opax fly-fishing

Blog: Nordic Angler

2010-12-12T15:52:00.000+02:00

Take a good look at the new blog from Finland: Nordic Angler.

The story is not over...

2010-11-02T21:32:00.000+02:00

"Don’t watch the movie"

2010-05-12T18:36:00.000+03:00

I'll follow David James Duncan on this matter.

Pool 32 Mag

2010-04-18T21:22:00.000+03:00

Check it out.

A nonrandom moment

2009-09-27T20:59:00.003+03:00

Sit down, let it happen.

The concept of time is a matter of perspective.

But We Can

2009-09-15T20:42:00.004+03:00

It is finally out. Read more...

How to make a rod tube

2009-09-01T18:26:00.003+03:00

I believe you can figure it out from here.

Kvarken International Pike Fly Tournament

2009-08-25T20:11:00.003+03:00

News from the Hardcore Department:

700 teeth

2009-08-21T14:41:00.001+03:00

If you are into pike fishing, check out 700teeth.com!

August Caddis

2009-08-20T00:05:00.006+03:00

An August evening. It means a possibility of caddis hatch where you live. They are rhyacophila, one of the two caddis species you know by name. They hatch after sunset. Last time you were here it didn’t happen.

There was some good fishing soon after 6 pm. when you arrived, but then it has been quiet. You take a break, eat your egg-bacon-sandwich.

Start again, fish a small streamer with soft hackle dropper. You start catching small trout. Replace the streamer with a size 16 caddis pupa. It’s getting dark, and the trout are everywhere. The best fly is a dry fly, green bodied Deer Hair Sedge.

When it is too dark to see your fly, you switch back to pupa pattern and feel the trout taking it. And when they stop, you stop.

You lived again.

Semi-Realistic Heaven For Fly Tiers: The flies and lives of Ulf Hagström

2009-08-17T16:10:00.004+03:00

If you like realistic flies, take a good look at Ulf Hagström's blog. My philosophy for fishing flies doesn't really go well with the word (semi-)realistic in the same sentence, but I admire Ulf's exceptional fly tying skill. Excellent stuff, very inspirational.

Great Rod Building Resource: Solway Custom Components Blog

2009-08-13T09:29:00.006+03:00

An excellent new rod building blog Solway Custom Components. Check it out, it's well worth it. I know I will use Scott's advice on my cane project's handle and reel seat.

Scott's picture. Used with permission.

Stand Still

2009-08-03T16:41:00.003+03:00

Make your move. Make your stand. Let water pass by.

Take your time.

Jazz & Fly Fishing

2009-07-30T21:39:00.001+03:00

Trout 2 - Opax 0

2009-07-14T09:24:00.002+03:00

Note to self: Don't use Knapek nymph hooks to fish big brown trout.

A lovely little thing!

2009-05-23T18:56:00.001+03:00

But not mine.

New Season - New Stuff

2009-05-06T17:27:00.005+03:00

The new trout fishing season is about to start. I find myself in "desperate" need of a new fly line. I recollect buying three fly lines a year ago, but somehow this does not affect the need for a new one. I have been hunting for high quality discount stuff for some weeks now and decided to visit another local shop.

I didn't find the new fly line.

Some books

2009-03-22T13:55:00.003+02:00

As spring slowly makes the scene in these northern parts of the world, my fly-fishing activities are more in the lines of words than in the perfect moments filled with hope.

He is going to fish with a bamboo rod of his own making this season

2009-03-16T19:59:00.003+02:00

A friend of mine, the engineer, has been busy. Actually, he has not been all that busy as all this began over a year ago, but he has made a lot of work.

Sure he still has a lot of work to do, but I'd state it as a fact, that he is going to fish with his brand new 7'2" 4 weight Driggs River when the greatest evening hatch of the summer arrives.

And, I'm not going to fish with my own made cane rod. Not this summer. (My progress is detailed on the last picture.)

No Fishing.No Fly.

