Practice on the Difficult Noce River

by | Jul 12, 2022 | fly fishing in Italy

Jerry-ArnoldBefore I get started on today’s fishing adventures here in Italy, I want to re-introduce our Team Manager, Jerry Arnold.  He’s been on this blog many times – with every World Masters Fly Fishing Championship along with a couple trips to Mexico over the years.  Plain and simple, we (me, Pete and the rest of Team USA) would not be here without Jerry.  Jerry single handedly sponsors the team covering every expense from plane tickets to beer, wine and drinks.  Yes, you heard me correctly, Jerry buys our drinks within reason!

 

ItalyThe fact that Jerry buys our drinks each evening does explain our first stop today.  We hit the grocery store for snacks, water as well as beer, wine and gin.  We didn’t know it, but Pete’s double gin and tonics at the Carlo Magno Hotel and Spa cost Jerry $24 a piece!  Let’s just say, we are likely to do our after fishing refreshments in our hotel rooms the rest of the trip.

 

flyfishingToday we fished the Noce River.  The Noce was about a 1.5 hour drive from Madonna di Campiglio through Cles.  In fact, we went through the license buying craziness again in Cres.  Once we got legal we headed to some “Official Practice” water.  To access this place, we had to park at a brain jarring rock quarry.

 

Noce-RiverThis part of the Noce is very pretty – especially once you get far enough from the quarry not to hear it.  The mid-sized river has a glacial blue tinge to its clarity as it meanders under grassy undercut banks and overhanging trees.

 

flyfishingOnce rigged and ready, we were quickly informed by our guide Stefano that the Noce will be the make it or break it session in this World Championships.  The brown trout here are wild and wise.  And along with browns are also the marble trout.  The marble trout on the Noce often exceed 20 inches and with all the rocks, grass and tree limbs, are very difficult to land.

 

Jeff-CurrierWhile Jerry won’t fish the competition next week, he loves fishing.  Stefano sent myself, Jerry and Pete loose with advice that nymphing works best.  I put on two David Chlumsky Czech nymphs and went to work.  15 minutes in none of the three of us touched a fish.  That’s when Stefano started fishing.  While usually guides don’t fish, Pete and I enjoy watching and learning from one of Italy’s best.  Stefano quickly landed a grayling.

 

Whenever the European grayling are around, I put on one of the “Great Vladi Trzebunia” Trojan worms.  Grayling love it!  Stefano had a laugh but on my second or third cast I landed this beautiful little brown trout.  The normally deadly fly would catch a couple more browns throughout the morning but the grayling were persnickety.

 

FlyfishingWe by no means slammed fish on the Noce today.  We caught fish however and the fact that Stefano thinks that this river will be the toughest venue is excellent news.  Honestly, I think wild and difficult trout do Team USA a favor.  We are good at catching them.

 

After Jerry treated us to a fine late afternoon lunch, we visited the actual competition beats of the lower Noce River.  While we aren’t allowed to touch, we can peek.  All I can say is that they are absolutely beautiful pieces of European trout water.

 

flyfishingWe returned to our Carlo Magno Hotel and Spa Resort in Madonna di Campiglio just in time for more fantastic Italian food for dinner.  We ought to do well in this competition as long as we don’t slow ourselves down too much by eating too much delicious food between now and competition!

 

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing

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I started fly fishing at age 7 in the lakes and ponds of New England cutting my teeth on various sunfish, bass, crappie and stocked trout. I went to Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, where I graduated with a Naturalist Degree while I discovered new fishing opportunities for pike, muskellunge, walleyes and various salmonids found in Lake Superior and its tributaries.

From there I headed west to work a few years in the Yellowstone region to simply work as much as most people fish and fish as much as most people work. I did just that, only it lasted over 20 years working at the Jack Dennis Fly Shop in Jackson, WY where I departed in 2009. Now it’s time to work for "The Man", working for myself that is.

I pursue my love to paint fish, lecture on every aspect of fly fishing you can imagine and host a few trips to some of the most exotic places you can think of. My ultimate goal is to catch as many species of fish on fly possible from freshwater to saltwater, throughout the world. I presently have taken over 440 species from over 60 countries!

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