As every September, my friends Grant and Kevin arrived to enjoy 10 days of fishing on Vltava river. This year, they brought their mate Keith. We met in Hanák Shop in České Budějovice and after quick coffee which cooked Franta we headed to Rožmberk. They stayed in Rožmberk for five days and next they moved to Volary to fish Warm Vltava. I was fishing with them for two days, one in Vltava under Vyšší Brod and one in Lenora, as usually. As Keith was here for first time, I paid him a little more, but he was complete angler, so I only gave him some advice concerning fishing in our rivers and also concerning working with rod while nymphing. It was great fun, I as usually get great crisp-sandwiches for lunch, and we caught a lot of fish of different species (brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, grayling, chub, dace, roach, bleak and perch), both on nymphs and dries. Mainly dry fly fishing in Warm Vltava was interesting, it was cold weather with wind and clear sky, which is usually not the best for dry fly, and the fish were rising in waves, and they were very selective. But the olive emerger size 20 was the solution of problems

The bad luck was, that I lost my fly box with jig nymphs somewhere during first day, but I took it not as a tragedy, but as a great chance for upgrade I´m looking for long winter evenings at vice.

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We decided to check our favourite river in the end of August, whether the graylings are already active. We caught many coarse fish, mainly bleak, roach, dace, also perch. But we caught also few nice graylings mainly on nymph. In a nice place, I noticed four good graylings staying along an edge about 2 meters downstream from me. So i sent them my favourite nymphs and … nothing happened. So I changed flies and … again nothing. I tested about 10 patterns and also dries, but I could see not any interest. As the last chance, I took from my fly box a pink squirmy worm, when it fell to water, all graylings became nervous, but, out of the blue, appeared a perch and took the worm just in front of the nose of the first grayling…. The faith disturbed the graylings and they moved away.  On the way back to car I saw couple of deer, found some mushrooms, and we also did not forget to go for dinner to the restaurant “U Grobiána” in Lenora. Simply perfect afternoon.

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I love fishing for grayling in the end of winter, Honza and I never miss opportunity to visit lower part of Warm Vltava which is open for fishing also in winter. Vltava has three sources, Warm Vltava, Grassy Vltava and Cold Vltava. In fact, it is very often very short period to manage the trip, it is just after ice melting in river and before masive spring snow melting and rains in mountains. More over, in April and May, fishing is banned here because of spawning time of grayling.  In this time, very often you can meet also nice trout, we found out during one of our scientific project, that brown trout descent from all streams after spawning in October to lower parts of river to survive winter. It is never about many takes, but we always catch some nice fish, enjoy one of the first spring days out in the pure nature. And as the manager of the water, I´m always curious whether fish survived winter and in what condition they are before spawning.

There are some discussions whether is ethic to fish for grayling before spawning, I thing, that fishing in winter is safer for fish than fishing in summer. In winter, water is ice cold, full of oxygen, fish does not fight hardly, and all are released with minimal injury. In summer, water temperature is higher, fish fight longer and risk of damage and also consecutive mildewing is higher.

I usually fish in rivers in winter till March, in April and May I focus on lakes and sometimes I visit our trophy water Vltava 24. In this months, all fish except brown trout have spawning time, water is usually higher and muddy and still cold, I don´t like it. I always return to rivers in the end of May when first sedge is hatching.

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One of my challenges during my work for the Czech Angling Union is recovery of the population of grayling in Vltava river between Vyšší Brod and Český Krumlov, which was destroyed by wintering cormorants 15 years ago. Before winter, we decided to check grayling which we regularly stock to the river inside of the town of Český Krumlov, where fish are a little protected.  Moreover, we stock fish also to the small right inflow called Polečnice which is also suitable for grayling, in pas time, the brook was  full of graylings. I met Jiří there at about lunchtime. The three-years old fish were in great condition and they occurred mainly around the intake, I was fishing 3-size Sage SLT, 0,10 fluorocarbon HC and nymphs size 16 and it was funny. Any nymph with silver of pink bead was working, but the PTN with silver bead and orange neck was the best.

After two hours we moved upstream from the town to catch something for table, I caught few small coarse fish, small barbel, few small browns, one smaller rainbow, and finally, in a big pool, I hooked good rainbow of about 50 cm, slimmer silver fish with big tail. I was patiently playing the fish in the pool and the fish was relatively calm, I drew it to me and we were observing each other for a while, I imagined nice pink fillets, and the rainbow was probably a telepath and after three quick jumps left me with my imaginations Next time. What a nice day fishing.

The panorama of one of the largest castle in the Europe is always nice.

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Fifteen years ago, we had problem with decline of catches of grayling. I established minimal size limit for grayling of 40 cm to support natural reproduction of fish in rivers. And it is absolutely without doubts, that this is the best method of management. In rivers, where are conditions suitable for natural reproduction, the grayling population restored quickly, I don´t need some serious research to prove the results, I go fishing there . However, I organised also scientific project aimed on the dynamic of fish stock in the Warm Vltava above Lipno lake, if I find a time, I would make an article about it.

But I can write few articles about my personal “scientific” surveys with fly fishing rod in hand during last autumn, I´m going to start from the latest visits. One sunny November day, I was there with Jiří. We were walking trough the meadows and “ananas fields”, it was really exhausting, but fishing was worth to withstand it. When we arrived to river, I saw few rising fish, Jiří decided to fish dry fly whole day and disappeared downstream. After few cats with dry fly I recognised that it is not the right recipe. So I tried few casts with squirmy worm, again without any effect. So I finally moved to nymphing with small nymphs size 16 with pink, golden or orange beads and fish  started to cooperate. I caught 14 fish, three browns, four graylings of size +-38 cm and the rest were smaller graylings of about 30 cm. What a nice day.

