There are a number of things I need to achieve in preparation for my return to fishing – the list seems to be never ending.
The biggest step will be obtaining a Czech fishing licence but I’ll come back to that later.
To get your Czech fishing documents, you can follow my detailed procedure: How to Get Your Czech Fishing Licence and Permit. It’s easier than you might think.
For the moment I’ll talk about what I am actually doing now, it’ll be easier.
The main tasks I’m currently involved in are: choice of swim, bank preparation and the identification of species present in my stretch of the Radbuza.
Choice of Swim
I’ve chosen three swims for my initial testing of the waters and have, so far, concentrated on feeding one of them with encouraging and, for me, surprising results.
Fish Species
Among the species I’ve so far positively identified are most of the usuals: Dace, Chub, Roach, Bream, Tench, Brown Trout etc. But I was also happy, and surprised, to see both Brook Trout and a surface feeding Barbel – taking my bread almost upside-down!
Bank Clearing
This week I took delivery of the first item in my shopping list of tackle and accessories – a strimmer.
It’s not an item I would normally think about adding to my tackle, but the stretch of river I’m lucky enough to have access to sees very few anglers these days.
So the banks of ‘my’ stretch are fairly overgrown and difficult to navigate – a strimmer was a must.
I tried clearing the bank with a sickle, but it was hard work in the sun and it kept flying off its handle leaving me to search through the long undergrowth to retrive it.
The battery powered strimmer is going to help me no end!