Trout Archives - Page 2 of 3

Gave the stream a try again last Saturday.
The previous week was quite cold and off course rain was often on the menu.
In the weekend the temperatures would be on the rise so good for fishing.
Once at the water I was unpleasantly surprised at the height and color of the
stream, higher than expected – visibility lower than expected.

My goal was to finally get a trout, after all it was almost May.
To find trout I fished some of the spots I normally do not frequent and tossed
a black streamer through the murky water.
That only resulted in lost streamers as I could not spot any brushes and deadfalls
in the murky water.

There was no response from fish, nothing to be seen on the surface.
I tried many spots, tossed nymphs and dryflies to no avail, almost no bites.
This day started smelling like skunk.
Last option was to hit the upper section of the stream where it was formed
by the junction of two small brooks.

I could not believe my eyes when I actually spotted a very decent trout in this
very tiny stream. My choice of fly for this skinny water was wrong though.
The squirmy made the trout bolt.. should have used the dry fly.
I tried to locate the hiding spot of the trout but did not manage to find it.

I continued fishing the squirmy and actually caught quite a few nice shiners.
Pleasantly surprised about the size of the fish and the aggressive takes.
This upper part was really shallow but any depression or root work held one or
the other fish. It was a good thing I opted for a short short 6.5ft trout bum.

I even crept up into one of the feeders.
A struggle to get even at the water with all the shrubs, brambles and so on.
Alas, only some nibbles there.

Roach

Harz mountains September 2023

6 September 2023 admin

I had not been on any road trip this year but just by chance an opportunity came along.
One of my friends asked me to arrange a last minute trip to the Harz mountains.
Since the season there closed down mid September I had to act quick.

Since work was slow it was not a problem to get a few days off.
The plan was to leave early on Sept. 1^st and return late on Sept. 4^th.
I booked the hotel well in advance and also arranged that the required permits would be
obtained by the folks at the hotel.

There where challenges ahead for us as the main road along the river in the valley had
been closed due to construction work.
It mean longer drives to get to the water but that was not a real problem except for costing more gas.

What was more worry some was that the reservoirs along the stream filled well up to
capacity. In the days prior to our arrival some serious discharges where visible on
the website that monitored river flow and capacity of the reservoirs.

The trip to the mountains went pretty well with just one unexpected highway closure
that was easily bypassed.
When we arrived at the hotel we quickly dumped our luggage, got the permits and headed
for the river.

The river was high but clarity was pretty ok, I guess I preferred the situation to the
more or less low and clear water situation at the end of the summer.
Just as we geared up a fellow Dutchman spotted us as familiars as he recognized one
of the local supermarket bags we had in the trunk of the car.

I had the impression that he was showing off when he mentioned he fished the river
almost 15 years … kind of posing as an expert.
Heck, I visited that place 18 years but found it not a fact to be interesting to mention.
When I asked if he had caught any rainbow trout he declined, that section was known
for them so I doubted his skills.

We started fishing with our expert in sight and boy we caught a lot of rainbows right
away … our expert soon left the scene as he had less “luck”.
Anyways the fishing turned out to be pretty good all over the place with plenty of the
original small browns with their dark colouring plus off course tons of stocked.
rainbows.

What really surprised me was the amount and size of the grayling that I encountered.
These fish had surely grown since I was there last fall.
So we enjoyed four days of good fishing in a very beautiful setting.
The only minor mishap was that I went for a swim as I slipped and fell face first in the
drink. The camera survived … the powerbank not, ego slightly bruised..

Germany 20-08-2023

26 August 2023 admin

I skipped fishing on Saturday because of rain showers and extremely muggy conditions.
Sunday seemed a better choice with mostly sunshine mixed in with a few clouds.

In the morning I hardly got any bites but in the afternoon things changed.
Caught anything from trout to dace and rudd with squirmy’s, mopflies and
small sedge’s.

Ended the day as usual at the pub and was guineapig for a new dish.
Penne with cheese, vegetables and ground meat covered in cheese.
Liked it very much, as usual they overfilled my plate but I managed it in the end.

Weather and nature wise it seems that fall is around the corner.
Fields are harvested, the swifts that hovered over the city have gone on their way to Africa.
In the morning fog sometimes covers the fields, summer is ending.

Germany, 16-07-2023

17 July 2023 admin

Normally so far in Summer I would concentrate on the big chub in the lower reaches of the
stream I fish … if conditions are right.
Conditions where however not right, a very strong wind and cloud cover made a visit to the
chub seem like a waste of time.

So it was off to the upper section and I was quite surprised how low the water was by now.
Even the pools that normally held some water looked like a puddle now.
The puddle yielded a small Rudd and one attack of a resident trout.
I was sure the trout felt the hook but tried several drifts to see if it would attack, it did not.

It was early in the morning and with the extensive foliage I dared to fish one of the off limit
spots. That paid off as I caught the first trout of the day.
Interestingly the worm fly was ignored but the mop fly was taken with gusto.
The other spots where however empty and with the low water I figured I would be
better off fishing the mill pool at syndicate nr.2

That mill pool turned out to be void of anglers, a good thing.
The water was also very low but I could spot some shiners moving up and down the water.
What was missing where the trout from a time ago.
Tried my best but only hooked small perch.