2009-03-02T19:59:00.004+02:00

It's a local swimming pool, yet better than our current fly-fishing possibilities. Enough said.

StoryArc

2009-01-09T21:44:00.000+02:00

StoryArc, check it out.

No Comment

2008-12-30T19:02:00.003+02:00

I end this year with unparalleled Norwegian symbolism.

Fell in Love

2008-12-27T00:55:00.001+02:00

It can happen.

No Comment

2008-10-03T20:40:00.002+03:00

I got mail:

Hallo

we tie and sell fishing flies of different types, this includes dries ;nymphs streamers and wets we have agood quality also agood plices we will be gland to be your suplies for more details please contact us .

charles.

Tao and The Art of Spey Casting

2008-09-09T10:16:00.007+03:00

I've been asked not to go public with these clips. So it was only a matter of time...

We have the Single Spey:

We have the Snap-T:

And finally, following true Taoist tradition, we have the No-Cast Spey Cast:

Nature lesson

2008-05-30T20:55:00.002+03:00

"Mr Trout, that's sunset."

Art of Getting Skunked

2008-05-25T22:02:00.004+03:00

[Insert a lame statement here]

Spreading the word: Dahlberg Diver

2008-05-07T23:08:00.004+03:00

Over a year ago, Jay Lee sent me two flies, a Humpy and a Dahlberg Diver. Last night I tried my best to instruct how to tie the Dahlberg Diver at the local fishing club.

It takes some time until we reach the level of perfection Jay has, but the word is out there. We are going to catch pike soon.

Thanks Jay!

Again

2008-04-21T17:36:00.005+03:00

Fishing season started again.

Maybe she is the same.

Rod Building - Part 17: Inscription (hey, it's all done!)

2008-04-15T17:28:00.004+03:00

My fly rod building project has come to its end. That's right, the rod is actually finished.

Looks like a fly rod, doesn't it?

Final part of the project was not made by me, but by mrs opax, who was very kind and wrote the inscription.

I thought a lot about the inscription. Candidates like "opax #1" were quickly abandoned. "Resembles-a-rod" would have been better, but I ended-up with "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is over seventeen minutes long song by Iron Butterfly. It was released 40 years ago. According to a legend, the title was supposed to be "In The Garden Of Eden", but someone had written "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," possibly while drunk or intoxicated, on a demo copy.

I have a new slogan for my blog:
If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.
- opax fly-fishing

End of the road

2008-04-14T20:20:00.001+03:00

Or perhaps... In middle of the road.

Bad Timing

2008-03-31T17:55:00.005+03:00

Trout fishing season has began again here in Finland with the spring stonefly hatch.

I can't go now, and when I can it could be all over. Again.

I screwed it.

That is a sure sign of the start of the new trout fishing season!

Rod Building - Part 16: "back back forth and forth"

2008-03-27T09:10:00.006+02:00

My rod building project is going like a dance. I replaced the big ugly stripper guides with a pair of shiny, tiny chromed ones.

Removing guides is simple. What you need is a sharp knife, steady hand, and some acetone to clean the blank.

Does this make a better rod?

How cares, we are after the looks here. Almost done...

Book Review: The Freshman Fly Fisher by Rick Passek

2008-03-25T14:20:00.005+02:00

The Freshman Fly Fisher is the first book written by Rick Passek from British Columbia, Canada. It is an entry level fly fishing book. Main focus is in stillwater fly fishing for trout - covering a selection of flies, fly fishing equipment, and wide range of boats. For new fly fishers living or planning to fish in BC this book offers sound information for fishing locations as well.

Sharing the experience

I like reading beginner level fly fishing books. This is because I believe that within given limitations of pages, the author must write about what he or she thinks is most essential. And I'm interested in the most essential things in fly fishing.

The way I see it, the most important aspect of this book is that Rick shares his fly fishing experience to his readers. The best stuff is where he gets in the details, be it fishing chironomids, different boats for fly fishing, or specific fishing locations.

