Onlangs heb ik de nieuwsbrief van Elberse International mogen maken. Erg leuk, temeer er veel vliegvisnieuws in zit dat niet sec commercieel is. Daarin is ondermeer een bijdrage van Taco Meeuwsen te vinden, "Lady of the Ongivinuk", een gepassioneerd stuk over de vlagzalm.

De fotografie, ook door Taco Meeuwsen, is te betitelen als subliem en geeft een ontzettend gevoel van "zo was het".

Met trots publiceren wij dan ook dit artikel en hopen dat Peter nog vele malen zulke nieuwsbrieven zal verspreiden.

Indien je deze nieuwsbrief van Elberse Int. wilt ontvangen, stuur dan even een mailjte naar info@elbi.nl o.v.v. nieuwsbrief.

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"Lady of the Ongivinuk"

Article & photo’s by Taco Meeuwsen

She is called ‘The Lady of the Stream’ because of her refined iridescent beauty, her lacelike dorsal fin, her grace and the subtle way in which she rises and takes a dry fly. She even has her own perfume, a thymelike odor reflected in her Latin name: thymallus.

I’m talking about the Grayling (Thymallus thymallus, ‘Ombre commun’ in French or ‘Vlagzalm’ in Dutch). A modest member of the family of Salmonidae.

A modest member of the family of Salmonidae.

Now please bear in mind that the European Grayling is not doing well at all. Stocks are depleting rapidly, on the one hand as a result of easy pickings by cormorants, on the other hand because of clear, fast running streams disappearing at an alarming rate. However, the species does not appear on the IUNCN red lists in Europe and is described as a widespread species with no known major widespread threats’. One has to wonder.

In the fall of 2008 I had the good fortune of experiencing a float trip on the Ongivinuk River in Alaska, a tributary of the far larger Togiak River, situated in the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge. The second largest contiguous Wilderness Area within the National Wildlife Refuge System - just north of Dillingham, Alaska.

Together with experienced Dutch fly fishing guide Peter Duyvelshoff, his wife Els and father and daughter Schreuder, we descended within a period of fourteen days the Ongivinuk River in floating rafts, making camp along the river banks and fishing promising spots at our leisure. Wim Schreuder, being a long standing member of the Dutch Grayling Society, connected with the ancient British Grayling Society, lived the dream of his life right there in Alaska, catching dozens and dozens of big strong Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus arcticus) per day on the dry fly in the Ongivinuk River. We all did.

Sturdy grayling well into the 50 centimeter mark took our Klinkhamers fished on a five weight rod and gave us sensational sport. You could easily hook five or six fish at one specific spot if the shoal there was actively rising towhatever the surface of the Ongvinuk provided in terms of floating nourishment.

These Ongivinuk grayling, and as a matter of fact all other fish in the system, hadn’t seen a fly in three years, the last time a raft floated by between the mountains of Ongivinuk Lake. Fishing non-weary, eagerly rising, big grayling day in day out gives one that thrilling feeling of understanding what dry fly fishing should be all about: pristine rivers, stunning surroundings, and trigger-happy salmonids launching themselves on a well presented dry fly. Every now and then a big Arctic char would sprint in the surface to intercept the dry fly and you would be playing more than a handful on your five weight.

Bliss and blisters...

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