March 2021
By Allan Nørskov Johansen
Trophy hunt in Karup Å. Part 1.
A late summer morning in August.
I tried to focus a little on the beautiful morning light to the east, which slowly but surely awakened the river valley to action. But the fish joked in my mind and I was impatient to try it again. After a small minute, the fly was sent off again.
This time, I did not lead it up past the stand in a calm, and sliding motion. Instead, I started jerking the fly hard against the current as it came up through the fish's "hug zone". And I have to promise because it gave a reaction. The chop came hard on the short line! I squeezed hard on the cork handle of the rod, while the line loops I had gathered in my left hand were almost ripped out of my fingers. Unbelievable that the same fish can sometimes chop so gently that you can hardly feel it!
The fish was hooked, and immediately jumped completely free of the water in a wild and uncontrolled maneuver out in the middle of the creek. For a brief moment, I could clearly face my opponent. A strong light-colored August male fish, with fiery temperament around the 8 kg, was my opponent this morning.
The fish turned, and descended down the creek in a powerful outlet. I had to quickly admit that I just had to follow suit. Already 30 m down the river the first problems started. Here, 2 large water uncles shared the river's water level, thereby channeling the current through 3 channels.
A late summer morning in August.
I tried to focus a little on the beautiful morning light to the east, which slowly but surely awakened the river valley to action. But the fish joked in my mind and I was impatient to try it again. After a small minute, the fly was sent off again.
This time, I did not lead it up past the stand in a calm, and sliding motion. Instead, I started jerking the fly hard against the current as it came up through the fish's "hug zone". And I have to promise because it gave a reaction. The chop came hard on the short line! I squeezed hard on the cork handle of the rod, while the line loops I had gathered in my left hand were almost ripped out of my fingers. Unbelievable that the same fish can sometimes chop so gently that you can hardly feel it!
The fish was hooked, and immediately jumped completely free of the water in a wild and uncontrolled maneuver out in the middle of the creek. For a brief moment, I could clearly face my opponent. A strong light-colored August male fish, with fiery temperament around the 8 kg, was my opponent this morning.
The fish turned, and descended down the creek in a powerful outlet. I had to quickly admit that I just had to follow suit. Already 30 m down the river the first problems started. Here, 2 large water uncles shared the river's water level, thereby channeling the current through 3 channels.
Here in late August before the porridge in the river is cut a second time, the vegetation in the river is high somewhere. The river is beautiful with the large beautiful and life-giving water uncles, which, caressed by the movements of the current, meander elegantly in the surface. But the water fountains themselves can also be the pure magnets for the fish to hide under. This fish would definitely search the porridge to get rid of a fly in the mouth if the opportunity presented itself.
Like a freight train, the fish purposefully went straight down towards the largest of the 2 water uncles. So I took a hard hold on the rod, trying to slow down the fish with maximum pressure, all the while clumping and without elegance stumbling down through reeds and mud along the riverbank as fast as I could. I changed the pressure angle a bit with the rod, and put hard against hard again. This made the fish stop right in front of the big porridge pad! I got a little more line on the wheel, and now came down on the side of the fish.
A real "concrete block".
I had now caught up with the fish, and put a hard side pressure on it. But it stood unshakably still across the sandy bottom. As if I had hooked an unshakable "concrete block"!
I was sure the fish had not gone into the porridge itself. It was just strong enough to stand completely still and take a little "break" across the bottom, after the fight's first wild end. I changed the pressure angle a bit with the rod and just managed to think that now I was slowly gaining more control of the fish…. then run it off again at full speed!
This time it went upstream, back to the safety of its stand. The strength of the fish was clearly not diminished. I therefore first had to let it run a little line out, and then otherwise just follow up along the uneven bank of the creek again. When I caught up with the fish again, it had gone deep under its own shore at its stand. Here it stood, drilling around, deep under the reeds.
The reeds along the river have a root network, and it's not the smartest thing to get the catch entangled in. So something had to be done! I kept some distance from it, and again put a hard pressure on the fish, to get its head turned out into the stream of the river again. I had to get the fish out of its hiding place before it went completely wrong! I put my hand on the wheel, and blocked it! Now there was maximum pressure on the fish and my tense line peb a faint tone.
It worked! The fish got annoyed, and then stroked vigorously out in the middle of the creek again.
A real "concrete block".
I had now caught up with the fish, and put a hard side pressure on it. But it stood unshakably still across the sandy bottom. As if I had hooked an unshakable "concrete block"!
I was sure the fish had not gone into the porridge itself. It was just strong enough to stand completely still and take a little "break" across the bottom, after the fight's first wild end. I changed the pressure angle a bit with the rod and just managed to think that now I was slowly gaining more control of the fish…. then run it off again at full speed!
This time it went upstream, back to the safety of its stand. The strength of the fish was clearly not diminished. I therefore first had to let it run a little line out, and then otherwise just follow up along the uneven bank of the creek again. When I caught up with the fish again, it had gone deep under its own shore at its stand. Here it stood, drilling around, deep under the reeds.
The reeds along the river have a root network, and it's not the smartest thing to get the catch entangled in. So something had to be done! I kept some distance from it, and again put a hard pressure on the fish, to get its head turned out into the stream of the river again. I had to get the fish out of its hiding place before it went completely wrong! I put my hand on the wheel, and blocked it! Now there was maximum pressure on the fish and my tense line peb a faint tone.
It worked! The fish got annoyed, and then stroked vigorously out in the middle of the creek again.
