Just like last year, I went to visit my buddy Andreas in Switzerland, to fish with him for the legendary laketrout of Lake Thun.
Only a few days or weeks during the year the beautiful silver laketrout come close enough to the shore to catch them with the flyrod – it is during the time when the Mayfly hatches, and this sudden and abundant food resource sometimes pulls them within casting range.
But it is still very hard to catch such a trout. The point in time, when conditions are perfect: a good hatch, “fishable” weather/wind, the right fly in the right time… You really need a lot of endurance, and the few real experts on the lake are holding out for days and weeks on the shore, watching the surface for rising fish to finally and hopefully be there when everything comes together! The price can be a most beautiful silvery fish with 60+ centimeters… but there is no guarantee for success.
Considering all this uncertainty, spending only a single day fishing for these laketrout is like putting all your money on a single hand of cards. But I am a gambler obviously, or just extremely optimistic.
In fact, it was a beautiful day. We did see a hatch of mayflies, but nothing compared to the one we saw last year. Only late in the day a few small fish came close and plucked some flies from the surface. But the movement of these small rising fish was not predictable, the rings showed up only once and without warning… so in the end, another day at Lake Thun without fish. But a very nice day nevertheless… and maybe it will work out next year… I should consider to double up my chances and go two days instead of just one….