In October, I visited graylings few times with Honza and GoPro camera, I´m going to learn how to edit movies this weekend.

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I decided to check the trout population  in our premium brown trout water. When I arrived to water, I saw few rising fish in a big pool and there were not trouts at the first sight. Later I caught three nice graylings on dry olive, what a surprise. After few minutes, they started rising again, so I use small sedge and I ruined their day for the second time, what they were thinking about me? “Kurva, the same bastard again ”

Next I was going downstream and fishing nymphs, water is full of trouts, after about 50 fish I decided that it was enough for this day and went home

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Mild December weather was encouraging us to go fishing and we did not resits and made a trip to the non-salmonid section of Warm Vltava last weekend. It is not necessary to talk to much, pictures speaks themselves, simply perfect day.

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I visited Warm Vltava few times during October and November, not so many times as I would imagine, but it was fine. Extremely low flow caused situation that also bigger graylings had to move from deep pools to rifles as in the pools was almost still-water.  Therefore it was caught many nice fish in size 36 – 42 cm  this year, mainly in the easiest places for fishing just under the riffles in the mouths of pools. It was again proved my great idea to increase the size limit of grayling in all our waters to 40 cm, otherwise majority of this fish would be dead. Moreover, it was caught many fish in size 28 – 33 cm so we have enough mature fish for future reproduction.  The best method how to manage native fish populations is simply let them without management

First day I was with Honza Vender in Dobra, fish were rising from lunch time, so I was fishing only on dries. Olive Shutlecock size 18 and fluorocarbon HC 0,10 was the ideal choice. I was casting only on bigger fish and I caught about 30 graylings, what a great day. On the way home I visited my favourite secret place in forest and I found few mushrooms, the only mushrooms found this season which was almost without rain.

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Another day I was fishing a little downstream under confluence of Warm Vltava with Cold Vltava, I started with nymphs and the orange tag jig size 18 worked well, I caught also few nice browns. Fish were not rising intensively this day and all occasionally rising fish I got on nymph. I found two holes where are nesting kingfishers, you can recognise it easily by the two “tracks”

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In the beginning of November, I was fishing more downstream at Chlum, I was fishing dry fly – nymph method and dry fly. I had to go to HC 0,08 mm tipped as fish were very shy this bright day. In the middle of the river I found excrements from mouse . Have you ever noticed beautiful rainbow colours on the tail of grayling?

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Winter will be long

I found new Hanák Alpen Nymph rod 4 in 1 size 4 under Christmas tree, where else to test it than in the Alps in the Traun river. I was offered by my friends Franta, Tobi and Jirka to attend their annual trip during Christmas holiday (best date, you have enough “home points” and rivers in Austria are in great condition) . We met at 7 o’clock at petrol station in Kaplice and after good breakfast we headed to Bad Ischl, at 10:30 we were in water. First day we were fishing part of river called Goiserner Traun between the Hallstatter See and Bad Goisern. I was fishing with Jirka, we both caught 6 fish, I get only graylings, two in size 40 + and  four of +-50 cm. Jirka had 1 rainbow and 5 graylings in similar size, Franta and Tobi had similar result. Fish has not been in deeper pools yet but along the edges in main current. Fishing condition were good, cloudy, light snowfall,  temperature was about zero and flow was lowest in our memory. The best fly was PTN jig with silver tungsten bead. After fishing we went to Thermal Spa in Bad Ischl (swimming, light dinner and 4 beers), next to Schloss Restaurant Sissy (shrimp-cocktail, two beers, four Birne-snaps), next to Kebab take-away for late dinner and next to Gasthaus Sandwirt (night cup – Irish whiskey) and next to bed, what a nice day

In  the morning after great breakfast we moved downstream and we fished part of river called Ebendsee Traun. River was a little wider but still low, only weather was rougher, whole day was snowfall and cold wind. We both again caught 6 fish, I got two graylings and four rainbows, to play the biggest one took me 15 minutes. But Jirka caught real monster which took twice whole French leader, floating line and few metres of backing. Best fly was orange blob on Hanák suberb jig hook size 10 with tungsten bead. I used both days Hanak Floucarbon tippet 0,16 mm.

I have to say that Alpen Nymph rod suits well for this style of fishing as it enables to cast set of two heavy nymphs on French leader and to lead them in deep strong current in distance as fish can see you in clear water and you can not come closer to them. I use only one extension piece (11 feet) and it is enough. I very appreciate its flexibility as when you see fish rising, you can easily shorten it to 10 feet which is ideal for this river for dry fly. For this stile of rivers I use instead of special French leader 15 metres of 0,45 camofil nylon and I´m able to cast it whole. Size 4 is strong enough to hook fish of 6 lb on jig hook size 10 and to play the fish and fine enough to play smaller fish. I hope we will visit Traun again this winter.

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We had planed an afternoon trip to Warm Vltava with Honza Vender for this week to check rising graylings, so I called him yesterday and surprisingly instead of a joke I heard a desperate voice and groaning, he got renal colic and he was on surgery on Monday and they removed from his kidney a stone of diameter 4 mm … But he is recovering quickly and we will catch something together this year. I found some pictures from our trip from early October, good luck my friend !!!

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