Spawning season salmon and seatrout

November 15 marked the end of the fishing season in the rivers of East Jutland. Now salmon and seatrout are left alone to do their job – to spawn and secure another generation of salmonids.

The River Guden has good numbers of spawning grounds for seatrout that like to spawn in the smaller tributaries of the main river. Amongst these tributaries the River Lilleå produces about half of all the seatrout in this, the longest river of all Denmark.

As for the salmon, they are in for a tougher time. They require larger water with coarser bottom to spawn succesfully and this they do not find any lomger in the River Guden. Their main spawning grounds are at the bottom of the artificial Lake Tange, covered by a thick layer of mud.

The future of Lake Tange and thus the salmon population of the River Guden is being debated right now. So far the politicians have decided upon prolonging the working period of the hydroelectric power station Tangeværket by another two years.

Pike and pikeperch in winterclear lakes

It is now high season for pike and pikeperch in the lakes of East Jutland. These predatory fish really thrive in the cold waters of December where frost has killed off a large percentage of the algae, making for clearer water.

All predatory fish species benefit from the less turbid water but especially the pike and pikeperch feed voraciously now and may again be caught on artificial baits that they had no chance of seeing earlier on in the algae infested waters of summer. Now trolling again becomes a productive way of fishing – and an interesting one.

Large Rapala and Bomber wobblers are good bets for artificial baits in December, red and white Hi-Lo wobblers also. The latter may be adjusted to fish high or deep in the water depending on prevailing conditions. Typically pikeperch stay in deeper waters during the hours of daylight. When the sun sets they move into shallower waters or rise towards the surface to feed. Adjust your wobbler accordingly and catch fish!

Julsø, Brassø and Lake Borre are amongst the favourites when it comes to pikeperch fishing in the Lake District of East Jutland. If you are looking for a monster pike, Silkeborg Langsø, Lake Fussing and Lake Glenstrup are good bets.

Overwintering seatrout in brackish waters

Water temperature is now getting closer to the point where seatrout in saltwater do not like it any more. Those immature seatrout that haven’t already left the ocean for the freshwater and spawning grounds of the rivers now start looking for the brackish waters of more secluded bays.

Fish that have been stocked on open shorelines with no rivers in the immediate vicinity typically return to the place of stocking when they become sexually mature. Often you may see coloured fish jump clear out of the water on warm and quiet December days spotting a mirror-calm surface. These fish are usually difficult to catch – unless you fish with small drab coloured flies on long leaders with light tippets. You need to fish your flies s-l-o-w-l-y in the month of Christmas!

The Bay of Mariager is a good bet for saltwater seatrout in the cold of December. At the bottom end of this long and narrow bay you will encounter silvery and immature seatrout as well as dark fish preparing for spawning. The latter are illegal prey from November 16 until January 16 and must be released unharmed no matter how big. Only silvery seatrout with loose scales and exceeding 40 cm may be taken.

The Bay of Kalø at the northern end of the Bay of Aarhus is yet another good spot for overwintering seatrout in the salt. Along the open shores of Djursland seatrout are getting scarcer as most fish have now left the salty ocean and entered the Channels of Kolindsund or the River Guden further up north.

Canonball Christmas Cod!

Coastal cods are in peak condition in December. They are well fed and preparing themselves for the spawning season ahead. They typically start spawning sometime after New Year, depending on locality, salinity and water temperature.

The coastal waters of December usually have a temperature a little too cold for comfort – for cod that is Therefore they move into deeper and warmer water where they prepare themselves for spawning. They still feed but don’t do it as voraciously as earlier in the year.

Quite often you will experience quiet and cold days where cod are not the least interested in the silvery pirks and spoons normally used. On days like that you should search your tackle box for artificial baits in red, orange and yellow colours – preferably small flies or supersoft jig tails that are often taken eagerly by the very same cod that completely ignored your larger pirks and spoons.

In the waters between Hjelm, Sletterhage and Samsø you can normally find cod that are willing to cooperate. if you prefer fishing more coastal waters, the outer piers of the Harbour of Aarhus is a good bet for wintery cod. These fish all make for some great eating when back home in your kitchen!

