Adventures of fly angler in Poland

Next day I decided to dedicate to graylings. That's a different kind of fishing - more subtle. Small flies, thin tippets , short and precise casts. Also, I like the fact that Bela is not crowded, because it's fly fishing only, and not considered a "trophy" part. Vah suffers from heavy pressure from guys throwing woblers here and there, which is kind of annoying. Beginning of C&R section clearly marked with pos. River was very clear and shallow, below 40 cm in some places. I walked upstream, probing all places where graylings can hide. I caught few small ones, and finally got this. Sections under the bridges also look like good holding spot, there is deeper water. But, casting to this hole is a bit tricky. I walked above the railroad bridge, caught numerous small graylings, but nothing to brag about. 20-30, I didnt count. When I returned back, I crossed the road and watched classic car parades. There were Beetle, Mustangs, Chevrolets from...

In the end of August I planned to visit Vah river once again, to catch a big rainbow trout. The goal, which I missed in previous visit. In previous trip we had two big fish lost due to broken tippet. Now I prepared to more serious fight, and equipped my terminal tackle with Soldarini 0.185 mm fluorocarbon. It looks to me like a bullet-proof combination. Also, it was a test-drive for my new rod for nymphing rod, Traper Guide Nymphing 11' 3wt. When I arrived to the river, it was a dark sky, and a bit cold, air temperature +12.5 C - + 14 C. First, I probed my favorite "hole of the big fish", but river was silent. As I progressed downstream, I stopped near "Pharmacy" hole, and tried to use small brown nymph (sort of pheasant tail) on number 18. I caught few graylings, they liked that small fly. There was no takes on the anchor fly,  Red tag on size 12 with 4 mm head, so it's used only for weight. Soon, I felt a pull a bigger fis...

Drzeżewo is another "no kill" part of Łupawa, starting from the hydropower dam near village Drzeżewo. It was also used on European fly fishing championship 2016, as Sector 4. According ot EFFC scorecards, there were numerous number of graylings. The river is more wide, and most of the streambed covered with grass. That grass looks like a perfect shelter for fish. So I decided to give it a try. I started from the bridge, and slowly walked downstream, casting small streamer to the sides. There were no takes, but many snags to the grass. Fortunately, grass is soft enough, so when you unsnag, you dont tear off your leader and fly each time. That green stuff looks very beautiful. Water was still brownish with knee-deep visibility, but that's enough for fish to see the fly. I slowly walked downstream, and found one promising place. Unfortunately, I didn't notice boulder under my feet due to poor visibility, and fell into the water. My vest and shirt ful...

Next day , I decided to check location called "Damno młyn" (old mill in Damno). There is a footbridge, which is the end of C&R part. I parked my car near private lodge, and walked to the river. All, what remained from the mill, probably these wooden piles in the water. Stretch above the footbridge is very challenging for fishing. There is a lot of fallen tree trunks and branches in the water. They provide excellent protection for trout, but also numerous chances for snags. I found nice side channel below fallen tree, and got immediately fish. A grayling! Not big one, but still grayling.  Then I got few more, and lost 3 flies. I slowly progressed upstream, trying to guide my nymphs alond the hidden channels between obstacles. In such places, you lose more flies than catch fish. But, it was rewarding. I cannot say this was fish of my dream. But, the whole Łupawa experience charmed me, so I was happy. Look at these places, simply beautiful....

During my August vacation, I've spent 3 days on the river Łupawa in Northern Poland. This river was the primary location of European fly fishing championship in September 2016. It has special "no kill" (C&R) part near city Damnica, which was my primary goal. Before visiting the river, I arranged housing and licenses from Jan Mędrkiewich. He sells the licenses for the "no kill" part, and also he offers excellent accomodation in his own home in Damnica. I booked a room for 3 days. There was no other people, so I was alone in 2-room apartment with 5 beds. There is also kitchen, gas stove, refrigerator, so guests can do self-cooking. Grocery store is very close to the house. I arrived late, so immediately fell asleep. On the next day, Jan offered me short observation tour of the river. We drove through the forest road to the old bridge across Łupawa, which is the end of fly-only C&R part. Below the bridge, spinning also allowed. There is a cabin n...

I recently met Jaroslav, young fly fisherman from Belarus, and we decided to go together for a day trip. I chose Vah, because it offers big fish opportunity, and not so far from Kraków (2,5 hours by car). As we arrived to the spot and got licenses, we started from "Pharmacy" hole in Liptovska Tepla. We had no takes in two hours. Like there were no fish in the river at all. We moved downstream a bit, and Jaroslav hooked first fish. It was grayling. As 15-20 minutes passed, Jaroslav's rod bent down again. Lucky bastard! He is novice on this river, and he got second fish in a short time. Shame for me. Now it was bigger fish, and pulling very hard. I believe it was a big rainbow. Fish won the fight, left Jaroslav with broken tippet. That was a trophy! We moved to the hole near the white bridge in Ivachnova. I still had no fish, even no bites. I moved to the left bank, where I left my car, and fished from the bank. No luck. Jaroslav continued from right ban...