In theory the best fly is always the fly you are fishing. But how is it in reality? Read More

In theory the best fly is always the fly you are fishing. But how is it in reality? Read More
Blue terror on the flats
Everybody is just keen about GTs when it comes for fly fishing flats with the heavy fly fishing gear. But there is a fish who’s reputation is heavily underrated and even more fun to catch on the fly than GTs are. Read More
The ultimate fly fishing backpack: Simms Dry Creek Z
Worried about having everything on the flats with you? Scared that your camera is getting wet after a spontaneous swim? Rocks can be sometimes slippery and rivers far too often deeper than expected. You need a waterproof fly fishing backpack. A good fly fishing pack has to offer a lot!: High durability, lots of space with minimum wight, the right size and the ability to protect your gear from the elements. Read More
In the second part it becomes even bigger. A 90 cm GT is a good start but nothing worth traveling the half way to the moon. The weather in paradise became worse and there was not much time left to get the really big one on the fly. Is Aitutaki good for a surprise? Read More
In the land of the giants
A big GT on the fly is what every saltwater fly fisherman is dreaming of. I’m fascinated of GT’s since I saw the a video about it on YouTube many years back. Its a brutal non-forgiving fish that you either can tame or he will show you who is the boss on the reef. There is no room for any mistakes and no GT will give you a second chance. GT in the surf… it can’t get any better! Read More
Won’t crack under pressure. The big game fly fishing reel
Need a Monster reel for monstrous big fish?. A Monster reel? The Nautilus Monster! Just by its size alone the Nautilus Monster takes the name. But can it beat our friends Giant Trevally, Tuna & Co?
Designed for fish that are notorious for being really hard to handle. Read More
Reduce to the max
Are you a fly tyer or a fly buyer? I love tying my own flies and I recommend you should do the same for two good reason. I became a fly tier instead of a fly buyer already very early in my fly fishing life and I do not regret it. First you have the material for the fly under control. The choice of the hook is especially for saltwater fly fishing crucial, but also the rest what kind of material being used. Second, is the willingness to understand the prey. This is not given when you buy flies in a shop or even online. It makes you a more thoughtful fly fisher that understands why a fish is taking a specific pattern and denies others Read More
2017 / Cook Islands / Aitutaki / Bonefish fly fishing
The biggest asset of Aitutaki in the eyes of a fly fisherman are the bonefish. These silver shadows grow up to massive sizes of more than 20 lbs on Aitutaki and although they are not regularly caught on the fly there is nowhere else in the world a higher chance to catch a double figure bonefish on the fly than on Aitutaki. Because this sizes are common on every flat in numerous sizes. Read More
2017 / Cook Islands / Aitutaki / Another fly fishing trip to paradise
It was long time quite silent around me. I apologise if you got bored to look on an outdated blog but I was and I’m still pretty busy with my job, and .. here it becomes interesting for you, the preparation for another epic fly fishing trip. And finally I got married which is also one of the reasons I can tell you some stories. We finally came back to Aitutaki. Read More
How about the best boots out there?
Is there a boot available that beats all other wading boots regardless who made them? What do you think?? I guess you can imagine the answer. There is of course no such a boot out there but I know one that is very close to this. Its not a boot that has no drawbacks and also not a boot that will live endless but it is a boot that have accompanied me now already two years and I’m still satisfied as on the first day. Read More
Sage Xi3 vs Salt. Which one is Sage’s best heavy saltwater rod. The broomstick shootout!!! One statement ahead. Neither of them is infallible Read More
Two things you need to catch a fish. A line and on its end a hook. And the hook is the subject of this blog. Hooks for pike fly fishing Read More
2016 / A fly fishing year in a review.
2016 was more than a successful fly fishing year. I’m looking back to a year I caught a lot of fish, had some of my greatest fish ever caught and again made lots of lifetime impressions. The year goes by and I feel good. Read More
Guides N’ Guiding. Fly fishing on a new level
Guides and Guiding, hosted trips or DIY fishing. Some love it, some hate it. Beside different favors to head for unknown waters there are also essential differences in the value of a guide. What is the benefit of a guide and what’s a good guide? How about the rules for a guide and services a guide should offer. Read More
There is a new RIO VersiTip II from RIO Products out on the market. The 2016 released RIO InTouch VersiTip II. The 180 Euro question is… is it better than the old one? What is new and is it worth to go for it? Are there any considerable alternatives from other manufacturers. The answers are now available. Read More
5 years ago I went the for the first time to Rügen. Many times I thought not to come back and check out something totally different but I’m coming back year after year because of a unique chance. The chance of the really really big one. It is still waiting for me, unfortunately! Someone is calling it the pike wonderland and that’s actually a pretty sweet description for it. Read More
Indian summer is back!
