Adventures of fly angler in Poland

Third day of my Huchen trip was substantially warmer. The air temperature raised to +4 C, and part of the snow melted. I had a hope that it will trigger fish feeding instincts.  In the morning I met couple of fishermen on the river, first time I saw somebody else fishing. We had a short talk, they were chasing graylings and not competing with me :-)    I fished pool under the rocks with sinking line from 9am to 13:00 with no success. After short break, I moved to the "hucho hole".  This pool is very interesting one. It starts with ridge of rocks at the end of the riffle. Below the dirge, main current goes on the left bank. Right side is very slow water.  I think that fish likely to be hold near the edge of the slow and fast current. I fished it from top of the run, covering both fast and slow water. In this pool , few year ago one of the biggest huchen on the fly was caught, 120 cm or so.  Then I crossed the river below the rocks. It has very dangerous bott...

Today it was slightly warmer. Air temperature from -1 to 0. It's better prognosis for fishing.  But during the night, ice buildup grown more.  Hopefully, it didn't spoil fishing, because I can wade beyond the ice field near the edge of the hole. After couple of hours, I got a strike! On the steamer.   Just at the right end of this hole.  It gave me a hope, that there's fish and it can be caught. Later, i moved to so-called "Prison" site. It's named because the run is across from the state prison in Wielka Wieś village. This part of the river has main current near the right side. It is shallow, fast run with pocket water, boulders, and many hidden holes. It's better to fish with floating line and long leader, casting from the middle of the river to the right bank.  I fished it all the way downstream to Bachława ford across the river.  There were no other takes today.  

My second trip dedicated to chasing Hucho hucho (Danubian salmon) was a little bit spoiled by weather. The real winter came to the Bieszczady region. Air temperature expected to be -4 during the day, and -7 in the night.  From fishing prospective freezing temperature means, that fly line and rod guides will freeze immediately after contact with water.   But, I came for fishing, so I need to handle it somehow.  The river looked nice at lowest level,  166 cm and 10 m3/s. But in the areas with slowest current, the ice built up at the edges of the water. I started at well-known huchen place, pool under the rock.  It's one of the deepest and slowest portions of the river.  Unfortunately, it was not very easy. Rod guides were freezing despite of treatment by Loon Stanley paste.  Particularly it was bad with my streamer rod. I switched to double hand rod and nymph, because it allows to fish at fixed length of the fly line, so guides have less contact wit...