I was greatly saddened by the death of my friend, Hans Aigner (see post below), but I received an email from Theo Bakelaar with photos of his young friend, who is 12 years old, and absolutely in love with fly fishing. He goes to Theo’s house several times a week for fly tying lessons, and get a chance now and then to fish with Theo. Last week Theo was fishing with his young friend, and Theo caught a very fine brook trout on a cane rod and size 20 buzzer (midge imitation). Then the young man, not to be outdone, used Theo’s rod, and caught a real horse of a rainbow. Now here is a superb example of the next generation of fly fishers who will guide and direct our matchless sport.

Theo’s rather healthy brook trout.

His young friend with a more than rather healthy rainbow.

As we were eating breakfast this morning at our hotel in Austria, we received the sad news that Hans Aigner had died in the night. Hans had come to visit all of us at diner on Thursday evening, and I had an opportunity to sit with my old friend for about half an hour and talk about fishing, his cancer, and life in general. He was upbeat, and we had a great time visiting and reminiscing about out times together on the river. I am so glad that he was able to see so many of his friends, and have a chance to talk and have a meal with all of us.

Hans was one of two protégées of the late Hans Gebetsroither, the famous Austrian guide on the Gmunder Traun who developed the Elliptical Casting Stroke. Roman Mosier is the other protégée, and life long friend of Hans Aigner. Hans and Roman both taught fly fishing schools under the leadership of Hans Gebetsroither, and Roman continues that tradition. Hans Aigner taught and influenced many fly fishers in the European community, and he will be sorely missed by all who knew this cheerful and forthright man. I certainly shall.

Hans Aigner. Although I first met Hans in person in March of 2013 at the EFW Fly Fishing Show in Munich, I knew of him through the fly fishing community. When we met it was if two old, life-long friends were meeting after many years of absence. There was an instant bonding, and we enjoyed many great hours together, fishing, talking of his history with Hans Gebetsroither, visiting the hotel where Gebestroither met his clients, seeing all the famous places on the Traun, talking about other rivers in the area, and so much more. His friendship will always be a bright memory for me. Goodbye my friend.

Thing-A-Ma-Bobbers are great, especially in very rough water where other indicators are next to impossible to see. But, they have one serious fault, two if you are to believe what everyone says: (1) they score the leader rather seriously, and (2) they kink the leader. The scoring and abrasion comes from the metal eyelet that is inserted in the tab of the indicator. The answer to this is rather easy–get rid of the metal eyelet. The idea came to me while fishing, and I used by scissor pliers to extract the eyelet. But a good pair of needle nose pliers work better. Get a good grip on the eyelet and rip it out–actually I sort of pry and bend the tab and fuss with the eyelet, but it does come out. Now, the leader goes through easier and faster and doesn’t get abraded at all.

Now for the kink. If the newly modified bobber is attached so that the loop of the leader goes around the tab, as shown below, the indicator does not slip up or down on the leader and there are no kinks when the indicator is removed.

Remove the metal eyelet to remove the abrasive nature of the indicator.

Use this attachment profile and the indicator won’t slide or kink the leader.

Today was diametrically opposite yesterday. Dawn came early and bright, with a bit of fog, but that soon burned off, and we had an absolutely blue-bird day. The Ager was up about 10 cm (4 inches) and just a tiny bit off color. Not to worry. The fish got started a bit later in the morning, but once on the bite, they stayed on. My score was rather dismal—8 hooked, 2 landed. Of course, I blame the fish, who else is there to blame? The Ager’s trout are incredibly strong, and they all seem to be head shakers. I’ve been fishing a Knotted Egg in hot orange or hot pink and a gold bead head p.t. in sizes 14-18, all barbless. So when the big fish shake their heads violently, the hook often pops out. Still, it’s fun to have them on, even if for only a short while. The two that I landed were 25 cm (10 inches) and 50 cm (19 5/8 inches). Even though the landing was not stellar, just being outside and on a great river on a day like this was wonderful—still, there’s tomorrow, and perhaps I’ll will yet manage to land a “big” one (over 50 cm).

The perfectly designed and built rainbow!

Today was one of those days that only increases one’s distrust of the weatherman. Supposedly it was going to be medium overcast with a few scattered showers. Not. It was heavy overcast and rain, rain, rain. The fish were not as active as I had supposed (and hoped) they might be—they knew what was coming, and we didn’t. So, I had a rainy fishing day—as in all day. Fortunately I was able to find an overhang on a woodcutter’s cabin to stay dry while I ate lunch, and later in the day, a bridge which I could stand under to dry my hands and warm up a bit.

The fishing was so, so, as one might suspect. I did manage three fish of 41-42 cm (16 to 16 ½ inches), and a couple of smaller ones of about 25 cm (10 inches). It still amazes me that a 16-inch fish in the Ager fights as hard as a 20 inch fish in most other streams. I’m also amazed at the excellent body condition of these fish—small heads and wide, deep bodies. At about 4:30 pm, a small hatch of dark mayflies emerged. The fish fed sporadically, but I was able to get several on the dry by just sticking with it. All in all, not a bad day, especially since I had plenty of warm clothes to change into after a nice hot shower.

I particularly liked this photo for the rings out in front of the fish’s snout.

Notice the body shape of this 42 cm fish–tiny head, robust body. The fish in the Ager are in prime condition.

