In Autumn, when the days are shorter, I usually more focus on Vltava 24, which I have about 12 minutes from my office and 14 minutes from home Discharge in the river has been suitable during last weeks, but extremely high air and water temperatures still has not persuaded olives to hatch yet. Next weekend looks colder, so we will see. But I have managed a few visits and never blanked, I also caught a few small pike.

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I would like to point one nice day, I took holiday from work as weather forecast promised maybe last good windsurfing day on the Lipno Lake. I made a proper breakfast, on the way to Lipno I helped my father with tyres, next I enjoyed the windsurfing,  great stabile warm wind and autumnal low sun changed surface of the lake to gold, it was really nice end of the season. I finished at about 3 p.m., so it was still enough time for quick coffee with keen windsurfer Luděk and for visit of Vltava 24 to catch a trout for dinner. I caught first fish by very first cast, so it was lucky fish as I did not want to finish so quickly. Second fish was also lucky as I lost it at the net, but the third fish had not lucky day and it was invited for romantic dinner. Finally I managed also one quick beer in the pub in the front of our house before my wife returned from fitness training   My friend says “after fifty we can no longer save on yourself” :-)

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We cancelled autumnal workshop, but I managed and extended weekend with two friends, Andreas from Germany with whom we already went fishing in May, and Dirk from Holland, who is relatively experienced fly fishermen but who would like to improve some nymphing and dry fly skills. Our base was Herbertov, but first two days we spent on smaller rivers, as a canoeists marathon took part in Vltava and discharge in the river was high.

On Friday we met at Warm Vltava at Soumarský most, our aim was to practice nymphing and dry fly. First three hours were hard, there was nothing hatching and fish were not active, so we caught few fish on nymphs, including some decent dace, but it was nothing special. Suddenly, we saw few sailing boats on the surface followed by first circles of rising fish. Fish were everywhere, under one tree we caught maybe 15 fish, both on dry fly and active nymph. Majority of fish were grayling of size about 25-28 cm, but we caught a few fish over 30. In one pool I also caught nice brown. The last two hours made our day, it´s fishing.

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Second day I took them to small brook called Polečnice in Český Krumlov, and the aim was to practice fine fishing with light equipment and one fly. I lent my friends my rods size 2, made leaders from 0,10 mm tippet and we used one small nymph size 18. I caught two trouts during demonstration of technique and next we spread to individual pools as river is really small. I thing, that it was very useful for them, as only small adjustments of the nymphing technique brought great results. In the evening, Andreas  tied his first own flies

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Sunday we spent in Vltava close to Herbertov and it was really difficult, fish were not cooperating too much. However, if you succeed during hard days, you succeed always, we caught a few fish, Andreas was practising streamer and got two bigger rainbows, Dirk got few rising trouts on dry fly.

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After two years of Covid restrictions, we could organise our Hanák Open competition. The lake event was the first, we met in our base at Květoňov lake already on Wednesday 27.9. in the afternoon, we prepared the competition and also celebrated a bit the upcoming fiftieth birthday of me and several other friends. In the morning, everything went smoothly and we could go fishing. In the first round in sector B, I caught the first fish on the hang after the very first cast, I caught 5 trout in total, but Milda caught his last fish with the very last cast, he had the same number of fish and his biggest fish was one centimetre longer than mine. This was already a sign that it would not be the happiest of days. I won the second round with six fish and I was leading after two rounds. In the third round I was on the boat, I was happy for one fish same like other 4 competitors, but unfortunately it was the smallest one, so the placement was six. In the last round I caught one fish again, which was again the smallest and I was fourth, overall I finished fourth with a total placements of 13, it’s always by one fish or by one centimetre
Overall, although the weather was quite suitable, the fish didn’t take too much, especially from the boats, which are always good, this was surpising.

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River competition started on Friday by draw and by unofficial welcome party, it was great to see all the old good friends. Our team was not that good on the river, even though we were pretty confident after last year’s fourth place. Even though we didn’t have a bad draw and were fishing well, it’s simply not enough in such competition and we were tenth. We were lucky with the weather, the wind only caused a “rain of acorns”, but the real downpour started right after the race ended. A total of 4851 fish were caught, there will be time for a deeper analysis during the long winter evenings

Results and catch statistic you can find it the Hanák Open page

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In the middle of September we always organise Rožmberský cup on Vltava river under two famous castles. After good result from last year I was full of ambition, but the draw was not so kind to me this year, although I did well in my pegs, it was only good enough for the twentieth place.