A Beginners Guide for a New Generation

The subtitle of the book refers to the links for additional information either in Rick's web site or other web based fly fishing resources. I've spent too much time surfing the web for fly fishing knowledge, and so should a beginning fly fisherman. My advice is read as much as you can. And fish more.

Here are some links:

www.rp3fishingadventures.com - Rick's Web Site where you can order his book and more.
http://www.rp3fishingadventures.com/flyfish_fanatic/ - Rick's blog.

Ice, you can go now.

2008-03-05T15:12:00.007+02:00

a jazoni photo. Used with permission.

It's March. To cope with it I'm currently reading The Freshman Flyfisher by Rick Passek. Rick is a fellow blogger from British Columbia, Canada. He asked me to write a review of the book, and I will. There is a good chapter about beginner fly selection in his book. Those always make interesting reading.

I haven't tied flies in two months. Not since I made the perfect mobile fly-tying station that is supposed to make fly tying so easy to start that you actually can use that spare 15 minutes for it. I'll be introducing this ground braking innovation to you at some point. Before that, you go and take a long walk along the banks of Tamanawis. There you will find lots of information about fly-tying-somethings. They will help you organize your fly-tying stuff and speed up the tying process. Or, at least they'll keep you busy doing anything but tying flies. Great stuff.

Splitting cane

2008-02-19T14:34:00.004+02:00

I'll bet the Swedish knife manufacturer didn't see this one coming.

At first it was hard, then you figured it out and began to think it's easy. A bad mistake, as the split starts to wander with your mind.

Trick is to bend the wider side. The difficulty is that the narrower side bends a lot easier.

Social rod maker

2008-02-11T12:08:00.000+02:00

What I didn’t know was that the hobby of making bamboo fly rods is such a social activity. Much of the work is done alone, but a lot more time is spent talking with fellow rod makers, 3-years-old daughter who wants a pink fly rod, 5-year-old son who wants a rod longer than his dad has, workmates, friends, and, well, just about everybody willing to listen. At some point a sister-in-law’s husband told me about a guy that only ever speaks about cars. I got the point.

I believe that most of bamboo rod makers are engineers. Books, articles and internet sites about bamboo fly rod making deal at least as much about construction of required tools and machinery, as they deal with the actual process of bamboo crafting. My task is to prove to the world that a humanist can craft a bamboo fly rod. The small print is that this particular humanist has partnered with an engineer to build bamboo fly rods.

Tools and machinery is one of the reasons this hobby is so social. If you don’t have all the tools, and believe me – you don’t, you can either construct (engineering degree doesn’t hurt), buy (costs about ten times as much as the materials for a bamboo fly rod), or you can borrow them. I prefer the last, so it takes a bit mingling with the right people to make the rod.

Bite it, baby!

2008-01-24T20:16:00.000+02:00

Splintering Cane: Feminine Reactions

2008-01-16T20:26:00.002+02:00

I told my wife that the friend I'm going to build bamboo rods with had bought a bamboo fly rod.
- Why he wants to build a bamboo rod if he already bought one? She asked.
Why do the birds sing? Why the green is green? What keeps a rock from crumbling into dust?

The friend told he was casting his split-cane in the yard. A lady, a neighbor, walks past with a dog and smiles.
It is January, there is snow on the ground, pretty cold, about a hundred meters to the nearest lake shore, frozen lake shore, a guy is casting a fly rod as old as she. What's there to smile about?

Season Shift

2008-01-01T17:04:00.000+02:00

A good trout fishing season is not counted by the number nor the size of the fish. I think it is something altogether different, though the fish do play a big part. Good seasons are counted by the memories, and even then not on the quantity but on the quality of the memories. Or perhaps I am mistaken here and just trying to justify too few fishing trips with the quality over quantity crap.

