I finally found time to make report from our autumnal workshop. It was again one of the best courses, September is simply great time for fly-fishing, mild weather, fish take and very often rise whole day, almost no canoes on river, and at 8 p.m is dark so we have a lot of time for fly-tying and talking with glass of good beer in hand.
We hosted 11 participants, it was nice to meet as every year Marc Sonc from Belgium, Rudi brought his team from Germany – Switzerland borders (Rudi, Andreas, David, Jvo, Andy and Volker), South Hemisphere was represented by three guys from South Africa (Andre, Gavin and Robert) and overseas fly-fishing school was represented by Jim White. Ben could not come with his English friends as he was representing England in the European Fly Fishing Championship in Italy in the same time. Organisational team was created by Karel, Jiří, Martin Musil jr. and me. We started on Sunday evening by the opening of keg of beer and Karel´s shop and by dinner in Hotel Růže, steak from fresh Šumava Mountains beef has became a tradition, and we had as usually short lecture. I upgraded a little our handbook, prepared new wooden fly boxes and new polo – shirts. It is still what to improve
On Monday morning we started fishing in Rožmberk to check activity of rainbows stocked one week ago in whole Vltava river and to a little warm up. Robert from SA had some problems with his back, so we went to hospital in Český Krumlov, I was absolutely ashamed by the situation in the state hospital where in the emergency room was waiting about 20 injured people and there was no any doctor, people say that in this hospital only the strongest individuals survive. So we moved and I was positively surprised by the professional approach of the doctor in the private hospital. Before the lunch we were back and I jumped to water. We had traditional Monday lunch – break in “Rybářská bašta” in Rožmberk and next we moved a little downstream. We spread from parking place and I was slowly going downstream, I always spent some time with all clients but it was not necessary to talk to much as fishing worked well and almost continuously was a rod in action. I found out that the two new members of German team Andy and Volker were experienced fishermen, but it was necessary to explain them a little the recent nymphing technique and also the reading of the water, which is during nymphing essential. I was fishing after Walker and he caught few fish, but I caught maybe twenty fish in a half hour, rainbows, browns, white fishes. Volker came and asked: “Milan, you are crazy, why did you got so many fish behind me? I have same rod, leader and flies. I get some of them, but not so many.” I recognised, that this week would be good, as fishermen ask good questions already on Monday “Volker, problem is, that you are staying just between fish and you are fishing less productive areas. In this size of river you have to start from one bank and slowly cross the river to explore it. By every cast make one step like during dancing. And after you find fish, slow down and concentrate to similar spots. Fish are in this time of the year in the deeper so the darker parts, along and behind stones and along edges. And you was stomping just in the best groove in this spot”. Volker was observing river a little, next moved few steps to the side and he hooked immediately a good rainbow … good pupil.
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On Tuesday we mowed to Warm Vltava to Dobrá. I was fishing with Mark and Africans. Mark is self-sufficient, for him is enough to say where to fish, what technique and what flies could work and what time is meeting at the car . I recommended small nymphs size 16-18, tipped 0,10, and dry fly – CDC olive size 18. As the flow was very low and the water still relatively warm, I awaited graylings in rifles and just under the rifles. Andre moved upstream and I was alone with Gavin. He was beginner, so I lent him my Hanák nymhing rod size 3 and reel with special nymphing leader. But I probably not fixed the spool with the nymphing line well and Gavin lost it somewhere during our journey through meadows (who knows this place understand that in those “meadows” is possible to loose anything:-). But I had reserve reel with floating line in pocket, so it was no problem. We started in a nice place, I saw few fish rising, but I presented nymhing technique and got a grayling and a dace. Gavin started fishing and after few corrections he was able to cast properly and he get first fish – dace. After some time of practice he also got first grayling and also nice brown. We were going together upstream, Gavin was fishing with nymhps and when we saw a raising fish, I got it on the dry fly. We met Andre and he also caught his first grayling. Time was running and it was time to go back. We met Mark and he was amassed, he caught many nice graylings on small nymphs just in rapids. On the way back we found the lost spool, so it was nice day with happy end.
Wednesday we spent in the trophy water Vltava 29 under the dam of the Lipno reservoir. We started from downstream end of water and I demonstrated fishing technique in this special water and I was very lucky as I got nice brook trout in five minutes. Volker and Andy caught another lumps immediately, fish were in the end of a big pool along big stones. Walker get also many perch, but we could not catch a brown trout. We found them more upstream in fast rapids. Jiří was fishing with Africans in the upper part and they caught many browns, maybe they already mowed before spawning. After great traditional lunch in Lesanka we exchanged spots, most effective was dry fly in the afternoon. On the way to the hotel we visited Rožmberk castle, what a nice view In the evening, Jim White from USA joined our group.
On Thursday we returned to Vltava under Rožmberk. I started with Jvo, fishing was again great, we caught dace, chub, roach, brown trout, grayling, rainbow trout, perch and also brown trout. Martin told us a story during lunch, that he hooked rainbow of about 30 cm and just he saw a big shadow casing after the hooked fish, he thought that it was pike, but it was rainbow of about 70 cm. In the afternoon, we were fishing a little downstream and Andy got the fish on nymph in a big pool. We did not stocked rainbows of this size this year and the fish survived probably from last year. Volker again got nice fish, this time nice barbel and brown trout. Brown had a poachers line with worm in the throat, hook had barb so I decided to cut the leader and let it swim, hope it survived. In the evening we went for dinner to Gipsy pub in Český Krumlov.
On Friday I paid attention to Jim. The enthusiastic pensioner visited with his wife their friends in Prague and he asked me to join the course for few days “to soak up” the atmosphere of the course and to practice a little nymphing techniques to try it later in his home rivers in Colorado. He had problems with eyes, if I understood properly, he could not see sharply just in the middle of the field of vision. On Thursday he was fishing with Jiří and Martin and he caught few fish. I decided to make for him “standard hardcore nymphing set-up” composed by floating line and 1,5 long leader and two nymphs. Fluorescent floating line was more visible then strike indicator and he could also easily feel take in hand. I was demonstrating technique in a nice pool, first cast, I was keeping rod high that just the end of the line was creating small curve on the surface of river, I remembered the good old days, Jiří Klíma would appreciate it, and suddenly the curve straightened, I lifted rod and a good rainbow was fighting on the hook. Jim learned it quickly and he got few another fish from the same pool. I moved to David and Adnreas who were a little struggling, they could not find fish, so I took them a little downstream to another nice pool and they caught few fish immediately. After lunch we moved to Vyšší Brod, Walker gave Jim his own 50 cm long strike indicator made from fluo-orange and flou-green backing. So I made for Jim nymphing leader and we went under pump station. We found out, that the best for him way is to cast to the opposite bank and let flies drift a little actively and Jim could easily feel take in hand, he was absolutely happy with first nice brown in hand.
We finished the course by roasted dug, dumplings and red cabbage in the Hotel Růže. The atmosphere in the course was again fantastic, I brought as usually keg of beer from small brewery Malt, we were tying flies and talking every evening, we found out, that the name “workshop” represents two more important evening activities – you could work at vice or shop in Karel´s shop
It is time to look ahead, after 10 years of our cooperation, Mrs Vavrekova decided to close the hotel and to retire. We have to make important decision where to move, but we already have few possibilities and all are not bad, so let me surprise you. We can look forward to next courses, dates are June 5th – 11th 2016 and September 11th – 17th 2016.