Autumn is the best time of the year. It is not only the most beautiful part of the year but also the most productive for fly fishing!. I like this cold frequently changing weather a lot with its fast fading days. Cold hands during the day and a hot shower in the evening after a successful day. The time has come for the best dry fly fishing. Its a bit more challenging because the water temperatures highly influence the activity of the fish during the day but it is for me this the most rewarding fly fishing of the entire year. Read More
This time I thought it might be worth to check out the 10 common mistakes you can do when fly fishing for pike. Fishing and catching fish is always a bit of luck but nonetheless here are my lessons learnt that made me a better and more effective fly fisherman. And of course they can be also applied in other fish species. I hope they will help you too. Read More
A year ago I got a new tool I was hoping that it will revolutionize my fly fishing. It was the OutCast Fish Cat Streamer XL. Did it? I will tell you later. Read More
The opposite of fly fishing for big fish in big rivers??? Trout dwarfs? Ever heard about that fish? Its not a baby trout that has been born recently. NoNo! I’m talking about full grown trout that have the same age as their bigger brothers but just in length of a fin. Read More
The ulimate line for the ultimata beast of a fish Read More
One Line, one legend Read More
The Anaa Project Read More
One more epic fish. The dark soul on the flats Read More
The reef is a place where a human being is just a wrongly placed intruder. Humans were not born to go there! So the ideal condition for a funny day fishing out there :). Read More
I guess you are excited to see how the story continues? Flat fishing on Anaa. Here it comes. Read More
Ia Orana! “Hello” My this year’s adventure took my again far far away. My fourth saltwater trip took me to French Polynesia respectively Anaa. I spent there 5 weeks with one week purely fishing on Anaa. It was my hardest fight I have ever had. And I mean this in many ways. Read More
South pacific is calling. Again!! And I’m following the call. Read More
Finally I got the fish I was waiting for .. a very long time. Pure river gold! Read More
What’s going on? …….. I went out for fly fishing and found once more the pure beauty of fly fishing in spring. Read More
A new season has begun! The day has come every fly fishing in Austria was waiting for. Two months of waiting are over. Read More
Essential tools you need for pike fly fishing Read More
Austria is deep frozen! Snowzilla has reached the land of the alps. Fishing is entirely impossible. A land deep frozen. Read More
Welcome to my third pike fly collection. Fly fishing for pike. I was motivated to create me a new pattern that is big enough with a fairly good silhouette and easy to cast for longer distances. The perfect pattern for my trip to Rügen. Read More
A year in a review. 2015 is over and I’m looking back to a successful year with a lot of nice fish caught and an immense amount of lifetime impressions Read More
The season is ending and not because of the ending year. The last chance to catch some nice pikes. Read More
How would it be with catching fish? Sooner or later you end up with the thoughts that there could be more. An epochal end of 2015! Read More
There is one thing that is the highlight of a fly fishing year. It is the late fall with all its colors, the dropping temperatures and the hungry pikes that want to feed up for winter. I like it. Read More
The misery continues! Read More
A year past and as every year it was time for some serious pike fly fishing. The Baltic sea with its peninsula Rügen was already the last 3 years my home for a week or two. So also this year Read More
Terror in Paris.. An act of violence which the world doesn’t need.. Those guys should have been better gone fishing than killing people. Read More
The prime time is now! Read More
Is that the new book of books about pike fly fishing? Read More
Chances you have to use. And this weekend I had the chance to fish a completely new water. A real gem. Read More
As bad as now it never was! The pike fishing is a drama. But no! That’s not the full truth. There’s something else, something that is exception going well. Read More
The days are getting shorter and the season change is approaching. The pike fishing is around the corner but first I decided to stick to the salmonids. Now in the fall it’s particularly nice when the trees change color and colorful leaves swim downstream. Right now the time has come to fish on beautiful graylings. Read More
The gorge is my gym. A day on the edge Read More
A dark valley, a small micro cosmos with the wildest trouts in the heart of Austria Read More
The summer is hot, the streams are cold and the fish are rising. The time went by and I’m not missing my summer pike fishing at all. Read More
Twenty Six Minutes
The best comes at last. There is one fish missing in the hall of fame catch list Read More
Flies
The key to a successful fishing trip!! Read More
Sage ONE 486-4
The ONE and only Read More
Triggerfish disaster
Cpt. Quint quoted “Some you lose and some you get”. But what if all got away?. Read More
Dos and Don’ts
Los Roques Dos and Don’ts. What todo on thousands of islands. Read More
The Outcast Fish Cat Streamer XL
Is this the start of a new love? Read More
JAWS
This is a shark on the fly story. Not as big that we would have needed “a bigger boat” but exciting and funny little guys on the fly rod. Read More
The tarpon misery
All I wanted was to catch a big tarpon. In fact the tarpons were it why I came to Los Roques. Not quite but almost Read More
The Tackle
What to bring to Los Roques? With my guideline you will be prepared for any kind of fishery in the summer months of Los Roques. Read More
Chapter 3
Bonefish I guess it is one of the few fish out there that make you addicted with just one fish caught. That fish is everything else than boring. If you are reading this, so I suspect you are a fisherman, and you haven’t caught one already you should threw away all your unnecessary tackle an go bonefish fishing. This is the experience every fly fisherman has to experience. Read More
Chapter 2
There are many reasons to come to Los Roques! But for some reason I can remember only one. And that reason has fins. Read More
Chapter 1
It started with an idea. Everything I wanted was to have a inexpensive vacation in combination with a superfine saltwater fishing. Bonefish, Tarpon, Permit and as extras the sharks didn’t let me sleep for long time. After Aitutaki the bar was set very high. In the end it came all better than I ever dreamt. Read More
