My heart is broken
Dunajec river Catch-and-Release section getting more and more popular, so it's hard to get a license on the weekend.
This time, only licenses for the lower C&R section were available. They are slightly cheaper (75 PLN), vs 90 PLN for the whole C&R (upper and lower).
I arrived to the river at 6 AM and parked my car in the forest near the bank.
There's a section of water with rapids, boulders and deep pockets between them. It may potentially hold many fish, but it can be fished effectively with only one method - euro nymphing (or Czech/Polish nymphing). So I started with nymphs, although my favorite method of fly fishing is streamer.
These pockets are just too short, steamer calls out for wider runs or pools.
Soon, as I started, I got a fish. But the pleasure wasn't too long, it came off the hook. No problem, the river is big, and I can catch another one.
Then I moved down below, to another rapids. In most of this river part, water is too fast, and doesn't look like it can be fished effectively. The fly will just swim by too fast.
But I found a place, where's quieter water section, just before another section of rapids. Trout usually hide in such places. I made couple of casts with streamer now, and woohoo! I got it! In the rapids, on black wooly bugger.
Down below, there's my favorite run, big and deep. I traversed it thoroughly with streamer and sinking line, nothing. No contact, no signs of fish. It looks strange because 2 weeks ago I have many in exactly the same place.
I switched to the nymphing rod, and I got many small to medium trout. They preferred very small fly today. That's was the reason why they ignored streamers. I think trout were feeding on mayfly mergers or migrating larva, and small black nymph was more resembling them.
Below this deep run, there's riffle with many boulders and pockets. That's where the fun begins!
I do love to fish in such places. They are shallow, and stealthy approach is required. The pockets between the boulders are rather small and hold one trout, or two.
I had one on small streamer downstream, but it came off the hook.
Sometimes, if there's trout in the pocket, it takes the fly at first cast. Fish were very active, they jumped a lot, and came off very often. But some landed in my net.
I love this pocketwater fishing. It's more like bow-and-arrow hunting. One cast - one fish, if it is there. Or nothing, if pocket is not populated.
Then I wanted something different, and moved upstream, to the previous place where I got first fish in the morning.
After a couple of casts, I got another one. Not big, but when you pull that trout against strong current, it feels heavier than it is.
After all manipulations with that fish (netting, releasing), I got fly line tangled around my rod tip. It wasn't possible to untangle by shaking the rod tip. So, I dropped the rod and using two hands, tried to bend the tip, to untangle the line, caught around the guides. I put too much force into it, and the rod section cracked.
Oh shit, it's so big disaster! My lovely Winston got broken. It has a lifetime warranty, but still I'm sad, because getting a replacement part can take a long time now.
I had a spare rod with my euro nymphing rig, but I wasn't in the mood to continue fishing.
I returned to my car, caught another fish or two, and decided to drive to the home.
Shit happens!
Keep your rods out of trees, rocks and clumsy hands
This time, only licenses for the lower C&R section were available. They are slightly cheaper (75 PLN), vs 90 PLN for the whole C&R (upper and lower).
I arrived to the river at 6 AM and parked my car in the forest near the bank.
There's a section of water with rapids, boulders and deep pockets between them. It may potentially hold many fish, but it can be fished effectively with only one method - euro nymphing (or Czech/Polish nymphing). So I started with nymphs, although my favorite method of fly fishing is streamer.
These pockets are just too short, steamer calls out for wider runs or pools.
Soon, as I started, I got a fish. But the pleasure wasn't too long, it came off the hook. No problem, the river is big, and I can catch another one.
Then I moved down below, to another rapids. In most of this river part, water is too fast, and doesn't look like it can be fished effectively. The fly will just swim by too fast.
But I found a place, where's quieter water section, just before another section of rapids. Trout usually hide in such places. I made couple of casts with streamer now, and woohoo! I got it! In the rapids, on black wooly bugger.
Down below, there's my favorite run, big and deep. I traversed it thoroughly with streamer and sinking line, nothing. No contact, no signs of fish. It looks strange because 2 weeks ago I have many in exactly the same place.
I switched to the nymphing rod, and I got many small to medium trout. They preferred very small fly today. That's was the reason why they ignored streamers. I think trout were feeding on mayfly mergers or migrating larva, and small black nymph was more resembling them.
Below this deep run, there's riffle with many boulders and pockets. That's where the fun begins!
I do love to fish in such places. They are shallow, and stealthy approach is required. The pockets between the boulders are rather small and hold one trout, or two.
I had one on small streamer downstream, but it came off the hook.
Sometimes, if there's trout in the pocket, it takes the fly at first cast. Fish were very active, they jumped a lot, and came off very often. But some landed in my net.
I love this pocketwater fishing. It's more like bow-and-arrow hunting. One cast - one fish, if it is there. Or nothing, if pocket is not populated.
Then I wanted something different, and moved upstream, to the previous place where I got first fish in the morning.
After a couple of casts, I got another one. Not big, but when you pull that trout against strong current, it feels heavier than it is.
After all manipulations with that fish (netting, releasing), I got fly line tangled around my rod tip. It wasn't possible to untangle by shaking the rod tip. So, I dropped the rod and using two hands, tried to bend the tip, to untangle the line, caught around the guides. I put too much force into it, and the rod section cracked.
Oh shit, it's so big disaster! My lovely Winston got broken. It has a lifetime warranty, but still I'm sad, because getting a replacement part can take a long time now.
I had a spare rod with my euro nymphing rig, but I wasn't in the mood to continue fishing.
I returned to my car, caught another fish or two, and decided to drive to the home.
Shit happens!
Keep your rods out of trees, rocks and clumsy hands
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