From 2015, our trophy water Vltava 24 is fishable whole year around, so we had first and last opening day on January 1st 2015. We met there with few friends at about lunch time, the river was a little higher and muddy and full of drifting ice after night thaw, but it was possible to make a cast and to get few rainbows in great condition, surprisingly on orange blob Another hot and cold test for the new rod.

In the middle of January Tobi and Michal offered me to join them during visit of Traun River in Austria. I like this river as it is big river with big fish, it is possible to catch there grayling over 50 cm and rainbows of 2-3 kg , all fish are nice and clear and they fight hard. However it is not easy water. I had not been there for few years, weather forecast was not bed, so I very appreciated the invitation . We left home at 6 and at about 10 we were in the water. Unfortunately in our stretch of water was all day fog and temperature about zero.

Guys jumped to water and got fish almost simultaneously in the first pool. I could not catch a fish for two hours, but finally I found out how to get them. In the clear low cold water were fish in deeper pools and it was difficult to get 2 nymphs to the depth and also to get closer to fish. I started catching fish after I replaced my “competition” leader by my old “French” leader built from 16 m of 0,45 Camoufil nylon and 75 cm long strike indicator. I was fishing with two jigs with 4,5 mm tungsten beads, it was necessary to cast upstream as far as possible, to left flies sink and in the end of drift came take. I was fishing with my favourite 10 feet SAGE Z AXIS size 5, but I feel, that it would be better to use longer rod, I will probably buy for this conditions brand new Hanák Competition Alpen Nymph or  Hanák Competition Nymph Champion 4/5.

I need some repair of one rod and I took it to Pavel Kneifel last Sunday and we connected my visit with fishing in Vltava 27. It was cold and rainy whole day, but it was not bad, I caught about 25 fish, half of them were 2 years old graylings, hope they will survive winter, next May they could have over 30 cm. Three rainbows followed me home  I saw few rising fish and I was not lazy and replaced nymphs by dry. It was probably nice end of the season, today was whole day frost and it is not for my old bones.

I was wondering if the stocked rainbow are able to overcome the flow about 500 m3/s. After the flow decreased, we stocked 600 kg fresh rainbow trout and about one week I found time to visit the fishery. I made universal cast for stock mixed both from older and fresh stocked fish, nymhs on the upper dropper and in the point and orange jig blob in the middle. Fresh fish preferred the blob, but I caught also some older fish, which is good news. Stocked fish stayed in pools but older fish moved to the riffles as the water was relatively warm. Fishing was great, first day I caught 17 fish in two hours and the second day when I took also Bruno we caught about 40 fish, I had some interesting experiences.
I was going along the bank and I saw a shadow in a small pool under the bank, so I casted and watched the blob, the shadow moved and the blob “switched off” , so I struck and … on the hook was shaking chub what an amazing fly.
I caught three older fish consequently in one place by the “T-shirt”, I thing, that they were attracted by the blob, but they did not take it and they were hooked by the point fly.
I used relatively heavy nymphs which were jumping on the bottom and I was  striking only solid takes. I was surprised, that if I released one fish I found out that it had two nymphs in the mouth. So the fish took the point fly at first and next saw the blob, so it was swimming downstream and took the blob and turned back, then I noticed take and struck… I’m wondering how many takes on nymph we miss…

Another new thing was that I was watching my lake fly-box and I noticed different colours of blobs we use in England. So I made black jig blob for the river fishing and it was working. I have theory, that the stocked rainbows don’t learn what to eat, but what not to eat. So first day they take only moving and bright things, next they found out, that this things are painful, so they start to eat only naturally drifting things e.g. leafs, catkins … and nymphs with bright beads, next they found, that things with gold and silver bead are also dangerous, so they accept only cooper or black beads … Some of them who are lucky and survive become to be really clever and take only really well presented dry flies, wet flies or Czech nymphs or sometimes naturally looking streamers imitating fry. Fishermen with spinning rods have usually no chance this time except of specialists with nano-leaders and small smag on jig hook with tungsten beads.

Last week I met Roman Heimlich in Vltava 24. He is getting better after serious knee injury and he is preparing for the European championship taking place in Slovakia in September. He was fishing “competition style” with finer leader and smaller flies on fine sharp hooks, he caught a lot of fish, but only coarse fish. He hooked two rainbows, but lost both of them. I was fishing 0,16 Hanak Competition fluocarbon, three jigs on HC hook size 12, I had only four solid takes as smaller fish could not take the big flies, but all four rainbows were in the net. I found older fish in riffles a little downstream from the town.

Tobi picked me up on Friday morning at 5:30, after coffee at petrol station we headed to Boršov and at six we were in the water. Water was low but muddy after rains and we awaited relatively hard fishing. In my favourite pool I got first rainbow on the really first cast on upper dropper, so fish were active. In the mouth of next big pool we got altogether 6 rainbows and lost a few, ad some coarse fish and perch and I finished with nice nase, which took nymph pooled slowly after end of the drift. We moved to another place and both caught two fish in ten minutes and took the last one for table and finished fishing, at 8 I was in my office. The best was black nymph with silver head and red-holo or green-holo tag. Nice two hours of morning fishing.

Tobi told me about new sushi restaurant during the journey back and I remembered and old Norwegian recipe how to prepare fresh fish with crystal sugar, see salt and dill and the result is on the last picture

I visited England with two friends Paul and Ondra for 5 days fishing trip in the beginning of May. Lukáš, the last member of our group, got a horrible flu and could not moved, so he had to stay at home. We flew to London Luton by WizzAir on 9th May, we left  Prague at 6 o’clock and at  7 we were in England. As we had problem to find easy-rent company and there was a traffic jam in M1 and my navigator had not such a great day, we reached our accommodation at Great Easton B&B relatively late.

But we were sitting in boats on the Eyebrook Reservoir at about lunch time. I have already visited this lake at least for 15 times, fishing is always good there, they have friendly staff and good shop.  Lake has in my opinion ideal size and location and it is always full of fish.  It was rainy but buzzers were hatching and fish were active, so fishing was good, I was fishing washing line and team of 3 smaller black buzzers and booby on the point and I covered rising fish or simply cast to the bank and fig.8. When I got soaked I made break for coffee and small talk in the lodge, owner of the fishery Andy told me, that lake (similarly like other lakes in England) was low after long drought and it was filled up during last week, so it was full of fresh water rich in nutrients. Finally we got altogether over 20 fish, so it was good start. In the evening we went for two beers and 1 Cola the local pub in Great Easton (Paul don’t drink alcohol – he is veg and don’t drinks, poor Paul, he has nothing funny in his life ).

After perfect full English breakfast (Paul had full English veg-breakfast  we went to Elinor fishery which was recommended to me by Mick O´Farell.  I changed navigator, but it was again nothing special, 15 miles long journey took 1,5 hours. This 25 acres lake welcomed us by strong western wind and owner recommended to us bank fishing. But it was wasting time as fish were rising out of casting distance and we rent the boat for the afternoon. We were three in boat, it was good idea, Paul is left handed, so it was no problem for casting and more  flies in water brought more fish, we caught over 30 fish. The best method was fishing light flies just under surface, best pattern were claret and black hoopers and different smaller DB. I got also some fish on nymphs in the deep and one on tequila blob. During the way home we stopped for dinner and a few beers in Pizza restaurant at the intersection close to Eyebrook, Paul ordered veg-pizza with paprika sausage.

On Friday we went to Draycote Reservoir, Craig Baar had nice new shop and it was visible, that he works on the improving of fishing facilities. Wind was stronger and changed its direction to NW, so there were 1 m high waves at the dam. In the jetty was everything supervised by nesting coot.  The best method was again to anchor in a sheltered place close to bank and fish nymphs on midge tip line, very good was buzzer with red-holo rib and cheeks which we got from Craig. Relatively hard day I finished with 6 fish and few missed takes and one snapped bigger fish, my friends had similar result. We got few nice silver overwintered fish. After we came to Great Easton, we again visited pub to support the local business, I liked the local bitter beer, but Paul ordered another Cola.

On Saturday we were fishing Pitsford Reservoir , after 2 hours of drifting without any take we anchored in a bay close a small group of boats and we caught 7 fish in 15 minutes including decent pike, all on midge tips and damsel nymphs. Next another boat anchored in front of us and disturbed fish, they left after short exchange of views but damsels did not worked more. Fish were back after 30 minutes, but they took only buzzers and DB, it was necessary to fish as slow as possible and close to bottom, the best was to comb weed by the point heavy buzzer and fish took DB on the dropper. We were again three in the boat and it was great fun, we caught more than 30 fish. But it was one boat in front of us which got twice more fish and in my opinion the reason is that our boat with three people moved in the wind from side to side and therefore we were not able to keep our nymphs static. After great fishing we visited Fish-bar in Brixworth and bought “Fish and chips” and ate it at the  bench in front of the bar like homeless. After we arrived to Great Easton we went directly to pub and ordered three beers. “No more Cola? ” asked the waitress :-) .

We finished our trip again in Eyebrook, I was in boat with my friend John Emerson. Clarity of water decreased to the half comparing to Wednesday because of water bloom, it was sunny and very windy, so nothing special for fishing. Fish were not active, I got  4 fish on TL Buzzer and the huge pike, John put Cat-lure to the point and got 6 fish on it and smaller pike, he told me, that fish did not feed, so it was necessary to try something to provoke them. If you would like to find a good guide for fishing in lakes or rivers in UK ask John, he is very experienced angler.

We had to leave Eyebrook at 3 p.m., pack our things in the BB (it was absolutely perfect accommodation in low price located 5 minutes from Eyebrook, we felt there like at home, Eleine and David Hankey were great hosts) and directed to the London Luton and we landed in Prague exactly in the midnight.