I’m not dead although I didn’t wrote much in the weeks. I had a good reason for being silent. Read More
King vs. emperor??? When the grayling is king, the brown trout is emperor in Austrians crystal clear waters. Read More
There is something new, upcoming this spring. After my trip to Aitutaki last year it will be hard for every location to compete. Los Roques is different in many cases but in one case I’m sure it will offer me the same. Fun to fish!. Let’s see! Read More
Las Salinas
Las Salines is the most lonely place on Cuba except maybe Guantanamo bay. But else than Guantanamo bay, Las Salinas is really a nature jewel. 1700 square miles, the largest wetland in the Caribbean. An untouched nature reserve forbidden to enter except maybe for fly fishing. And here the story begins. Read More
DIY fishing on the Cuban cayos
What about DIY fishing. Is this something that could be interesting for you? Apart from highly paid guides with years of experience? Going fishing on your own. Success or failure depends on you. Read More
Dos and Don’ts
Cuban Dos and Don’ts. What todo on the crocodile island. Read More
Outcast Super Fat Cat
It was in 2012 when I thought a real boat is the only way of comfortably fly fishing on still water. Only a year later, I realized how wrong I was. Thanks to a good friend I made my first belly boat experience with an Outcast. And on the same day I called my fly fishing dealer to order my own one. An Outcast Super Fat Cat. And I’m lovin’ it Read More
The tackle
Do you want to be perfectly equipped for Cuba? This chapter will explain the main thoughts behind the gear I have used for all kind of fly fishing in Las Salinas and Rio Hatiguanico. Read More
Tarpon @ Rio Hatiguanico
Tarpon fly fishing at the river Rio Hatiguanico. A bare-knuckle fight with one of the strongest fish to hunt with a fly rod. Read More
Cuba Special
Hola Amigos!!!! This story tells about my very first saltwater fly fishing experience back in 2012. A fly fishing journey to Cuba, the country of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Cohiba cigars and Havana Club rum. A trip back in the past, feeling a country that hasn’t changed for centuries and fishing remarkable places, catching fish of a lifetime. Read More
Welcome to my second pike fly collection. The pattern you see below is not completely new but they are all variants of my all time best working flies. Read More
Yesterday was the last fishing day for this season before all kind of predatory fish are protected for recreation and spawning. It was my last change for pike before a 3 months fishing break. The last day…….. Read More
The first days in January went by in the hurry of work and even more work. A calm day out for fishing brought back the silence and concentration out in the nature, me, my fly rod and a irresistible fly. Read More
Use a fly line that is as versatile as your fly fishing is
No compromise is my motto when it comes for fly fishing. And so year after year I bought more and more fly lines till I found a line that covers almost all of my fishery even without making a compromise Read More
Happy new year!!!!! ….. The first day in 2015 started not as expected Read More
2014 was a epic. A year before I didn’t imagine that I would fly over to the other side of the world for chasing GTs and monster bones. That was long time a dream of my and it came true! Read More
2014 was a great year for me, caught a big variety of species starting first of all with pike, walleye, perch, trout, grayling, char, carp and almost a wels catfish. All in one and of course my biggest love were the pikes and in this respect this year was outstanding, exceeded all my expectations Read More
What is better than a day out for fishing? ….. Going out for a second day ; -) Read More
Hangover fishing after Christmas. After more than enough Christmas here, and Christmas there it was time to head out for a peaceful days in the wild, fishing, alone!!! A day, just me and my finny pals. Read More
Visionary
Recently I received the opportunity to intensively test Visions brand new top notch wading outfit with an interesting outcome Read More
Sunday morning and I woke up with the sound of raindrops on my window board. From the first moment it was clear that this won’t be the most comfortable fishing day we have ever done before. Read More
Old habits die hard! Hungry for fly fishing I returned back to a water I explored last winter: Sometimes you have a feeling when planning a trip that doesn’t let you sleep well. This is the story about trying something new. Read More
Last week I tried out fishing a complete new location. A branch of a river that is know to its healthy population of northern pikes. I heard from this water already a few months ago but never had time to find try it it out. It is an exclusive piece of nature. Even you have to register to a queue when fishing a single day. Its name… Stempfelbach I was really excited whether it was worth the effort. Read More
Wading through 4 feet of freezing cold water, stuck knee deep in mud, blistering cold fingers and constantly blowing wind,… fly fishing for northern pikes. This is the winter fly fishing on Rügen. I’m loving it. Read More
Day 7, last day
Too much of a good things ain’t such a bad thing. The mission for our last day, catching pikes as we never did ever before! Read More
Day 6
Back to the forbidden! Two more days for fishing here on Rügen and we wanted to fish another delicate spot. A spot, where just the way to get there let your heartbeat raising. The most important thing when fishing there. Don’t get caught. Read More
Day 5
The time has come to offer a fishing more exciting than ever before. The story tells about a group pikes that were after a swarm of baitfish. 9th of November and a new level of pike fly fishing began! Read More
Day 4
There are days that offer a superb fishing, a great experience. Last day was such a day, but our fourth day wasn’t in no case such a day. Read More
There are always some things you should do and some things you shouldn’t do. Within this chapter I want to tell you what are the real musts and what can be skipped. Read More
Day 3
Fox, You’ve stolen the goose, and if they didn’t fall from sky, they still would fly happily around. Noooo, I’m not crazy, but now here is a crazy story Read More