Whatever the case, I had great time fishing last summer. I didn't count the numbers. Even if I had, the season 2007 was probably the best ever. I stopped keeping records a couple seasons ago. This has everything to do with the improvement. The constant drive within me is to become a better fisherman. I just don't believe in statistics; even if I could collect enough data for a reliable statistical analysis, it would just confirm something I already knew. I'm trying to get the bigger picture.

What then will the next season bring? More trout for sure, but also there are projects to finish and new ones to start.

I have the ultimate rod building project to start with a friend. The holy grail of fly rod building. We are talking about split-cane here, bamboo. It is a crazy idea of course, or, crazy enough. When the friend asked, I replied that neither of us knows how to build one, 'we need a book' I said. 'Already have one, makes good bathroom reading", he replied. I didn't bother to consider my resolution any more and simply agreed to take part in the project.

We were drunk but the agreement holds: we are dead serious when the topic involves fly fishing.

December Trout

2007-12-11T23:18:00.000+02:00

Went fishing yesterday. See you in the spring.

(For the record: The length of the day is currently 5 hours.)

Fly-fishing Tradition

2007-11-29T10:57:00.000+02:00

Importance and role of the tradition in fly-fishing is substantial. There are flies and methods used by anglers hundreds of years ago, the reel is pretty much similar in design as it was when first invented, and the reason to fish is pretty much the same as is was before as long as we are talking about fly-fishing.

About a month ago I tied a few March Browns, winged wet flies dating back a long time. In the 80s I was with my parents fishing the Ruunaa Rapids in Eastern Finland. I had a fly rod and had bought, or at least whined to my parents long enough that they had bought me, a package of of three wets, pretied in a leader. I remember the horrible mess the rig was after a few minutes of serious rod waving. One of the flies was a March Brown Silver. I caught couple of fish. They were bleak, no trout for me back then, thank you.

I intented to visit the Ruunaa again last August but instead decided to go to the very heart of Finnish brown trout fly-fishing tradition, the Huopana. It is not a big river, or at least long, only about 1.2 km or .75 miles.

But its every pool and channel has been named and there are even rocks that have names. Those rocks are named after fishermen. That is what I call tradition.

The whole milieu of the river is unique. The houses, the old bridge, and even the old hydroelectricity plant just belongs there. As well as the fishermen (no more than 10 per day with the current regulations) and the brown trout.

The all time sport tackle record trout from Huopana was landed by Mr. Bruno Alanko on 22nd of August 1933 using "a yellow fly". That was 8.3 kilograms or 18.5 pounds of lake-run brown trout.

I visited the river exactly 74-years later. After a short but good night sleep in my car I saw two fly fishermen with a story to tell. "I just lost the trout of my life" was the first thing the younger man said to me when we met. With wide eyes and stunned expression on his face he told me about the trout he hooked and played for good thirty minutes. The hands of the older man were wide apart when he estimated the size of the fish with his hands. At least 5 kilograms he said. The fish broke of just when they thought that they could finally land him.

The tradition of fly-fishing is not static. It lives and evolves as we read, write, talk, and dream about it.

After the sunset

2007-11-27T14:45:00.000+02:00

River flows gently, almost silently, under a bridge. Fish from the bridge as there is no sign to deny it. Although never really searched for it.

Have the feeling that nothing will be caught. The certainty. Don't fight it, not this time.

A sudden splash of water made by a big fish. Move to the left bank and cast. Nothing. The fish splashes somewhere else now, out of sight, out of reach.

Return to the bridge, and watch the light fade.

Trout Rigs & Methods by Dave Hughes

2007-11-19T23:51:00.000+02:00

Dave Hughes has always had systematic approach in his books. In Trout Rigs & Methods (Stackpole Books, 2007) he divides trout fly fishing techniques into set of rigs and methods to fish these rigs. The result is an explanation of lots of ways to fish trout. Its downside is certain amount of repetition as different rigs and methods do have lot in common. To my eyes this book is a valuable source book for hardcore fly fisher--over 300 pages of rigs and methods is not for sissies (and I did read it all).

