In the first half of December we were facing Covid, but luckily we caught a mild version, so I had one day fever and chills and next I was OK. So I still had time in the second half of the month to visit Vltava 24, sometimes alone, sometimes with Honza or Tobi, I caught every time 4-6 trouts in one hour and half, few fish had over 50 cm. I also tried spinning rod and used different baits and streamers and I caught few smaller pike. It was nice, I´m always satisfied if I catch at least one fish in this time of the year. Weather was relatively mild, but after Xmas it cooled down and during my last visit, the river was very cold, on the surface was floating ice and I had not any single take. Not a bad closing day of the year

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But my friend Tobi was very successful in December, in one week he caught three fish over 90 cm on a twister, one pike of 115 cm, one carp of 90 cm and another pike over 90 cm. Franta Hanák added nice barbel, I borrowed pictures from their FB profiles.

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During Xmas holiday we visited our weekend house at Lipno Lake, we enjoyed ice skating and I made nice pictures of ice floes washed ashore, and what was my surprise, that there was a smaller place without ice on the surface and there was a fishing boat on it, are they brave or mad? We call them patients

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I went again to Vltava 24 to the middle of the town of Boršov. I decided to start with the pike-fishing and next to try to catch a rainbow. I started at about 1 p.m., river was dirty because of the “river works” upstream and I did not have a take from a pike for an hour, so I decided to catch a rainbow. I had no take for another half an hour, I was hot and thirsty as the sun peeked out of the clouds and I was “over dressed”, I had a lack of caffeine in my blood, I was simply out of sorts and decided to go home and never return At the car I met a colleague and he told me, that the day before, river cleared before sunset and fishing was not bad. So I took off my jacket and jumper, vent to the local bistro and bought small beer and double espresso “to go” and I headed for the ripples between two bridges in totally different mood. A slip remained me that the local dog-breeders like to use the path along the river …. but nothing to do, I hoped that sand and gravel could clean my felt sole and it could bring me luckiness. The river was really clearing quickly, the low sun illuminated the surface, simply paradise. I had first take on the very first cast and finally, I landed 8 rainbows in the last hour before the sunset. I took the last rainbow home and exchanged it for two pheasants with my colleague from work who is hunter

So what is the lesson? You never know what could happen during fishing and if a fly is in the water, a take can always come …. and water and sand wash shit even out of the felt

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Days are shorter, so I prefer to visit Vltava 24 located backyard to save time. Moreover, fishery has been regularly stocked by decent rainbow since September and hosts also big pike. I usually take two rods, one spinning rod with a big streamer and one fly fishing rod with team of nymphs (one of the nymphs has usually big orange or pink collar from fritz .

I usually start with pike fishing, I decided to use spinning rod with brained line, to cast big streamers with fly fishing rod is exhausting and I thing, that strikes with spinning setup are more save. I caught few pikes up to 65 cm, it is interesting, that pike always stay under bank under grass or a tree, and takes immediately after streamer falls to water, or on hang, when you start lifting the fly from water surface or change direction of movement. Never in the middle of the pulling. One fish of about 1 meter jumped from water just when I re-casted the fly and it closed his mouth empty, I had almost heard attack and full underpants. I will be back soon ….

Rainbows takes honestly, average size is 1 kilo, so I use 5-size Z-Axis and 0,18 mm tippet. The best combination is orange tag on dropper and blob on the point, water is unfortunately not clear as there is some “river works” upstream, so dry fly fishing is nothing special despite the high season of olives, it is better only during weekends, when the machines rests.

Heavy rain during the last three days raised the discharge in river, so next weekend I will probably visit river under Vyšší Brod, where the water is clear, or Květoňov lake.

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I was a little busy during summer and had not so much time for fishing, however, some fishing trips were made and some pictures were taken. Autumnal fishing season is coming, so I have “new October resolution”  to make one actual post and one retrospective from summer every week.

Last week I visited our trophy water Vltava 24. I had only 1,5 hour, water was low and clear, so I decided to try dry-nymph setup and go slowly upstream from camp. First rainbow, a decent fish of about 55 cm, I hooked above one big stone in my favourite  pool as usually, it took 15 m of my competition nymphing leader and 10 m of floating line and finally smashed my tippet under a branch. So I made new leader and moved to another place. In a hole under a willow I caught 2 nice fish of about 45 cm and in the pool under the weir another two. I was very satisfied and hurried to my car to pick up my son after his basketball training. Not a bad start of thew autumnal season in Vltava 24, I´m looking forward to the rise for olives.

