Fly Fishing Fabisch, the Weekly Picture Archive 5 - 2018

Unfortunately the water conditions were extremely low, like on most waters in Germany, too. We decided we´d best fish any deep spots, as spotting trout was very difficult under these circumstances. We caught a few trout, although mostly rather small ones, the largest ones measuring around 30 cm. The brown trout show beautiful colors, and they are all wild ones, spawned in the Ache or its tributaries.

Some Canadians still know me from the time I was operating a wholesale fly fishing equipment dealership in BC. You keep meeting people and many a time the conversation is about fish caught. As a matter of fact 80% of the steelhead over 20 pounds I ever caught were caught on the Copper. Apparently, the word goes around. Presently the future of this part of the Copper is imprevisible. Last year the pool was half-filled with boulders, and this year it´s supposed to be even worse.

What makes casting nymphs so different from casting dry flies? First of all you should be aware of the fact that you might easily break your rod with a nymph. If your dry fly hits the rod in a cast, there isn´t a problem. In case the same thing happens with a bead head nymph, you may have a problem! Your timing has to be next to perfect with a weighted nymph. Any sloppiness in your cast or backcast will be punished immediately. It is not enough to wait until your line is stretched out, but you´ll have to wait for your leader, too. Leader lengths may vary greatly in nymph fishing - better keep that in mind!

Somehow this year doesn´t fit my expectations at all. As I´ve been used to visiting Canada in fall, this year´s visit to the Yukon Territory and Alaska in May and June was quite a new experience: almost 24 hours of daylight; you leave the pub a 2 a.m. and it feels like 2 p.m.. It takes an effort not to get confused! As far as the weather is concerned, we are told to expect more of the like in the future. Great! Already there is a reduction of the jet stream, which accounts for longer flight times going east from Western Canada to Europe.

There are some exceptions where you would fish that length of line, but mostly it is necessary to prepare a good drift, e.g. on the Gmundner Traun in Austria or fishing for steelhead with nymphs in Canada. Just fishing near our homes it seems more important to get your dry fly or nymph to your targeted fish even though there is practically no room for a back cast. Particularly on small rivers the roll cast is probably the most frequently used cast of all. If you pick the right dry fly, you may able to present it several times to your prey.

If you spend much time on a river without fishing, this leaves a lot of room for exploring nature without fishing pressure. Over the last eight years I´ve seen lots of things you´d have a hard time believing. Unfortunately you frequently either don´t have your camera on you when things do happen or else they happen so quickly they´re over by the time you get ready to shoot. Here I watched a massive hatch of mayflies, unfortunately in the worst weather.

They say you´ll never forget the first time. Things went well, but my nerves were pretty tight. Anyone who might get into an encounter with a grizzly should be informed about his options. I had met black bears many times, but a grizzly is still another dimension. Running away is no option, it will just wet his appetite. Don´t try climbing any trees unless their diameter is above 30 cm.

In many parks in British Columbia it is mandatory to inform a ranger or the RCMP about your tour - where you intend to go and by what time you expect to be back. These parks are huge and it is easy to get lost in them. Even without any injury it may be essential that someone comes looking after you if you´re overdue. The searches in that case are very thorough and also costly. So if you make it home, don´t forget to report back! Otherwise you might have to face an enormous bill!

Staying on the Northern hemisphere and looking around a little, we can still find some activities connected to fly fishing. Right around the corner, south of us, they´re already busy honing their hooks to flyfish for Huchen (Hucho Hucho). Temperatures below freezing point are considered favorable. A bit farther towards the West, in Western Canada, the hunt for winter run Steelhead is at its peak. Over there, there are more than a few degrees below freezing, though. On our coast on the North Sea or the Baltic Sea, diehard flyfishers go after sea run brown trout.

My father and I agreed to meet on the Pegnitz to fish at 3 p.m. Before I took off for Pegnitz my girlfriend and I had to to meet with her parents. I thought I´d catch up the time we spent there by more or less reckless driving, still I was a few minutes late. The photograph shows the place were we had agreed to meet. When we got there, my father had already passed away a few minutes ago. Heart attack, dropped dead after a few casts, game over. Even now, decades later, I feel the sting inside whenever I visit this place.

      ✆ DE   011 49 9126 288640,   Fax 011 49 9126 288643,     Ⓒ Wolfgang Fabisch