Chuck
----Original Message Follows---- From: "Jeff Taylor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: Belgian Ardennes Fly Fishing Trip Report Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 08:39:38 -0700
Wonderful report Michael,
When I tried to view the photos at http://expat.my-expressions.com/ the web site could not be found?
Thanks,
JT
----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Santangelo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2004 6:42 AM
Subject: Belgian Ardennes Fly Fishing Trip Report
September 18th Eindhoven celebrated the 60th Anniversary of its liberation
from Nazi occupation in 1944. While the American�s liberated Eindhoven,
Commonwealth forces liberated much of the Netherlands. Through the fall of
1944 and into the spring of 1945, the southern region of the Netherlands
along the German border became known as the Maas salient. Today this area
of the Netherlands has numerous National Cemeteries filled with soldiers and
airmen that fell on both sides of the conflict we call World War II.
So what does this have to do with fly-fishing? The celebrations for
Operation Market Garden made me realize just how late in the summer it was.
I had wanted to fish the Belgian Ardennes all summer and now I had hurry
because the Belgian trout season closed on September 30th. Yes, the mind of
this fly fisher works in odd ways.
I used my best source, Google, to find the Hotel du Moulin in the town of
Ligneuville. Interestingly, Ligneuville is a borough in the municipal
district of Malmedy. World War II buffs and some older folks may recall the
significance of Malmedy in the Ardennes Offensive during the winter of 1944
� 45.
There is public fresh water fishing in Europe. However for the most part, these public waters are commercially navigable waterways such as rivers and cannels. Otherwise, water, like land, is privately held. To gain access you need to be a member of a local fishing club or purchase some type day ticket. The Hotel du Moulin offers its guests day tickets with access to eight kilometers (six miles) of fly fishing, catch and release (no kill as it is known here) water on the Ambleve. In this section of the Ardennes, the Ambleve is a small river, more of a stream. However as it flows northward, it eventually becomes a part of the Maas River.
My trip south to Ligneuville would take me through two countries and three
provinces. They are the provinces of North Brabant and Limburg, in the
Netherlands and the province of Liege, in Belgium. That seems like a lot of
area to travel, but distances are shorter here. Driving direct from
Eindhoven to Ligneuville via the motorway takes only an hour and half. Keep
in mind that this is the same as driving from Seattle to Cle Elum (or
Seattle to Ellensburg if you drive like my brother in law). However,
directly in my route were two villages that I wanted to see: Margraten, in
the Netherlands, and Henri-Chapelle, Belgium. They are only ten miles
apart. I also decided to stop by the town of Neupre. That would take me a
half hour out of my way. All three are of significance to Americans and
WWII.
Making arrangements at the Hotel du Moulin was easy. In English, I sent
them my reservation request in via email and confirmed everything via phone
the day before my departure. Besides my day tickets, I needed a Belgian
fishing license. The hotel offered to take care of this for me. The
linguistic ability of the European hospitality industry always amazes me.
However, I wasn�t so sure about the linguistic ability of the Belgian Post
Office. Since that was where I would need to buy my fishing license, I took
the hotel up on their offer. All in all, my stay would include one night�s
lodging with half board, two day tickets and a fishing license. This all
came to �120 ($145).
I departed Eindoven just after midmorning and arrived in Ligneuville in the
early afternoon. The hotel is a family operation and the proprietress met
me on my arrival. She checked me in, told me that dinner was at seven and
gave me directions to the Ambleve. She also instructed me to shut any gates
that I opened so that the cows or horses wouldn�t get out of their pastures.
Near Ligneuville, the Ambleve is fifteen to twenty five feet across. Except
in the deepest holes, it is no more than thigh deep and easy to wade. Most
of the trees surrounding the river are deciduous hardwoods. It all reminded
me very much of the Appalachian Mountains, or the other way around,
depending on your perspective.
That afternoon I fished the upper 4 kilometers of water. The fish seemed to
like the fast water in the chutes where the river narrowed. I had little
success in the riffles or deeper holes. My most successful fly was a dark
gray case caddis imitation that I had tied using a large tungsten bead so
that it would sink quickly. All of the trout I caught were browns except
for an 18� inch brook trout. Most of the browns were in the 10� to 14�
range.
Around 7:00 it was getting dark and I returned to the hotel for dinner. The hotel�s web site makes much ado about its gastronomic delights. I wasn�t disappointed. My meal, included in my board, was four courses. It started with a salmon and foie gras sampler, then a fine soup, the main course was lamb and it ended with a delicious dessert. All of this was accompanied with assorted wines matching each course.
The next morning the proprietress had her father-in-law tell me about access
points lower on the river. Between both of our English and German, he
advised me that while there were less fish in the lower section of the beat,
they were larger. He told where to park my car and advised me which pasture
gate to use in accessing the river. His assessment was right. In the lower
section, the fishless stretches were longer. However, where I did catch
fish, I caught quite a few and they had more size, in the 14� to 16� range.
I fished this stretch until early afternoon. Then, wanting to try a couple
of spots I had seen the evening before, I returned to the upper stretch of
the river. Here, while the fish were smaller, every third of forth cast
produced a strike or a fish. Around mid-afternoon, I stopped for the day
and returned to Eindhoven.
Counting both days, all of the fish I caught were on nymphs except for a
single brown which I took on dry elk hair caddis. An 8 foot 3 or 4-weight
rod is all that anyone needs. The Ambleve has heavy tree growth along its
banks. The canopy completely covers the river in many places. A longer rod
is difficult to cast in these conditions.
For photos go to the Belgium - Ardennes gallery at:
http://expat.my-expressions.com/
For information on Margraten, Henri-Chapelle and Neupre go to:
http://www.abmc.gov/abmc2.htm
For more information on events around Malmedy and Ligneuville during WWII go
to:
http://www.historynet.com/wwii/blmassacreatmalmedy/
http://home.earthlink.net/~crcorbin/Lofton.html
http://www.casanovarestaurant.com/denise4.html
