Ruhpolding (Bavière)
par Olivier Degeorge

Last Report - may '98 (french version)

This small bavarian village, stuck between mountains, has always welcomed me with a smile. Also considered by many as a holiday resort, Ruhpolding is rustic as well as confortable. The lovely church with a bulb-shaped roof overlooks the town centre and is surrounded by wooden houses with windows decorated by geraniums. The typical restaurants and the warm "Grüß Gott" welcome will add to the seduction.

You will certainly fall in love with the Weiße Traun, a turqoise 5-10 m wide river flowing from the mountainside. In Ruhpolding trout do not swim ... they fly in mineral water. These browns and rainbows indeed look nice against the white gravel bed. The river is rich in insect life, from ephemerids in various sizes to caddisflies and fluorescent yellow needleflies in the summer. When a substantial hatch is occuring, trout will come out of their hiding places and will get into position for the evening rise. In these conditions a real show is about to happen offering shiver down your spine and usually a real happiness at the end of the day. Once hooked, these lovely rainbowns from the traun will take off as rockets, will make the reel scream and rest against the current to offer a superb fight... I am still haunted by them in my dreams.

Frau Eisenberger, our host, offers clean and angler friendly accomodation for a very reasonable price (35-45 DM), including breakfast. You will also have access to the fridge and stubli where, under the close eye of an Alaskan salmon, you will have tea, tie flies and tell other fellow anglers the latest adventures of the day.

 Technical data