As usually, I paid more attention on stillwater fishing in spring. We changed management of the Květoňov lake, we removed all carp and pike in Autumn 2013 which positively affected water quality and survival rate of trouts, and lake is open for fishing whole year around since 2015. Ice melted in mid March, overwintered fish were hungry and in great condition, more over they were rising for hatching buzzers. We started immediately regular stocking of fresh fish. After quarantine in 2013 caused by infection, our hatchery is again able to produce good quality fish which is great message for our waters.  I was there few times and fishing was always good, we stocked also really big fish, one local fisherman almost get heard attack after I released trout of 4 kg.
I attended three competitions, in Polička Cup I was third between 180 competitors after first day, but second day was not so good. We organised Czech lake championship in Květoňov lake, I had been full of ambitions but I was again successful only first day. Finally I defended victory in May cup in Květoňov lake, and this three results lifted me to the TOP 20 in the running Czech fly-fishing ranking, not bad start of the season. We will see in rivers.

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After one year break, we managed trip to still-waters in England, we were group of 8 people including Karel, we were fishing Eyebrook, Rutland, Grafham, Pitsford nad Raventshorpe, we found great base at Great Easton B&B,  despite of very cold and windy weather we get in 6 days over 400 fish. We met also Ben and Andy and were a little working on preparation of our spring workshop in local pub

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During early spring I usually prefer fishing in lakes as water in rivers is usually high and cold and fish are not active. I always begin trout season at Květoňov lake.
I prepared everything in the evening including leader, but weather forecast was nothing special. I was waked up by heavy rain 5 minutes before alarm clock and I have to say, that If I had not went with David, I would have stayed at home, temperature was about 6°C. But at five we left Česke Budějovice and at half past five we had short breakfast at petrol station in Kaplice, the town close to lake. We reached the lake quarter to six and found free places at our favourite bank, temperature dropped to 3 °C and rain was replaced by snow showers. We greeted our friends which we always meet at the same place in the opening day and my flies fell  to water exactly at six. I used fast glass line and three lures (black, yellow and orange blob) and had three fish in first four casts, simply good start. My friends joined me and we all caught about 20 fish during three hours, later I replaced fast glass by the slow one and I made longer leader and used lighter flies and it also worked well. Opposite bank was not so good and fishermen in boats were also not so successful, but everybody catch some good fish as we stocked fish up to 3 kilos. I caught few fish about one kilo and finally I invited two of them to dinner to my home :-).

At seven we saw one fisherman in boat fighting with big fish and the fish was finally 111 cm long pike, which was caught by 7 cm long black woolly bugger and 0,18 nylon, there were caught another two pikes over 90 cm and few smaller this day. There is a rule in the Czech low, that  no pike can be released in trout fishery, but I thing that in the trout lake full of stocked rainbows could pike improve  fishing, as this lake is flyfishing only and everybody would like to catch a big fish. We stock to this 6 ha reservoir about 25 00 kg of fish every year, so pikes had enough food and they grow very quickly, more over I thing, that they prefer injured or dead fish, so they utilise touts which are for fisherman valueless. Majority of pikes is every year caught by small lures which is for me surprising, as they usually have trout in stomach, the probably like desserts  Or they are irritated by big amount of trout in lake and they attack everything what moves.

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I was a little dreaming at the computer on Friday after lunch and watching nice sunny day behind windows and at 14:30 called me my friend Tobi, that “he is at a pond close to České Budějovice, ice is away and rainbows stocked for ice-fishing in January are hungry”.

14:31  - I left my office followed by smiles of my colleagues and I was running to the car

14:40-14:50 – by the way home I jumped the lights twice

14:50-14:55 – packing was quick, I found new big lake fly-fishing bag under Christmas three and everything was already inside, I only had to find appropriate rod, I chose Sage Z-axis size 5

15:05 – I´m in the shop, the shop assistant was surprised, that I would like to buy fishing permit in March, she could not find it and it took 15 very precious minutes

15:30 – I´m parking at the pond, Tobi is just playing fish and another friend Pusťa is already there, Tobi is fishing hover-line, he has already caught 12 fish and missed appropriately the same number, Pusťa has been there for 10 minutes, uses fast glass line and has had no take. I´m making leader and competition can start, I use floating line and team of two black tadpoles with one white in the middle of the cast.

Tobi opens the score immediately and Pusťa misses few takes, but he is finally catching fish, Tobi adds second fish and I have firstly very shy pull and next comes first solid take this year and it is real orgasms, fish is on the hook. Second fish is nice pike and with another trout I´m levelling the score to 3:3:3. ….

Final score was 9:7:7  for Tobi, he had to leave at 16:30 as he had to go to swimming pool with kids. We continued fishing till the sunset,  in total I caught 10 rainbows (size was 30-37 cm) and two pikes, Pusťa had similar result without pikes. Tobi had altogether over 20 rainbows and also one brook trout.

The high point of the great afternoon was one of the rainbows baked on the bacon and cold Pilsner beer at TV and victory of our ice-hockey team in quarter-final of play-off.

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