© 2023 Steen Ulnits

End of season salmon

November 15 marks that the end of season in the rivers of East Jutland. So if you want to catch a salmon or sea trout in one of our rivers, now is the time to do it. The fish are there in good numbers!

The River Guden has had yet another great season with some anglers bringing home several good-sized salmon. Most of the fish are of course 2-3 kg grilse but good numbers of one-seawinter salmon in the 5-6 kg class have been caught this year. Finally a number of fish have exceeded the magic 10 kg barrier.

Both salmon and seatrout are caught by fly fishing, spinning or baitfishing. If you prefer fly or spinner, both artificials should be fished deep and slowly to entice the coloured fish that no longer have any striking reflexes left from the ocean. Both fly and spinner should be large and gaudy to attract attention from aggressive prespawning fish!

Many dedicated salmon fishermen stick to bait and choose fresh shrimp that are mounted on special rigs. Obviously these shrimp remind salmon of their feeding in the depths of the North Atlantic. At least it is a fact that you primarily catch salmon when you bait your hooks with shrimp. Seatrout much prefer worms!

Pikeperch in clear water

It is about high season for pikeperch in the lakes of East Jutland. This very tasty but also tricky and unpredictable fish with its characteristic “marble eyes” really thrives in the cold waters of November where frost has killed off a large percentage of the algae, making for clearer water.

All predatory fish species benefit from the less turbid water but especially the pikeperch feeds voraciously now and may again be caught on artificial baits that it had no chance of seeing earlier on in the algae infested waters of summer. Now trolling again becomes a productive way of fishing – and an interesting one.

Large Rapala and Bomber wobblers are good bets for artificial baits in November, red and white Hi-Lo wobblers also. The latter may be adjusted to fish high or deep in the water depending on prevailing conditions. Typically pikeperch stay in deep waters during the hours of daylight. When the sun sets they move into shallower waters or rise towards the surface to feed. Adjust your wobbler accordingly and catch fish!

Julsø, Brassø and Lake Borre are amongst the favourites when it comes to pikeperch fishing in the Lake District of East Jutland.

Seatrout in search of brackish waters

Water temperature is now getting closer to the point where seatrout in saltwater do not like it any more. Those immature seatrout that haven’t already left the ocean for the freshwater and spawning grounds of the rivers now start looking for the brackish waters of the secluded bays.

Fish that have been stocked on open shorelines with no rivers in the immediate vicinity typically return to the place of stocking when they become sexually mature. Often you may see coloured fish jump clear out of the water on quiet days spotting a mirror-calm surface. These fish are usually difficult to catch – unless you fish with small drab coloured flies on long leaders with light tippets.

The Bay of Mariager is a good bet for saltwater seatrout in the cold of November. At the bottom end of this long and narrow bay you will encounter silvery and immature seatrout as well as dark fish preparing for spawning. The latter are illegal prey from November 16 until January 16 and must be released unharmed no matter how big. Only silvery seatrout with loose scales and exceeding 40 cm may be taken.

The Bay of Kalø at the northern end of the Bay of Aarhus is yet another good spot for overwintering seatrout in the salt. Along the open shores of Djursland seatrout are getting scarcer as most fish have now left the salty ocean and entered the Channels of Kolindsund or the River Guden further up north.

Coastal cod on the prowl!

Coastal cods are in peak condition in November. They are well fed and preparing themselves for the spawning season ahead by feeding voraciously on anything that moves. They typically start spawning sometime after New Year, depending on locality, salinity and water temperature.

The coastal waters of November usually have a temperature that suits cod just perfect. Therefore they move into really shallow water where they gorge themselves on tiny fish and crispy crustaceans. As always crabs are very high on the list! Really large cod seldom move into shallow water, no matter the temperature. Instead they stay in deeper waters where you need a boat to get in touch with them.

Quite often you will experience days where cod are not the least interested in the silvery pirks and spoons normally used. On days like that you should search your tackle box for artificial baits in red, orange and yellow colours – preferably small flies or supersoft jig tails that are often taken eagerly by the very same cod that completely ignored your larger pirks and spoons!

In the waters between Hjelm, Sletterhage and Samsø you can normally find cod that are willing to cooperate. They make for some great eating when back home in your kitchen.

© 2023 Steen Ulnits

Closing soon: The River Guden

The River Guden Association held its annual angling competition in September. The purpose of this competition being to raise money for further stocking of the river with true River Guden sea trout.

This work is being done by local fishermen on a volutary basis and fish are raised at the association’s own hatchery in Skibelund near Bjerringbro. This work resulted in many sea trout being caught. Salmon too were plentiful.

Apart from this, October in general marks that the end of season in the rivers of East Jutland is getting closer. So if you want to catch a salmon or sea trout in one of our rivers, now is the time to do it. The fish are there already!

Apart from the mighty River Guden, the Kolindsund Channel sare another good bet this time of year.

Large pike in skinny water

Below the surface of the many lakes in East Jutland hectic activity is going on in October. Pike are extremely well fed this time of year, and the water temperature is just perfect for them. Because of that you may find surprisingly large pike finning around in surprisingly shallow water – pike that until now have stayed in the cool depths of the lake.

Hotspots for October pike are Lake Glenstrup, Lake Fussing, Silkeborg Langsø and many of the other lakes in the Silkeborg area. Here you may also enjoy some good fishing for pikeperch – best at the end of October when the water starts clearing up after the heavy algal blooms of summer.

Julsø is always a good bet when it comes to fishing for pikeperch – Lake Borre and Brassø equally.

If you fancy the delicious fillets of perch, October is also a prime month. Perch have been feeding heavily all summer long, putting back on the weight that they lost during the spawning time of spring. Lakes offering good perch fishing are Lake Ravn, Lake Fussing and Lake Glenstrup to name a few.

Shoreline cod at dusk

It is high time for catching cod from the beach and will be so for the next two months. Now the water temperature is again low enough for cod to thrive in, so now they are leaving the cold of the depths in favor of the rich feeding found closer to shore.

As always cod are on the lookout for their favourite food – crisp crustaceans like crabs! They vaccuumclean the kelp beds for these delicacies and doing so they become very vulnerable to red and yellow shoreline woblers fished slowly just above the bottom.

If you are a fly fisherman you may try casting realistic and drab looking crab flies. But you should know that quite often cod prefer the gaudy coloured flies to the realistic ones…

As always you should pay special attention to the hours before and just after sunset. This is when you will find most cod within reach of your casts from the shoreline.

The beautiful shores of Djursland are truly the hotspots of October – whether you fish for cod or would like to try your luck for sea trout.

Fine flatfish for the frying pan

The largest flatfish of the year are always caught in late summer or early autumn. The reason being that then the fish have fully recovered from the strenous spawning period of spring. Now they are fatter and heavier than ever, and for that reason October is a very fine time for pursuing flatfish.

Use a traditional paternoster type rig with two hooks hanging from the main line in short pieces of nylon with weight attached to the end of the line. Hooks should be longshanked #4-6 so as to be easily removable from the mouths of hooked fish.

They should be baited with lug worms that can be bought in most places close to the beach – if you don’t want to dig your own at low tide that is. Slices of herring may also be used and are always easy to get hold of – even in the supermarket!

But beware that herring slices are but emergency bait compared to lug worms – unless you fish strictly for brill and turbot both of which are highly predatory fish. Fresh sand eels make an even better bait for these fish if you can get them.

The Bay of Ebeltoft is one of the hotspots of East Jutland when it comes to flatfishing. When it comes to turbot it is probably one of the best spots in the whole country. If you fancy tasty flounders, the mouths of Bay of Mariager and Bay of Randers are well worth a visit in October.

© 2023 Steen Ulnits

Keep on moving…

…if you fish rivers, that is.

Well into September most larger seatrout have left the ocean and ascended the rivers to spawn later in the year. They are no longer silvery but have taken on the colours of the spawning dress.

Especially the males become territorial this time of year – a habit you may use to your advantage when fishing for them. By making several repeated casts to the same holding spots you may be able to lure an aggressive fish into striking.

But do consider that this late in the season you are seldom alone on the river. For that reason many rivers have adapted the rule that you should constantly be on the move while fishing. In this way you avoid the irritation of having one fisherman putting a particularly good spot under siege and thus keeping others away from trying it.

