I cannot remember when we last had so much water in spring, after so many dry years… finally the water is back!
And this is also the reason why I hadn’t yet fished this little Black Forest stream with so much water. But I do love challenges and was looking forward to this day. During the last weeks it has been relatively cold and therefore I did not expect to see many hatching insects. So on the eve of that day I sat at my tying desk and filled the box with big stonefly nymphs. The Black Forest luckily still has a good population of these gorgeous insects. And not only me, but also the trout do love them 🙂
It was also a premiere for my new reel – just a day before I had bought a Guideline Fario, a really beautiful reel I was looking forward to try.
As I arrived at the stream, I was delighted to see that it was relatively clear despite the high water – a circumstance which not only helps with the fishing, but also with the wading. The granite boulders are really slippery, even with spikes – as I was to experience later that day.
Well, concerning the fishing there is nothing really new to tell – as always, it was a challenge to present the fly not only in a way so the fish take it, but also to feel or see the takes and land the fish in the fast water. But that’s the fun about it! And the result were many beautiful fish – not really big ones, but beautiful for sure! Rarely have I seen more beautiful rainbows than here in this creek, not to speek about the Black Forest Brown Trout which is well known for its intense colors.
As the sunset slowly approached, I was happy and fulfilled from an excellent fishing day. The last rays of sunlight which made the hillflanks glow below the clouds made the scene even more beautiful. I hopped from one rock to the other along the stream, careless…. too careless. I slipped, fell backwards onto a rock and smashed my new reel on a stone. The reel cage was so bent, I had no chance to repair it, although I spend ours in my workshop long into the night… Well, shit happens, no reel is made for eternity… but breaking such an expensive reel on the first day definately qualifies my for the champions league of bad luck.
But as an optimist I am also happy that my sunglasses didn’t break (they fell off my nose aswell) and that I wasn’t hurt… and it reminds me to enjoy every second in which life favors us, because the next step might change everything. Embrace life, or as the old Greeks used to say: “carpe diem“.