The last 3 years a lot of gear went trough my hands and I can say I found for me the ultimate gear fishing for pike, especially also or fishing on Rügen. And in case you likes what I have showed so far and you are ready to start into your own adventure let me explain what you should bring along with you. Read More
Day 2
Day 2 of our trip and we wanted to do the ultimate fishing day on a spot that is well known but unexplored because,…. fishing a forbidden fishing spot!. Read More
Can you imagine wading a quarter mile out from shore, sand to muddy ground with a lot of water plants. You wade through 2-3 deep water till it you reach a drop off, the place to fish for northern pike. Nothing for the faint hearted. Read More
Day 1
The sun rises over the endless reed beds that are softly blowing in the slight morning breeze. The water is calm and crystal clear. Some small baitfish are swimming around your feed when you wade slowly through the water. Everything seems to be peaceful. But appearance are deceptive……. There is something in the water with bad intention. This is the moment when you focus your attention to just on one thing. Strip line off your reel, lift the rod and cast the your fly. All your senses told you where to cast, you can feel it. You start stripping, 1, 2, 3, 4, a jerk in your line…. and you know this morning becomes a great Read More
It had to happen and has happened!! Before I will unleash a new flood of reports about my recent adventure to Rügen@Germany I do have a story that cannot be deferred. Read More
As every year it draws my fellows and me to the north for some for some Baltic pike fly fishing on the archipelago Rügen. Let’s call it a relaxed men’s retreat wade fishing for plenty of toothy critters. The last two years were a hell of a fun with a partially unbelievable good fishery. With the cooling water temperature the big pikes migrate from the open Baltic sea into the archipelago. They can now be found in the deeper water areas and wholes. The journey begins…… now.. Read More
Saturday, … and we had different things in mind. Actually we planned explore something completely new, fish the weekend in hungary on the lake Theiss. But well, things always end up differently than you think Read More
Thanks god its Friday!. After a hard week at work I thought the time came to use the last hour daylight for some after work pikes. Now with the early sunset the fishery has to become very effective. There is no time for some experiments. Read More
But not too long ago I went with my mate Stefan for some serious trout fishing on a warmer authum day. What should I say. I’m thoroughly a pike fly fisherman but when it comes for raising brown trouts you don’t need to convice me long. Pure dry fly heaven follows, now! Read More
Sunday, again out for fishing on our recently discovered lake. This time together with my mate Mario. Although he is more addicted to spin fishing we tried our luck with the fly rod. The fly fishing on that lake has its up and downs. Recently more downs but the hope never dies. Read More
This Saturday once more it attracted me for some pike fishing in the hope to continue with the excellent fishing I had the last two weeks. When I saw the sun raising in the morning and the first sunbeams shining into my face then nothing could stopped me. Read More
So far I didn’t had luck with the big ladies this season. Now in spring the chance is high to draw them out. They need to feed as much as possible for the upcoming winter and more important for us fishing guys is that the all present water vegetation is dying and opens up area that couldn’t be fished during the year. Now see what happened. Read More
Here’s something you might every pike fly fisherman should have in his fly box at all times. Synthetics are in some situations unbeatable and especially big ones offer a great shape under the water and also create lot of pressure under the water that can be recognized by the pikes lateral organ even in the murkiest water conditions. And never forget the visual imprint! Read More
Fishing with two buddies, nice weather, a lot of pikes, and a real big fish. Just that I’m going to fish with my buddies was clear when I woke up at 0500 Saturday morning. The rest was just pure fly fishing fun for pikes. Read More
Need a fly reel for pike fly fishing? More a must have then a need to have. Seriously you need a fly reel and I will tell you which one is the right one. Read More
Last Sunday, beautiful weather and I went out for fly fishing. Since a the last 2-3 weeks the weather calmed down and the sun came out. This will be my day. The idea was to fish the whole day from sunrise to sunset. And with the nice weather hopefully the pikes will be in good mood. Read More
Work, work and again work. I wish I could go more for fishing. Its Tuesday and somehow I was able to made it for a quick hour fishing to my new lake. This are the hours that can change a hectic business day to a successful and enjoyable fishing day. Read More
Back for some pike fly fishing with my buddy Mario. And the competition was on, who will catch the most pikes?. The spin fishing guy or me with fly fishing. See what happened. Read More
I’m lovin it! Read More
Last Sunday afternoon I went with a friend, Mario, out for trying out a new lake in the surroundings of Vienna. It says, the pure paradise for pike fly fishing. Nobody there is fishing for pike, just a few carp fisherman. Virgin pikes that have never seen a fly before. Read More
Some new tasty pike flies for toothy pikes out there. This one has been tied with a bunch of natural materials like ostrich hearl, icelandic sheep, marabou feathers and given a mix of flashabou fibre for some attraction in the water. The trick of this fly is ….. that it catches pike like cheese the mice. Read More
What is the perfect fly rod for pike fly fishing? Do you thing there is an all satisfying answer on this? Asking this question to 10 different people you can be sure to get some different answers. 8 out of 10 will recommend a 9 weight rod and the rest tend to recommend maybe even a 10 weight. I rarely came across somebody who recommended differently. I love 8 weight rods that fullfill 98% of my pike fly fishery. Read More
Once more I tried my luck, very early in the morning. The water, a real jewel in the middle of a metropolitan city. It offers so much to me. Recreation, Regeneration, and fun. And it holds the biggest pikes you can imagine. Pikes above the 45-50 Inch class. Every year many of those big giant pikes are caught. Read More
It’s the early bird that catches the worm!