This is starting to sound like a review. I don't want to do that. I simply want to make a few comments about the book. I'll keep it simple: a) lots of fishing techniques in the book, b) some good history stuff but not very much, c) I'm sure I'll put some of these rigs and methods in good use, d) no really deep insight but there are other books for that purpose.

Well, maybe this is a review.

No Comment

2007-11-18T23:48:00.000+02:00

Click here to see what you don't have.

Prey's Beauty

2007-11-11T21:05:00.000+02:00

"Buster had coped with the misery of their childhood by escaping to the swamp or river to fish."

2007-11-05T21:53:00.000+02:00

Linda Anderson writes in her book When Night Falls:

"Buster liked to fish. Jeb and Buster had coped with the misery of their childhood by escaping to the swamp or river to fish.
Not that his cousin ever knew he was having a miserable childhood. Buster was an idiot. He was mentally deficient, except for processing data and operating computers."

And perhaps fishing?

Now there is a group of bloggers still trying to cope with childhood traumas by fishing. I'll bet that Linda Anderson hasn't heard any of them, and they hardly know Linda. I'll introduce them: Linda, meet Buster. Buster, meet Linda.

Read what they have to say at Buster Wants to Fish.

Deep Sparkle Pupa Variation

2007-11-04T16:43:00.000+02:00

My favourite caddis pupa pattern is Gary LaFontaine's Deep Sparkle Pupa. Green has been most effective color for me. I have replaced the hackle fibres of the original pattern with lively CDC fibres. This fly is fast to tie and ugly enough for trout to love it.

Black Zulu Special

2007-10-31T19:00:00.000+02:00

Here is a variation of an old classic, the Black Zulu. This fly is tied on heavy wire grubber hook with a bead. Orange yarn is used instead of standard wool tag. It hardly makes a difference; actually this fly works well even without the tag.

I use this fly as a searching pattern. It works for trout, grayling, and white fish.

Storm Approaching

2007-10-31T15:44:00.000+02:00

An August Morning

2007-10-14T22:11:00.000+03:00

From Small Streams

Sometimes it gets down right magical.

Rod Building - Part 15.1: Who's whistling?

2007-10-07T21:31:00.000+03:00

So far I have done all the steps required to build a fly rod. But there is a but. I have been casting with the rod and there are a few things I'm not happy with:

The stripping guides are making a sound like whistling with sand in your mouth.
Guides in the tip section are not perfectly aligned.

I think I'm going to buy some acetone and take a few steps backwards...

From Fly Rod

201

2007-10-03T22:01:00.000+03:00

This is the post #201 of this blog. It has been fun, but...

... I'm going to continue nonetheless.

One of the highlights of this blog was when Jeffrey Prest, Features Editor of UK based 'Trout Fisherman' magazine, inquired could they publish a picture taken by me on their magazine. I naturally agreed and the following picture was published on the August 2007 issue.

It's not everyday that our toilet is on a magazine.

However, what has clearly been best is the new friends. Thank you.

Wyatt, how about a fly swap this winter?

Spey casting with a single-handed rod

2007-10-01T18:03:00.000+03:00

Or Learning to cast again

I learned fly casting without instructors but by reading books, casting, and casting. It was in mid 80s and I was a pimple-faced teenager with a noodle fibreglass rod. Back then my books considered moving the wrist in casting as a critical mistake.

To keep a long story short, I haven't developed to be a great caster. Over the years I started to caught fish and was satisfied to my mediocre fly casting skills. At some point I reached the conclusion that only way to cast better was by applying less power. But then there is the thing called muscle memory. It has been very hard to change my casting stroke.

Beyond Overhead and Roll Casting

A few years ago I began to experiment with the underhand cast. It is widely popular here in Scandinavia, but I must confess that I haven't really mastered it. The I saw a video clip of the double spey cast with a single-handed rod. It looked familiar, and I realized that in fishing I used a cast not totally unlike the double spey. Then one day last summer I was fishing and I was casting the double spey. It felt great, and it was far more effective for the situation than traditional roll casting.