With the shiners refusing my nymphs I switched to a streamer to see if any pike would be active.
Was lucky enough to get one from the shallow water, not a monster but I was happy.
Had one even smaller fish following the fly plus a few of the larger perch also took interest but
still refused to strike.

I suspected the trout might have taken refuge in the stream below the mill pool.
After spotting dozens of dace I saw the first one, a small fish.
Whatever I tossed at the trout, it was no good … it got annoyed and left the pool.
The next pool was deeper and the resident trout was larger.
Again the mop fly did the trick but the fish threw the fly as I was about to net it.

After some time I finally managed to get another brown trout on the squirmy.
Back at the mill pool I tried again for another pike but I only managed to break
the leader at some underwater obstruction near the outflow of the mill.
That was the only spot with some depth to it.
Called it day after that and went to the pub, conveniently located next to the
mill pool.

Germany 27-05-2023

31 May 2023 admin

The goal for today was to get a trout on a big mayfly pattern.
I spotted one trout upstream from me that came for the mayfly but I struck to soon … fish gone.
Trout nr. 2 was close to the bank and hit the fly, solid hookup at least that was what I though.
It took one jump from the trout so get rid of the fly so no luck.

The third chance for a trout came soon as I spotted another one but it just would not
commit to anything I offered.
My last resort was to use a fly I had recently acquired … the mop fly.
Had no luck with that pattern last week but today it was the ticket for that picky trout.

Tossing nymphs, squirmies and sedges yielded some small roach, dace and rudd.
The water level had dropped considerably so fishing was tough.
Tomorrow I think I might hit the chub section again, maybe the combination of low
water and clear sunny skies might reveal some fish.

Germany 06+07-05-2023

14 May 2023 admin

With the slightly higher temps I thought it might be a plan to check out the
chub section last Saturday.
Got lost more or less en route and came at the stream well above the chub section.
Spotted a couple of dace surface feeding and tried to get them on the dry but failed.

Action was very sporadic so I left to spots downstream to check on the chub.
In hindsight a month or two to early as all the regular spot where empty.
One spot I passed had some fish below a bridge with I deemed to be dace.
The rest of the hot spots totally empty and with still lacking aquatic plants meant
no hiding spots for any fish.

Skunk was imminent so on the way to the pub I stopped at the bridge to see if the
fish were still there.
Spotted the fish and tossed a small nymph in the current.
Got a take from one of the fish and it turned out to be the target species chub.
Small one but nonetheless the first of the season.

For the Sunday the weather forecast talked about heavy rains and thunderstorms.
Checked out the rain radar in the morning and chanced it.
Choose the forest stretched and fished with dries for Dace and caught a few.
Had two attacks on a strike indicator from a trout but could not get it too eat
any flies.

At one of the deeper pools I hooked a small trout but lost it.
Spotted a larger trout but whatever fly I tried it did not want to eat.

Tried it a last time before pub time and behold the squirmy finally convinced
the fish to strike, about 14″ brown which was pretty good.

Met up with friends at the pub who fished the guest stretch of our stream.
Again a day with East wind so fishing very slow, spotted enough insects
but somehow fish declined most offering this day.
At least the E-NE wind kept the heavy rainclouds well to the W-SW of my
locations so it stayed dry for most of the day.

Germany 27-04-2023

28 April 2023 admin

Yesterday we had Kings day here in the Netherlands so a day off from work.
A perfect day to go fishing at the neighbors.
With the clear skies the night before temperatures had plummeted to below freezing.
Went late to start my fishing session with some warmth.

A tad windy and not many bugs around but numbers where increasing.
Fished the good spots first with the perdigon nymph to no avail so quickly
changed to the squirmy.

That fly change helped and I got a small roach to show for.
Fish where present but not that eager to bite.
Had the luck to catch two brown trout from the pools where I knew they would hang out.
One of the browns went a few times ballistic, must have thought it was a rainbow.

Stayed not that long at stream nr.1 because I was eager to catch one
of those tiger trout that apparently had been stocked in the mill pool of stream nr.2
First though it was chow time… I was hungry.

Second session only brought a roach, a rudd and a small perch.
When I fished the streamer I had a hit from a pike but the leader was severed.
There where a few bait guys around but I did not see them haul in any trout either.
Left the mill pool late as the clouds rolled in from a rain front.

Germany 19-03-2023

12 April 2023 admin

The weather has not been exactly inviting the last few weeks for fishing
with either low temperatures or deluges.
A quick look at the river gauge and predicted high temps coaxed me out today.
There was a pretty flow in the stream and some coloration in the water.

In this high flow situation the fly of choice was once again a pink squirmy.
I caught dozens of dace in short order but was surprised that I could not
get a trout.
A day earlier the local club had stocked trout in the mill pool and although
off limits I expected some of those fish to go on a walkabout in the main stream.