In this sense, Philipp and me went out, last Saturday, for some pike fishing in the hope that with the rising autumn the bigger pikes get hungry, leaving behind the pikes kindergarten. With the first sunbeams we were on the water. The water and the atmosphere looked so promising. But did left the pike babies behind us? Read More
Since long time I made it yesterday to the water for some pike fishing. Although I blogged the last couple of months about dreamy saltwater fishery, I still love my pikes. It is a different fishery but still fascinating. I didn’t had time yesterday a lot. Just made it for 2 hours to the water to a lake directly in the city, shutting down from stressful working day. Read More
Your line if it has to go fast down under
You might know the situation that you have to get your fly down very fast. The fish is swimming deep, you fight against current or the there is no time to wait till an intermediate line sinks. This is the metier of the RIO Leviathan 26ft sinking fly lines. They are designed to close the gap where intermediate fly lines are too slow sinking essential when you want to fish deeper waters. They already saved my Cuban trip when I fished there for Tarpon in the river Rio Hatiguanico and on Aitutaki I used them for smaller trevallies in the partially milky lagoon water. Read More
Aggressive fly rods require aggressive fly lines
On Aitutaki I fell in love with an ultra powerful sort of fly line, the RIO Tropical Outbound Short. A fly line that is made for ultra long casts. A line that loads modern super fast fly rods easily. A line that cast exceptionally easy even at the strongest wind. The line of your choice if you want to cut through the wind like the hot knife cuts through the butter. Read More
There are situations when you have to present a fly deep for bonefish
On Aitutaki I was phased exactly this situation. The water was deeper than on the usual flats. Fishing with floating lines would have been much more difficult getting the fly down fast and keeping it down. It is the fact that bones don’t like when the fly is popping up too much. At least those on Aitutaki were very sensitive on too much fly movement. Big dumbbell eyes would also work but they also make a big signal when they hit the water. This are the situations when you need a intermediate fly line such as the RIO General Purpose Floating/Intermediate. Read More
What is your expectation to a fly line fishing for GT?.
It must be powerful to transport big bulky flies easily out, preferably up to the horizon. And it should have a strong core that gives you a reserve to land the fish even if he tries to cut you off on a coral. All this can be served from the RIO Leviathan Floating fly line (2015 Model is called RIO GT). Read More
The conclusion
What should I say now. I hope, with all my pictures I was able to convey you the beauty and the fascination of the south pacific. It is truly an unbelievable beautiful place on great planet earth and I am really proud to have visited it in my life. All the money I have spent for it, all the worries I survived, all the troubles lay behind, what is left is the memory of the journey of a lifetime. You have to see it before you believe it. What you have seen is just a snapshot of it. There are so many more varieties, the cooks offer, I haven’t shown, simply because I focused on the fishery there only.
