Holidays on Dunajec, Part 2: Guiding session with Wojtek

 On the next day, we booked guiding session with Wojtek Kudłacz, an owner of "Fly Fishing in Poland" hotel and guiding service. Despite of promised rain, the weather was nice, a mix of clouds and sun. The river level raised a bit compared to yesterday, it was 214cm and 60m3/s. Temperature around +10 C, which is very good for fish activity.

After breakfast, we boarded to Wojtek's van, and headed downstream to the very end of Dunaec C&R section, near Ochotnica Dolna. The place is known as "Aquarium". 

 I was fishing in the middle of the river, and got only two small trout. In the meantime, Wojtek and Jaroslav moved close to the concrete wall , and I saw that Jaro is fighting big fish.  

I rushed to see it, and here it is - proper Dunajec brown trout.  It took the fly just near the bank. 

Then we moved more upstream, and found very nice deep and fast run, "with big fish", as Wojtek promised. But, only couple of small fish were caught there. 

I got nice one just near the wall.

Thanks to Wojtek for capturing these sweet moments of life!

I looked like a barbarian, who wants to eat that fish raw :-)

Next place we moved to, called "Kindergarten". It's complicated to fish at this water level, because of very strong current. I had only a couple of small fish there.

The guiding session was split unto 2 parts. We fished from 8:00 to 13:00, then we had a lunch break for one hour. After the break, we went to another location - so-called "Tartak" (The sawmill). 

I always ignored that place, when I was on Dunajec. and that was a big mistake. There's very ling stretch of pocketwater, which looks like so fast and not good holding water. But there's a lot of small pockets between boulders, which may hold a big trout. 

Wojtek brought me into some nice pocket, and I caught a nice brown.  

Sweet moments of life!

Jaroslav got nice one too

Then something bad happened. I won a lottery ticket, and lost it.  A big trout took my fly. It ran downstream in heavy current.  It jumped few times. Wojtek shouted that I should release the reel and let the fish go downstream.  I was afraid that fish will fall behind the rocks, and tried to force it into the reel.... the tippet broke. Oh sheet!  I had a chance to beat Jaro's today record, and lost it.... 

Then there was another chance. We fished with Wojtek, and I had something snagged on my hook. I thought it was a grass or piece of tree, because it didn't hook.  Wojtek told me that it was very big brown trout, the biggest he seen on today...  Then tension released and it fell of the hook. I even didn't see the fish.  

Fish were active and biting good. But big ones were a rarity that day.

Below the rapids, I find a deep pool with slow current. There I hooked a nase (pigfish).  Nice one, very strong. Unfortunately, I lost it too. I pulled fish to the shallow water, and almost netted it.. but fish ran between my legs, the leader tangled around my foot and broke. Shoot!  So much frustration, I had a triple chance to land a big fish today, and lost it all.   

"Soy un perdedor/I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?"

This particular place is good for dry fly, but not today. We finished with this part, and went to the car. 

The we moved again to Ochotnica Dolna.  Wojtek suggested to try streamers. He gave to Jaroslav rod, rigged with two streamers, big and small.  First cast near the wall, and big trout smashed the streamer, so aggressively.  After fight, Wojtek netted it.  So long fish!

I was mad from jealousy.  I was sceptical about streamers, because of flowing algae, and refused to try this rod. That was a big mistake! 

Later, Jaroslav took 3 or 4 fish on streamer. I had only small ones on nymph.

Our fishing session ended at 18:00, when the rain started. It was very great day on the river, and many fish caught. Thanks Wojtek for the guiding and showing us nice places on the river.