It was another bright and sunny day, and I returned to the Ager River. As on all bright days, unless there is a hatch to get the fish up, they stay deep and hidden. Still in the morning I did hook a very big rainbow on a Knotted Egg. It ran upstream through a wing dam, and as the last couple of turns of line disembarked the reel, the fish go hung up on something and broke off. In the heavy flows of the Ager, there is not much one can do when fishing with 5X, even with the German Stroft tippet material (more to come on this a bit later).

After lunch I headed to a spot that Roman Mosier and I had discussed last night. It’s the shallow water on the inside of a bend, The currents spill down over gravel and into a tight corner. Such water is scarce on the Ager, and this is one prime spot. Most angler would ignore such water, but not on the Ager. I soon saw a fish rise, and switching to 5.5X Stroft, I knotted on a size 14 dun and took a nice 45 cm fish. The day moved on, and the fish came grudgingly, but often enough to keep my interest, After a couple of hours I gave the spot a rest for about 1/2 hour. When I returned to fish again, Ed and Cliffie Berg came out of the woods behind me. Just then, another nice fish took my fly. When that one had been photographed and released, I set up Cliffie’s leader and knotted on a size 14 dun imitation. She quickly hooked a 14 1/2 inch rainbow that fought like any 17 inch rainbow in other streams. The trout of the Ager are powerful and use the heavy currents very well.  After photos, it was time to head back to the vehicles, We smiled all the way.

The soft inside corner holds many fish.

A 45 cm (17 3/4″) rainbow that took the barbless fly solidly.

Another nice rainbow–44 cm (17 1/4″). Notice the small head and slab body.

Yet another 45 cm fish that gobbled the dry.

Cliffie with a 14 1/2 inch tiger by the tail. The rainbows of the Ager are among the strongest I’ve ever caught.

The day dawned bright and stayed bright. Great for fishing, not so great for catching. However, a few fish cooperated and everyone that fished today caught some fish. I fished the Ager River with an egg fly and other nymphs and hooked six, and landed three. In a stretch that look like the Madison, I hooked and landed a 50 cm (19 ¾ inches) rainbow on a Knotted Egg pattern (which see). It ran out and down and hung the line on an underwater branch. I was able to eventually work it free, and the fish was still there, ready to fight more. Later I took one that was 13 inches. A very large fish took the fly jumped and ran. OK so far, then it ran in front of and around a very large rock and jumped again. Not OK. Still, it was fun to see it jump and tear line off the reel with wild-eyed abandon. Later in the day, I was passing the “aquarium” and noted a particularly nice rainbow holding in the tiny current that flows in from the Ager. I backed away, added 3 feet of 5.5 X (more to come on this in the next day or two), clinched knotted on a size 18 bead head p.t., made a couple of “measuring” casts way ahead of the fish, and then delicately dropped the tiny imitation ahead of the trout. Nothing. Suddenly it tipped up and I saw its mouth open and close. It was a 49 cm (19.25 inches), deep bodied rainbow that fought long and hard. I went to the dry fly only section for the last couple of hours, but saw no fish rising, though I looked long and hard. Tomorrow I’m back on the Ager again.

The Ager is low and very clear, as you can see in this photo of a school of suckers. There were a few trout mixed in with them.

This piece of water remains me of the Madison–deep, swift, and very fishy.

The “aquarium.” This is very delicate and precise fishing.

One of the day’s cooperative rainbows.

My friend, Theo Bakelaar from Holland, has been fishing a foam ant over the last few days, and doing very well with it. It’s very fast and easy to tie, and uses readily available materials. His precut bodies have a narrow waist, but I tie it with a strip of foam that is all the same width and it works just fine. This pattern works well for elongate beetles, too. It’s very fast to tie and gives a great surface silhouette.

Tie in broom fibers for the legs. 

Bend the ends of the legs downward and tie in a peacock herl body.

Tie in the body at the center of the shank and add a hackle. The dot can be any color. I use “puff” paint–fabric paint that puffs a bit as it dries.

A nice big rainbow that took the ant with confidence.

My friend Exequiel Bustos from Mendoza, Argentina, just returned from conducting classes on the Codihue in northern Patagonia. The water was low, and the big fish could be seen holding in the very clear, shallow flows. A number of them broke off, but Exequiel managed to land some very nice rainbows on small nymphs. Of course such emails always get my juices flowing, and next week I will start my 2015 season in Austria, near Gmunden, on the river Traun and others.

I’m currently at bit west of Munich at the EWF Show, the largest fly fishing only show in Europe, and just finished judging their fly tying contest. There were a number of very fine entries this year in the Realistic, Streamer, and Dry Fly categories. Tomorrow I will hold two casting clinics, and then give fly tying demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday. Additionally I will give casting demonstrations both days. The theme this 10th anniversary year is The History of Fly Fishing. So, my casting demos will focus on shooting line—the single characteristic that distinguishes modern fly casting and fly fishing. I will cover the Single Shoot, the Double Shoot, the Triple Shoot, and Line Management. That’s a lot for ½ hour because everything is translated into German. Never a dull moment.

Exequiel with one of the big rainbows that didn’t break off in the fast waters of the Codihue

Magnifying glasses and a hand held magnifier were essential to accurately judge every characteristics of the flies. Photo by Rudy van Duijenhover.

My friend, Jake Jordan, is back at it again. He’s the night-time tarpon king. He knows where the fish will be, and he’s got the flies and tactics for taking them. Perhaps the greatest thrill of catching a big tarpon at night is the sheer terror of it all—just look at those eyes! Well, not really, but it’s certainly very stimulating. If you want to engage in this nocturnal wresting with big tarpon, get in touch with Jake—see his link to the right.

Imagine being hooked to this thing in the pitch dark!