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 First published March 18th 2008 - 7 months ago
Rudi’s little gems Fly-fishing in Bavaria
I love Australia and the Aussies. However I will never understand their enthusiasm for this biggest fair in the world, which doesn't close until 6.7 million mugs of beer have been drunk by 6.2 million visitors last year. I therefore keep repeating the same arguments each year. First: this tourist Oktoberfest has virtually nothing to do with the traditional beer fests, which exist throughout Bavaria the whole year. Sit amongst Bavarian natives and try the distinctive unfiltered Bavarian beer in a small village or little town once and you will experience the real thing. Second: take more than one day off for fly-fishing in Bavaria. The waters are outstanding and you have so many options! I rarely succeed. The magic of the Oktoberfest is too strong for my Australian friends. “Sorry mate! But what about that fly-fishing?” I gave up. Well, not quite. I changed tactics.
Rudi Heger is manager and keeper of the river Traun near Siegsdorf and Traunstein since the early 80's. Meanwhile he has become one of Germany’s largest fly fishing merchants and has created his own fly fishing label called “Traun River Products”. Not surprisingly, his home base including a little fly fishing shop is located right on the banks of the river Traun in Siegsdorf, an hour's car drive south-east of Munich. Rudi’s Traun waters are amongst my personal top five in Bavaria and if you are looking for professional managed fly fishing-only water in wonderful scenery and a real chance for trophy fish, the river Traun is the water to fish. Fair dinkum mate! Rudi Heger offers fishing permits for three stretches on the river Traun and its tributaries, which are virtually all “catch and release” waters. The section in and around the village Siegsdorf is called “Weisse Traun” (white Traun). Merging together with the “Rote Traun” (red Traun) they form the “Deutsche Traun” (German Traun) which runs towards the city of Traunstein. All Traun waters tumble down out of the Kaisergebirge along the Austrian border and are burbling freestone streams. Numerous trout and grayling of impressive large size have been caught in all three Traun sections within the last years, which naturally draws national and international fly fishing enthusiasts to Siegsdorf in larger numbers. It is therefore unlikely that you won’t meet any other fellow fishermen on your day on the Traun. Nevertheless the river management is excellent and the number of fishing permits per day are restricted. However, this also means that it makes sense to reserve your permit in advance. As a former college student in California, Rudi Heger hands out descriptions of the Traun waters including driving directions both in German and English along with the fishing licenses. Additionally you need a national fishing license when fishing in Germany. Luckily, as a visitor you do not have to pass the national fishing test like the German anglers for that. All you need is a passport photo and copy of your identification card. With that, you can simply buy a three month national fishing license in a Bavarian community centre for 22,50 Euros. Alternatively Rudi Heger and his staff will organize that in advance for you if you send the picture and a copy of your ID to the Siegsdorf office a week before your fishing trip starts.
