 When I found out that we were going to Poland for sure I jumped on the Google train to find out about where to fly-fish. I few guides popped up here and there but I was looking for more information on rivers and access. I kept getting the one thing that I was afraid of, Polish langue websites. I had one advantage that my wife is a translator and could review the information. This process was to slow and I had to try something different.
I then found out some of the cities we would be visiting and started searches for that area. One thing kept popping up was the city of Zakopane. The World Fly Fishing Championship’s were held there in 1998. One of the coach’s of the U.S. Fly Fishing team named Vladi Trzebunia, lives there also. When I found out that we were going to Poland for sure I jumped on the Google train to find out about where to fly-fish. I few guides popped up here and there but I was looking for more information on rivers and access. I kept getting the one thing that I was afraid of, Polish langue websites. I had one advantage that my wife is a translator and could review the information. This process was to slow and I had to try something different. I then found out some of the cities we would be visiting and started searches for that area. One thing kept popping up was the city of Zakopane. The World Fly Fishing Championship’s were held there in 1998. One of the coach’s of the U.S. Fly Fishing team named Vladi Trzebunia, lives there also.
He has an outstanding list of achievements and travels the world as an ambassador of our sport. I did a few more searches and found people who have fished with him. After a few emails I got some responses and found out he is in the U.S. doing a speaking tour in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. One of the emails was to the shop owner Jack Dennis whom he was staying with (http://www.jackdennis.com). He gave Vladi my info and I waited for an email.
On his way out of the US he phoned me and let me he was going to be in Zakopane the same time I would be. I gave him a call when I arrived on Tuesday. He had a half-day available and we should meet on Thursday. My wife wanted to go mountain climbing on Wednesday and I was up for that to. Here is a picture of the peak we climbed. It is 13,674 feet in elevation and we are at a mountain lake near the top.
Well my legs are on fire from the eight-mile hike in the mountains. I could not sleep that night in anticipation of fishing. Vladi was at my door at 9am to hit the river. A quick stop to buy a daily fishing license and we were on the road for about a half hour or so. We were heading to the Dunajec (doo-nie-its) river just outside of Zakopane. My legs are still burning. I can barely lift my legs to put on the waders. We talked a little about the area and locals not understanding that the river is not a garbage dump. Same old, same old conversation about conservation. I rigged my 5wt. with a floating line, 6x leader and with a nymph he gave me.
I nervously casted in front of the Polish fly fishing champion and a coach of the US team. I put two casts in the grass behind me right off the bat. If my legs didn’t burn so much the cast would have been better. J After calming down in a few minutes I started nymphing the American style with one fly and split shot. Vladi looked on for about 20 casts and then called me over.
He then asked if I wanted to learn the polish nymphing technique.
“YES!,” I said.
“OK, is easy. I can teach anybody in 15 minutes, a good fisherman in two. All you have to do is lead the flies just a little bit faster than the current, only just faster, that way flies don't get caught on bottom, and fish think they are acting naturally, like something leaving the stones on the bottom and being carried with the current,” Vladi said.
Then taking my 6x leader down from 9 ft. to about 5ft., he then tied on a tippet using a blood knot. The tippet was about a foot and a half above where he tied on the bottom nymph. Above the blood not he tied on a dropper fly using a knot that he invented that spins around the leader to help in not getting tangled. He also has an incredible knot that he connects the tippet to the fly. It disappears when you’re finished without a bulky knot on the eye of the hook.
It took him about 2 minutes to re-rig my rod. Standing in the river with the cool water running over my legs had made them a little numb. Good news, as the asprin was wearing off. Giving me instruction while Vladi was casting he showed me the polish nymphing technique. Two casts he had landed a small grayling about 7 inches. Damn. I’m sold. The casting technique is different. You have only about a foot of fly line out past the rod tip and you just extend the fly rod out.
After about 10 casts 9 of witch will take about 1 minute, bingo. Grayling gold. Here is the first fish. 
Here is an excerpt from an Oliver Edwards Article taken from January/February 1999 issue of Fly Fishing and Fly Tying, part 2 in the series.
“Watching Vladi, the first thought which struck me was the shortness of the drift. Six feet was long; very often after only about a yard he made the mandatory end of drift strike. He always did this, a trained auto-reaction. The next glaring thing which was different to the Czech method, was that Vladi held virtually all of his leader out of the water. He had probably no more than one foot of actual fly line out beyond the end ring. The two heavy flies plopped in, on a tight line (leader) and sunk immediately. Vladi, with rod held fairly low and angled slightly downstream, quickly tracked downstream with the rod tip, the leader remaining fairly taut throughout the drift. After only 3 to 5 feet he struck, following the strike through with a backward swing, then the duo of flies were quickly lobbed in again. Sometimes the mandatory end of drift strike would jerk the rod tip over and a fish would boil on the surface. Takes during the drift were, in fact, dead easy to detect. The subtle ones - if anything can be subtle at that speed of water - were a kind of flick or tick of the tautish leader, it just momentarily flicked straight. When you whacked it, bingo, rod over. Some were actual rod jolters, almost self-hookers. The trick it seems is to know the depth of the piece you're fishing or at least have a decent idea. The duo of flies, particularly the heavier point fly has to be the correct weight for the run or riffle and its depth. When the heavier point fly finds bottom, the angler as to raise it fractionally off the bottom and keep it moving, it shouldn't be allowed to get stuck on the bottom. You have to keep it tracking just that bit faster than the current. This sounds quite impossible to achieve however, but with a little practice it is not. The rapid current does in fact help, it seems to buoy up the flies against the slight tension you are applying. Remember, though, everything is happening at a fair old pace and this is faster fishing than the Czech style, simply because the drift never passes the angler. I never saw Vladi let his flies come round and fish to full dangle."
"If the run or riffle is deeper, after adjusting the weight of the nymphs the technique is the same, in this case the rod too will be lowered to let the point fly find bottom and fish deeper. I know that this may all sound rather pat, but that seems to be it, it's then down to an awful lot of practice.”
The method of fishing this way is pretty simple. Short cast, follow the flies in the water for a 3 count, quick hook set, take a step up stream and then re-cast. Your arm will be like your throwing a jab at some ones chin. After about 20 or so cast it will be soar. Take a breather or switch hands. At this point in the day my legs still burn but my arm’s are giving them a run for the money. Fish number two, three, and four.
So you have the run down on The Polish Nymphing Technique. What we are not talking about are the flies. The flies Vladi uses are all weighted and even have bead heads. I notice the abundance of cased caddis larva on the rivers I saw in Poland. Here is a shot of cased caddis larva on the stream bed.
I would say there are over 300-caddis larva in a square yard. 
Here are a few flies Vladi gave to me to use in the USA. Umpqua will be selling his flies in 2008 so look for them at your local shop or find them online at http://www.umpqua.com/t-dealers.aspx.
 
The one thing that I really took away from my visit and meeting with Vladi is he is so proud and willing to teach you his method. He did not have to make time for me, but he did. The proud Polish heritage I have became even stronger in the short time we had together. I know I will be fishing with him again soon. If you are planning a trip to Poland you can find him here http://fishinginpoland.com/. Now its time to use his methods here!!!
Lulu and I are working on the Polish Nymph Weave and will get a blog out to you soon.
I hope you enjoyed this blog.
Dallas |
