Roland, you are the host at the Gasthof Pension Appartements “Zur Gams” and yourself passionate fisherman. How did this passion for fishing develop?
Roland Ruescher: “I come from a fishing family on my mother’s side, which owned an inn on the Sölkbach. Especially through my uncle, who emigrated to America, I learned fly fishing. Only once or twice a year my uncle came home and in the meantime he left all his fishing stuff in his room. As a child, it was like a “room of secrets” for me, where I regularly rummaged around and at some point I grabbed the fly rod and taught myself to fly fish. Some of it I copied from the fishing guests and the rest I actually just learned myself. And whenever my uncle was around, we went fly fishing together. My uncle eventually stopped fishing and I got his rod and still use it today.”
With you, the curious can also learn the art of fishing. What can they look forward to during a first fishing course? What is the course schedule?
Roland: “Let’s start with the course procedure: at the beginning, the course participants are welcomed with information material and a schnapps. With the latter, the excitement subsides immediately and then it can already start. The fishing course is done by Michael, a good friend of mine. At the beginning he sits down with the participants and does a little theory and then they go directly to the two in-house fishing ponds to learn how to cast a fishing rod.
Afterwards, when the throwing is already working to some extent, we go to the calmer area of the Donnersbach, i.e. the dam area. Michael shows the participants of the course the best places to fish and gives more tips for the perfect catch.
The course will also be happy to demonstrate how to prepare and fillet the fish for a delicious treat.
Fishing course usually lasts 2x 4 hours – divided into one or two days, depending on the guest’s wishes. In general, the courses can be booked individually, which means that there are no specific dates, but only dates on request. For this reason, most courses are one-on-one, allowing for even more intensive learning.
If someone books a fishing course and also stays a few nights longer at the inn, the whole remaining week can be fished for free (the fishing card for the coming days is thus included in the course fee).
What tips can you give to beginners?
My “tip” for beginners is that a sense of nature and connection with nature is absolutely essential for learning to fish, especially towards the animals, a certain connection is very important.”
When is the best time (time of day/season) to fish for certain species of fish in your waters?
Roland: “In particular, if you like to catch a lot of fish, the perfect time is after the melt water, which is early June. In midsummer, however, fishing is more difficult or challenging because the water is very clear, often making fly fishing more difficult. When it comes to time of day, the morning and afternoon are the best times to fish.
The brown trout and char are restocked by me several times a season, so we constantly have very good stock. Rainbow trout are also found sporadically in the water.”
What are your fishing guests’ favorite spots? Do you have any special fishing spots of your own?
Roland: “Beginners are best off in the backwater area of the Donnersbach, about 1.5km from the Gasthof “Zur Gams”, because here you can catch the most fish and thus a sense of achievement sets in very quickly. Advanced and those looking for a challenge love the places under the perennials or in the flowing water by the ravines. However, our fishing water is 9km long in total, which means that there are many beautiful places and everyone can find their favorite spot.
My personal favorite spot is at the very beginning of the fishing water – there’s a deep spot with a big rock, very idyllic and beautiful, I really like to be there.”
In addition to fishing, the inn is also the perfect starting point for numerous outdoor activities. What counts as summer highlights away from fishing?
Roland: “The alpine pasture area is a real highlight, you can do a different hike every day. There is also the Riesner Alm, where you can go up with the chairlift. At the top, beautiful walking trails and an animal wood park for children await. In addition, we have great mountain bike trails here in the area. Many of my guests also just like to go into the forest and look for mushrooms. Sometimes I myself go off with the guests to my Ansitzhütten and we do wildlife watching.”
Your guests will also be pampered all around with homemade culinary products. What specialties distinguish your cuisine?
Roland: “We actually make almost everything ourselves, already at the breakfast buffet the guests are provided with homemade jams, spreads and sausage. The game specialties are also a particular highlight. The vegetables and potatoes we take from our own garden and also the fish are fished directly from the stream and processed fresh. For the winter, the fish are deep-frozen, so that we can also ensure here that the guests can always enjoy the regional fish from the Donnersbach.”
Is there anything that makes your operation particularly unique?
Roland: “What sets us apart is, as already mentioned, that we manufacture very many of our products ourselves and are particularly self-sufficient in some areas (we also produce our own electricity). I stand in the kitchen myself and on some evenings I play music for the guests with my Styrian harmonica.
In addition, each fisherman is personally instructed by me in the waters, I go with him or her to the most beautiful places and show where you can fish well. This allows me to quickly build a good relationship with my (fishing) vacation guests.”