Heavy rainfalls in late July made it possible for many salmon and seatrout to ascend the rivers of East Jutland and fill up the pools. Both the River Guden (with the productive tributary Lilleåen) and the Channels of Kolindsund now hold good numbers of fish making a trip to either one a promising proposition. In the River Guden you even stand a good chance of hooking up with a real Atlantic salmon!

Golden Trout on Golden Days

Most large seatrout have now matured and left saltwater in favor of freshwater rivers. The remaining seatrout in the sea are thus smaller but nevertheless still difficult to catch. They have spent all summer feeding voraciously in the ocean and are now well fed and very discerning.

On beautiful sunny September days they can be particularly difficult. With the sun shining from a cloudless sky and the water lying mirror calm, fishermen often have to look at fish finning around in shallow water – rather than catch them. Unless you switch to the lightest possible tackle – ultralight gear with diminutive revolving spoons or tiny dark flies.

It is by far easier to hook up with a fish on grey, wet and windy days where seatrout are much more active. This kind of rough weather may remind them of the upcoming spawning season and a winter where food is scarce. Thus they want to make sure not to let any food pass by. At the same time they start migrating along the shoreline – probably searching for freshwater.

On days like these strikes are often hard and uncompromising – on lures and flies that may be surprisingly large. Those megahard strikes are followed by long lasting battles!

Points and landspits in the Bay of Aarhus and along the shoreline of Djursland produce salty seatrout in September.

Prime time for Perch

If you fancy the striped predatory perch in freshwater lakes, you cannot posibly find a better month than September.

These fish are now extremely well fed and in top condition after a summer of relentless attacks on this year’s pinfry – activity that usually takes place in the margins of the weed beds. At the same time the water is still warm enough for fish to hunt actively all day long. Thus September is the top month for bringing home some very tasty perch fillets for the pan!

Pike are a different matter alltogether as they do not fancy the warm water of September. They have moved into deeper and cooler waters where they are more difficult to locate. The peak season for pike is later in the year – in October and November – when they migrate back into shallow water.

The same goes for the ever unpredictable pikeperch that also has its peak season later in the year when frost has killed the algae and cleared up the water. Right now it is difficult to find and catch.

The pike and perch of September may both be caught in the beautiful Lakes of Silkeborg or in Lakes Glenstrup and Fussingfurther north.

Time for the annual oxygen depletion

It is sad but it is a fact: If you are a dedicated sea angler, September is not a top month for you here in East Jutland. Reason: September is the month where the annual oxygen depletion sets in – in the depths of the sea. This inevitably has a significant impact on the fishing.

Despite a summer that was quite grey and wet, the sea still holds fairly warm water. And for that reason the best angling spots are those that offer deep water and strong currents – be it close to the shoreline or reefs and banks way out in the sea.

The annually recurring oxygen depletion pushes cod and other bottom fish away from the depths of the sea – back into shallower water where oxygen can still be found. Thus these fishes should now be sought in shallower water with a strong current to cool down and oxygenate the water.

The ocean at Sletterhage offers both – steep underwater slopes and strong currents. Here it is almost always possible to find some fish and get some action while you are waiting for the cooler waters of the coming winter.

© 2023 Steen Ulnits

Mackerels in Kattegat

Each year a number of mackerel are caught in the waters off Randers Fjord and Djursland. The large majority are caught in nets but many more mackerel could be caught on rod and reel if anglers targeted these fisk more specifically.

Fishing for mackerel peaks in August where most mackerels have reached Danish waters. Usually they hang out in deeper waters where they can be reached exclusively by boat. Only rarely do they get close enough to be caught from the shoreline.

Very often these mackerels feed in deep water where you need at least a Dipsy Diver to bring your lure down. If you have access to a downrigger so much the better. Then you will have no problems getting down deep where the fish lurk – even using light tackle fit for this the strongest of all fighters in Danish waters!

Autumn seatrout on the move

In August large numbers of sea trout start migrating towards the rivers where they are to spawn later in the year. This migration primarily takes place on dark nights but even overcast days may see some fish migrating. The worse the weather the better the fishing!

During the latter half of August water temperatures peak along the coast. This may sound good if you are a tourist wanting to swim in the ocean. But if you have to live all your life under water, this is bad news indeed. Unless of course you are a bluegreen algae and thus thrive in warm water!