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I have not too much time for fishing (home office, filed work, housework, homework with kids, windsurfing, beach volleyball … so I go sometimes to Vltava 24, which is in a great condition nowadays, river if full of older and active fish (brook trout was stocked last October and it adapted well and thrives) and also fresh stockies, so you can catch many fish on dry fly, and also some really big fish, mainly on streamer, or nymph, or on a blob. This one had 3,5 kg and it was kindly invited for dinner So 5-size rod, 0,18 mm tippet and reinforced version of Hanák Hooks are necessary, for streamer 0,24 tippet .

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During Eastern, I was asked by the Czech National TV to say something about the effects of Covid on the sport fishing, we decided to meet on the bank of  Vltava River, I hoped to catch a fish, but I was amazed by a massive hatch of sedge already from 10 a.m., I caught about 25 fish, rainbow trout, brook trout and chub. This season is simple fantastic on the Vltava river mainly for lovers of dry fly fishing.

And if you would like to see and hear me, below is the link, I smuggled an advertisement for Hotel Annín and hHanák Competition there

https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ivysilani/10101491767-studio-ct24/220411058070412

Time 2:55:00 of the broadcast, or 17:12 on the clock

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Our government introduced some restriction concerning Coronavirus relatively in time, so we have not so dramatic course of the epidemic, they stopped all sport and culture events, closed schools and restaurants and majority of public services, they recommended to limit going to town, shopping and meeting to each other, and we have to wear veil in town, and also people are recommended to work from home if possible.

But fishing is not banned as outdoor activities do not increase the possibility of virus transmission and improve our immune system, of course . So we regularly stock Květoňov Lake and Vltava River and I also sometimes find a space during my home office to go fishing Fishing competitions has been also banned, so we have more time for practice.

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In Vltava 24, we have recorded the best winter season in the  memory, the mild weather and lover discharge enabled to survive a lot of fish from last year, and this fish look for a native food. From the end of February, we can see a hatch of an insect every day, it started by stone-fly and just now we have hatch of large olives. And fresh stocked fish always prefer hatch of a blob The blob is phenomenon, it works both in muddy and clear water, I have already caught many species on it, rainbow trout, brook trout, barbel, nase and chub .
As we have stocked relatively big fish, I fish with my favourite Sage Z-Axis size 5 and use 0,18 mm tipped For dry fly, I use 0,14 as the overwintered fish are up to 1 kg.

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Květoňov Lake is also great, we have already stocked fish twice, I had also few nice days there, but I did not make a picture, so I borrowed two pictures from Facebook profiles of my friends.

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Fishing in Vltava 24 was amazing in the last week as we recorded a massive hatch of brown stonefly, it took always of about 2 hours from 1 till 3 p.m., when females were falling on the water surface and laying eggs to water and it provoked trouts to high activity, it was always possible to catch over 10 fish on dry fly. The best tactic was to cast fly fast just to the head of to the rising fish and it provoked aggressive takes. Life is nod bad if you can catch nice fish on dry fly already in the end of February. I thing, that global warming is not a fake I had my camera in service, so I´m posting only few pictures recorded by mobile phone. Victor also arrived with his family, so everything works well on Vltava 24 this year

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Some people say that we have no winter, but I like this weather. Of course, we have lack of snow, but winter and spring have still a lot of time to fill our groundwater supplies by a snow or rain. In mountains, there is colder, and in lowlands there are temperatures during days above zero which is good for fishing It is true, that 14 degrees during the last few days was pretty much for the coldest month in the year, and strong warm south-west wind almost lured to windsurfing, but we will see.

The spring weather was irresistible and as I finished two annual reports from my big projects, nothing prevented me to go fishing to Vltava 24. Water was a little higher, but relatively clear despite the night rain and I caught nice rainbow and brook trout in five minutes. Tobi visited me on the way home and as I just caught another nice rainbow, he jumped to car and hurried home for gear. He returned 30 minutes later and I already had six fish and caught another three before he started fishing.  I gave him successful flies and let him go first as I was already satisfied. Finally, we caught 19 fish between us, including the nase on the blob. Majority of trout took nymph, my favourite blob got only two trouts and the nase. Surprisingly, several fish had fresh injuries on their tail, I can not imagine what could case it, maybe otter or mink, cormorants or herons usually stab the back of fish and pike leave the tooth marks creating an arch.

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Not only fishing is our life, I´m adding few pictures from ice skating on the Lipno Lake

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That’s the life we live

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