Practise trip

In preparation of our Ireland trip next week, we went to the Ourthe and the Semois to practise and get our gear sorted out. Patrick, a fly fish virgin, had his first try in the Semois and did a great job, as shown in the video below.

First trout of the season

We checked in at the campsite 'Pont de Bergueme' next to the Ourthe river. We dropped our stuff in the cabin had lunch and drove to the river.



I was trying out my #5 rod and caught the first trout of the season on a small nymph. We managed to catch a few small but beautiful trout and carefully released them back in the river.


We did see a lot of stoneflies on Sunday and a hatch of sedges on Monday, but there was only the occasional fish rising. We have spend quite some time looking and casting at a big trout rising once an hour or so, but helas, he wouldn't take our dry fly, superpupa or nymph.
Nevertheless, two beautiful days in amazing surroundings!

Nymphs

Wind and rain keeps us from flyfishing, so back to the tying table...

Lough Corrib flies

In preparation for our trip to Ireland I've been making some 'Duck flies', small Caenis and super puppa.

Goddard's Gray caddis

The Goddard's Gray caddis is the one fly that I have caught the most trout and grayling with. However, I find them difficult to tie. That's why, so far, I've been buying them online via Pechetruite on Amazon (France).
Since they are a bit pricy (4.20€), I gave it a try and I tied a couple of them.

UV-curing adhesive nymphs

I've been trying out the UV-curing adhesive and sparkling braid I've bought from Fly Scene and I think it works great. It's very easy to make some shiny nymphs like the ones below. Now just wait and see if they catch trout...

 

Fisch & Angel Messe, Dortmund

Six of us gathered 8 a.m. to drive together to the Fish and Hunting Fair in Dortmund where we arrived at around 10.45 a.m.. There was a big crowd queuing to get in, but everything was well-organised.
Coincidentally (?), we entered the fair via hall 2 where the very first stand was immediately the stand of Fly Scene. This Belgian-based supplier of fly fishing and tying materials offers good quality and sharp-priced materials. So I finally bought a stacker, a UV light pen and UV-curing adhesive and some hooks and dubbing.
However, my biggest purchase was a pair of Vision Loikka wading boots.

I had to consult some friends to decide on the soles: felt, rubber or rubber with tungsten studs. After some phone calls and a quick internet check I decided to buy the rubber soles with studs. I was the most expensive option but luckily I got a nice fair reduction. I hope I made the right choice and that I will be able to cross a lot of beautiful rivers with these boots!

I have met some fellow fly fishermen from fly fishing club Fly Only in Kessel, Belgium. They were so kind to give some advise with the boots and they invited me to join their club. They gather every Sunday morning to tie flies. Board member Jan Mertens was giving a fly tying demonstration at the fair and I bought these beauties from him:

Filling the box...

This week I tried to tie a variety of dry flies: caenis, mayfly, caddis...
Can't wait for the season to start, but meanwhile I'm filling the box with flies!

Tomorrow we are driving to Dortmund to visit the Fisch & Angel Messe!

Planning a rod-trip to Ireland

It's done! I have ordered 6 tickets to Dublin (Ryanair) and rented a minivan (Sixt).
We're going to Oughterard in Ireland to flyfish lough Corrib and its rivers the end of May (24 - 30)!
I'm really looking forward to this trip and preparations have begun. 😎

I have ordered some flies at kunstvliegen.nl :




And of course, we started tying some flies and streamers: