Here in the Czech Republic, the Chub season is closed from the 15th March until re-openning again on the 16th June, so what does a Chub angler do in Spring?
Not all is lost as there are a few species which have no closed season and many of these can be found in the local rivers. Examples are Dace, Roach, Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout which all seem like interesting targets.
The list of “unprotected” species also contains Carp, Grass Carp, Crucian Carp and Rudd, but I’m not likely to target them.
The Tench, however, is also without a closed season but my approach to fishing for these wonderful fish is a little different and not part of this article.
On the 16th of April, the coarse fishery Brown Trout season also opens.
So Spring is full of possibilities.
Dace and Roach Flies
Often, a good approach to targetting Dace or Roach is to scale down some of your Chub flies and, although I will go down to 18s or 20s when the going gets tough, I try to stick to 14s and 16s to try to avoid the smaller fish.
Here are a couple of wet / nymph ideas which are easy to tie in smaller sizes.
Of course, these patterns are not the only ones to consider – I like smaller soft hackles, various nymphs and larvae flies as well as a few simple dry fly patterns when there is surface activity.
Any of these patterns may also attract the occasional Brook Trout or Rainbow Trout and they provide good sport on light tackle, but beware of the river Carp which can be a nuisance!
Further Information
For details of the rod, reel and other tackle I use to fish these flies for Dace and Roach, please check out my post about fly fishing for Chub, it’s the same setup: