstream not to cause fish to flee.
The sedge did not work so I tried a small mop fly that was not too heavily weighted.
That did the trick and I could hook a spunky small brown trout.
Called it a day after that trout and went to one of the local restaurants for dinner.