January 2018
By Allan Nørskov Johansen
Guidelines for river fishing.
There is a set of "unwritten rules" which should be taken into account when fishing the River Karup. It is important to be considerate of others and their fishing, and thereby making an effort to treat others along the river, as you yourself wish to be treated.
Most anglers probably already know all about these “unwritten rules”. However, for new members of the Angling Associations along the River Karup, or anglers fishing on a day-permit and who do not yet know so much about river fishing in general, it would be fine just to consider the following, so you are off to a good start by the river.
Here comes a series of tips on how best to conduct your river fishing, thereby ensuring you get a good start on your fishing adventures along River Karup 🙂
Do not step in front of others by the river.
Accept that others arrived before you on the selected stretch of river, and always begin your own fishing behind the ones, who are already fishing the river. At times, there can be many at the river, and this requires that we make sure we give each other sufficient space, in order to execute the fishing without hassle.
If you cannot avoid stepping in front of others by the river, then start your fishing in such a long distance from them, as you would wish that others did, if it were you already fishing and they were stepping in front of you.
There are many opinions about this, but 100-150 meters should be minimum distance, if you step in front of others by the river. Keep in mind that the same consideration applies for anglers, on the other side of the river. As members of another Angling Association, or fishing on a day-permit, they deserve the same respectful treatment.
Casting demo by the river. If this were a real fishing situation, you would need much greater distance between the anglers.
Move along when fishing the river.
You should not “freeze”, when fishing the good holding spots in the river. Take a few steps between each cast, so you are constantly moving along the river. This ensures that everyone gets equal opportunity to fish the good holding spots in the river. When there are several anglers on the same stretch of river, the fishing should proceed downstream along the river.
If you are alone by the river, you are free to evaluate whether you want to conduct your fishing moving up- or downstream the river. The most important thing here is to be considerate of others, when you are not alone by the river. And we achieve this by exercising the fishing, moving downstream along the river.
Move quietly through the river valley.
When you come down to the River from the parking area, you’ll often have to walk a little while along the river, before reaching the starting point on that particular stretch.
Please walk quietly along the river. And whenever possible, you should keep a distance to the riverbank. This is possible on most stretches of the river. The sea trout in the river are big, but also easy to spook. Treading down hard on the riverbank or casting a moving shadow over the water spooks the fish, and makes the sea trout impossible to catch, as they hide away deep in the river.
Moving quietly through the River Valley also applies, when you are finished fishing yourself. Leaving the river in a quiet manor is mandatory, as there are usually still other anglers still fishing the river. And we don’t want to spoil the chances of others by the river, just because we have finished our own fishing, and hurry up to get to the car.
The fish are easily spooked into hiding. Moving along the river with caution is therefore a great advantage.
Get to know the stretch of river.
Do you dream about trying the exciting nighttime fishing in the river? Then begin by taking a day trip to the same stretch of the river, which you are considering to try to fish in the dark hours of the night.
This can be time very well spent, because you can see exactly where the fishing on the selected stretch begins and ends, where there is an electric fence to pass or a ditch to be aware of, where there is a tree that makes a fly cast difficult, and where the river bank is like a swamp?
When you know these things about the selected stretch of the river in detail, it can save you from some ugly surprises in the dark of night. And also worth mentioning is, that if you have seen the holding spots in the river in broad daylight, it further increases your chances of a catch in the dark hours 😉
Light discipline during the night.
Fishing for sea trout by night is an effective method, but it requires a little “light discipline”. Please don’t walk along the river at night with the headlamp switched on, just because you really have no idea where you are! Do yourself and your fellow anglers a big favor, and take a day trip fishing the same stretch of water, that you wish to try for night fishing. If you learn the details of the stretch of river selected, it is far easier for you to move quietly through the river valley at night, without the use of a light source.
In the cover of darkness, the fish move slightly away from their holding spots, defending their territories in the river. But they are still very easy to spook. Shining a powerful light out over the water, or walking along the river with a headlamp turned on, will surely spook the fish back into hiding, making them impossible to catch. Thereby not just ruining your own chances of a catch, but also the chance of your fellow anglers!
It is perfectly okay to turn on the lights to switch the fly, or fix a problem with your leader, etc. But when you do then move a little away from the river like 8-10 meters, and sit down with your back turned to the river before you turn the headlamp on. Then you don’t spoil the fishing. Please do feel free to turn the headlamp on, whenever it comes to landing a fish. After all, that is the real reason for bringing a light source to the river at night 🙂
Have respect for other fishing methods along the river, and time for a chat.
No matter what method you prefer using in your own river fishing, then please respect that others fish in a different way, utilizing other techniques and methods along the river.
Maybe you’re even lucky enough to meet a landowner on your fishing trip, who fish the river using traditional still nets. The fishing method using still nets is only possible to experience utilized along River Karup, as this is the last river in the country, where this type of river fishing is still legal.
But do give yourself time to stop for a friendly chat with your fellow anglers or the landowners you meet along the river, or in the parking spots nearby. They all love the river, the nature and the fishing at least as much as you do. And a large part of enjoying a good fishing trip to the river, is not only defined by catch. It is also very much about meeting like-minded people, and sharing good times together 🙂
“Tight lines” along the river.
Allan Nørskov Johansen
Allan Nørskov Johansen originates from the city of Odense, and he is born 1976. Today Allan resides with his family, close to the river. Allan ”caught” his interest in fishing early on, with brown trout fishing in the small local streams near Odense. Later, many hours along the beautiful coastline of Funen went by, in an ongoing pursuit fly-fishing for the beautiful sea trouts. He visited the River Karup for the first time in the late summer of 1998, and immediately lost his heart to the beautiful countryside, and the river fishing for huge sea trout. Allan prefers a fly rod in pursuit of the beautiful River Karup sea trout, and therefore uses a great deal of time on fly tying as well. The "best experience" by River Karup is often when something unexpectedly and surprising happens on the fishing trip, and the fish suddenly act in a way you did not expect! It creates very memorable experiences. Allan also really enjoys helping others "cracking the code" with fishing tips or flies, so that others may experience catching one of the difficult sea trout from the river. His own best catch from the river is a male fish of 92 cm and 11.0 kg, caught at the end of June 2015. The fish was his second trophy fish from River Karup, surpassing "the magic 10 kg" mark, and gave him a long and memorable fight on his single hand fly rod.