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The last day
We are now at the end of my Aitutaki fishing journey. I didn’t thought initially, but I made an extra fishing day, especially due to the finally consistent weather with wind from the least problematic direction. And I couldn’t leave that paradise without another day with the hope for another good fishery. It says you should finish when it is the best so I wanted this feeling when leaving Aitutaki. I had this already once at Cuba, fishing for Tarpon. I lost a big one some days before and this was in my mind and It didn’t let me sleep. So I went for it and caught an even bigger Tarpon on the extra day. A big fish on the last day makes a trip totally perfect. So see what happened on Day #8 at Aitutaki. Read More
Day 7
The day I was waiting for the whole trip. The day started as usually with a call from Itu what and where to fish. Itu said something like that the conditions were rough but possible to went outside of the reef. We agreed to went outside of the reef to fish for tuna and mahi mahi. Sushi time!! Screaming reel and fresh sushi with soy sauce were already in my mind but it came completely different. See what happened Read More
Blue Water Fishing
There is another very interesting kind of fishing you can do at Aitutaki. Far aside of the blue lagoon, outside of the reef Aitutaki offers a paradise for blue water fishery for a big variety of fish. If you want to fish for yellowfin tuna, no problem. Fishing for Wahoo, Barracuda or GT, No problem. Even Marlin or Sailfish shouldn’t be a problem. Caught fish are regularly reported. Read More
Day 6
We are coming to the sixth guided fishing day. Else than the more or less poor last day, this day should be again like Day #4 with a lot of big fish. I mean Day 5 wasn’t totally bad but at Aitutaki you get spoiled with some day where you catch and catch and catch. Also that day?, Rua was again my guide, Itu was still booked by another guide. Although I’m really happy with Rua, I hope that there will be at least one more day fishing with Itu. Why? Not because I thought Itu is better than Rua. No, but you know Itu is Itu, from Itus Bones and I would like to experience also with him. OK, now it starts. 8:30 Rua arrived at Ootu beach, also this time together with Junior. They were pretty hectic because they have seen something…. Read More
DIY Fishing
For DIY fishing Aitutaki offers a big spectrum of possibilities depending where you stay. I can fully recommend Ootu Beach, close to the Airport. Don’t you will not recognize the Airport at all. The advantage there is that you have 3 very good flats directly infront of your house and the reef directly in the back. Everything reachable within 5 min walk and the home flat just 20meters away. But be carefull. DIY fishing for bonefish is not as easy as it might look. Firstly there were a lot of fisherman who tried their luck already, secondly you also have a lot of swimmers and surfers around. The last is less a problem than it might look. The bones are used to it. Read More
Day 5
Day5, and still 8 days on Aitutaki. Slowly I won back my confidence that the luck will be on my side to fish all planned 7 guided days. When I planned the trip I thought the weather would be the least problem in the south pacific. Sometimes you are be wrong. On my fifth day the weather was not perfect either. Still a lot of wind and partially clouds, but the clouds where the smalles problem of all. Of course it made sight fishing for me more complicated but Rua, with whom I was fishing that day, had no problem spotting fish under such conditions. With Itu, we called each other every morning, I agreed with him every morning how we will fish, no matter if he will guide me or Rua. The guide that day was again Rua, joined by Junior, a trainee Guide, and fishing for Bonefish and partially for GT. Read More
The Guides
Bone fishing is a big business on Aitutaki. Depending on the season there are more or less a lot of anglers on the atoll. In terms of guiding you have two options at Aitutaki. Firstly you do have Itu Davey and his guides that offer all kind of fishing. Literally everything you want to do in terms of fishing can be provided by them. No matter of bone fishing, GT fishing, Reef fishing or even offshore fishing with their new 10 meter offshore boat. The second option is Butch Leone who is already guiding on Aitutaki since a lot of years whom you can book fishing inside the lagoon for bonefish and also other species. Since I haven’t fished with him I can’t tell you much about him, just that he is a friendly and competent guide. So my below review is only in respect to Itu and Rua Davey. Read More
Day 4
The fish are getting bigger. This day it was planned to fish again for GT in the hope to get at last the big GT we were after. Itu was unfortunately already booked by another client. It was planned to fish more days with him but the weather really balked my plans. So Rua saved the day once more and came together with Shaka, a funny guy that is also guiding for Itu. The weather was much better than the days before but not fully perfect. At least the wind came from a direction from where the flats where sheltered by the islands. Good but not perfect
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Dos and Don’ts
If you now decided to go to the Cook Island and especially to Aitutaki you will be lucky. Here are some things you should consider for your trip. The Cooks are not big and the offer of activities is limited but there are some really must dos and also some things you can stay away in order to prevent from failed trip. Read More
The tackle
I received already a lot of questions regarding gear and tackle, what to bring to Aitutaki. So what do you need to buy to be prepared. I was, for almost all aspects, perfectly equipped so I’m very happy to share my success recipe in terms of fly tackle. Read More
Day 3
.. at last. I was close to get a crazy there. Every day wind, wind and even more wind. Finally there came a slightly calmer day. Yuhuu.. Or should I say fuck!!?!?!. I was not the only angler on the island and Itu was already booked. Don’t give up hope, Itu said, and sent me his brother Rua. Yuhuu, lets go fishing. I really had panic that I couldn’t have made my 7 days of guided fishing. But, OK, day 3 was about to start. Quickly for a breakfast and only the cooperation of the bones could stop me now. Read More