There where some bugs in the air and for the first time this year I spotted
a dace rising for something in the surface.
I tried some other pools along the stream but could to no avail.
Some spots where unreachable with my hip waders … to deep.

The lack of trout bothered me so I tried the first pool again this
time armed with a heavier squirmy.
The added weight did the trick and I caught a nice brown.

Called it a day earlier as the water was still to high in my book to fish effectively.
Ended the day at the pub which was pretty empty when I arrived.
That all changed when the sun came out for a while and suddenly the crowds
of daytrippers arrived.

Germany 28-05-2022

29 May 2022 admin

After a warm week the weekend started chilly and windy.
Conditions were not ideal to go tossing mayflies around in the morning but I tried.
I spotted one rising fish early morning and it responded directly as the mayfly landed
on the water.

Unfortunately the fish missed and as I struck the fly went up high in the trees, lost …
With no insects around I tried the squirmy and that yield a roach.
I also fished with the perdigon nymph which yielded some of the small dace and
gudgeons.

At one of the spots I fished the nymph yielded not a single hit, an indicator for me
that a predator was around as there had to be other fish in the pool.
Fishing a streamer can make the difference of night and day and so a black woolly
bugger entered the top of the pool.

I was right … a trout intercepted the bugger but came off after a short fight.
Maybe later in the day I would return to this spot for a second try.
I continued upstream using the perdigon that yielded small roach and dace.
It was tight fishing amongst submerged tree roots and debris when I suddenly
hooked in to something larger … behold trout nr.1

With trout nr.1 under the belt it was time for nr. 2 and that would be at a spot
where I had seen rising fishing every week I went fishing there.
First though I fished a small fast flowing pool in the hope to catch a larger roach.
I spotted the roach but a small trout was faster to grab the nymph.

Now it was time for trout nr.3 but the spot that showed so much activity last
couple of times was totally dead.
Next it was into the forest … no signs of insects on this windy day so the bugger
was tied on again.
One spot looked like it could hold trout and boy it did.
A massive trout grabbed the streamer but although I thought the hookset was
solid the trout came off … spot remembered for next time.

I had one other hit in the forest but no solid hookup.
There was a rising fish under a tree and I tried to get it but my approach was
too clumsy so I scared the fish off, time for an early break in the pub.
Ever since the old pub was taken over by the Africans it was quiet, on
a cold day like this it was nearly deserted.

I was early so I could only opt for the small menu and I chose the simplest dish,
curry sausage with fries.
After my quick lunch I tried a long shallow stretch as it was now afternoon and
mayflies where on the water.
The water was shallow though and with no rising fish I tried a small nymph.
Every time the indicator landed on the water the fish scattered.

A brown trout raced past me so my efforts where in vain.
I switched to a big mayfly pattern and moved upstream hoping to see a stationary
brown somewhere.
With low light conditions due to cloud cover it was difficult though to spot fish.
A big bow wave in front of me was a sign that my approach did not work.

In the end I opted to try for the trout that I had missed early morning.
The woolly bugger was once again put into action.
I immediately felt a tug on the streamer and on the second cast the trout
nailed the streamer, a good day.

Germany 22-05-2022

23 May 2022 admin

On Sunday it was off to the stream again.
As mayfly season had started the goal was to catch a trout on a large mayfly.
In the early morning though nothing was flying to I tried nymphing first.
The tactic did not work and as I suspected a trout at the spot I fished I tied on a streamer.

The streamer once again did the trick as I battled a pretty nice trout.
I managed to land the fish and for good order I measured it at 43cm / 17 inch.
Storms of the last week had downed quite a few trees and a few had landed in
the stream causing different fishing conditions.

With no signs of trout I headed upstream where I had seen some rising fish earlier.
The problem as usual on such an overgrown little stream were the trees.
Somehow those branches reached out to grab your fly.
The fish I spotted rose steadily but I just could not drop the fly accurate enough
without hooking the one or other branch.

With the spot ruined by my lack of skills I tried the forest an although I had not
seen many of the naturals buzzing around fish where feeding.
Off course feeding meant under spots so tight that I could never land a fly there.
I was almost at the end of the stretch before private land began when I noticed
a shape in the shallow water.

A downed tree in the water disappeared with in angle of 30 degrees in the stream.
A narrow stretch allowed water to flow over and just behind that sat a trout.
It was difficult to spot as it had the same colour as the sand but the tail movement
gave it away.
My second cast landed at the right spot and the mayfly imitation drifted though the opening.
The trout did not hesitate and took the fly instantly.

My friends were also out fishing and about also and we intended to meet at the pub for some
drinks later.
As I had to double back I downstream I came across the spot where I had bungled with
that rising fish.
When I left that place I did some tree trimming so now I had some more space to
make a cast.
Fish where still rising and I nailed a small brown on the mayfly, I was sure there was a larger fish in there but it did not surface again.

At the pub the understaffing was noticeable with a long wait before you could order.
My friends complained about too much salt and small portions so it was not a success.
It all just took too long so I even skipped the usual coffee and cake and called it a day.