With increasing temperatures the oxygen content of the water decreases. This is critical to many fish species that are forced to move towards areas with strong currents bringing in cold water rich in oxygen. Thus fish migrate from protected shallow bays towards the deeper open ocean.

Fishermen should follow this migration, focusing specifically on dark overcast and windy days where fish are most active. Djursland offers good numbers of suitable spots for productive shoreline fishing in August. Look for points protruding into the open ocean and try to catch a high tide that brings in colder water. This will greatly increase your chances of succes.

Perch on the porch

The light nights are definitely over but decreasing day lengths make the eels embark upon their long and dangerous spawning migration back to their ocean of birth, the Sea of Sargasso.

August is also a time where hungry perch are having a ball chasing this year’s fish fry that have ventured outside the protective cover of the water vegetation. Here they have been hiding all day and summer in the shelter of the long weed stems.

But when darkness arrives they venture outside this cover to feed in open, unprotected water, and here many a fry ends its short life in the huge mouth of a hungry perch…

East Jutland has many good perch lakes to offer both local and visiting fishermen. Most of them are located in the Danish Lake District around Silkeborg where almost all lakes hold good populations of tasty perch, some weighing in at over two pounds!

Hot rivers on wait

Decreasing day lengths also put mature sea trout on the move towards their rivers of birth – quite opposite the eels that now migrate from their freshwater feeding grounds to their saltwater spawning sites.

August is the warmest month of the year and this can be felt both over and under water. On hot and calm August days the rivers show very few signs of life. It seems as if they are surviving more than actually being alive. But when darkness arrives, fish show up in many places. They roll or even jump showing fishermen on the banks that they are indeed there – ready to be caught.

But you have to stay awake during the night to catch fish in the heat of August – unless of course August comes up with wet, cold and windy days. Conditions that lure fresh salmon and seatrout into the rivers. August weather like that is much awaited along the banks of the mighty River Guden!

© 2023 Steen Ulnits

The River Guden still produces

May 16th this year was a day to remember for those fishing the River Guden. some years ago. That day an impressive silvery salmon of no less than 14,1 kg, 108 cm long, was caught on a spinner. This was then one of the largest salmon caught in the River Guden since it was dammed by Tangeværket in the 1920’s when the original salmon stock was totally eradicated.

But this great fishing has not happened by itself. Instead it is the result of intensive fisheries management undertaken by local angling clubs along the river. Again this year more than 100.000 small salmon were released into the River Guden – at places like Bjerringbro, Ulstrup and Stevnstrup. Places located downstream of the hydroelectric power plant Gudenå-Centralen that still blocks further upstream migration of seatrout and salmon.

It is expected that the heavy stocking of salmon smolts in previous years will result in heavy catches of returning salmon in the remaining part of this year. Something to look forward to!

Peak season for peaceful fishing

Now is the peak season for heat-loving coarsefishes. They have finished spawning and now turn their attention 100% to feeding and putting back on the weight they lost during spawning.

If you fancy the exciting coarsefishing for species like roach and bream, tench and carp, East Jutland has many a good piece of water for you. Especially when it comes to roach and bream, several lakes in East Jutland are second to none. Some are even of international renown.

This in particular goes for Lake. Skanderborg that some years ago yielded several new world records and thus became internationally known. The fish are still there but a ban on heavy ground baiting – no more than 0,5 kg is allowed per day per fisherman to improve the water quallity of the lake – has limited the number of anglers here in recent years.

But fish are so plentiful that in fact you do not need heavy groundbaiting to be able to make heavy catches in the Skanderborg and Silkeborg Lakes. They are just loaded with roach and bream!

The night time is the right time

For seatrout, that is. Coastal waters are now so warm – around 20 degrees Celsius – that predatory fish like cod and seatrout usually abandon them and spend the day in deeper and cooler waters.

These predatory fish are well aware that the shallows are still very rich in easy-to-catch food. But they wait untill sunset before they migrate towards the shoreline to feed during the dark hours of the day. The water being at its coolest just before sunrise.

Especially the silvery seatrout is a common guest close to shore during warm summer nights. It prefers localities where deep water and strong currents are found close to the shoreline, making for pleasant temperatures. Fishing is usually best from points that protrude out into the open ocean – typically on Djursland that offers many good places for nighttime summer fishing. Among the classics are Fornæs Fyrand Sletterhage.