A few weeks ago a friend lent me a DVD entitled Rio's Modern Spey Casting, and I became a child again. I mean that I'm beginning to rival my kids on a competition how many times the same DVD can be watched. Simon Gawesworth has explained the basic principles of Spey casting to me so many times that they are starting to stick. Surely, in the DVD he casts mostly with a double-handed rod, but Spey casting is not about double-handed rods, it is about manoeuvring the line to position for forward cast, it is about D-loops and anchors. All these principles work with single-handed rods as well as with two-handed rods.

Wetting the line

I have been on a lake shore half a dozen times practising. The beginning was miserable. I think I managed to make every mistake possible. My D-loops were out of control, anchors either stick piles of line or nonexistent, and I apparently had no sense of timing. My hand was hurting as I tried to fix everything with power, a manly solution to everything. But my double spey was working and one switch cast out of twenty sent the line far and fine. So I returned home to listen Simon.

Last Saturday I went to the shore again.This time I had memorized the rod path for the snakeroll. I did it a dozen times and the misery continued. Only then I realized that my line was pointing to the wrong direction before the forward casting stroke. It was perfectly aligned if the direction I wanted to cast was behind me. I felt stupid when I realized that I drown a G-shape not the e-shape; clockwise instead of correct counter clockwise e-shaped rod path. I changed it and snakeroll started working, the anchor was right there where it was supposed to be. I added the splash-and-go timing of the airborne anchor cast and the line was flying and unrolling beautifully.

It felt great. And all the sudden I managed the switch cast and the single spey as well. All these casts have the airborne anchor. Splash-and-go, and it did.

My Spey casting has only began. There are lots of faults to be fixed. It is still quite common that the line (and my self esteem as a caster) falls down into a messed pile of misery. But when I concentrate well, have patience, and don't apply too much power, the line unrolls beautifully, or at least decently, and I have the sense of success that I need to keep on going.

At the moment like these I also remember that it is not the destination, it is about the journey.

Colors of the Brown - Part 4

2007-09-29T16:48:00.000+03:00

From Trout

And finally, but hardly exclusively, there is the Bright Trout. Silver and black are the main colors when she slowly transforms the lake disguise to her river dress.

Colors of the Brown - Part 3

2007-09-27T08:32:00.000+03:00

From Trout

Among the strongest colors of the brown trout is yellow. The sight of yellow bellied trout is enough to raise you from the depths of oblivion. It fills you with awe, and again you are able to see the beauty of life as it was meant to be seen.

Colors of the Brown - Part 2

2007-09-24T18:57:00.000+03:00

And sometimes they are painted in gold.

From Trout

Colors of the Brown - Part 1

2007-09-22T18:53:00.000+03:00

Sometimes they actually are brown.

From Trout

No Comment

2007-09-18T14:05:00.001+03:00

Rod Building - Part 15: The Varnish

2007-09-18T10:46:00.000+03:00

I have used Gudebrod Rod Varnish with this rod. It is easier to use than epoxy based two part solutions, but several more coats of varnish are required.

From Fly Rod

Here is the hook keeper. It is from my first fly rod, a cheap Daiwa fiberglass rod from the 80s. The Daiwa rod is my only fiberglass rod and it is now broken. Well, at least the hook keeper is in use with my first ever custom rod. I'll try not to get all sentimental because of this.

From Fly Rod

Rod Building - Part 14: Wrapping things up

2007-09-14T14:32:00.000+03:00

From Fly Rod

I finally had time to continue my rod building project. I had purchased single footed guides to replace the original snake guides that came with the TFO Kit. Compared to two footed guides, single footed guides are more difficult to attach to the rod blank with tape. With two footed guides you can tape one foot of the guide to the blank and wrap the thread to the other foot.

Next part: The Varnish.

