Somnesul Rece

This past Saturday Nancy's friend from work took us for a drive up into the hills west of Cluj. There are a series of dams and lakes in that area. It was very scenic with the trees all changing colors. The afternoon was sunny when we left the city but by the time we arrivied at our destination the sky had turned overcast so the brilliant colors of the hill sides are not as evident in the pictures I snapped.

We stopped at a house on the side of a slope. Below the house ran a medium sized stream. The name in Romanian is Somnesul Rece, the Cold River. A little further along its course it joins the Somnesul Calda, the Hot River to form the Somnesul Mic, or the Little River which runs along the main valley into Cluj and beyond. Most of the dams that provide hydro electic power in this area are located on the Calda version, leaving the Rece stream unmolested. And full of trout. That's my imagination, anyway.

We walked along the stream for some distance and everywhere there were likely pools waiting for some one to work their fly rod. Romanians love to fish, but the ones I've watched usually have great, long telescopic rods, perhaps twenty feet long that they fling out into the water. I have not seen anyone fly fishing. This stream would be perfect for it. As we walked along there was spot, downstream of a boulder, where the water curled around and eddied. I noticed a flash of orange and then I made out the shape of two nice size fish.

I have never been particularly successful at catching fish. I enjoy the sport of it though, and even without pole in hand, I imagined myself luring these two fish to my dry fly. I'm not sure that I'll have opportunity to actually fish while I'm here in Romania, but standing there over the Cold River, I successfully lured to bait, fought and landed two beauties. Oh, and the sunshine came out and I did get a decent picture. I'll try and upload it soon.