FLYFISHING IN EASTERN TYROL

It was published in the Czech Fly-Fishing and Fly-Tying Magazine No. 2/1999.

Austria, the European country in the heart of the Alps, was the aim of my trip in last year's August. I decided to visit the area which is called the Eastern Tyrol or in German language Osttirol. One could say it is a hidden and forgotten area of Austria lying between the Alps in the north and the Dolomites in the south. Thanks to its suitable location in the south of the main alpine ridge, the Eastern Tyrol is often called "the Sunny Side of the Alps". It is true. If it rains in the north of the main alpine ridge it will be warmer and sunny in the south of this ridge. It is a great advantage for fly-fishing. The rivers don´t suffer from muddy water after rains. The brooks often start its way below glaciers and so those rivers haven't any problem with water after a long draught. Snow and glacial melting causes a later start of fly-fishing season. The season is from the end of June till the half of October. Rivers and brooks, which flow from glacier-free mountains in the south, haven't this small handicap and can be visited earlier than in June.

The most important river is the Drau River, which follows the eastern direction to its confluence with the Danube in Serbia. The best places can be found downstream from Lienz, a capital city of Eastern Tyrol. A five kilometers stretch has excellent trout but its reputation is for grayling. Here you also find the rare Huchen (Hucho hucho) growing to a size of 50 pounds (25 kilograms) and more.

Some parts of rivers or brooks are private. Let's concentrate on private waters. The owners are usually hotels or private pensions that sale the permit to their guests only. No additional Austrian fishing license is required. The daily permit costs from 200 to 350 ATS. The most expensive permits are for the Drau River. They cost about 1500 ATS per week. The owners are responsible for the quality and quantity of fish in their own parts. Keeping your catch is permitted. Each hotel sets its own limit as to number and size. Good angling ethics are suggested, returning the smaller specimens is good sportsmanship and the using of barbless hooks is suggested.

Most anglers with experience of lowland waters measure a stream by its width. The mountain stream varies tremendously, at its headwaters, narrow with water gushing over rocks and creaming through gorges, and sliced-through boulders. But, here and there the stream widens in pools. Sometimes turning almost back on it to create holding areas for fish. The mountain stream, even when it grows wider, keeps that description until it enters to a river and loses its own name. This fishing can be hard work, calls for concentration, though once enjoyed becomes an addiction.

Tyrol's mountain stream have a grandeur all their own, the surroundings are majestic, the fishing intense and the rewards so satisfying.

Let's have a look at the Villgraten Valley, one of Austria's most marvelous alpine valleys. The entrance to the Villgraten Valley is guarded by Castle Heinfels, and then you can enter to a hidden and forgotten valley with its air of self-sufficient innocence that many tourist areas seem to have lost.

Fishing in the capital clear water in the Villgraten Valley is only available to a small numbers of anglers. The courses of the brook pass alpine pastures and small hovels inviting anglers to linger and to gain vitality for everyday-life. In my opinion the Villgraten Valley isn't suitable for beginners and could be recommended for experience anglers. Only flyfishing with barbless hook is allowed there. In the upper parts the brook is meandring through the alpine meadow and reminds me the upper Labarge River in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Only beavers and cutthroat trout were missing there. River flows more slowly there than in lower parts. By my visit in August a dry fly was quite successful here. Humpies, Dave-Jay Hopper or Parachute Adams, hook's size 10-16, worked well. More downstream the brook runs fast over rocks and boulders, the gradient is very steep. There are a few deep pools but wild trout are very clever there, because most anglers try their luck right here. The other parts aren't visited regularly. A good technique can be the short nymph especially in places where the banks are covered by trees and bushes. Wadding or long casts are impossible there. The nymph should be weighted for the fast stretches. The brook contains a native brown trout and char and in some places stocked rainbow trout. The average size is about 30 cm (12 inches) but in deep pools there are some trout about 50 cm (20 inches). I was lucky my biggest brown trout was 54 cm (22 inches) long.

And how to travel there? The nearest airports are Salzburg and Innsbruck in Austria or Munich in Germany. One week is the recommended minimum of the trip.

Well, at the end let me tell you a typical angler's greeting in German speaking countries: " Petri Heil!"

P.S. Some information in this article was used from the official brochure of Eastern Tyrol Tourist Board.