29 Mar 2013

A plan missfired

So, two days ago my hopes were high for some spring pike.
Those hopes where not only dimmed but blotted out as i discovered river Våmån is completely frozen solid.

So no pike there for me, maybe next time we go up to visit.
On top of that the weather forecast is promising snow this afternoon.

Since we are gonna be here a couple of days i might try to locate a water close by that is not frozen solid.
The larger rivers around Mora and Orsa seems to be open though they are deeper and lack the vegetation suitable for pike.
Nothin much to do but curse and tie more flies.

On that note i'm trying out a sort of traveling pike kit.
Since i'm gonna go abroad for pike in may i want to try some flies now and see what materials i might be missing or find myself wanting.
The kit now consits of:
Flash in many colours
Fox hair, many colours
Holographic eyes
Rubber legs
Glue
Hooks
Vice and other tools
A newly aquired rooster saddle with barred feathers. (still not that Whiting Grizzly i'm so longing for but it's something at least.)

Got any ideas, something you could not do without?
Remember,this is a lightweight project, if i wanted to have everything i'd bring my entire kit.
And a separate bag just for that...

27 Mar 2013

Pike Premiere

It's been a long winter.
But now,finally the warming rays of sun is starting to do its job proper and the snow is melting.
The ice is still on the lakes and rather thick to add to that.
Some rivers and streams are opening up though and with easter break comming up me and the lass is planning to go up to her parents, stay a few days, take care of our house and get it sorted for moving in and i plan to make my pike premiere of the year up in river Våmån, specificly in the lower regions.
The upper are still iced over and the pike are in low stock anyways.
Up there it's mostly grayling and brown trout and the season start for those are not until the sixteenth of May.

So pike it is!
Hopefully the river is fairly open and that some pike will have started moving up in preparation of spawning.
Might as well bring a rod anywhere you go,wouldn't you say?
There's always some fishing to be done.

To that end and in general preparation for the pike season i've tied some more glitter ones.
Experimented a little bit with fox hair and added rubber legs to a couple ones.
The all-hair ones are way to small for my tase in pike flies,only about 10 cm(over all they are a bit small, brown/orange flash/hair fly is 15 and YES that is a bit small), but the hairs lenght has its limitations.
Gonna have to get my hand on some Big Fly Fibre or Craftfur or something like that, tying with just fox hair is a bit expensive...
I do however like to look of the flies, especially the monochrome one.

Here's to hoping and a good comming pike season!



15 Mar 2013

News from the vice

So i've been looking around a bit for inspiration.
I find that when i tie flies for rainbow,seatrout and salmon i almost always resort to hairwings.
Quick and easy to tie, look good andthey work.

But i want more, i want to stir the pot and give a bit more attitude to the flies.
So i combined elements from classical salmon flies with the rude look from intruder type patterns and nice wing from the furwinged ones.

Silver tag, dubbing, palmered soft hackle, fox hair wing, bead eyes and schlappen.
Tied on a single.

Tic-Tac-Toe.
Blue,Orange,Green.

Windy closeup

A bit more attitude.


I paid a visit to Capricorn, a "local" fly fishing-only shop and got some new materials.
These included rubber legs.
Here's some more contemporary ones using sili legs as well.
I must say they really lift the fly and a pack contains about a hundred strips.
These are all tied using only one strip.
Tied on double.

Bunny Zonker, Fox hair and Bucktail

Closup.

Zonker with rubber legs and schlappen.

3 Mar 2013

What keeps fishermen going?

 A non-fishing friend of mine once said:
You go out in almost any weather,even when it's below freezing, you toil and try but almost never catch anything.
How can you possibly keep going?

Well first of this refered to winter fishing and as some of you know it IS hard.
Secondly i do catch fish but since i mostly practice catch and release i don't have much to show for my efforts at the end of the day.

But really,what keeps you going through the seasons, why do you keep going out there?
To fishermen the answers are as abundant as the flies we've stuck in trees.

To those of you that do not fish however i'd like to share my take on it all.
Fishing is a great hobby. Gets you outside, close to nature and with a sole thing to focus your attention on when you are there.
To some of us and certainly for me fishing is more,it's part of life and the year as a whole.

The thing that makes you go back out there is the knowledge that the big one is out there.
Not nessecarily a big fish but just as well a big day.
The day when the stoneflies hatch and dryfly fishing is at its best.
The day when you see the water rising over the attack of a big pike and all those small ones were just something to spice up your trip.
The first day of spring when you see waking fish.
And of course, the very first fish of the year.

Why flyfish?
As stated in "A backyard in Nowhere"; Years ago someone invented the hardest way possible to catch a fish. To succed and be good at that gives you a great rush.

While i don't agree it's the hardest way of catching fish it is indeed not always the most effective.
But it is more than just catching fish.
It's the ritual of it all, getting to the water, rigging your rod, choosing a fly that you believe in, placing that perfect cast and much more that need to be felt, not read.

We continue to fish because we know that the big one will come.
The big day, the big fish, hopefully at the same time.


Yellow hackle fly on double hook.
Weighted with chainbead eyes.
My fishing company.
These swans usually checks up on me when i'm fishing in the usual spot.

1 Mar 2013

The spring is comming

The winter is comming to an end.
At least i can see the dawn of spring comming up.

The ice is still lying on the lakes but the river is open and the rainbow trout are starting their runs to spawn and i'm hoping for a couple of spring rainbows.

On top of that i'm really looking forward to when the ice is letting its grip go on the small shallow bays and the pike is moving up into the warm water to spawn.

I've been planning a trip together with my father and uncle to go to Åland, home to some of the biggest pike in Europe were we'll fish in the archipelago,mainly from boat but i'll do some wading as well.
They'll fish lures and i'll fish fly.
But i'll be damned if i can't get my dad to try his luck on pike on the fly.

Better start tying some pike-candy!