My first goal was to catch graylings in Slovakia. In Poland population of graylings declined due to environment degradation. Even on river San, which was once considered a "grayling Eldorado", now fishing reports are modest. In Slovakia, grayling fisheries are more reliable. Particularly, Bela was one of top grayling rivers in the past. Now it's getting worse too. There's still plenty of graylings, but smaller in size. 50cm specimens are probably extinct, and 40 cm are rare. I fished it 3 years ago, when 40-45 cm graylings was quite common.
In the morning , I drove to Borova Sihot' hotel at the village Liptovski Hradok, to get a license for Bela. There was a surprise... Hotel doesn't sell fishing licenses anymore. I can only get in in some fishing shop. I drove another 15 km back to the Liptovski Mikulas. There's big square with shops, and one of them is fishing shop Esox. But, today there was a national holiday in Slovakia - Feast of Our Lady Of Sorrows.
Everything was closed, except restaurants and small convenience stores. I knocked the door, but store was closed. The man on the parking asked me what I need. He was the store owner, and he got there just by coincidence. He said im very lucky, because everything is closed, and if I'd arrive 10 minutes later, he'd gone. He sold me a license to the Bela river upper part.
I drove to the river. Parked my car at the auto camping, and hit the forest trail. About 15 min of walk, I arrived at the river bank.
The river is a typical freestone stream. It has many rapids, riffles, and deep pools with turquoise-coloured water. Water was at low mark, 44 cm at Podbanske, temperature 7,7 - 8,0 C
The water is so clear, that I've seen fish in it, almost immediately where I started. There were small graylings. I walked downstream in the search of more proper water. The sun was high, the water was gin clear. Not favourable conditions for fishing, because fish will see me in shallow water. I was looking in deeper runs and pools on the shaded forested areas.
The first spot which caught my attention, satisfied all three conditions - shaded side, depth, and run is not too short, so it can be fished few times. I got numerous grayling strikes in that small pool. Like 10 or 15. most of graylings were small, but the action is very exciting.
The pools on another side, were less productive. I didn't spend a lot of time on the sunny side. I think, in the overcast day, fishing could be better on this particular stream.
I skipped shallows and riffles, and walked downstream to the next pool. Riffles holding fish too. But in such low water conditions, it doesn't look appealing. If I was a fish, I'd hide from the sun in some shaded areas, under the bank.
Then I founded the most beautiful pool, in my opinion. Dark green water, the wall of sedimentary rocks.
It looks very fishy, too.
I caught one small grayling. Then I moved upstream to the head of the pool, where fast current goes under the far bank. A fish hit my fly very hard, and jumped out of the water. That's a rainbow trout! For this stream it can be considered "trophy". Not a big trout, but it didn't give up easily and made few jumps.
it has defects of gill covers, the sign of stocked fish, grown in the hatchery. Stocked trout often has some defects, like chopped tail fins, or gill covers. Doesn't look nice, but it gave me a great fight in such beautiful place. I will remember this fish forever.
Also, I got very colorful brown trout in the same pool. I do love that prominent red spots.
Fish don't live in the places, that suck. And the colors of these little beauties matches the surroudings.
I would go further and further downstream the whole day. But then small waterfall caught my attention.
When I returned to the bank, I found these tracks in the sand. I wish I would think it is a dog. But there was small footprints near big ones, which can mean- a bear mother with the cub. That's not the most happy encounter in the forest. I'm not the most brave man in the world, and I returned back in the direction where I came from.
I returned to the previous "green pool", and fished it once more. Another rainbow trout was caught, similar to the first one. Or maybe it was the same fish? I don't know.
Going back, I revisited runs, which didn't produce fish before. In one, I got a double - a grayling, and small brown trout on two hooks.
Nice pair! Graylings much over-numbered browns today.
This run particularly required a "helicopter cast", to cast in horizontal plane under overhanging tree branches.
And there were a lot of graylings in this small run too! Surprisingly, the places I overlooked before, started to produce more fish.
Going back, I found more and more beautiful places. And every spot like this holds graylings.
I reached the place, where I started. The river there splits into two arms. First I explored right arm. Then I headed upstream along left arm. There is small footbridge, or sort of dam. The current created a deep hole above the bridge. I fed my nymphs into that hole, and got a strike. It was strong fish, and it tore off my tippet. I used 0,12mm tippets the whole day. Need to say, that I forgot clipping tool in the apartment, it was a pain to bite off nylon leaders and tippets with my teeth, instead of using clipper.
I retied my fly, and swung it again in the hole under the bridge.
The fish hit it again, different one. That was , unexpectedly, rainbow trout. Another stocker, but great fight in such strong current.
The first fish, which tore off my fly, probably also was rainbow, but bigger one. Or maybe the same size.
There were more and more beautiful runs. Another place for mastering "helicopter" cast. And it holds graylings too.
The next spot I found is very picturesque. There's huge cliff behind, where river makes sharp turn.
Under the rapids, there's very deep pool. I tried to cover it with heaviest nymphs, but looks like there's no fish in it. Strange, because place looks very suitable for something big and hungry.
That was the last point of my fishing adventure for today. I hiked through the forest back to the camping, where I left my car. Then I headed to the restaurant Magdalena Zaj in Dovalovo, where I ordered chicken salad and original desert,
That was fantastic experience! The Bela river is outstanding place. There's no big fish in it, but it offers different experience than Vah yesterday. Instead of industrial landscape, big trouts and combat fishing - hiking in the wilderness, fishing in solitude in pristine surroundings. I met only few people during the whole trip - mountain bikers, and company of mushroom pickers in the forest. No other fishermen beside me.
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