Last summer, we did a family cycling trip in the Alps, traversing Austria and Italy. Often, we would cycle near the prettiest rivers.
The mountains up there can have a lot of limestone, which colors the water in a unique way. I’m sure geologists will have a better answer, but the rivers were a stunning aqua color.
Unfortunately, most access points weren’t open to the public. In Europe, landed gentry in many cases today are still, well, landed. So, you must pay a fee, but most landowners won’t event allow that.
I’m writing all this because I read this post. I follow over 40 fly fishing blogs from around the world. It is fun to see what other anglers are doing.
So, let’s be grateful for public lands in the USA. Let’s defend them. Once we lose them, it is very hard to get them back.
Fish on, dear readers. The rivers are calling you.
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For my wife’s 50th, we hiked half way up Bischoffmuse, a 3000m tall alp above Filzmoos, Austria, about 40k SE of Salzburg. (Nice restaurant up there with fresh trout.) We saw a few older gents fishing the minuscule streams 3-5’ wide but 3-4’ deep, flowing with snowmelt. One guy was pulling 3 & 4 lb. browns out with a 10’ bamboo pole. Back at the hotel, I asked the owner about fishing. He said a very special license and a reservation are needed for auslanders (foreigners) and are expensive. He said, if we come back next year (this was 20 years ago), let him know at least six months ahead if I wanted to fish. We haven’t been back. Yet.
Wow, what a great story, Gary! The Alps were great: fun biking, gorgeous scenery, kind people and tremendous culture. But, it was heart-breaking to cycle by rivers with so many “Keep Out, Private” signs.
Yes, and their feudal Europe’s legacy based on anti-poaching: stealing the trout or the deer of the king/emperor/duke, etc., punishable by hanging. We’d still have that if not for the Enlightenment and Democracy! Humanism and Progress. Gotta love it!