The fish you will be able to catch with the fly in Alsace are very numerous, because most of them take the fly. Nevertheless, some are more usual.
In the storkreservoir, the rainbow trouts are the most representative.
With their yellow variety, the aguabonitas, the rainbows indeed account for 70% of the salmonidae.
The brown trouts account for 20% of this cheptel, the brook trouts and chars for the remaining 10%. The biggest trouts become bigger than 80 cm.
In the Rhine the graylings attract the flyfishermen.
Thymallus was a numerous species until 2003, and some specimens came up 50 cm. Splendid combatant, often changing his mood, superb in its silver livery and its coloured dorsal, he is the symbol of the river. But, because of the very hot days from 2003, a lot of them died. So we hope that their population will grown again in the next years, if they are not decimated by the cormorans coming on the Rhine in winter or by the poachers.
A respectfull fisherman will limit himself on 1 or 2 graylings maximum in the year, of more than 40 cm (official minimal size) to help the population coming back.
Some nice trouts are sometimes also surprised with the fly. Thus, I had the chance october the first 1998, to catch (and release) one magnificient of 53 cm, taken with a clear nymph.
Especially in the calms, one can touch white fish: chubs, daces, bleaks from who the carnivores are never distant: perchs, pikes and aspes. These are sometimes bigger than 80 cm and are nice sportfish, with white streamers. For the next years there is also a hope for flyfisherman to catch an atlantic salmon. These beginn actually to come back for some years (for yet, it is'nt possible to fish them).
In the Bruche , brown trouts are the favourite of the flyfishers.
The brown trout is the indigenous fish par excellence in the Bruche, because it reproduces there fo centuries. The fishing departmental federation has made many efforts to keep this alsatian kind of brown trout ! The average size of these trouts is not very significant (legal size to 25 cm, rare fish bigger than 35 cm - my personal record is 37 cm) but their combativness and their promptnesse will delight you. Rainbow trouts have been introduced there for several years, and some reach respectable sizes.
The grayling is also acclimatized in a large part of the Bruche (from Niederhaslach
to Eckbolsheim), and, since the year 1996 one usually touches some with the
fly. If their average size is lower than those of the Rhine, the fish from
30 to 35 cm are not so rare. But you will really catch more fish lower than
the legal size of 32 cm !
The whitefish are numerous down Heiligenberg, even if some daces are already founded in Wisches. Chubs and spirlin breaks come also on the dry flies. With the streamer you will maybe have the chance to take some perchs and pikes.
