• Bubbly water and ice in the Jura mountains
  • The water wheel found on the way to the Jura mountains
  • Love in the cold surrounding
  • Huge stone blocking the small creek in the Jura mountain

Exploring the Headwaters of a Tiny Mountain Stream

2016 is almost over, yet my to-do list is not exhausted by far. So I picked something from the list I wanted to do for a very long time: Exploring the headwaters of a tiny mountain stream.


I believe the urge to explore is deeply rooted in humans and is one of the driving forces in the history of humankind. This lead not only to diversity in bygone times, but is still the reason for so many people seeking to satisfy this desire for exploration in recent times. It is manifested in the vast majority of people travelling near and far.

During this exploration, I ventured into a valley in the Jura mountains. While fishing there in Summer, I wondered where the water is coming from. Yet, during the fishing season I never wanted to invest time into this undertaking. Thus, I decided in off-season to reconnoitre the headwaters of this tiny mountain stream.

While driving to the stream, I came by this little water wheel, which invited me to make a quick stop. A few long exposure shots later, I continued my journey. Where the sun beams could not reach the ground the vegetation was frozen and time stood still.

Unexpectedly, the mountain stream was already partly frozen, which impeded the scouting for trout and promising looking spots. Nevertheless, the unexpected makes often the difference. Luckily, most of the stream was still ice-free. However, the stream did not offer as many fishing opportunities as I dreamed.

Given I was exploring the headwaters in winter time, the water level was very low. Subsequently, only a couple of pools looked promising to me. Moreover, I did not see any fish in this area of the river. Nonetheless, the presence of a grey heron suggested that there must be fish. However, due to the size of the headwaters I guess they are very small.


Conclusion of exploring the headwaters of a tiny mountain stream

Although I could not spot any fish while exploring the headwaters, the grey heron indicated that there must be some. Yet, I suppose they are very small and probably difficult to catch. The area is only limited suitable for fishing, due to the narrow width of the stream with a lot of branches and snags. Nevertheless, I found a couple of promising looking spots which I will definitely visit on a later occasion.

 

What rod weight would you recommend for this size of a stream? Have you been exploring the headwaters too?

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