I spent a fun three days on my favourite stretch of the Radbuza this week with some interesting catches.
On the fourth day the heavens opened with torrential rain and thunder all night causing the highest river level I’ve seen here.
There was, and still is, so much water in the river that it’s unrecognisable – up more than a meter and struggling to remain within it’s banks and with the shear force of the flow, I’m wondering what it will look like when it finally reverts to normal levels.
I’m not expecting that to happen any time soon as the forecast is for further heavy rain and storms for the coming week or so.
As can be seen in the above images, even the place I normally sit is under water and the tree stump that helps create a nice “safe” environment for sheltering fish is nowhere to be seen – hopefully just temporarily submerged.
I don’t know where the fish will go to shelter from the torrent, but I’m hoping that the adult fish know a safe place.
As for this year’s fry, I’m not so optimistic.
Summer Levels
As a reference point, the following photo shows the same swim in August 2023. It’s clear how low the river’s water levels get in the summer, and the tree stump I refer to in this post can be clearly seen.
Official Water Levels
The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute maintains information about Czech river levels and have posted this information about the Radbuza river in Staňkov – a little way upstream from my stretch:
As can be seen, the level was recorded at around 180cm above normal.
Other Consequences?
Further consequences could include riverbank collapse – the near bank is already quite severely undercut thanks to the work of the resident Coypu/Nutria population – and, as a result, the trees along the bank often have exposed roots.
Without the influence of flood water, a number of trees each year lose their grip and fall across the river and these floods will surely weaken their hold even more.
I’ll be back there as soon as the weather permits, so I’ll get an idea of any immediate damage.
The Immediate Aftermath
Early indications seem to show that things have changed. The trees are still holding on and the bank doesn’t seem to have been swept away – all good news, but these are early days.
One thing that seems to be conspicuous by its absence is the tree stump which created a haven for the fish. Hopefully it’s still there but hiding under the surface – fingers crossed.
Live Data at Staňkov
Updates
1 June 2024, the levels are rising again and have already reached 180cm which is 150cm above normal conditions for this time of year, and the level is still rising due to consistent heavy rain. There’s not a lot of fishing to be done…
2 June 2024: Further increase in water levels, reaching 265cm – over 200cm above normal level.
4 June 2024: The rain stopped yesterday and the level is dropping. Currently at around 150cm, it’s still over a metre higher than it should be but I’m now looking forward to heading over there with a box of earthworms.