The trees where dressed up carnival style and another ten twenties had to bite the dry grass along the Umba banks this week.
As usual for this time of season the waterlevel was steadily dropping and the river is now lower than ever before. Luckily the Umba is a type of river where waterlevel has very limited influence on the fishing, but it feels a bit odd to sit down for a cup of tea in places where you would normally expect a salmon to take your fly!
In spite of the low water and the fact that we have managed a fishing-program on the river for the past 8 years, new holding places is still emerging on the Umba fishing map.
Ilthyd Griffith from Wales discovered such new spots in the fast water between the two Rat pools and they are now marked down as the Wales pools. Like the rest of the group, Ilthyd enjoyed a very successful week. He managed two very fine fall-fish of 20 and 25 lb. and before the week was over he became the proud owner of both a 20 x 20 cap and badge.
The Belgian father and son duo – Jean and Jean Louis Van Lock – where also up front meeting the waves of big salmon. Beside a good handful of high doubles they shared 4 twenties topped by a 26 lb. fearless fighter. Jean hooked the fish in Office pool, but it had no intention of staying there and just turned of downstream into the raging inferno of the longest rapid in the Krivetz. Jean and his experienced guide Nick Podolsky made a quick decision and followed the fish in a leg-braking pursuit. Hundreds of yards further down they managed to tame the beast and at last it came to the net and scale. A very well earned fish of the week !
Karl Kliem was the master of another twisted Umba story. He had fished almost through the Long pool when he felt an urge to take a leak. Up on a stone, waders down and with both a fly in the water and an open fly in the trousers a salmon attacked !! Fortunately it was one of the more educated of its kind who knew our fishing rules and non-worm-fishing policy, so the target was the lump of feathers in the water. The following episode was…. ! well lets just say – bizarre !
Water Temp. – 10-12
Air temp. – 9-20
Total fish. – 124
No. rods. – 10
Salmon between: 10-14 lbs – 22Salmon
Salmon between: 15-19 lbs – 25 Salmon
Salmon between. 20-24 lbs – 10 Salmon
Salmon between: 25-29 lbs – 2 Salmon
Top fly: Billy butt, Red Butt, Undertaker, Green Highlander
Top rod (As always) Ilthyd Griffith 21 salmon
Biggest Salmon: Jean Van Lock 26 lb..
20 x 20 Member: Ilthyd Griffith 21/25