Rožmberský pohár 2022 results

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I went to Vltava 28 above Rožmberk to practice dry-dropper fishing with my new dropper flies, new nymphs tied on Hanák superb jig hooks size 18 and Hanák Superlight 2 size rod. It was warm and a few light showers passed during the afternoon, so great fishing weather. I caught about 30 fish and did not lose any fish, and I could almost make an atlas of all fish species living in river, I caught brown trout, rainbow trout, dace, chub, roach and a monster gudgeon

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Next day I went to Devil Stones and I added brook trout and perch to the collection I´m always fascinated by the beautiful colours and variability of patterns of trout in this peaty water.

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I have one project aimed on floating wetlands in the north-west part of our country, which is famous for the largest Czech trout river named Ohře. Surprisingly, I always find my fly-fishing gear during my field trips to this region

River is really cold as it flows from big reservoirs, and it is full of weed beds which hide deep pools with trophy trout, a brown trout over 70 cm is caught there every year, fish over 40 cm are not rare. Dry fly fishing for this monsters belongs to the cream of the fly fishing in our country. Fishing is not easy there, fish are under high fishing pressure so they are relatively spooky, and movement in the river is demanding due to large weed beds, slippery bottom and deep danger pools. To catch 3-4 fish per hour is a good result. If you see a rising fish, it is always worth to go there and try to catch it.

Last time I was there in August and I spent one afternoon and one morning in the river. Fishing was great, fish were occasionally but continuously rising all the time, so I was mainly fishing with different patterns of dry fly. I was not so lucky to meet a monster, but few browns over 40 cm were not bad, and the rainbow which took my new emerger pattern tied according a YouTube video from a Spanish Champion made my day. See you in Autumn

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I always focus on zander in Lipno Lake during summer, this year the zander fishing was not good, but windsurfing, carp fishing and mushrooming was not bad, there are some pictures

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I spent one weekend in the end of June with Maria and Istvan on Vltava River. Istvan is member of the National Fly-fishing Team Hungary and he wanted to practice upstream dry fly fishing and nymphing before the World Championship in Spain. We spent first day in the Warm Vltava in the National park Šumava, fish were active whole day, so we caught a lot of them (brown trout, grayling, come cyprinid fish), mainly on nymph, dry dropper setup and also on dry fly. I also presented wet fly fishing and we caught many of bleak, nice small silver cyprinid fish which realy loves wet flies. In the evening it was opened local pub in the camp in Horní Vltavice and Pilsner beer was a worthy end to the day. We sat in to the car just before the start of a heavy storm

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Second day we spent in Vltava River above Herbertov, water was a little dirty after rain, but conditions were ideal,  fish were surprisingly rising whole day and they stopped before evening. I did not counted amount of fish, but I guess we could catch 80 fish between us, mainly brown trout, but occasionally also rainbow trout and chub. It was really nice weekend and hopefully it was useful also for Istvan.

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In the end of May, the evening sport was great in Boršov nad Vltavou despite the slightly cloudy water after the rains. We met with Franta in the camp, I saw one rising fish already from car, but Franta was in the river sooner, so I had privilege of recording the entire fight Surface of the river was full of insect, both sedge and different species of olives. We caught about 20 fish between us, I caught my fish mainly on wet flies.  I found it more productive as rainbows travelled during rising and team of wets had had a larger radius of action then a dry fly.

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I was very busy in spring, but I found time for one guided day with Andreas, beginner fly-fisherman from Passau, Germany. It was a nice day, we caught fish on nymph, dry-dropper system and also on dry fly. During the nymphing session, I was first at the river as Andreas was something tangling, and I did not resist to try a cast to my favourite pool before demonstration of the technique for him … and it was mistake, a rainbow of about two kilos took the nymph, jumped twice and smashed my leader just under the indicator, 0,12 mm tippet was not enough the rule of thumb for guides says that never cast when the client can’t see you, because you’re always lucky on the first cast only !!!!! Next arrived Andreas, found me just making a new leader, the story about the big fish didn’t sound very believable and I could not catch anything at least for next 10 minutes But finally we enjoyed the day, we caught about 50 fish together, and he caught fish on all techniques. I guess that the most educating moment was, that I sat down on the bank and I let him fish a nice pool first and next I shoved him where he left fish He promised to return in Autumn.

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