Getting some fresh air

The river Kyll always has been the first introduction to fly fishing for trout for many Dutch fly fishermen. I think I spent 10 years fishing the several stretches of this river before heading for more exotic places.

My friend John and I decided to do a one-day-trip to get some fresh air. The river Kyll was the logical choice since it's only a 3.5 hours drive.

We got a day ticket and headed for this 1 km long private stretch near the town of Mürlenbach, just below the town of Birresborn. The Kyll stretch near Birresborn is probably the most visited stretch of the Kyll. At weekends this stretch can be really crowded.

I had to recall when I fished the Kyll for the last time. It must be around 12 years ago. I heard about the near extinction of the once so abundant grayling. I remember those trips where we caught around 100 fish a day on the stretch above Birresborn, most of them being grayling.

Well, no grayling to be found today... In fact, the river looked pretty deserted. Just a dozen of tiny brown trouts were all we saw. The rain of several days before kept the water a bit murky. Ah well.... we got a smell of fresh air under a bright sunny sky!



So this trip marks the start of a new season.
Next stop: mid May.
Destination: southern Germany!