A multi-national grouping if ever we saw one.  A mix of Spanish, Swiss and Austrians, (with Stefan Haider as the group leader), this must have been the “multi-linguistic” week of the year. At the dinner table there was an interesting mixture of Spanish, French, German and English, with José Benito in the centre, “cause he mastered em all”.

The week started just as the last one ended with low-water (-20cm) and the fishing was technically quite demanding. Opening orders was for delicate presentation, small flies, and the need to search the pools for running fish.  Tuesday heralded the first change with a few drops of rain however it was not until Wednesday when we really saw the change the river having risen 20cm with a further 5cm by Thursday.  Despite the rise in water level the river stayed clear, and we are now starting to see the first signs of Autumn, with the water temperature staying low for a couple of days after a cold night. 

Intermediate lines work the best under such circumstances, and it’s necessary to slow down the fly by mending your line at least once during the drift….depending on the pool of course.  The change in water-level also meant bigger flies with Wollybugger’s and Yuk Bug’s  proving to be the right choice.  This change in conditions also encouraged a large group of smaller fish to run the river, and as always we’re just waiting for the bigger ones to follow.  It did however stir up the older fish which accounted for many of the larger ones.

Our Swiss team showed us how to “share” a beat, with Laurent showing an ability to entice the smaller fish whilst Alain followed up with the more hefty examples.  On the other hand the Austrian team measured success in numbers of rods taken on any individual outing with the guides rod-holders bursting with almost every conceivable rod that Loop could produce.

Not the most productive of weeks however the water is rising and tonight we’ve started seeing the first big fish of the run from this weeks high water……but most of all, now it’s perfect conditions for the dryfly.

No. of rods: 9
Avg. weight: 8 lbs
Biggest fish: 15½ lbs
Top rod: “Willy” Dolleshall