The Big Fish

2007-09-12T10:20:00.000+03:00

The river is wide at the point where you’re fishing. The current surprisingly deep and strong. You remove split-shot and flies from your line, and tie on a size 14 pupa pattern and a streamer. Normally you use a smaller fly on the dropper and a streamer as the point fly, this time it is the other way around.

There is an underwater rock so you let your flies swing in front of it. A swirl of water, a big fish takes a fly. It runs about five or six meters towards the other bank and stops. Then it jumps. One lazy I’ll-let-you-see-me jump. It is a huge rainbow trout.

Judging by the distance of the tip of the fly line and the jumping fish you guess it has taken the point fly, the small pupa pattern. That would mean a 5X tippet. The trout swims upstream. There is no haste in the movement. Then it stops below another underwater rock. A moment later you began to suspect that the other fly is stuck.

Minutes later, after all tricks you know to get a fish moving, you pull the line until it breaks. Reel in to see that both flies are gone.

After a moment of thought you tie a new tippet and a dropper and identical patterns. Later you catch trout, but they are not like the big fish.

On the road

2007-09-03T19:41:00.000+03:00

There aren't many things that can beat the rush of knowing that within two hours drive there is a great trout river. Some things that are valuable beyond any measure are left behind, but what lies ahead is imagination becoming reality.

Snake Roll and other advanced casting techniques

2007-08-28T13:55:00.000+03:00

Speycasting is natural way to cast, as my five-year-old son demonstrates:

Back to business

2007-08-27T14:48:00.000+03:00

Of the last three weeks we spent only one night at home.

Stay tuned for new fishing stories and pictures…

With this ring, I thee wed...

2007-08-02T13:58:00.000+03:00

Some time ago, a precious little Orvis Superfine fly rod was given to me.

Now, she has a companion for life (or at least for the 24-and-half years what is left of the warranty). Say hi to my new Orvis CFO III reel!

They were made for each other.

In the darkest hour of the brightest night

2007-07-26T10:46:00.000+03:00

A midnight in June. I recall it in vivid fragments.

The cold moistness of wet hands, the roar of powerful rapids above, and the silvery water, full of tiny air bubbles, flowing rapidly in a strong run.

They are background for the real show.

Heart stops beating when a trout—a big one, it is no place for small trout—rockets out of the strongest current straight up, turns in the air and descents back into the water. Heart beats again. Fast. A moment later it happens again, then another fish, and another, and then the biggest and stoutest of all. They are perfect.

It lasted about 30 minutes.

No.

It lasted a lifetime.

Towards the Essence

2007-07-23T12:19:00.000+03:00

Being, once again, a half way through another trout fishing season I’ve, again, started to think about my gear. When I started fly fishing, I simply wanted to get all the stuff needed to catch the fish. Back then it meant that I needed to get everything; different rods and reels and lines for different conditions, all flies imaginable for the most unimaginable conditions, a fully loaded fly fishing vest, and so on. I was a teenager and my parents didn’t share my enthusiasm, so, perhaps luckily, I didn’t get everything I wanted.

In last few years I’ve been slipping more and more towards minimalism when it comes to the gear. The minimalism was not my idea, but when I read about it, when I thought about it, I found that it suits me perfectly. I had a lot of stuff, but I had already fished enough to know that I needed only a fraction of it.

A wife of a fly fisherman may think that this minimalism is a good thing, an idea that saves family resources, both time and money, and for the most part this is correct. But there are exceptions, like when I decided to simplify my fly selection, and to drop the number of my fly boxes down to two, I had to buy two fly boxes. And I also had to tie all my flies again. So it cost a bit money (if you're going to use only two boxes, they better be quality boxes) and a lot of time (about every Tuesday evening from September to May).

Half way through this season I look the contents of these two boxes and I know that the flies I actually use 99 % of the time would require the space of a half of a fly box. I’m currently searching such a fly box. Once I had a vest, then a chest pack, then a wading jacket, and now I'm thinking about a pocket that can hold one small to medium sized fly box. Then, when I have again minimized my gear, I start to slip again to the other direction. I’ll take some extra flies or a new gadget for next fishing trip. Little by little I’ll start to accumulate more and more gear. And it’s fine.

