All we really want is bigger trout, better rods and a happy sex life.

John Gierach (Standing in a river waving a stick).

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Saturday June 18th and Wednesday June 22nd 2011

This year Irene and I wanted a sunny vacation and after some research on the internet we chose to go to the island of Madeira. During my years in the Royal Netherlands Navy I have been there two or three times before and I knew that it is a beautiful island. During the last port visit I went on a sightseeing trip with other crew members. After the guide had told that there was a trout hatchery at Ribeiro Frio, I was very interested. The guide arranged a fishing permit for me, at a price of about two Dutch guilders. Next morning I grabbed my travel fly rod and took a cab to Ribeiro Frio and indeed did catch about ten little rainbow trout. They were small, but I had great pleasure in fishing for them. So when we decided to go to Madeira this year, it was clear that my old 7 feet travel fly rod would get a place in my suitcase.

Ribeiro Frio	Ribeiro Frio, almost dry	Small pools	Herminio and Paul

In my opinion Madeira is a great destination for a nice family holiday. Nice people, a great climate and you can dine and wine deliciously. There is a lot to see and to do. Amongst other outings, Irene and I went two times on a whale and dolphin watching trip. The first time with a RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) and the second time with the sailing vessel Ventura do Mar. On both occasions we indeed did see bottlenose dolphins, even on very close range. During the trips we also saw Cory's shearwaters and Manxx shearwaters. Species that we don't see every day. Further we scouted the island, had a look in a few of the beautiful gardens and of course did our share of lying in or at the swimming pool of the hotel
It is a very pleasant bonus that there is the possibility to do some fly fishing for trout. A permit can be obtained at the trout hatchery at Ribeiro Frio. It is not always that easy, because you have to find personnel present. Fortunately I was lucky and within a few minutes I had the desired paper in my pocket, it costed 1.5 Euro.

Ribeiro Frio	Rainbow	A BIG one	Madeira orchid (Dactylorhiza foliosa)

During my first morning fishing I encountered the local flyfishermen Herminio Rodriguez and his nephew Paul. They are busy setting up a guide service for flyfishermen on Madeira. They have a website, see the link below, this is still under construction. They told me that the stream at Ribeiro Frio dries up completely during summmer. The trout on Madeira was originally introduced during the fifties. The population of rainbow trout is self reproducing, they told me, and there are still some brown trout about, but they are few and far between. The browns seem to get replaced by rainbows. Because of the luggage restrictions of air travel, my thigh waders and wading suit were left at home. As a result of the very low water levels, I could get around with my regular walking shoes pretty well. But a pair of lightweight thigh waders still is very handy. The river at Ribeiro Frio is well fished with a 7 feet rod for a 2, 3 or 4 line, but longer rods work fine too as there is enough room to cast. I got some little trout on both nimphs and dry flies. Because the water of the pools is nearly without any current, the fish can inspect your fly at ease and are not that easy to catch. The river cascades downhill very steeply from pool to pool and will be challenging for somebody that is not sure footed. Ribeiro Frio and its trout hatchery is a major tourist attraction and from 10 o'clock in the morning onward it will be very busy. Half a mile downhill you will find a nice restaurant at your right, there you can have a good cup of coffee and a lovely meal. The owner of the place kindly gave me permission to walk over his land to get to the river.

Ribeiro Frio trout hatchery	Ribeiro Frio trout hatchery	Ribeiro Frio trout hatchery	Ribeiro Frio trout hatchery

Interesting links:
Madeira Trout Fishing
MadTrout - Madeira Trout Fishing, Lda. Rua de Santa Luzia, 81-A Funchal Ilha da Madeira 9000-068 Phone: (+351) 938424434

Rota dos Cetaceos, Whale and dolphin spotting trips.

Ventura, several sailing trips.

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