Welcome to the jungle!
This year I visited river Łupawa in Pomorze, northern region of Poland, close to Baltic sea. It's not that different from similar rivers in the area, but it got some international recognition after European fly fishing championship in 2016. It was my second visit. First was not very successful from fishing standpoint, but I beloved in this area. It's kind of magic place, and I was happy just to be there.
Łupawa is rather small stream, surrounded by forests and marshlands. Forest rivers like this usually challenging for fly fishing. Overhanging branches, fallen trees, abundant logjams, difficult wading. Fortunately, Łupawa on C&R section is quite easy for wading. Riverbed covered by sand, gravel or cobblestones. Depth in many places is shallow, around knee level, which allows to cross river or navigate around obstacles with ease.
Popular fly fishing stretch starts from the bridge in Osiedle rybackie (Fishermen's village), a small settlement near fish farm. Below the bridge, there's piles in the water, the remains from old mill.
I parked my car near the bridge, and explored river near Osiedle. First, I started downstream from the bridge. The river has winding course, making many sharp turns. There's numerous logjams, which make fishing difficult. But they create good protection for trout. There wasn't many active fish. I got few strikes on the streamer, but caught only 5 or 6 very small brown trout.
In places like this, with no space behind, and many overhanging trees, short Skagit line is the way to deliver fly into the tight pockets. I used OPST 175 shooting head with Hardy LRH 4wt fly rod.
This particular place looks like a killer spot. Deep hole under logjam, but it's hard to cast into it without getting snagged. I switched to euro nymphing, to jig nymph vertically into the pocket. On third cast, I got a pull from much bigger fish, than I got on streamers. Unfortunately, it came off the hook.
Fast riffles also good for nymphing. I got couple of graylings on shallow fast riffle. Both took very small brown nymph, on hook 16 and 2,5 mm tungsten head.
Another turn, and logjams again. Indeed, I was catching more trees, than fish :-)
Size of the trout didn't impress me. But, they are so colorful, look at these prominent red spots! This one got small black wooly bugger.
Tired of bushwalking and navigating obstacles, I decided to return to my car. I made shortcut through the forest, and spotted that beautiful view from the cliff.
On the next day, I talked with Bartek, local fisherman who knows river very good. I asked him for guiding , but he wasn't available at the time. He suggested to me to explore another river part, where I wasn't before.
I tried first on "grayling" spot, in another fast riffle. Got two of them , very quickly at the same spot.
Then I arrived to the deep hole, which I found yesterday. I started fishing, but heard loud rattling noise. Kayakers! Łupawa is popular river for kayaking sport. I heard about that, but I didn't expect so many of them. They were rattling through logjams, and it was so fucking loud, so I expected that all fish scared away in radius of kilometer. 6 or 7 boats passed near me. Than another 4. I was frustrated, they ruined my best fishing spot.
But, the river has very winding course. There is five or six turns to the next good hole. Due to many logjams, it will take long time for them to reach that spot. I decided to make a shortcut through the meadow.
When I arrived to the spot, it was very beautiful place, surrounded by many logjams. And there was deep hole near undercut bank.
A tied in brown nymph with hot ping tungsten 4mm head, barely resembling cased caddis. Forst cast to that hole, and whoooo! I got a strike. It was bigger trout, than these babies in the first day. Oh, I love that red spots!
After I photographed and released fish, kayakers appeared behind me. Motherfathers, I fooled you! I got my fish faster then you fucked up another good fishing spot! I was very excited, and not so angry, as when I met them first time.
The place is really challenging to navigate. I wonder how they crossed this, but I was too busy with my fishing.
I continued to fish , but changed to smaller fly. Wow, that's another nice brownee!
That place is a gem. So many decent trout in one place. Right below that logjam.
And another one! I got more and more fish strikes.
That was definitely happy day.
Fish were biting, but it got a bit dark. I was quite far from my car, and was afraid of being trapped in the forest in darkness. My host warned me about wolves, which became more common in the area. So, I walked back through forest to the road. It was very happy day. I got more familiar with the river.
