Flyfishing February 12th. 2008
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.