Everybody posts pictures with graylings and also I could not resist and I visited our best grayling river Warm Vltava. Mild weather still not lifted olives to hatch and therefore fishing is mainly about nymphing. I started at about lunchtime, nothing was hatching, nothing was rising, so I was going relatively quickly downstream and explored suitable places with team of nymphs, which I was changing relatively often, and  I caught a few smaller graylings.  At about 2 o’clock I found  place where 9 graylings were rising. 5 of them had about 25-28cm, 4 were from range 32-34 cm and one had 38 cm. When I saw two another fishermen fishing downstream from me, I decided to return to car and visit another good pool on the way, where I caught another 3 fish on nymph and the best grayling of the day had 39 cm an took ping Bobeš. On the way home I made pictures of fog in the beautiful Vltava River valley, Autumn is nice but short

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We cancelled autumnal workshop, but I managed and extended weekend with two friends, Andreas from Germany with whom we already went fishing in May, and Dirk from Holland, who is relatively experienced fly fishermen but who would like to improve some nymphing and dry fly skills. Our base was Herbertov, but first two days we spent on smaller rivers, as a canoeists marathon took part in Vltava and discharge in the river was high.

On Friday we met at Warm Vltava at Soumarský most, our aim was to practice nymphing and dry fly. First three hours were hard, there was nothing hatching and fish were not active, so we caught few fish on nymphs, including some decent dace, but it was nothing special. Suddenly, we saw few sailing boats on the surface followed by first circles of rising fish. Fish were everywhere, under one tree we caught maybe 15 fish, both on dry fly and active nymph. Majority of fish were grayling of size about 25-28 cm, but we caught a few fish over 30. In one pool I also caught nice brown. The last two hours made our day, it´s fishing.

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Second day I took them to small brook called Polečnice in Český Krumlov, and the aim was to practice fine fishing with light equipment and one fly. I lent my friends my rods size 2, made leaders from 0,10 mm tippet and we used one small nymph size 18. I caught two trouts during demonstration of technique and next we spread to individual pools as river is really small. I thing, that it was very useful for them, as only small adjustments of the nymphing technique brought great results. In the evening, Andreas  tied his first own flies

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Sunday we spent in Vltava close to Herbertov and it was really difficult, fish were not cooperating too much. However, if you succeed during hard days, you succeed always, we caught a few fish, Andreas was practising streamer and got two bigger rainbows, Dirk got few rising trouts on dry fly.

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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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We decided to wet our gear and visit upper part of Warm Vltava, It was nice day in nice place, we caught few graylings, trouts and also on minnow. Honza was fishing only nymphs, I was fishing only upstream dries, I simply like it and I have to practice precise casting in difficult terrain.

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I banned wading in Warm Vltava during April and May to protect grayling population during spawning period, but mainly the lower part is occupied also by hordes of coarse fish, which we can catch from bank. There is not so many places, where is possible to cast streamers from bank, but Honza and his four-footed friend Flin know them. It was nice walk, we saw hundreds of fish, mainly chub, roach, ide and asp, and we also caught few, it was nice day.

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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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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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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

Workshop is over and I can say that it was one of the best event in memory. We had no any problem and we really enjoyed the week, we caught many many fish. After development taking few years we get to the almost ideal schedule, moreover I prepared few improvements for this year.

At first, we worked a little with Chef of the Hotel Růže on the evening menu and it was great. We decided to present local food, and it is definitely not rice, pasta or chicken. In the Czech Republic, we produce beef, pork, potatoes, ducks and some vegetable and we love soups and beer ….  we started with steak from honest beef from Šumava mountains followed by schnitzel on Monday, pork chop on onion sauce on Tuesday, pork steak on mushroom sauce on Wednesday, and the menu was crowned on Friday evening by roast duck with dumplings and red cabbage. For Thursday evening, I prepared small surprise, when we came from fishing, we were awaited by grilled pig. During lunches, we as usually visited Rybářská bašta, Lesanka in Vyšší Brod , Pizzeria in Kaplice, and during whole day trips we simply bought lunch packets. I thing that is enough about meal as introduction.

I also prepared nice present, wooden fly box with logo of workshop and map of warm Vltava in the second side. I brought two kegs of non-filtered lager made by my good friend in his small bravery, which was also very appreciated.

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We hosted 15 attendants from Belgium, England, Germany, South Africa and USA, team was composed by Jiří Pejchar, Martin Musil, Roman Heimlich and Karel Křivanec, on Sunday came also Michal to meet old friends and fish one day together. Few people arrived already sooner, but we officially started on Sunday evening by opening of Karel´s  shop and keg of beer. After dinner we had  short introduction lecture and we started with some fly tying and as majority of attendants were our long-term friends we had a lot to talk. I divided people to the two groups (UK + SA and Belg + Ger + USA) always with two guides and we changed groups and guides after two days.

Monday we spent in Rožmberk, for Hendrik and Iwan from South Africa was also interesting experience to help with stocking of rainbows. Fishing was not bad, but fresh fish a little improved catching rate and tested quality of tipped materials. Under weir we caught some marked graylings which had been stocked 3 km downstream one month ago.

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On Monday evening came heavy storm and therefore we spent Tuesday in Vyšší Brod and Devil stones, where the water was relatively clear. I thing, that mainly for newcomers was demonstration and practising of nymphing technique very useful, not only casting technique, but also reading of water and movement in water during fishing in different types of river. I was lucky that I got few nice fish during demonstration. Trophy part in Devil stones is annually stocked by nice brook trout and for some people was it the first possibility to meet this interesting fish. This is the only fishery in South Bohemia, where brook trout remains after stocking and moreover is able to reproduce.

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From Wednesday, the flow in rivers was gradually decreasing and we visited also Malše and Černá rivers, relatively small streams with wild brown trout and grayling. Nice tactic used Ben and Mark, they were fishing one rod with dry fly and they were changing by every fish. I joined the party with my rod with dry fly/nymph set-up and we were rotating Mark managed fishing and smoking together. In Malše, we make some small competition, Ben was fishing nymphs and I was fishing wets and we found out, that we are not able to catch anything one after another As the water was a little muddy, the wet fly worked well.

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We were also fishing during evening hatch in Vyšší Brod and it was superb. There is a lot of small browns, but it was possible to catch fish of about 30 cm. I started with green sedge, next fish preferred Yellow Sally and finally big brown sedge with orange tag.

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We also visited Warm Vltava, we were in Horní Vltavice, the water was clear but still red as it flows from peat-bogs in mountains. It was nice day in pure nature and we caught also few nice fish, I found good graylings in the most steep currents, I was fishing with czech nymph on the point and small pheasant tail nymph on dropper. Big surprise was shoal of bleak which migrated from Lipno lake. Thousands and thousands of different cyprinid fish migrating annually from Lipno lake became big problem for pristine salmonid fish stock, I´m leader of a big scientific project aimed on evaluation of this affect.

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UK team was leaving on Saturday early morning at 5 a.m., so I also got up to say them goodbye (and to see red lights and Stefan also woke up to go fishing with me. Out of the blue, in front of the hotel stopped Taxi with Martin and Roman returning from a Disco in Vyšší Brod, Martin a little staggering and Roman with a nice black eye  So we were transporting them to beds and went fishing. I promised to our kind house-lady a fish for lunch. I got one chance, as I hooked rainbow of about 1 kg, but I had chance only during first 2 seconds where the fish was surprised, next I was only  spectator, at first the angry fish flew past Stefan and jumped in rifles 20 metres upstream from me, next returned back to the pool and next headed to opposite bank and snapped my leader between stones …

Thanks to all attendants for nice and friendly atmosphere and hope to see you next time.