Greetings from the JFF mini tour in Finland! We started off with a gig in Helsinki, it was nice to be together again! We also saw some of the TV documentary for the first time and I can tell you it was special. Soon a year has gone since the TV-tour last summer and seeing all the places and happenings brought back the memories.
The gig was a lot of fun, we wrapped up and headed straight north towards Eco-Rapids in northeastern Finland. We have spent the last few days there fishing in a rapid called Kynäkoski and a smaller river Syväjoki, check out the pictures!
Tonight we have some very special fishing in Jyväskylä in Central Finland, and in the evening it’s time for the documentary and the gig again. We’ll be posting some videos and stuff soon, so stay tuned!
One of the main reasons why fly fishing is such a fascinating and time-consuming activity (some would claim it´s a life style), is that it´s not just about catching fish. Actually, there are several distinct spin-off hobbies within fly fishing:
Some people get really into entomology. They study the creatures that fish feed on, and spend more time searching the water bed for bugs than they actually do fishing. This sub-hobby often makes them experts in Latin as well.
Fly tying is a winter activity for most flyfishers, but tying flies becomes a sport in itself for some. Many compete in tying the neatest and most original flies. Despite the fact that the millions of existing fly patterns work just fine, new patterns and variations are invented every day.
Others get into photography, and end up dragging truck-loads of cameras and lenses around, hunting for that one magical shot.
Allthough many release a lot of their catch, the art of outdoor cooking is as important as the fishing for many, especially for those who like to camp out in the wild.
And the gear… Fly fishing gear is an endless source of debate among flyfishers. Some take it to the next level and become collectors, filling their houses with gear they´re never gonna use. They spend night and day on ebay, searching for the next “bargain”.
Hiking, canoeing, the study of geography, meteorology and even geology are examples of other popular spin-off hobbies.
But the fly cast itself is perhaps the most popular spin-off activity. The fly cast is a strange thing – it really is a quite impractical way of introducing a bait to a fish. The spinning rod is arguably a much more rational tool.
The fly cast has a lot in common with the golf swing – it isn´t difficult to make it happen, but you never fully master it. Lots of people spend more time casting than fishing, and some fly casters barely fish at all – they spend all their time on lawns, fields or casting ponds, trying to achieve the perfect zen-cast – the one that never stops flying and disappears into the horizon. And competitions in fly casting are held in all corners of the world.
Well, here are some very nerdy yet fascinating videos for you. The first one is recorded with a high-speed camera, and the caster is the Norwegian legend Sven Kalmar (courtesy of SuperRattus´ youtube channel – lots more there):
This one is by the Norway-based Swede Mikael Blomberg, who is one of Scandinavia´s best fly casters. It´s from one of his daily practice sessions on the snow. Enjoy :
This shrimp fly has created a huge buzz among the seatrout fishermen in Denmark and Sweden. It’s a kind of a trendy fly that the fashion-conscious big seatrout are drooling for. Of course we are following the latest trends and I’ve tied a couple of these pink pigs. I will try them and report the results as soon as the season starts here in the west coast of Sweden.
Here are the ingredients of the Pattegrisen (as seen on the great sea trout fishing film by Niels Vestergaard, Sea Trout Secrets #4. You can see the detailed tying instructions on the film, too. Strongly recommended!):
Hook: saltwater hook
Thread: pink
weight: lead wire on the underside of the hook
butt: teal
back hackle: Whiting spey hackle, salmon pink
“antennas”: sand colored ultrahair
eyes: shrimp eyes (burned and colored 0.35-0.40 mm nylon line)
Here’s a real jazz legend who’s also into fly fishing! Check out jazz pianist Denny Zeitlin talking about fly fishing basics and playing his beautiful composition “Quiet Now”, which is one of my favourite jazz ballads. Denny, we’d love you to join us for a gig or a fishing trip! The wine’s on us!
My computer is a bit strange right now and it does not allow me to upload any pics. Since I’m in a hurry this blog will be a bit weird. The ice is tooooo thick around Gothenburg, we will not be able to fish for at least one month, that is for sure! Aaaahh! The last week I have been tying flies every day. Many flies! The madness i growing in my head! It is not that I need more flies, probably I don’t. But every time I sit down in my little “working room” and create these small monsters, I am back there in the stream or the lake with the rod in my hand. Maybe you can call it… meditation!? Yea, it sounds nice and serious! And now, right now, this second, I really have to go. Tell you more about that later guys! Well, that’s it! By by and see you in one week!
The fishing madness gets worse this time of the year. All you can do is tie flies, watch fishing movies, plan fishing trips etc.
One of the worst things that can happen a flyfisherman are the nightmares. You know, when you dream of a fishing trip: rising big trout, you open the fly box and find it empty. No flies at all. Nothing. You try to tie a fly, but you can’t find the material. It gets dark. Fish stop rising. Panic. Finally you wake up sweatty and realize it was a nightmare. The unconscious mind knows when the fly boxes need to be filled. So I made a new year’s promise: I will tie at least two flies per day in average. So far so good, I think I’ve tied nearly a hundred flies this year. I’m sleeping better, too.
One good thing with this time of the year is all the glittering Christmas decorations. They are cheap and excellent material for fly tying. Big streamers, nymph backs, dubbing… Now that all the shops want to get rid of that stuff it’s even cheaper and I’ve bought lots and lots!
Now that winter is here it’s time to spend some dark evenings tying flies for next summer. Here are some of my favorite patterns for the caddis-eating trout in Finland. You won’t fail with these ones!
Silicon pupa
Hook: short, curved #14-16
Body: anron wrapped around a needle with clear silicone (then dried).
Back: black rubber (nymph back or similar)
Hackle (optional): brown hen
Thorax: hare’s ear
Wing buds: black raffia
Antennas: mallard or similar
Silicon emergent pupa
Hook: short, curved #14-16
Body: anron wrapped around a needle with clear silicone (then dried).
Thorax: hare’s ear, well brushed
Wing: Gray or white polypropylen or deer hair
Caddis pupa
Hook: curved #10-14
Back: clear or olive rubber back, colored black in the front
ribbing: thin (0.15) nylon line
body: caddis green dubbing
wing buds: black chenille
thorax: hare’s ear
antennas: black fly tying thread
Captain Gold Hook
Gold heads are often deadly for trout, but exactly this pattern has been the number one of my gold head patterns. One rainy fishing trip a few years ago I got two trouts over 2 kilos and one weighting 1,9 on this pattern, and lost one of the biggest graylings in my life…
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