Getting There
How to come to the most beautiful place in the world? With all the beauty of the lagoon and the big fishes in mind, as a European, I have to say Aitutaki is really far away. Flying overseas is peanuts, compared to this. Almost 50 hours of travel time, 23.000 km of distance to travel and 12 hours of time difference. If you now ask me if it was worth to do. Definitely yes, it was. I’m even honest that I did such a extreme journey. Whatever comes after will be just a piece of cake. Read More
Day two
My second guided day. This day I was invited to fish with Itu and Rua (brothers) together with a clear target. A Giant Trevally on the fly. I can tell you in front, that was the best guided day I had so far. Each, Itu or Rua, has the ability to spot fish far away and in a very good count. But having four eagle eyes on board was awesome. No fish did escape from our vision. Casting and hooking all of them was a different topic but you will see later. Read More
Giant Trevally
The ultimate gangster of the flats. I was dreaming of GTs since I saw a guy fighting one on the fly rod at Youtube. They grow up to 200 lbs and 150 cm of length. Fighting one is like you hook a truck at full speed. They can make mince meat out of a 12 weight rod with within seconds if the angler is not prepared. There is no room for mistakes when fishing for GTs. And most of all they are very clever. They really know their hunting ground and use every obstacle to fool you. If there is a coral in their way they will use it to get rid of the fly line and at last the hook. Hooking a big one, fighting and land him, then you can say you really reached the peak of what is possible with the fly rod. There is only a handful of fish that can top a Giant Trevally. Read More
Day one
Let me remind to that day….. Its already more than a month ago but I still can remember like it was yesterday. We initially canceled that day fishing because the weather forecast said that it’s too windy. So I went out in the early morning for DIY fishing. I was 10 minutes on the home flat as my girl friend came running with the message that Kaleena, Itu’s wife is on the phone with the message that fishing can start because the weather became better. I think I made the 100 meters on the flat faster than Usain Bolt. On the phone Itu told me that Rua, his brother, is going to fish with me on that day and he will pick me up directly in front of our beach villa. Read More
Bonefish
When I think about bonefish immediately a screaming reel comes in my mind. I haven’t seen so far a fish that takes, compared to his size, more line than a bonefish. These are pretty amazing fish. Hard to land, hard to catch and the most of all hard to see. I was fishing for them already in Cuba and they were a miracle already there but in Aitutaki bone fishing comes to its peak, .. for spotting them and especially because of their size. In Aitutaki catching a bigger one, lets say, above 7 pounds is more likely
than catching a small one.
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The Fishing
There are many reasons to come to Aitutaki, but if you are a fisherman, the biggest of all reasons is the fishery. The lagoon is full of fish, starting from Bonefish, to several trevally species, triggerfish, milkfish, and many more. And the best, they are all catchable with the fly rod if you know how. The main target fish is the Bonefish. No wonder, the atoll became known and popular for it’s bonefish conservation program. In 2009 the marine resort decided to protect the bonefish population, prohibiting netting for bonefish in the lagoon of Aitutaki, and only allowed catch and release fishery for bonefish. The device was. Get the wolf to protect the sheep. The netting fisherman of the past times are the guides that make fly fishermen’s dream come true.
The blue Lagoon
Aitutaki is famous about its turquoise-blue lagoon. And this lagoon is so blue that it should be stated in the Duden under true blue. You firstly see the lagoon when you come with the plane. When the plane circles over the lagoon you do see billions of turquoise-blue facets only interrupted by the dark color of the corals blocks, almost white sandy beaches and the green of the palm trees. In that moment I knew that it was worth to come the long way from Europe to the cook islands.
The Preparation
Uhhhh.. That’s a sensitive topics. I’m someone who always goes on the safe side. Everything that could be needed must be prepared. Like the device. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
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Introduction
Everything started two years before in Cuba where I got infected by the salt water fly fishing virus for Bonefish and Tarpon. From the first minute it was clear that this was not my last adventure to salt water. Last year we were a little bit unsure where to go so at last we decided to go for a vacation close to our home, firstly to take the dog with, secondly to save for the ultimate trip… for this year Read More
For no special reason, some fly lines don’t come with factory loops. Why is that so? Honestly spoken I don’t have a clue about this. I’m pretty sure they could put loops on them that do the job. But ok, they don’t do, so we have to find a way to prepare our fly lines for the battle. Here comes my solution that might be interesting to share with you. Read More
When you read this I’m already on the way to the paradise. Have fun with my Aitutaki fly collection. Read More
More than a year I was dreaming of this trip. Once I have seen the Video of 7 dregrees south and the GT fisheries it was completely gone with me and it was very clear that I want a GT on my account. Read More
All Flies out plus 2 Bonus flies!!!. Welcome to my first pike fly collection. Its starts with my all time favorit fly pattern. This fly doesn’t have a name. Its just a very productive pike fly. Sparsly tied this fly is really nice to cast, create a nice profile under water and does have a slinky play.
