Halloween Fly Fishing - The Ultimate Bite
Halloween and fly fishing may seem like an odd mix, but not for
true anglers. Yep, I’m talking about the ultimate test of your
abilities and nerve.
Dracula’s River
Okay, everyone knows the story of Count Dracula. The book is
huge and has been turned into more than a few scary movies. The
one the frightened me the most was the recent edition in which
Keanu Reaves attempted to speak with an English accent. Truly
scary. Anyway, the interesting thing about Dracula is that it is
based on a real person.
Vlad the Impaler was a nasty man by any definition. By Vlad, I
mean the Romanian Prince, not the Angels outfielder that blasts
home runs…except in the playoffs to my dismay. With a nickname
like “Impaler”, I shouldn’t have to recite his resume, but will
mention that he had a thing for long sticks with one end buried
in the ground and the other end sharpened to a point. It was
very wise to stay on his good side - “Vlad, did you lose some
weight?” and so on.
Vlad ruled Romania during his reign and was such an enthusiast
for impaling that those in the lumber business look back upon
him with sighs of happiness. As anyone knows from the book, Vlad
had his home office at Bran Castle in the Carpathian Mountains
although he maintained branch offices in London. In fact, the
castle stands today and you can spend your hard earned tourist
money strolling about the grounds, buying fake fangs, garlic and
so on. What isn’t widely known, of course, is Bran Castle was
never the home of Vlad, who apparently didn’t care for the
overly religious décor and garlic garden in the backyard.
The true home of Vlad the Impaler is Dracula Castle, which sits
on the Arges River. The castle is not a hot tourist destination.
Perhaps this is because the only things left are a few stones
sticking out of the ground. Nonetheless, below the castle runs
the Arges River.
Known in antiquity as the Ordessus, this is the spot where Vlad
did some of his top-notch impaling and supposedly tied a unique
fly or two. Even after all these years, the fish remain
influenced and it takes a brave angler to hit the spot.
Body armor, garlic and a shield are not typical equipment for
fly fishing. If you’re going to fish with Vlad, however, each is
a must. The fish are odd. The locals with missing fingers and
hands will fill you in. The “Impaler Pike” is known to react to
being hooked by accelerating towards the angler and leaping from
the water in the direction of one’s nether region. The Arges
Cutthroat, of course, needs no description, but the Big Macks
definitely give rise to the need for garlic. Finally, the Vlad
Muskie can be caught, but an older gentlemen with only one ear
suggested this isn’t necessarily a good thing. All and all, one
doesn’t so much catch a fish below Vlad’s castle as survive the
experience.
You may be wondering about the best flies to use in such
circumstances. The old stand by Woolly Bugger? Perhaps a
Clauser’s Minnow? Nope. According to locals, just nip a finger,
rub the blood on a hook and off you go!
Happy Halloween From Nomad Journals!
By the way, you really can fly fish on the Arges below Vlad’s
true castle. No armor needed, but garlic keeps the mosquitoes
off.
Little blood suckers.
