My friendly neighborhood fishing store owner told me about this place about a week before I went. He said to use Elk Hair Caddis flies and Sedges (brown) 14 to 18 when the hatches start. He also said he caught a 54 cm Grayling there a few years back.

The store that sells the day permits is located in the town of Glatt on the Glatt River (there are two Glatt’s on the Glatt river!). If you approach from the east (A81 out of Stuttgart) it’s the first Glatt. Get off the Autobahn at Horb and head south on 14. Turn right at the signs leading to Glatt. The store that sells the permits is the first one on the left (also the post office). They don’t speak good American so be prepared to mime your way through. The exposed blue German license really helped me.

The permit allows you to fish the area around the juncture of the Neckar and Glatt Rivers. About 800 meters of the Neckar and 100 meters of the Glatt. The permit has a map of the area on the back.

Arrived at the river at about 0830 after the two hour drive from Heidelberg and cluster to find the small store in Glatt that sells day permits. Water was running high and murky due to the rainy weather. It was overcast and about 45 F. Parked on the east side of the bridge over the Glatt, put my waders on, and headed to the water! Yes! Fishing again.

The hatch started about 1000. Small caddis flies. I was able to wade in fairly easily at the juncture of the two rivers from the north, and work both rivers. Caught several small browns and rainbows on a #16 Elk Hair with a green body. Unfortunately, the hatch died out about 1130 when the rain started really coming down. Tried a few more combinations of flies with limited success until about 1330. Moved to the fast water north of the juncture and tied on the egg fly. Not really sure what its called.

I bought two of them at the Gruene fishing store on my trip to San Marcos and the Gaudelupe River last December. It has three small orange balls attached with a quarter inch of mono to what I think is a #14 hook wrapped in red thread.

Anyway. Tied it on to my intermediate sinking tip line with a braided sinking leader. Used the close enough dead drift method from a recent American Angler and proceeded to rake in four nice browns on four casts.  Caught a couple of rainbows on the same before I had to call it quits at 1500. Social engagement and the wife were forcing my return.

What did I learn?

1. This is a pretty good place to fish. Less rain would make it even better with lower slower clearer water.

2. Take a map with you (a good one).  Don't just think you know where you are going.

3.  Don’t take the short cut to the town where you want to buy the permit. Lots of German towns have the same name and you may spend up to half an hour looking for a non-existent store.

4. Leave the CELL phone at home. Well this really isn’t an option, because they know.

5. I still enjoy fly fishing as much as I did when I started ten years ago.