We usually have first snow in November, but this year is crazy and we even had another great windsurfing day in the Lipno Lake, weather forecasts promised wind of 8-10 m/s, air temperature over 10 °C and clear sky, simply irresistible, however, water was cold and I used my fly-fishing trousers to keep my feet dry and warm, it was another nice closing day 
I returned to service my floating islands anchored in the lakes in the northern part of our country, I took my fly-fishing friend Vojta on a work brigade, and surprisingly, after one and half day work we found time for a half day fishing in the Ohře River, which is the best trout and grayling river in our country. The discharge in the river was ideal, we started with nymphs, but after very short time I noticed first hatching olives and also first rising fish, so I replaced nymphs by my favourite olive emerger, the olive shuttlecock size 16. We caught about 45 fish together, Vojta lost one good brown trout and my best fish was also brown of 44 cm, caught on nymph in one deep pool in the and of the day. I caught about 10 graylings of size 26-28 cm, and my friend Ondra, local fisheries manager, told me that this fish were stocked in Spring and they are only 1,5 years old, the river is very nourishing, hopefully cormorants will not kill them during Winter.
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 
In Autumn, when the days are shorter, I usually more focus on Vltava 24, which I have about 12 minutes from my office and 14 minutes from home Discharge in the river has been suitable during last weeks, but extremely high air and water temperatures still has not persuaded olives to hatch yet. Next weekend looks colder, so we will see. But I have managed a few visits and never blanked, I also caught a few small pike.
I would like to point one nice day, I took holiday from work as weather forecast promised maybe last good windsurfing day on the Lipno Lake. I made a proper breakfast, on the way to Lipno I helped my father with tyres, next I enjoyed the windsurfing, great stabile warm wind and autumnal low sun changed surface of the lake to gold, it was really nice end of the season. I finished at about 3 p.m., so it was still enough time for quick coffee with keen windsurfer Luděk and for visit of Vltava 24 to catch a trout for dinner. I caught first fish by very first cast, so it was lucky fish as I did not want to finish so quickly. Second fish was also lucky as I lost it at the net, but the third fish had not lucky day and it was invited for romantic dinner. Finally I managed also one quick beer in the pub in the front of our house before my wife returned from fitness training My friend says “after fifty we can no longer save on yourself” :-)
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.
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
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.
After two years of Covid restrictions, we could organise our Hanák Open competition. The lake event was the first, we met in our base at Květoňov lake already on Wednesday 27.9. in the afternoon, we prepared the competition and also celebrated a bit the upcoming fiftieth birthday of me and several other friends. In the morning, everything went smoothly and we could go fishing. In the first round in sector B, I caught the first fish on the hang after the very first cast, I caught 5 trout in total, but Milda caught his last fish with the very last cast, he had the same number of fish and his biggest fish was one centimetre longer than mine. This was already a sign that it would not be the happiest of days. I won the second round with six fish and I was leading after two rounds. In the third round I was on the boat, I was happy for one fish same like other 4 competitors, but unfortunately it was the smallest one, so the placement was six. In the last round I caught one fish again, which was again the smallest and I was fourth, overall I finished fourth with a total placements of 13, it’s always by one fish or by one centimetre
Overall, although the weather was quite suitable, the fish didn’t take too much, especially from the boats, which are always good, this was surpising.
River competition started on Friday by draw and by unofficial welcome party, it was great to see all the old good friends. Our team was not that good on the river, even though we were pretty confident after last year’s fourth place. Even though we didn’t have a bad draw and were fishing well, it’s simply not enough in such competition and we were tenth. We were lucky with the weather, the wind only caused a “rain of acorns”, but the real downpour started right after the race ended. A total of 4851 fish were caught, there will be time for a deeper analysis during the long winter evenings
Results and catch statistic you can find it the Hanák Open page
In the middle of September we always organise Rožmberský cup on Vltava river under two famous castles. After good result from last year I was full of ambition, but the draw was not so kind to me this year, although I did well in my pegs, it was only good enough for the twentieth place.
Rožmberský pohár 2022 results
I went to Vltava 28 above Rožmberk to practice dry-dropper fishing with my new dropper flies, new nymphs tied on Hanák superb jig hooks size 18 and Hanák Superlight 2 size rod. It was warm and a few light showers passed during the afternoon, so great fishing weather. I caught about 30 fish and did not lose any fish, and I could almost make an atlas of all fish species living in river, I caught brown trout, rainbow trout, dace, chub, roach and a monster gudgeon
Next day I went to Devil Stones and I added brook trout and perch to the collection I´m always fascinated by the beautiful colours and variability of patterns of trout in this peaty water.
I have one project aimed on floating wetlands in the north-west part of our country, which is famous for the largest Czech trout river named Ohře. Surprisingly, I always find my fly-fishing gear during my field trips to this region
River is really cold as it flows from big reservoirs, and it is full of weed beds which hide deep pools with trophy trout, a brown trout over 70 cm is caught there every year, fish over 40 cm are not rare. Dry fly fishing for this monsters belongs to the cream of the fly fishing in our country. Fishing is not easy there, fish are under high fishing pressure so they are relatively spooky, and movement in the river is demanding due to large weed beds, slippery bottom and deep danger pools. To catch 3-4 fish per hour is a good result. If you see a rising fish, it is always worth to go there and try to catch it.
Last time I was there in August and I spent one afternoon and one morning in the river. Fishing was great, fish were occasionally but continuously rising all the time, so I was mainly fishing with different patterns of dry fly. I was not so lucky to meet a monster, but few browns over 40 cm were not bad, and the rainbow which took my new emerger pattern tied according a YouTube video from a Spanish Champion made my day. See you in Autumn
I always focus on zander in Lipno Lake during summer, this year the zander fishing was not good, but windsurfing, carp fishing and mushrooming was not bad, there are some pictures
