The
Sunken Tree
swim is in a wooded area, accessed from an overgrown path a few hundred meters
from the bridge by the Klaipeda Botanical Gardens on the outskirts of
Tauralaukis village.
The swim is quite wide and flat so allows a degree of comfort and while
surrounded by trees, there is plenty of clearance, even for a 13 foot match
rod. In the summer months the swim is full of character with lilies that
stretch across the width of the river on the left and fill the margin to the
right. Pads are also visible to the middle directly in front.
Fishing around 6 to 7 feet on a stick float around one to one and a half rod
lengths out (13 to 20 feet) will see you around a half inch from the bottom.
The swim has produced good sport with Rudd to 14oz and Bream to 2LBs 3oz as
well as good size roach. There is always a large head of bleak, usually toward
the middle but loose feed or ground bait will draw them in.
Thus far my best results have been on the float rod but an open feeder to the
far bank is likely to produce Bream.
I have also caught small Perch and Sticklebacks in this swim and have seen
plenty of evidence of the presence of predatory species. My best catch to date
in this swim is 105 fish in three hours (not weighed) June 13th 2007.
The Pipe Outlet swim is directly next to the bridge by the Klaipeda
Botanical Gardens on the outskirts of Tauralaukis village.
This swim is very popular; being next to the bridge it’s highly accessible and
clear of trees and undergrowth giving plenty of room for maneuver. In the
summer months the far margin is filled with Water Hawthorne while a sprinkling
of lilies and reeds can be found on a near side lined with over hanging bushes
and trees. The swim has character but be wary, snags below the surface make
things a little restrictive. Fishing from the pipe is fine but the swim to the
right of the pipe (closer to the bridge), a rod length out on the bottom seems
to be strewn with debris.
There are plenty of Bleak to be had here on the float while fishing a feeder to
the far bank will produce Bream. I have had small Perch and Roach close in
fishing hard bottom but wary of hooking something other than a fish.
My feeling is that the swim lends itself greatly to predator fishing and will
become a favorite haunt in the autumn for dead baiting when I am hoping the
sunken snags, bridge and other features present will reveal some good size
Pike.
My best catch to date in this swim is 54 fish in three hours (not weighed) May
9th 2007.
Moskuito Bank is situated in a wooded area, accessed from a path
several hundred meters from the bridge by the Klaipeda Botanical Gardens
heading in the opposite direction to the Sunken Tree.
In summer, due to the dense woodland and thick undergrowth, Mosquitoes seem to
gather here in some abundance so you will find that packing some insect
repellant is almost as important as your tackle!
You access the swim through a narrow gap in the trees, following a short path
of around 30 feet to the waters edge where the bank tapers gently to the water.
The swim is quite wide and flat so allows a degree of comfort. While surrounded
by trees, as with the sunken tree swim, there is plenty of clearance, although
when the water is high it is necessary to sit further back making casting
tricky.
In the summer when the water is low pads fill the width of the river to the
left and right while both margins are also weeded. Be aware that when in flood
it can be very hard to miss the weeds making this a swim to avoid after long
periods of rain.
Fishing around 4 to 5 feet deep will see you hard bottom at 15 to 20 feet out.
The swim has produced some nice Rudd to 8oz and shows promise as being a good
spot for Tench. There is always a large head of bleak which can be picked up
just about anywhere.
I have caught Perch, Roach, Rudd and Bleak in this swim. My best
catch to date here is 123 fish in five hours and forty-five minutes (not
weighed) July 21st 2007.


The
Dane (Darna ) river runs from just south of Kretinga
where it becomes the Akmena river, to Klaipeda where it flows into the Curonian
Lagoon.
Although the freshwater Lagoon into which the Dane flows is joined to the
Baltic Sea, there is very little by way of tides so during the hot, dry summer
months the water tends to be almost still with only a very slight flow. Of
course after heavy rain the current increases but for the most part the level
tends to be around 12 to 18 inches lower than that of the winter months.
Although long stretches of the Dane are easily accessible by road, there
doesn’t seem to be very much pressure on the water (not many people fishing)
which makes it a favored venue for peace and quiet away from the world and all
its troubles.
Loose fed Hemp and Hemp based ground bait is highly effective as is bread crumb
mixed with various attractants. White maggot is productive but will produce a
number of Bleak. Corn produces but the bites tend to be rather fussy while meat
is a little hit and miss and again will catch Bleak. Worms produce the odd bite
but I have found them surprisingly nonproductive when compared to the other
baits on offer. Bread, punch, paste and flake are all effective although the
bite to catch conversion seems to drop markedly.
I have not caught well here using Caster.
To date the species I have caught in the Dane are Bleak, Roach,
Rudd, Perch, Bream and Sticklebacks.
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