Trip Report Club Mouche 22-24 May 1998

Trip Report - Club Mouche
22 - 24 May

It just keeps getting better and better. Arrived late (1730) on Friday, but still had a few hours of daylight left to catch a few. Just worked the first pond inflow and outflow points to warm and prepare myself for the next two days of serious fishing. Caught a few 18" Rainbows and a Dobel on the trusty black and multi-color gold bead head nymphs by the check dam where stream flows into the pond. Didn't expect any hatches because it was a little too chilly and rainy today, but tied on a monster German tied Mayfly when I saw some popping up. Nada.

Actually spent most of time between catching fish talking to the Portly Belgium fly fishing guru. He was around the first time I came and tried to improve my cast after a good wine soaking at lunch. Not much luck then or now. He did say that he caught about 11 fish that morning on a #14 damsel nymph that he ties. He gave me one as he was leaving that night. He had been at the Club for three days already and was heading home. Think he and the rest of the Belgium National Fly Fishing Team caught and released almost every fish on the place. Fish just weren't biting.

Lost the Damsel fly at 0835 the next morning on the first fish. Fish on, one jump, two jumps, three jumps, pop, swoosh, and snap. Unintentional long release.

Went to the corner of the pond opposite the in flowing stream and tied on the imitation of the ugly fly I used once on my last trip here. I tied it with a #6 streamer hook, black thread, black marabou, and black iodized dumbbell eyes. Not much of a fly really (marabou tail and clumps of Marabou spun on the hook shank), but when the lunker hit it I couldn't believe it. Saw it all about five feet from the bank. One smaller rainbow (22 inches or so) was following the fly in, when the big one came charging from around a point and smashed into it from the side. Good strike, good set, good God! Wrestled him in after about 20 minutes of run and retrieve. Forget about the small net I had with me. This guy was big so I climbed into the water and got the net over his tail, and wrapped one arm around his torso.

The fly was hooked sideways in the mouth. Got it out and pulled out the tape measure. He was 69 centimeters or 27.6 inches. This was a PR Rainbow for me. Revived and released him and proceeded to get serious. Caught two more with the Ugly before I lost it on a long release (gotta do something about that). I only tied one before I came, and had to resort to using some other flies.

Caught two more with the black wooly worm with the gold bead head, before I moved on to the second pond. Tied on the little black zonker and caught two in the second pond then moved to the third pond and used a greenish brown gold bead nymph to catch a few more. As I was working my way back toward the club house, I saw some fish rising in the back water of the second pond. I tided on a brown sedge because I noticed some similar critters flying off the surface of the pond. Missed the first strike on the first cast and nailed a little 17 incher on the second. Cast, settle, twitch as the cruisers come by. Worked three times before I had to call it quits for the day.

The next morning I arrived at 0830 again. Caught two Rainbows over 20 inches in the morning right away on the black wooly and zonker. After that nothing, until I decided I needed to try something new. The bead head nymphs were drawing looks, but not takes. Pulled out a pheasants tail nymph and a peacock herl nymph with a brown hackle collar. Both were very effective with little twitches as I retrieved them slowly. Little tug, little tug, pause, little tug, STRIKE. Cool! Caught one more on a brown sedge right before I decided to call it a day and help Victor with his webpage.

What did I learn? I like this place, and I need to tie more flies. I hate not more effective flies on hand when I lose them on a unintentional long release. Gotta work on that too.

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