If you don’t like fishing through the dark, you may instead throw your line at the mullets that feed eagerly during the hours of daylight. These heat-loving fish may be caught on flies but it is a difficult game indeed. Better luck is usually had by those fishermen using bread as ground bait and small pieces of bread on a tiny hook below a small bobber.

Family fishing for flounder

All the flatfishes have now finished spawning and are eager to put back on the lost weight . Thus they are easier to catch than ever.

Easiest of all are probably those flounders living along the ship channels in the Bays of Mariager and Randers. Here the water is being exchanged constantly, assuring a fresh supply of water and plenty of food. Placid lug worms are the standard bait but if you can get them, biting Nereids are even better!

If you are fishing open waters with a sandy bottom, small but oh so tasty dabs will usually dominate your catch. If on the other hand you are looking for larger plaice, you should move towards deeper and cooler water. If you manage to find a light sandy spot on an otherwise dark bottom, chances are that you will catch good numbers of fair-sized plaice.

Or you may want to do battle with larger but rarer species like turbot and brill. Good places to look for these attractive fish are the gravelly shallows off Øer Maritime near Ebeltoft.

© 2023 Steen Ulnits

Salmon running the River Guden

June marks the beginning of silvery salmon leaving the salty ocean to migrate up the River Guden. These early fish are larger than average but fewer in numbers.

The lowermost part of the River Guden – near the city of Randers – has good numbers of salmon passing this part of the river on their way up. Here they are not fished seriously for as the river is wide and deep, showing very few evident holding spots for migratory fish.

For that reason most salmon are caught further upstream – near the city of Langå – where deep pools and narrow bends in the river offer good holding spots for these early running fish. Later in the season salmon and seatrout start showing up near the city of Bjerringbro where many fish spawn in the tributaries.

The lower part of the River Guden – below the hydroelectric power plant at Lake Tange – thus offers the visiting angler a really good chance of hooking up with salmon. And do bear in mind that in 2001 the River Guden entered the European Top Ten list of salmon rivers – with a rod catch close to 2.000 salmon!

Now the mayflies are hatching

The present month is a hectic one for fish and fishermen in and along the rivers. June is the month where both the largest and the smallest of the mayflies hatch. This goes for the giant mayfly Ephemera danica – named after Denmark – and the tiny little Caënis species.

A characteristic trait of both trout and grayling is that they always seem to regard the first E. danicas with great scepticism. They simply are not used to seeing such big bites floating along on the surface and thus they are reluctant to rise to the first ones they see.

But when they become used to these giants they often take them in preference to anything else. This is the time where you may witness even large fish swim long distances to catch another danica!

And once accepted trout and grayling will be looking for these tidbits even after they have stopped hatching and mating. Fish obviously have a very good memory!

The upper part of the River Guden is a good bet for floating dry flies in June.

Pikeperch Premiere

If you like lakes and lake fishing, June is a perfect month. Especially if you are fishing in lakes with a stock of tasty pikeperch. They have just finished spawning in areas with shallow water and rocky bottom and are now hungry after the strenous sexual act. They are also legal prey again after the closed season in May.

For some time after spawning pikeperch typically hang around close to the spawning grounds. Here they are easy to locate and comparatively easy to catch. Later on they spread out in deeper water where they are much more difficult to locate.

Ry Mølle and Lake Jul are traditionally two of East-Jutland’s absolute hotspots when it comes to pikeperch fishing in June. At Ry Mølle fishing is for those pikeperch that have ascended the river to feed on spawning bleak – called “millinger” by the locals.

On Lake Jul itself fishing takes place on shallows like Torsdagsbanken, Frydengrund, Himmelbjerggrund and Møgelgrund.

Light nights on the beach

June is the month of light nights, and the light nights definitely belong to shoreline fish – be they silvery sea trout or thick-bellied cod. Both species usually stay in deeper water during the hours of daylight. But when the sun sets and beaches are covered in a soft semi-darkness, they move into shallow water for the kill!

On quiet evenings and nights you can both see and hear if fish are present. If so you will hear them splash in the surface layers of the water while they hunt. An experienced angler may even distinguish between sea trout and cod as the latter splash more distinctly.

If you prefer fishing during daylight, you may want to choose some of the garfish that fin around along the beaches. They have completed spawning and are now much easier to lure into striking than before the sexual act. They strike willingly at lures and flies before they leave the shallow water – to spend the rest of summer at greater depths.

With increasing water temperature fish start congregating at locations with strong currents. Kysing Næs, Vosnæs Pynt and all the classic hotspots on Djursland are now well worth a visit.

© 2023 Steen Ulnits

“Buzzer” time on the lakes

In May, millions of midges are hatched from the muddy lake bottoms. The worm-like larva is an extremely important food source for many of the lake fish, and the bream particularly is a true expert at hoovering the bottom of the lake for the red larva. When they hatch, the midges are known as “buzzers” due to the sound of their flapping wings. Luckily, they do not bite or sting”

It is funny that the foe of the gnat – the high-backed bream – also breeds in May. It then moves into the rushes and paddock pipes to spawn. Here it may meet the large pike who is on its way out after also spawning in the shallows of the lake.

For that very reason, May is the month of the traditional pike premiere – after the official closed season in April. However, this is a close season that is not very precise. For example, typically, deep lakes do not get warm enough for spawning until May ­ which is the start of the season.

Of course, the experienced pike fisherman knows this, and he puts back any roe-filled female pikes that might be tempted by a hook in early May. Usually, the small males are the first to appear in the shallow water. Not until the water temperature is exactly right do the large, roe-filled females appear.

Nighttime cod and seatrout

Along the coast, both small and large animals are very active in May. For instance, the shallow water along the coast is full of small fish, fry and various crustaceans. The fish know this, and at this time of the year they prefer to visit the coast during the dark hours – which do not, by the way, get very dark during the light northern nights.

The sea trout is very fond of the nighttime and has a keen eyesight to deal with darkness. On warm and sunnt days of May it usually stays in deeper and colder water during the day, only to enter the food-rich shallows after sunset. Here it hunts during the night, looking upwards to see its prey silhouetted against the lighter sky.

In several places, it will be possible to hear the first cod come “chomping” towards the coast at the surface. If there is a little current, it will often be possible to see them swimming so high that their dorsal fins are visible. You may then experience some very exciting visual fishing – despite it being pretty dark.

If you are a fly fisherman, you should tie on a large black fly like a Muddler and fish it high in the water. Often, a fly streaming in the surface will provoke heavy strikes!

Daytime garfish in the shallows

If the light nights in May belong to the sea trout and cod, the long-billed garfish have usually taken possession of the coastal waters during daylight hours.

The first ones are always the biggest – in the best cases a metre long, as thick as a wrist and weighing over a kilo. They come as a vanguard and go wildly for any jig or fly. Later, the smaller but considerably more numerous medium-sized garfish will arrive – followed by the smallest fish, usually half a metre long, sometime in early summer.

They only come to spawn and, having come so far, they have completely lost interest in food. Under favourable conditions it will be possible to see them spawn as they are often so absorbed in their breeding that one can get quite close and witness the spectacle.

After spawning they are hungry and easy to catch. Most productive are thin slices of herring fished on a light float but most fishermen stick to long, slim and shiny spoons like the Toby, Tobis and similar lures. Finally, the fly fishermed is in for a good time with his small flies fished on long and thin leaders.

Month of the blackflies

May is one of the big months for fly fishermen who are fond of the constantly flowing water in the river. After a cold spring, the insect life there almost explodes, and the river is alive with the sound of various water insects.

The mayflies are certainly still there – as they were last month, albeit less numerous. But in May, it is often the very small black flies that dominate.

The hatching may be so massive that the water can be completely covered in newly hatched flies. Fly fishermen then talk about a “blanket hatch”.With so many flies on the water, it is obvious that the fish are more active than ever and constantly targeting the little black ones.

The grayling is also very fond of the black flies, and they are in the process of finishing their breeding towards the end of May. At least that is what the law says, since the close season runs from the middle of March until the middle of May.

Thus May belongs to the fly fisherman who has a good stock of tiny black dry flies size 18-24 in his box. And delicate tackle with hairthin tippets to handle flies and fish!

© 2023 Steen Ulnits