Where on the planet you can fish for the biggest bonefish, chase for mighty GTs and have also the unbeatable opportunity of one of the most beautiful islands that can be found on our blue planet. For me the answer is clear. In the south pacific, pretty much in the middle of nowere there is an atoll called AITUTAKI. Read More
What is worse than a small, shaky nutshell? A sunken small, shaky nutshell!!. Read More
I bought a new play tool. Already when the Method was launched I was very interested in it. Why. hmm.. That’s a good question. Maybe because it’s red. Read More
Today I want to tell you about big pikes, really big pikes. Since I began fly fishing for pikes I was dreaming about the big ones. The internet is full of happy fisherman with big fish smiling in the camera. All this motivates the ones sitting behind the screens. The tales from the old generation fisherman about descent pikes been fished centuries ago doesn’t make it better. Wouldn’t they have killed all them in the past there would not be only dreaming but also a serious fishing for them. Read More
Last year I got a recommendation for a new fishing water. A water in the middle of a metropolis, Vienna. The city I’m living. It sounded like a fairy tale. No long rides to the water, no high expenses driving around for hours, no wasted time that could be better used with a fly in the water. But is this water really that excellent as many people say? Yes i heard from many people about that water. So I gave it a try …. see what happened during Season 2013 …. Read More
This is the third issue of my pike fly fishing trilogy. Unfortunately it was also the last day for this season. I felt getting sick and the season was close to the end. Only a few days left. For me the last chance for a last pike. Read More
This is the second part of a fly fishing trilogy. Again out with a friend for pike fly fishing. And it is getting harder and harder. The water is not very big and since it is pretty new to many fisherman all head for the same, PIKE. The spinning fisherman got already frustrated, somehow the pikes got used to their baits. Anyhow spinning lures, especially those from the old generation fisherman, are not that good. Usually its either a Meps blinker or some kind of rubber fish with a 50 grams lead. You can imagine in a habitat with a lot of dead trees those guys have to lure ultra fast not to snag a tree or something else sunken. But the pikes love it in winter much slower than usually, therefore they don’t catch that much, only suicide pikes. Read More
Recently Stefan, a good friend of mine and also one of my pike on the fly fellows had a fish of his lifetime at the other end of the line. As my addiction are the pikes, his is the Huchen or Danube salmon (Hucho Hucho). He had already some of this bigger trouts last year but all from the smaller category. So a decent fish was still missing.
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This is a trilogy about some pikes i had end of January a few days before the closed season started. Day 1, Saturday i went out with 2 friends for fishing. It was a nice, warm day and the sun was shining. The mood was excellent that day and we had our joy. Read More
When the season is about to finish every minute on the water counts. So yes I took the chance for some fishing. The weather was cold, like real winter should be. The driving to my fishing spot took ages. When you head out for fishing you want to put the fly in the water, not spend 2 hours on the highway driving. But as a city dweller I’m in the unlucky position to drive a lot. I got used to it.
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Check out my latest creations i tied up for my new trip planned for May this year. Yes its going for salty shores for some really toothy critters.
A very long time a I forwent around glitter flies because I was the strong opinion that they are not as good as natural looking flies. They don’t make a big imprint, they are spooky for the fish, they are for those fisherman that have no fantasy.
All bullshit and I will tell you why. Haha!!!
Why is an animal that eats wood like we do the same with a BigMac the best friend of a fly fisherman? Because it cuts down trees. This trees fall in the water and build perfect habitats for bait fish and their predators like the pike. So the beaver creates structure in a water.
This winter was very calm and warm which is excellent for pike fly fishing so there was plenty of time to explore unknown waters. As i already described in my Blog “Top Secret #1” this can be very exciting and also productive if you find the right water.
The last days this winter before the pike season ends were very exciting. My fellows and me went some days out for getting some descent pikes before the season closes for 4 months. Just by writing this article a drowned in tears what to do for such a long time. But that’s OK, the pikes also need some rest and spawn so that there will be a new generation of small pike critters out hungry for our flies.
It was the 5th of January and i didn’t thought about fishing that day. But i got a call from a friend that told me that there is a new section to fish in a water that I have discovered pretty late last year. The new water has not been fished for a long time and is now available to fish for all license holders. It was not hard to convince. By the motto, the early fisherman catches the biggest fish, I was at 8 on the water with my belly boat. The water seemed on the first glance like a paradise. Even without fish I would have been very happy about that day.
It didn’t take long and the first small pike took my fly
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Austria is a country with a lot of waters, lakes, rivers and meadows. That could mean something good in terms of fishing. Could!!! Since a lot of older guys went out in the past just for meat fishing each caught fish died. When over centuries the ration between released and killed fish tent more to killig the stock of fish decreased over the last decades. So except for Trout and Carp fishing there is no much room for extraordinary fishing in Austria.
But there can be still some magic moments on the water when hit the right spot where long time no fisherman put his hook in the water. With 8 million people you can be sure that every part of the country has been discovered many times. But most of the fisherman are lazy and our for an easy catch. THe modern technologies like Google Earth also offers some backyard exploring right out the living room.
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Rügen is an island on the northern part of Germany at the Baltic sea. It is plenty of lagoons an peninsulas with sandy beaches and as well muddy meadows. The Strelasund, a 2km wide estuary, splits the island from the mainland Germany. It is also very well known for its huge chalk cliffs raising high over the Baltic sea.