Instead of braving the roaring rapids, we went up the hill and took a leisurely walk around Hintersee, in which Felberbach originates.

The water was tinted in mysterious blue. It was a pleasure to watch a few flyfishers casting pretty loops in the grand setting.

- Back

The 3rd visit - May '03

With the arrival of the spring, the river has again changed its face. Now that the water is again high, there's no easy wading like we did last time in autumn.

At the first pool, brown trout of 27cm welcomed our return anyhow.

Felberbach in October looked almost like a different river. Washed up by the snow melt flood, position of rocks and pools have changed a lot. Also the leaves have left the trees in the valley, in the chilly crisp air suggesting approaci of winter.

With the water now much lower, wading was by far easier. At 8 degrees trout were still surprisingly active, grabbing at big flies in size #8-10 right on the surface. Thanks to the sunshine that lighted up the stream, we had a very pleasant afternoon.

Because of the strong current, you'd be forced to play it hard. The rod needs to be tough enough - A solid #4 is what you need. As you'd often have to fish in tight spaces, the rod length should not exceed 8ft in my opinion.

While in this river you can forget fine tippet and natural drift. Tie the fly directly to the leader tip, and hit the water hard to call them up to the dinner table!

To invite the fish up to the surface, the fly needs to look juicy and mouthful. Hopper pattern with generous deer hair, or big gold bead head nymph will do the job.

Fish in this river were, despite the altitude and harsh winter condition, all healthy and in prime condition. The average size was around 35cm, and the biggest we managed to land was 38cm. The all time recode is whopping 54cm!

The 1st visit - May '02

The river running through Mittersill poses a typical mountain stream character. Right outside of the village, you can already observe white waters and rocky rapids. At the head of the 12km river, lies a mysteriously serene lake called Hintersee. There you can cast your midget on the crystal clear water for some wary trout in the evening.

As the topgraphy is so rugged, and the river's width is limited (3-5m mostly), the water tumbles down fast. In the summer months of June to August the river is more like a waterfall. Even then the clarity remains unaffected, keeping it fishable through the year.

Back at the tackle shop, we were given some flies - sedge & hopper patterns - of gigantic 6-8 size. Only half convinced, we cast downcross and let it swing, and BINGO!! In a pool small as a bathtub, out jumped a solid browny grabbing at the meal. It was heart-stopping!!