CNFW June 2015
Workshop is over and I can say that it was one of the best event in memory. We had no any problem and we really enjoyed the week, we caught many many fish. After development taking few years we get to the almost ideal schedule, moreover I prepared few improvements for this year.
At first, we worked a little with Chef of the Hotel Růže on the evening menu and it was great. We decided to present local food, and it is definitely not rice, pasta or chicken. In the Czech Republic, we produce beef, pork, potatoes, ducks and some vegetable and we love soups and beer …. we started with steak from honest beef from Šumava mountains followed by schnitzel on Monday, pork chop on onion sauce on Tuesday, pork steak on mushroom sauce on Wednesday, and the menu was crowned on Friday evening by roast duck with dumplings and red cabbage. For Thursday evening, I prepared small surprise, when we came from fishing, we were awaited by grilled pig. During lunches, we as usually visited Rybářská bašta, Lesanka in Vyšší Brod , Pizzeria in Kaplice, and during whole day trips we simply bought lunch packets. I thing that is enough about meal as introduction.
I also prepared nice present, wooden fly box with logo of workshop and map of warm Vltava in the second side. I brought two kegs of non-filtered lager made by my good friend in his small bravery, which was also very appreciated.
We hosted 15 attendants from Belgium, England, Germany, South Africa and USA, team was composed by Jiří Pejchar, Martin Musil, Roman Heimlich and Karel Křivanec, on Sunday came also Michal to meet old friends and fish one day together. Few people arrived already sooner, but we officially started on Sunday evening by opening of Karel´s shop and keg of beer. After dinner we had short introduction lecture and we started with some fly tying and as majority of attendants were our long-term friends we had a lot to talk. I divided people to the two groups (UK + SA and Belg + Ger + USA) always with two guides and we changed groups and guides after two days.
Monday we spent in Rožmberk, for Hendrik and Iwan from South Africa was also interesting experience to help with stocking of rainbows. Fishing was not bad, but fresh fish a little improved catching rate and tested quality of tipped materials. Under weir we caught some marked graylings which had been stocked 3 km downstream one month ago.
On Monday evening came heavy storm and therefore we spent Tuesday in Vyšší Brod and Devil stones, where the water was relatively clear. I thing, that mainly for newcomers was demonstration and practising of nymphing technique very useful, not only casting technique, but also reading of water and movement in water during fishing in different types of river. I was lucky that I got few nice fish during demonstration. Trophy part in Devil stones is annually stocked by nice brook trout and for some people was it the first possibility to meet this interesting fish. This is the only fishery in South Bohemia, where brook trout remains after stocking and moreover is able to reproduce.
From Wednesday, the flow in rivers was gradually decreasing and we visited also Malše and Černá rivers, relatively small streams with wild brown trout and grayling. Nice tactic used Ben and Mark, they were fishing one rod with dry fly and they were changing by every fish. I joined the party with my rod with dry fly/nymph set-up and we were rotating Mark managed fishing and smoking together. In Malše, we make some small competition, Ben was fishing nymphs and I was fishing wets and we found out, that we are not able to catch anything one after another As the water was a little muddy, the wet fly worked well.
We were also fishing during evening hatch in Vyšší Brod and it was superb. There is a lot of small browns, but it was possible to catch fish of about 30 cm. I started with green sedge, next fish preferred Yellow Sally and finally big brown sedge with orange tag.
We also visited Warm Vltava, we were in Horní Vltavice, the water was clear but still red as it flows from peat-bogs in mountains. It was nice day in pure nature and we caught also few nice fish, I found good graylings in the most steep currents, I was fishing with czech nymph on the point and small pheasant tail nymph on dropper. Big surprise was shoal of bleak which migrated from Lipno lake. Thousands and thousands of different cyprinid fish migrating annually from Lipno lake became big problem for pristine salmonid fish stock, I´m leader of a big scientific project aimed on evaluation of this affect.
UK team was leaving on Saturday early morning at 5 a.m., so I also got up to say them goodbye (and to see red lights and Stefan also woke up to go fishing with me. Out of the blue, in front of the hotel stopped Taxi with Martin and Roman returning from a Disco in Vyšší Brod, Martin a little staggering and Roman with a nice black eye So we were transporting them to beds and went fishing. I promised to our kind house-lady a fish for lunch. I got one chance, as I hooked rainbow of about 1 kg, but I had chance only during first 2 seconds where the fish was surprised, next I was only spectator, at first the angry fish flew past Stefan and jumped in rifles 20 metres upstream from me, next returned back to the pool and next headed to opposite bank and snapped my leader between stones …
Thanks to all attendants for nice and friendly atmosphere and hope to see you next time.