Fly fishing in Lower Franconia
My best friends and I are hooked on fly fishing. Our love of nature, the challenges our chosen sport offers us and the camaraderie we experience on our annual fishing trip, has bonded us inseparably.
This time, it is my turn to plan our trip.
Last year I went camping with my family in the Spessart mountain range, located in Lower Franconia, Germany. We flew to Frankfurt Airport and had a short drive to the picturesque village of Obersinn, which is close to where the Spessart and Rhön mountain ranges meet. This region is split by the Sinn River. The surrounding areas are charmingly scenic. The more than 800 year old imperial city of Gelnhausen is close by: you can still see the castle ruins where Friedrich I stayed. There is so much to discover: Bad Soden-Salmünster offers therapeutic baths and a quaint downtown; Bad Orb with its climatic spa and beautiful parks and gardens; Wächtersbach hosts a ceramic manufacture; and of course the royal seat of Würzburg is full of historic monuments and Baroque churches.
That is where we find our little Sinn River. Along with the whole Sinn Valley, it is one of my favorite fly fishing paradises.

My family knows my passion for fly fishing. They are used to me observing my surroundings with a fly fisherman’s eye. And that is what I did this time.
Armed with my collapsible scoop net, I scouted the shallows of the Sinn. I carefully swept it along the bottom and immediately found several interesting insect larvae, which serve as prey for the fish I am after.
As preparation for any excursion, I always survey the region this way. Knowing in advance which prey insects are present has two advantages. One, I can conclude which fish should be in the waters, and two, I can fine tune my hand-tied fly collection to the area.
My chosen spot is the headwaters of the Sinn. That’s where you can find the well known regional Spessart trout, for example. It is also a wonderful place to find peace and quiet. Compared to most other waters in Germany, this part of the river is not a favored place for swimming or kayaking. I found a rocky spot with varied flow of the water, which should provide some challenges for experienced fishermen.
That is the whole point of fly fishing, casting and dropping the lure exactly where I want it. After having freed the larvae again, I sat for a while on a boulder on the shore, and imagined exactly which rods I want to take with me and which cast techniques I’ll use. There are some great places to wade in and cast from.

While sitting there so quietly, the animals around me reawakened and started rustling, chirping and buzzing. I observed some dragonflies common to Europe, such as the Broad-bodied Chaser and Clubtail dragonflies and some rare and beautiful so called Owly Sulphurs (Libelloides coccajus). The clear waters allowed me even a glimpse of some trout, which are reputed to be hard to lure out of hiding with even the best flies. Other fish native to this area are catfish, pike and eels, but I didn’t see any of them. Nature here seems very pristine and primal, and soon I was filled with inner peace.
Two White-throated Dippers joined me at the water’s edge to catch their share of the insect larvae I had stirred up earlier. I sighed, got up and made my way back. I had agreed to meet my family in Würzburg. The three of them had decided to visit the handicraft market there so that I would have more time for myself and my little expedition. Soon it was time to pick them up.
I packed my photos and ideas for the fishing trip to show to my buddies at home. When I presented them with my destination “Headwaters of the Sinn River”, they were just as enthusiastic about it as I am. Soon we will take off on our journey to Lower Franconia.
 

Zuletzt geändert am: Jun 02 2014 um 17:29