What is the essence then? I’m slowly beginning to learn what there actually is to learn. For all I know the gear has very little to do with it. They are means to an end. But even the end is not the point. Perhaps more time than thinking the answer should be spent thinking the question. If you say “I'm fishing to catch fish” then you either have the wrong answer or the right answer for the wrong question.

Combat Fly-Fishing

2007-07-20T09:27:00.000+03:00

I’m not the biggest fan of competition fly fishing. I feel that it is needed for the sport but it also represents some aspects that, to my view, are not in the essence of fly fishing. One obvious aspect is competition; others include targeting the small fish and overall haste of the whole activity.

However, I like to be able to catch more fish, and I like to catch fish when nobody is catching them. This is where some knowledge of competition fly fishing tactics become valuable. One article worth of reading is Combat Fly-Fishing by Charles Jardine. He was spying the Young Master Jedi Fly Fishers at the World Youth Fly Fishing championships. The tactics are far beyond standard short line Czech Nymphing.

Gradually, I slipped from an envious glance to a more analytical view and began to see what the fly fisher was doing.

This is Fly - Issue 2

2007-07-20T08:19:00.000+03:00

Sir Jackson recommended to open This is Fly online magazine, to go to the page 21 for some reggae music, and to start reading.

I did that. You do it. It's really refreshing. My favourite part is Lodge Record by Jen Hodges (page 25):

What I have learned from my fishing experience with my husband and speaking with female anglers around the world is this- when you see the uber, agro, super duper, square chinned guy with the trophy shot.... Understand one thing the person holding the camera (spouse, guide, girlfriend) most likely caught the fish.

Good morning

2007-07-18T12:18:00.001+03:00

My cousin and I were fishing this morning. Just at a local river, just for about four hours. There were reasonably good number of fish feeding on surface, grayling and brown trout.

I had fair luck with grayling, but demonstrated some poor judgment on the leader department. When I rigged up, I noticed that the leader was full of small nicks, but lazy me just replaced the tippet section and started fishing. Two trout broke it easily before I replaced the leader with a new one.

Then I hooked a decent trout, around 50 cm or 20 inches, and it fought hard. I was just about to show him the net when it turned and threw the hook. Just like that. No mistakes were made but it got away. It happens, I know, it has happened before and will happen again. I took a moment; there was a rock to sit on and a cigar to smoke.

Life is good, or as Mike puts it: “Sometimes in fishing you realise that life doesn't really get any better.”

The view from a bridge

2007-07-13T09:17:00.000+03:00

While others look forward a fisherman looks down.

Are you fishing enough?

2007-07-05T09:22:00.000+03:00

How can you tell you're not fishing enough?

There are a few good signs like: nobody is complaining or your fishing gear can't be packed to go in 5 minutes.

Or you can simply check your wading boots:

A wasp nest is a definite sign.

The 12th Hour

2007-07-02T14:20:00.000+03:00

You close your eyes. It’s about 6 am in the morning and you’ve been fishing since 7 pm previous day. At some point you were too tired to fish so you sat eyes blanked at campfire, ate a few sausages with mustard, and drank two beers. Then, while the others went sleeping or left, you continued fishing. And you landed trout. A good one, too.

The river is located between lakes, as most rivers of the region, and has only two sections that are fishable without boat. Runs are short, wide, and extremely strong. But so are its trout: short, stout, and extremely strong. In here, where you live, they are legendary. A lot of fishermen come after these trout but only a few catch them.

You’ve been awake for almost 24 hours. You have been fishing for about 11 hours with only a few small breaks. You have a tent but no sleeping bag. Somehow the idea of driving home to sleep lured its way to your mind and you actually took off your leaking waders, sat behind the wheel and started driving. Driving at this mental stage is not a wise decision; it’s an act of insanity. