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Flyfishing small streams on the Dutch / German border.

Flyfishing small streams on the Dutch / German border.

Chub from a small stream on the Dutch / German border / Flyfishing small streams / Dry fly fishing / Mayfly
Chub

Introduction

The idea behind this site is to document my flyfishing exploits.
Living at the Dutch / German border in Enschede offers interesting  fishing opportunities.

The streams over the border are well suited to flyfishing.
That good fishing resulted in memberships of German fishing clubs so
I could have access to several small streams.
The major attractions are chub and dace but with in addition brown trout.

Allthough I prefer to fish small rivers saltwater flyfishing has always been of interest to me.
Saltwater flyfishing for me ranged from searun browns in Denmark, Stripers and Bluefish in Rhode Island to several different species of saltwater fish in Florida.

Small stream Dutch / German border / Chub / Dace / Roach / Barbel / Brown trout / Asp
Local stream

The water

Most of the small streams entering the Netherlands at the eastern border with Germany originate from the remnants of a bay from the cretaceous period. The streams I fish are mostly straightened watercourses allthough some parts are still more or less untouched.
These streams have a high fluctuation in waterlevel as they are for the most part dependant on rainfall.
The streams are lowland streams with sediment consisting mostly of sand with some sections made up of sandstone.
Man made obstructions like weirs and watermills have made the streams impassible for migrating fish.
Due to the EU guidelines many weirs have been removed in recent years while others have been made passable for migrating fish.
I have not seen any migratory fish myself yet but have heard stories of other anglers who did encounter them.

The fish

The species of fish available in the streams I fish varies widely.
Upper reaches often hold dace, roach and trout.
Further downstream where the streams go wider species like bream, chub, barbel and asps join in with off course pike and perch.
Any section above a weir will have carp roaming the slow moving water.
The fish species I have caught in the stream where: bleak, bream, brook trout, brown trout, chub, dace, gudgeon, perch, pike, rainbow trout, and roach.

Flies

Duo to the limited clarity of the streams my preferred fishing method is fishing small nymphs most of the time.
Besides shrimp the nymphs of caddisflies and mayflies are often found.
There are however always moments where a well fished dry fly is a killer.
Mayflies can be abundant in spring with St.Marks flies (bibio) with caddis flies being a favourite of mine as they always seem to work.
I seldom fish with streamers due to the shallow nature of the streams but sometimes when dryfly and nymph are fruitless a streamer can work.

Equipment

Upper part of the streams often feature a landscape I refer to as the jungle with shrubs and trees everywhere leaving no room for backcasts.
A short rod like 7ft. with a 4-weight line is best.
When fishing with light tippet full flex rod protects the tippet when a larger fish like a trout takes the fly.
On the lower reaches of the streams in the open landscape with high banks a longer 9ft. rod is of advantage.
Wading is not neccesary but handy to cross over to the other bank.

Brown trout from a small stream on the Dutch / German border / Flyfishing small streams / Mayfly fishing
Brown trout from a local stream
Dace from a small stream on the Dutch / German border / Small stream flyfishing / Nymph fishing
Dace
Small stream Dutch / German border / Chub / Dace / Roach / Barbel / Brown trout / Asp
Local stream

Questions? message me in English / German or Dutch.

info(at)marcelkarssies.com

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VNV

Germany 25-07-2021

Germany 25-07-2021

“You should have been here yesterday” was the motto of the day.
Yesterday thunderstorms where predicted so i skipped fishing.
The storm came in the evening so in hindsight I could have gone fishing without any issues.
Rain was plentiful in the evening/night and it blew out out the streams I was allowed to fish in.
There was clear water in the stream I could not fish, go figure. 

After some sightseeing on the hill and the observing tower pub time came early.
When I finished lunch I braved the brown floods as I could not leave without catching a fish.

The only fly that could work was the squirmy and when I finally found a pool with some calmer water I got a few bites.
A small roach and dace where more than welcome in these off conditions.

Still waiting for stable Summer weather but that is not forecast for the near future.

Germany 18-07-2021

Germany 18-07-2021

With summer in full swing and harvesting going on the best time for chub fishing is near.
If only the weather would be more stable things would be easier.

Mission big chub was a fail once again as I messed up the only chance at a big fish.
Although some of the banks where finally mowed the high and murky water prevented me from spotting any fish.
A few small ones went for the hopper anyway though.

I had three shots at one big chub. In the first and second cast the fish would follow the fly but hesitated to grab it.
At the third shot I launched the hopper with a splash in the water and the fish followed and tried to take the fly.
Tried as I lost my cool like usual and struck to early … will the hurting never stop…
But we will try again with mayflies, hoppers and the odd crane fly imitations.

Anyways a nice day to be out and about.

Germany, 10&11-07-2021

Germany, 10&11-07-2021

Last Saturday was predicted a 100 percent rain day by the weather guru’s.
It actually stayed dry all day and I even got a tan in the end.
Once again I tried to fool the chub and even had some new weapons in my armory.
Besides the large abstract hoppers I usually fished I decided to try a more natural and
smaller pattern hoping to fool the wary fish.

It was tough again to even get to the water which was btw very murky.
This summer is completely different than last one, unstable weather with a
constant supply of water.
The water just was not as clear as last summer.

I tried some of the known spots and noticed a few fish in the murky water.
The first reaction to the new hopper where promising as it was instantly attacked.
After a few missed bites and one hooked it went quiet … fish gone.
The other spot on the main stream remained fishless.

Next stop the feed, it was clear and had fish in it.
Also big ones but I only nailed one slightly larger fish.
The problem here was the extreme shallow water, dumping a hopper usually meant
all the fish took off.
Noticed one pike in the water but without the proper streamer it was no use trying,
lots of weed in the water with no real depth to make a long retrieve.

With the fish not cooperating I did some sightseeing and took the long road to the pub.
Went for the double cheeseburger this time.

On Sunday I tried the home stretch hoping to find a trout but I hardly found any fish.
The squirmy yielded a small dace from one of the pools and that was it,
The only thing hitting the squirmy where the gudgeons, small bottom feeders that
constantly grabbed the tail section of the squirmy,

I tried some other places but the water was shallow, found a few small dace and
fished a small dun pattern to get some bites.
The pub visit was early as I had hoped that I would find fish surface feeding
in the nearby village.
Alas the surface waters where void of feeding fish, a small pink Perdigon yielded one
roach and that was it.

A cloudy day with some of the clouds looking like thunder heads, it stayed dry though.
Maybe it is time to visit some of the spots that are more off track in order to find fish.

Germany 03-07-2021

Germany 03-07-2021

Another hot weekend day thus again on the quest for a big chub.
This time I tried again at the home waters but I had difficulty finding fish.
Again the banks still overgrown so there was hardly an open space to
find to reach the water.

The feeder stream had visible fish and indeed some of the big boys.
The big mayfly did not work so I downsized to a crane fly pattern.
The cranefly did work as long as it hit the water, free drifting and the fish
showed no interest.
I got two of the smaller fish relatively fast,

I spotted again a pike along the bank, it had seen me first though and
retreated to deeper water.
Further upstream I noticed the big chub and I made a good cast near
them without scaring any fish.
One came up and nailed the fly, I battled the fish successfully but just
before I could net it the fish got off.

Back on the main river I battled the long grass and countless horse flies
to find any fish.
It was really hot and access to the water was virtually impossible due
to the tall grass.
I spotted a few fish moving but not the stationary feeding fish I wanted.
In the mean time the storks where circling overhead, a sign of summer.

I tried the feeder stream on the way back but in the late afternoon all
activity ceased.
Last stop off course the pub, as the clouds gathered and rain and thunder
where predicted I opted to sit inside.

As starters I ordered the Manta platte, a curry sausage with fries.
Next was the salad with baked feta cheese.
Skipped the desert as I was stuffed.
The beer garden had plenty of visitors, amongst them pagans who
ordered the strawberry beer .. beer with strawberry sirup and strawberries
(lady drink).
I made a picture of it otherwise you would not believe what savagery goes
on at this side of the pond.

Germany 25-06-2021

Germany 25-06-2021

Last Friday I went on a road trip to a tributary of the Ruhr river with some palls.
I had fished this river only on two earlier occasions at upstream sections.
When we arrived at the river the first thing we noticed where the large puddles
of water on one of the field roads leading to the water.
It obviously had rained pretty hard quite recently.

Once in the water it showed, visibility low and a strong current pushing along.
The part to fish was the adjacent bank but I went only half way as I did not
know the pitfalls of this river and the current was to strong in my book.
I did some blind casting tossing perdigons and squirmy’s at likeable fish
hideouts but did not got any bites.

There was one place where I noticed a fish, it was a big fish.
That fish made such a racket that I thought it was a Asp but my palls told
me it was resident big trout.
A rather smart one because whatever I tossed near be it streamer, squirmy or
large mayfly it would not fall for it.

The fast current and the lack of success made us relocate to an even wider
section of the river.
My palls had some success with French nymphing but I was not on my a-game.
I tried a calmer shallow section hoping for chub but I only got a few small chub
plus some assorted minnows.

Later in the day the question arose to find an alternative spot but as conditions
where off I rather would stay at the wide section hoping to see some rising fish
sometime.
To my surprise the rising fish came, suddenly fish where popping up in front and
behind me that I had not seen all day.
I quickly tied on a sedge and soon had several good hits and lost a few good fish.

That fast current was something I was not used to so I had some trouble with
getting the line in quickly enough.
A few fish did stick though, trout and grayling.
Just as I thought the bite was really on cloud cover got thicker and the rise stopped.
I was recalled from the water as it was dinnertime so we visited a pizza shop
for a quick bite to eat.

We where back at the water maybe short of an hour to see if a evening rise had
commenced but after checking out two spot we figured it would not happen.
I voted for the option to call it a day due to the high water and the lack of action.
At least I had caught some fish and had a nice day exploring new water.
This was a spot to revisited when the conditions would be better.

Germany 19+20.06.2021

Germany 19+20.06.2021

On Saturday I once again went after the chub, there was more activity and I
had shots at two good fish.
The first big chub had no interest whatsoever for the mayfly I was throwing.
The second big chub was in a school amongst small fish at a feeder just
behind some rocks.

The strong current made a good presentation virtually impossible so I
opted to fish with a heavier streamer.
The streamer landed behind the rock and a big chub plus a small one
raced forward to intercept the streamer.
The small chub was first and nailed the fly.

At other spots I saw fish but could not get them to take the fly.
In the afternoon the heat got to me and I went to the main stream
upriver in the forest.
The shade made it more comfortable to fish.
I had two ferocious attacks on the mayfly by a trout but the fish
missed both and did not return later.

The next day I opted to go after the trout but the weather had turned
as a front with rain, wind and lower temperatures passed overnight.
The stream was up and murky but still good enough to fish.
I opted to fish the squirmy and had many hits from the small gudgeons
that where pretty active in the increased flow.

I hooked a good trout but after a long battle it threw the hook before
I could put the net into action.
Nymphing did not work that well so fished a small blue dun pattern with
a foam post and caught several small dace.

I tried the spot where I lost the trout earlier later in the day.
After many fruitless casts with the squirmy and the mayfly I tied on a
heavy perdigon nymph.
Heavy was the way to go as the fly went deep and yielded an attack of
a trout, a different one than the one I had seen earlier.

Before I left for home I tried to get the first trout out of the pool that I
had lost earlier that day.
I decided to fish a small weighted conehead streamer and to my surprise
the trout I was looking for chased the fly a few times.
The fish did not commit so I called it quits and went to the pub for
dinner.


Germany 13-07-2021

Germany 13-07-2021

For last Sunday I had planned an early trip to a section of the stream that is beyond
the stretch I am allowed to fish.
I purchased a day ticket and was at the water around 06:00 watching dozens of fish
rise.

As with the trip last Friday the banks where virtually inaccessible.
The only way to safely reach the water was by means of the steps at the small
gage house.
I fished a small blue dun pattern and the first fish of the day was a small bleak.
Most of the fish rising where small bleak but some chub where mixed in.

The water was just too deep to move around in hip waders.
Next stop was the fast riffle above the weir that was accessible by wading
from the bank.
No fish where rising in that section and blind casting a big mayfly or dropping
nymphs in the current yielded no bites.

I moved down to the end of the riffle where the weir started.
On the calm water I noticed one rise so I made a few casts with the mayfly.
One one of the cast a fish came up and nailed the fly, it was a trout.
I only got one jump out of the fish as it threw the hook, bummer.

Further downstream in the shaded part I noticed a couple of chub behind a tree
in the water.
Casting from the bank would not cut it so I had to go in.
The sediment left over from the recent water was tricky though and I landed faster down
the bank than intended … in the drink again.
With only some wet waders and a covering of mud I continued fishing,

The part of the stream that flowed through the open landscape had no visible fish in the surface.
Too early in the season I guessed.
I noticed one big chub under a tree but the banks again overgrown with a very steep incline.
The water was also deep, once you fell in almost no way to get out.
I tried one hot spot upstream but nothing present so I left for the home waters.

At the home waters again no fish visible.
I blindcasted a know hotspot with the mayfly and a very big chub came up to suck the fly in.
Unfortunately that was at the end of the drift and when the fly began to drag the chub
disappeared into the depth.

Next stop the feeder stream, talked with a guy who walked his dog and he told me some
big chub where present at a bend in the stream.
I went there and behold a few big ones where moving around but rather deep in the water
column.
Fished from the steep high bank in the outer bend was no good so I had to go to the other bank.
I guessed the depth would be just right to wade through but I was wrong, anyways I was
focused so I moved on,

The big fish would not surface to intercept the mayfly, I only managed small fish.
Obviously these fish where not easy to fool and I guess they did not like my presence.
Last stop was the clubhouse where some fish where present in the wide shallow section.
Again the mayfly did not generate enough interest for a strike.
The only big chub I spotted in the open was not interested in my mayfly as it was pursued
by a rather large pike.
Both fish disappeared out of my vision, hint for the next time to run a streamer through there.

At the shallow section I noticed small baitfish jumping out of the water and suspected a perch
or pike might be present.
It turned out to be a chub so I tied on a woolly bugger and blind casted some spots but no hits.

Got a call from my friend that they where fishing the main stream and where taking a break
at the pub later so obviously I had to go.
Left the pub late and a steady run back home until I came on the bike path through the moor.
They had recently installed a set of gates with a cattle grid to give the cows access to
the pastures at either side of the bike path.

The cows had decided the bike path was a good place for a blockade.
Cows a big and stupid so there is an element of danger, I was locked in a stare down
with them.
I had no intention to around several miles so I slowly pushed forward and was ganged
up by the lot sniffing and inspecting my fishing gear.
They made way though in the end … no bulls present this time.

Germany, 11-06-2021

Germany, 11-06-2021

Last Friday was the day with the highest temperatures of the week.
With the end of spring in sight I found it time to go after the chub so
I took a day off from work.
I had gathered intel from the locals and they said it was too early yet
to spot the cruising chub.

It turned out to be true as I could not spot any free moving fish.
The first stop was in de middle of a small village, difficult to cast
but I noticed roach in the surface.
I fished a small blue dun dry pattern with a foam post and got a few
hits on  the fly.
The noise of early morning traffic bothered me though so I moved on.

The outflow of a mill albeit shallow was my next spot of focus.
It was shallow but with the water being a bit murky I figured I could
get away with fishing on close range.
I fished a perdigon nymph and hooked a couple of small chub and roach.
Small chub but in size larger than the roach and dace I had caught
upstream recently.

Further downstream the usual chub hotspots where empty.
In general no fish where to be seen.
The main stream was obviously not yet in summer mode.
Plan b was to visit the shallow wide section of the feeder stream at
the clubhouse of the syndicate.
That stretch usually held smaller chub with dace.

The clubhouse stretch boasted a few fish and the one chub I saw
was a decent one.
The small blue dun pattern however did not yield any interest of the
larger chub.

My thought where that a larger fly pattern would be the way to go.
I had scared of most fish at the end of the stretch by casting so I
moved upstream and found a pod of larger fish.
The big mayfly I fished caused interest and in the end one of the
fish went for it like there was no tomorrow.
I spotted a big fish near the other bank but it has seen me to and
ran off before I could make a cast.

With the targets running out I went downstream to a stretch that
usually was guaranteed to hold fish most of the year.
When I looked down from the bridge I noticed big chub.
The problem was that the steep banks where not mowed yet and
the grass was manhigh so I could not toss a fly from downstream.
The approach from upstream utterly failed as I was spotted by
the fish and caused the fish to run.

The last spot of the day usually good for fish was quite overgrown by the aquatic crowfoot.
No fish where cruising and as I battled the long grass I finally found a spot with rising fish.
All I could muster was one small chub although I had seen one large fish.
The heat really got to me, in order to survive the day I had to visit the beergarden where
I enjoyed my dinner under the cool shade of the trees.

Germany, 06-06-2021

Germany, 06-06-2021

Before the weekend summer storms brought lots of rain to certain local areas.
I skipped fishing Saturday as the stream was blown out.
I watched the river gage carefully during the weekend and figured on Sunday
conditions might be fishable.

I went out early to beat the crowds at my first spot of the day.
The water was dirty and flow was fast but I had confidence I would catch something.
Last week yielded some nice trout and I hoped to get a few more.

With the low visibility the weapon of choice was the squirmy but I hardly got hits.
I probed the deeper spots but could only scrap a few fish together.
With heavy cloud cover insects activity was minimal.
Nevertheless I noticed some small dace rising to the few insects that where around.

I also spotted a few big mayflies and hoped trout would go for them but it did not happen.
The spots that yielded the trout last week did not produce fish either.
I took a break midday at the water’s edge and sat down on an old deadfall.
I failed to notice how rotten it was, before I knew it the deadfall gave way and I
landed several feet lower in the stream.

Luckily only my ego was bruised and all equipment though wet survived without
any damage.
I however looked like a pig, dirt everywhere and the waders filled to the brim.
I dried out the gear as best as I could, cleaned up and headed up the nearby hill
in order to dry out.

That hill was the first major high point to the east.
It housed not only a communication tower but also a derelict missile base from
the good old days (detachment of Dutch Airforce and an US army artillery).
I nested onto a bench on top of the hill and the wind dried out my wet clothes.

When I finally found myself presentable enough I went on my way and made a short
stop at the new pond of our local fishing club.
One of the members was feeding the fish and I watched the roach and grass carp
go berserk, alas not open for fishing yet until further notice.

I continued my trek and eventually landed at the beer garden where I met up
with my fellow club member.
The cloudy weather had scared the crowds off so I could pick any seating I wanted.
This was the first week when the full menu was available so I got the tasty Parmesano burger
with as desert a piece of cheese cake, good days.

Germany 30-05-2021

Germany 30-05-2021

I Saw a news report that the Netherlands was no longer considered a high risk area by our
neighbors to the east.
This meant I could once again visit the good fishing waters of my German syndicate.

The trout where still on station where I expected them and soon I had the first one hooked.
Water was a tad high so I fished most of the time with a squirmy to offer some substantial to the fish.
I also managed to catch a few dace and roach along the way.

Big mayflies where sporadically on the water but not many fish on them. mostly the small dace.
I noticed a big splash near some flotsam and figured it had to be a trout but a big mayfly pattern
did not coax a reaction of the fish.

I fished some small deeper ridges at a steep wall when I got a decent hit on the squirmy.
The fish got off though and I was not sure it had felt the hook.
I fished some other spots downstream from the last hit and returned later in the day to
give it a second try.
After a few tries I got again a good strike and landed a nice brown trout.

The early start and the warm water had made me thirsty and hungry so I tried to get
a seating at the beer garden of the pub.
Managed to get a spot in the end and enjoyed some cold ones and pork chops.
With months of bad weather and everybody holed up it was no surprise the crowds
where out today.