Sunday, August 30, 2009

Fish Report: Wägitalersee 28/08/2009

Two years ago, my wife bought me a float tube for my birthday. Today was the first day I used it, and I have no idea why I waited so long. Sure, it’s more complicated than using one in the US, but I’ve had a list of lakes where they’re allowed for years now, so I have no excuse.

I went to Wägitalersee, a put and take lake very popular with conventional trout fisherman, less so with flyfishermen. I bought my day card after waiting in a surprisingly long line for a Friday, and then I had to find a suitable place to use the float tube, which was easier said than done. The lake is quite big, but there were a ton of shore and boat fisherman. Use of the float tube is confined to within 50 meters of shore, and the long, heavy spinning rods used by the shore fisherman here can easily cast farther than 50 meters. I drove around for a bit, and found a decent stretch of unoccupied rocky shore. Unfortunately, I had to climb down a steep hill through woods with my waders, backpack, and inflated float tube while wearing flip-flops. Finally, I was ready to fish! I fished from a kayak in California, but this was my first time in a float tube and I loved how stable and comfortable it is. I got the hang of it in no time, and while I was worried about having to cast differently, it worked just fine. I used a streamer most of the day hoping for some trout, but the water was still pretty warm and the trout stayed deep. I caught a few alet, including one that was about 40 cm and a pretty fun fight, especially from the tube. I called it quits around two as the wind kicked up and made casting a little dangerous and difficult. All in all, I love the float tube, love my wife for buying me one, and will definitely use it again soon, probably at the nearby Klöntalersee. The Wägitalersee can be a little too crowded for my tastes, especially on weekends, though I’m pretty confident of being able to catch a few trout near the shore when the weather cools down like I did last year.
Decisions, decisions.

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