Club Mouche
24-25 October

This was a great fly fishing trip. If I weren't so sick, I would have had even more fun! I went back to the Club with four other fly fishers. Well, to tell the truth, it was more like three other fly fishers and a rookie. The rookie was not only new to fly fishing, but to fishing in general. As a side note, he saw the "movie" and was motivated. More on that later.

Anyway, started the trip off as usually with a 0500 departure from Heidelberg and a 0800ish arrival at the fishing grounds. The gray overcast skies and intermittent rain (drizzle to down pour) made the prospects look dim. Combined with the raging case of the flu, I was starting to get depressed. Nether the less, the group and I pulled on the appropriate gear (I brought my rubber boots and Gore-Tex this time), and began an assault on the waters of the Club Mouche.

Saturday morning was fairly productive for myself. I was using a combination of nymphs and emergers, and managed to land five nice trout from the first stream to the back pond. I guess I may have caused some dissention in ranks because I happened to hook my first fish with my first couple of casts. Not a bad thing, but I just happened to be a few yards from the rest of the guys. They were still rigging up!

After the massive lunch and wine consumption, I cooled off. Only managed to land a couple before the flu bug forced an early retreat to the club house. The newbie was getting attention from all sides. Victor (the owner) and Serge (the cook), and various fishers from Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Japan were intent on making sure his casting technique and form were coming along. George didn't catch a fish during the trip, but by gum he could cast like a fiend when we left. As a side note, he did have several strikes and a few fish on over the course of the two days.

Day two started out much the same with emergers and nymphs working in the morning. We were down to a total of four fishers by now. Lost one to the flu during the night. No he didn't pass away. He called it quits and headed home early. I don't blame him. When we got back to the hotel the night before, he and his room mate barely got a shower before falling asleep. Only bad note was that they missed the fantastic dinner and continuation of wine tasting.

A really nice hatch of small bugs started in the early afternoon on the second day. Small light colored sedges and caddis fly patterns were working! Kinda late in the season, but I wasn't complaining. Between Paul, Mark and I, we were starting to really have some success switching between nymphs, emergers, and dries as the bugs sporadically emerged from the water.

Mark made a nice presentation on the back of the second pond. He hooked up! With fish and me running to his assistance with a net, I start to shout "let the fish have some line". As the words reached my throat they died to a quiet whisper… You guessed it. Fish, fly, and tippet were gone. Disappointing for him? You bet, but he couldn't stop talking about how he made the presentation and coaxed the fish to take the fly. Ah, a true fly fisherman!

What Did I Learn From All This?

1. Fishing in bad weather (cold and damp) is okay, but fishing in the same with the flu has some serious repercussions. I was incapacitated for the next two days! Sick, exhausted, and worn out. Good thing I took a week off from work.

2. You don't have to land them to have fun. It's unfortunate that flies and tippet break off, but the real joy is getting the fish to take the fly. Sometimes setting the hook is even trivial.

3. Late season hatches are fun! Watch the water and what is happening around you. Only the fish know when they are ready.

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