Here it again jumped completely free out to the water. Time froze for a fraction of a second, and in front of me in the morning's first faint golden light hung one of the river's most beautiful creatures, "frozen in time". It was a breathtaking sight as the fish hung majestically high above the river's water level :-)
Gravity did its thing, and the fish hit the water with a proper "slap" so I was snapped out of my thorn rose sleep. It was still serious and my opponent clearly had no intention of giving up.
Before I could do anything, the fish ran off downstream again! And again it headed straight towards the big water uncle unk!
Limitations and lots of problems.
Slightly breathless, I again got clumped down along the uneven riverbank. I was clearly slower this time and the fish reached the water uncle without me being able to do anything about it. I could not hold it at all… it was simply too strong!
When I caught up with the fish, the damage had happened! The fish had gone under the water uncle, and was now standing and drilling around in there. Of course I tried to push it out of there, but the fish was strong… and totally indifferent!
It was clear to me that here I clearly had to go further downstream to have a chance to be able to "back" the fish out of its crop shed. There was just one problem with this plan. My feet were already placed on the last few feet of solid river bank that was on my side of this stretch of stream. In front of me lay a large area of decidedly swamp, and I would no doubt sink deep in if I ventured out on this mud blanket.
Although I would have managed to get the fish pulled free of the water uncle, I would afterwards be stuck in the mud and totally at the mercy of what the fish would otherwise be able to come up with!
Limitations and lots of problems.
Slightly breathless, I again got clumped down along the uneven riverbank. I was clearly slower this time and the fish reached the water uncle without me being able to do anything about it. I could not hold it at all… it was simply too strong!
When I caught up with the fish, the damage had happened! The fish had gone under the water uncle, and was now standing and drilling around in there. Of course I tried to push it out of there, but the fish was strong… and totally indifferent!
It was clear to me that here I clearly had to go further downstream to have a chance to be able to "back" the fish out of its crop shed. There was just one problem with this plan. My feet were already placed on the last few feet of solid river bank that was on my side of this stretch of stream. In front of me lay a large area of decidedly swamp, and I would no doubt sink deep in if I ventured out on this mud blanket.
Although I would have managed to get the fish pulled free of the water uncle, I would afterwards be stuck in the mud and totally at the mercy of what the fish would otherwise be able to come up with!
The action lamb, and yes… I have to admit it… more easily "maneuvered" by this fish, I could now just wait for the fish's next move and hope for the best!
However, my tactical considerations should prove to be completely and utterly unnecessary!
The fish now went up through the porridge, and swam violently over the water uncle, with half of its back free up in the water surface. Then it dived down through the water uncle again, and drilled itself completely hopelessly into the middle of the porridge. I felt the last few blows in the rod from the strong fish before the contact was broken…!
That is, the contact with the fish was broken. For I now stood hopelessly tethered to a huge water uncle out in the creek!
Disappointment is quickly replaced by joy.
There just went a little while where I did nothing. I just stood breathlessly, looking slightly disillusioned beyond the creek. The last turbulent waves from the fish quickly smoothed out the stream… until they finally disappeared. All that was left now was the shiny water mirror, and all traces of the battle that had just taken place here had been erased.
I was obviously disappointed with the loss of the fish… definitely! But I gathered myself together, and began to twitch the line to the water-uncle. The fish was gone, but I would at least take my fly home from the river… if possible.
Fortunately, I am very conservative in terms of the thickness and strength of the preform material. So after a while, my powerful prey got cut through the porridge. My fly was free again. I rolled the line up on the wheel, and went a little into the meadow.
Disappointment is quickly replaced by joy.
There just went a little while where I did nothing. I just stood breathlessly, looking slightly disillusioned beyond the creek. The last turbulent waves from the fish quickly smoothed out the stream… until they finally disappeared. All that was left now was the shiny water mirror, and all traces of the battle that had just taken place here had been erased.
I was obviously disappointed with the loss of the fish… definitely! But I gathered myself together, and began to twitch the line to the water-uncle. The fish was gone, but I would at least take my fly home from the river… if possible.
Fortunately, I am very conservative in terms of the thickness and strength of the preform material. So after a while, my powerful prey got cut through the porridge. My fly was free again. I rolled the line up on the wheel, and went a little into the meadow.
The birds were fully awake now and they did what they could to encourage me with their beautiful morning song. The morning sun illuminated the dewy meadow, and the late summer's many beautiful cobwebs. Definitely a great sight. But despite all this beauty, I felt a little "empty" inside.
The steps up to the car this morning were both slower and heavier than usual. It was not the first "trophy fish" I lost this season. I had actually grabbed a few pieces lately where the odds had not fallen out in my favor!
The gaze was on the boot tips most of the way home along the creek, but I just lifted my gaze at the last turn you pass on this stretch before turning off the dirt road and going up to the car.
At the entrance of this turn, it was earlier in the season I managed to wrest the creek one of its trophy sea trout. An extraordinarily beautiful male fish, weighing 8.5 kg and 85 cm.
This "trophy fish" had also delivered a hard and exciting fight that required a lot of tactics on my part. The difference to the incident this morning by the creek was, of course, that the outcome of this battle had gone in my favor. Fortunately, not all big fish are lost :-)
A wave of joy washed over me and I nodded just appreciatively to the creek one last time before turning and walking up towards the car. Deeply grateful at the thought of being allowed to fish for such large and beautiful sea trout that swim in Karup Å. Even though I had lost another good fish this morning, I therefore left the river valley with a wide smile.
That's what Karup Å, and its trophy sea trout, do to one :-)
You can read more about the challenges of the river valley, and get tips for tackling these, in Part 2.
Crack and break by the creek.
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.