Harz Moutains Germany - August 20th.

[Marcel_Karssies]

Harz revisited.

The last trip to the Harz Mountains was not that successful in the sense that fishing was slow and tough.
I knew from past experiences that fishing should be a lot better and so we decided we would have to return for a rematch.

The season for the particular river we visited was very short.
Half September the fishery would close down so we decided to return soon.
So last Sunday Harry, his friend from England and yours truly where en route again to Germany.

We left at noon in Sunday, after a drive of four hours time we arrived at the village where our hotel was located.
Our first action was to get the fishing licenses for the next day.
We checked in the hotel and enjoyed our dinner on the terrace of the hotel overlooking the river.
We saw fly fishers busy below so after dinner we walked the river to see how things where going.
In the last hours of light fish where rising in the slow moving stretches of the river, a sight that raised our spirits.

The next morning we stood at the river at 06.00 hours, it was still a little dark when we walked through the forest to the river.
I really though that the high water levels had receded after a week of relatively fair weather but I was in for a big surprise, the water was even higher than the last visit.

So fishing would be even tougher than the last time.
Harry had provided me with a bunch of Copper Johns that proved successful during the last trip so that pattern was the one at the end of my leader.
In the session before breakfast I managed to get one fish, the other guys remained fishless.
After breakfast I opted to fish a section of the river that had a lot of variation in the makeup of the riverbed, slow moving stretches where mixed with fast flowing sections and deep pools.
I had hoped fish would be more cooperative there but the other guys remained fishless while I caught a few small brown trout.

In the afternoon we had a lunch-break at one of the local restaurants, we discussed where would spend the remainder of the day.
Since my companions had not seen the large reservoir of this river I decided we would go there to get a small peak of the large dam, at least the guys would see some more of the local scenery.
Our fishing session would end in a spot I thought would be the last chance to get the other guys on to fish, that latter spot required a small hike so that would at least cut down some of the competition.
I pointed out the good spots to my fellow fly fisherman and luckily within minutes Harry was onto a fish.
In the end number two of our part Hans managed to catch fish as well so nobody got skunked.

We fished until late in the afternoon, we had to called it a day at 1800 hrs since we had a long
drive in front of us.
So once again the forces of nature where against us, all the more reason to go back again.
Even tough fishing was weak I enjoyed every minute in the beautiful Harz mountains and will surely come back next year, maybe for a longer stay than just a day.

Some pictures:

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Dinner on the terrace of the hotel last Sunday.

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Checking out the competition after dinner.

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The hotel

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Early morning, my first fish before breakfast.

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Monsters!

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Small but beautifully marked.

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A short visit to the reservoir.

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Trout on the Czech nymph

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The most beautiful parts of the river.

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At First I though wild boar where roaming loudly through the woods but it turned
Out to be Harry and Hans stumbling out the woodwork.

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On the way home looking for an ice-cream parlour in Blankenburg, shops closed early though.

[spilunkr]

Marcel,

I enoyed the post. There is more to me in trout fishing than the catching of fish. The food, the surroundings, etc. in your pictures are all part of the enjoyment for me. Looks like a beautiful river just seems like the fish are not in a mood to cooperate. Perhaps cooling waters temperatures over the next few weeks will energize the fish.

Guy

[Jeffrey Rasband]

Thanks for the pics and report. This river reminds me of the Gonpowder here in maryland. Its the same size, scenery and even the fish species, size, and color are the same. I can't wait to go this weekend the river is up and should be fishable from a canoe.

[Marcel_Karssies]

Thanks Jeffrey, looking forward to your report.
Good luck on the Gunpowder, any chance of some nice colored brook trout ?

Maybe my mind plays tricks with me but I am sensing fall
when I am in the outdoors.
The mornings seem to get cooler and some leaves are beginning to
turn yellow.

[Jeffrey Rasband]

thanks for reminding me I need to charge the camera! ill be sure to get some good pics