A Special Day: Fly Fishing Bernese Mountain Creeks

Back in July, I spent a special day waist-deep in Bernese mountain creeks.

This was a special day to me. I woke up in a hotel in the Swiss Alps, surrounded by magnificent mountains. The weather looked superb. I got up quickly, met André in the living room and shortly after breakfast we sat in the car.

We had scouted some rivers the day before, yet the Bernese mountain creeks did not look very convincing.They were either too low or too murky due to glacial water. In one river bed, there was even work done with excavators. Hence, we had to look further for suitable water to fish.

Fly Fishing in Bernese mountain creeks

Since, I started doing guiding, I became accustomed to have always a plan B. It came in handy as well this time. Hence, we drove to another nearby valley, where I had fished the previous year. Back then, I was blown away by its beauty and wildness. Read the report about last year’s trip here.

In contrast to last year’s visit, André and I started wading further downstream and worked our way up. The creek runs just meters next to a windy mountain road. Nevertheless, the street is barely visible or audible, because the creek eroded the stone into a deep gorge and the ripple of the water is at times deafening. I have to admit that I could watch this bubbly stream for hours. It is just balm for my soul to get lost in such places.

The fishing was good and we caught fish in several pools sometimes even sighted. This is spectacular.

At some point massive boulders blocked the way. We climbed the first ones and arrived at a small but deep pool. Fishing with a Royal Wulff dry fly, I casted into the eddy of the pool, but there was no reaction. So André tried with a nymph. Immediately the fish hit the target and an intensive drill later our eyes glazed at the beauty of this fish.

Next creek

Due to being not able to continue upstream in the gorge, we returned to the car. There we decided to have a look at another stream, which neither of us had fished before. This Bernese mountain creek had a more extensive gravel bed and less fish. At the end of the stretch, there was a restaurant where we finished the day with a beer and good talks

Why was it a special day?

This sounds rather like an average fishing trip you would have in the Swiss Alps, so why is it a special day?

It was my birthday and I would not have changed a thing.

This was just perfect to me.