There's more interesting stretches, unfortunately I didn't have time to explore it.
Bye-bye, Łupawa, see you on the next year.
Łupawa is rather small stream, surrounded by forests and marshlands. Forest rivers like this usually challenging for fly fishing. Overhanging branches, fallen trees, abundant logjams, difficult wading. Fortunately, Łupawa on C&R section is quite easy for wading. Riverbed covered by sand, gravel or cobblestones. Depth in many places is shallow, around knee level, which allows to cross river or navigate around obstacles with ease.
Popular fly fishing stretch starts from the bridge in Osiedle rybackie (Fishermen's village), a small settlement near fish farm. Below the bridge, there's piles in the water, the remains from old mill.
I parked my car near the bridge, and explored river near Osiedle. First, I started downstream from the bridge. The river has winding course, making many sharp turns. There's numerous logjams, which make fishing difficult. But they create good protection for trout. There wasn't many active fish. I got few strikes on the streamer, but caught only 5 or 6 very small brown trout.
In places like this, with no space behind, and many overhanging trees, short Skagit line is the way to deliver fly into the tight pockets. I used OPST 175 shooting head with Hardy LRH 4wt fly rod.
This particular place looks like a killer spot. Deep hole under logjam, but it's hard to cast into it without getting snagged. I switched to euro nymphing, to jig nymph vertically into the pocket. On third cast, I got a pull from much bigger fish, than I got on streamers. Unfortunately, it came off the hook.
Fast riffles also good for nymphing. I got couple of graylings on shallow fast riffle. Both took very small brown nymph, on hook 16 and 2,5 mm tungsten head.
Another turn, and logjams again. Indeed, I was catching more trees, than fish :-)
Size of the trout didn't impress me. But, they are so colorful, look at these prominent red spots! This one got small black wooly bugger.
Tired of bushwalking and navigating obstacles, I decided to return to my car. I made shortcut through the forest, and spotted that beautiful view from the cliff.
On the next day, I talked with Bartek, local fisherman who knows river very good. I asked him for guiding , but he wasn't available at the time. He suggested to me to explore another river part, where I wasn't before.
I tried first on "grayling" spot, in another fast riffle. Got two of them , very quickly at the same spot.
Then I arrived to the deep hole, which I found yesterday. I started fishing, but heard loud rattling noise. Kayakers! Łupawa is popular river for kayaking sport. I heard about that, but I didn't expect so many of them. They were rattling through logjams, and it was so fucking loud, so I expected that all fish scared away in radius of kilometer. 6 or 7 boats passed near me. Than another 4. I was frustrated, they ruined my best fishing spot.
But, the river has very winding course. There is five or six turns to the next good hole. Due to many logjams, it will take long time for them to reach that spot. I decided to make a shortcut through the meadow.
When I arrived to the spot, it was very beautiful place, surrounded by many logjams. And there was deep hole near undercut bank.
A tied in brown nymph with hot ping tungsten 4mm head, barely resembling cased caddis. Forst cast to that hole, and whoooo! I got a strike. It was bigger trout, than these babies in the first day. Oh, I love that red spots!
After I photographed and released fish, kayakers appeared behind me. Motherfathers, I fooled you! I got my fish faster then you fucked up another good fishing spot! I was very excited, and not so angry, as when I met them first time.
The place is really challenging to navigate. I wonder how they crossed this, but I was too busy with my fishing.
I continued to fish , but changed to smaller fly. Wow, that's another nice brownee!
That place is a gem. So many decent trout in one place. Right below that logjam.
And another one! I got more and more fish strikes.
That was definitely happy day.
Fish were biting, but it got a bit dark. I was quite far from my car, and was afraid of being trapped in the forest in darkness. My host warned me about wolves, which became more common in the area. So, I walked back through forest to the road. It was very happy day. I got more familiar with the river.
There's more interesting stretches, unfortunately I didn't have time to explore it.
Bye-bye, Łupawa, see you on the next year.
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