The white Traun is a great start for both beginners and advanced learners. This five kilometres (three miles) long section is interrupted by two major weirs and therefore flows placidly with gentle loops and gravel beaches through the village of Siegsdorf. Access and wading is easy at normal water level and the whole stretch offers a variety of situations during a day of fly fishing. Classical spots like the big pools under the weirs or the deeper, washed out river banks will produce a good number of rainbow and brown trout in average sizes of 35-40 centimeters or some 15 inches. If you move to the Siegsdorf weir you will see dozens of big rainbows up to 65 centimeters or 25 inches cruising in a deep pool. I guess these fish probably already know most fly patterns by name. However, try one of your beadhead march browns or a large stonefly nymph and prepare yourself for some long runs. Apart from these patterns, you will also have success with other “alpine classics” like pheasant tail nymphs, bead head hares ear nymphs or van Klinken's leadhead nymphs in medium sizes. Some local guides additionally recommend to tie in rubber legs for an increased attraction. The “top three” nymphs from Rudi Heger and his team include a grey spectra nymph and the Whitlock's tungsten epoxyback squirrel nymph. A variety of these and other patterns are also available at the fly fishing shop in Siegsdorf. In all parts of this section you will also constantly watch large rainbow trout finning in the current. During my visits in late summer, blue-winged olive emerger and CDC dun patterns were the most effective dry fly patterns under these conditions and the clearness of the water makes sight fishing exciting. In any case, let yourself advise by Rudi Heger or his staff when you pick up the fishing permits. It takes them virtually only a few steps out of the shop to turn around a stone in the stream and recommend the appropriate fly. Costs for a one day fishing permit range from 37,50 Euros during the week to 47,50 Euros on weekends. Fishing is allowed with barbless hooks only, no jigs or glo-bug flies. Streamers are prohibited. At very high water levels you may get a special permission for streamer fishing. Tippet material no thinner than 6X (0.14mm) must be used, and chest waders have to be rolled down to waist level. A 9ft 4wt rod and a 6X fluorocarbon tippet is a good choice on the White Traun, however you may also want to try some of the new light or ultra light fishing methods with smaller rod and line sizes. Rudi Heger is general distributor for Sage rods in Germany and may be able to provide the necessary equipment for you.
This 4 kilometer or 2½ miles long section of the river Traun, running towards the city of Traunstein will without exaggeration offer a realistic chance of catching the trout of a lifetime. Rudi Heger has carefully built up an impressive population of both stocked and wild trout within the last decades. Moreover there is a growing population of grayling and brook trout, which makes your fishing day multifaceted. The water is essentially full of fish. Having said that, prepare yourself for some frustrating lessons on the water. You will see fish in stunning sizes, especially in the crystal clear pools behind big rocks or underneath bridges. However, as you probably expected, catching them is a different story -- even if you are an experienced fly fisher. The German Traun offers a varied structure with deeper passages, narrow rocky parts, overhanging rocks, and barriers of logs suddenly barring the course of the swift-flowing waters of the river. Finding good spots is therefore not hard. The upper bound of the Heger section is marked by an impressive Viaduct, a relict from ancient Roman times in Traunstein. From there on, you could easily spend a whole day of fly fishing on the following 2 kilometers down to the municipal sewage plant. The more the river Traun departs from the city of Traunstein, the wilder it gets. Nevertheless wading and access is comfortable at normal water levels, as the river is accompanied by a footpath in the woods. Even if you are not sure if the trout are rising, give your size 14 to 18 dry fly patterns like Red Tag, Polywinged Midge, Bi-Visible, Griffith’s Gnat and especially CDC emerger patterns a chance. A CDC hi-vis-parachute in gold-brown and a beige coloured CDC emerger are amongst Rudi's own favourites for the German Traun. As always in alpine waters you must “match the hatch”. Nevertheless I found the mentioned flies successful under different conditions. The Traun is watered by glaciers, therefore water levels can change quickly. According to experience, June and September offer constant water levels. Fishing regulations on the German Traun are the same as on the white Traun. Generally, your fly fishing equipment should be adjusted to fish size, so my recommendation would be a 5x fluorocarbon tippet on a 9ft 5wt rod. Costs for a one day fishing permit range from 45 Euros during the week to 55 Euros on weekends. Rudi Heger and his staff additionally offer guiding which is around 195 Euros per day for one and 110 Euros for two persons each. So the next time you are planning to visit Bavaria, don't forget your fly-fishing gear. And maybe you even get a chance to join in a traditional beer fest in one of the villages on the banks of the river Traun after an exciting day of fly fishing. Then you will surely forget about the big Oktoberfest...
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Submitted March 20th 2008
Fly Inglure,
how right you are. However, you should have let me know that before! That could have saved me from presenting my nymph in the riffle. Funny enough, both the boot and the log suddenly escaped upstream...strange things happen while fly fishing (-:
Nevertheless I would like to take the opportunity to thank Martin Joergensen for his great work in preparing the layout of the manuscript!
Mange tak, thanks alot Martin!
Cheers
Tobias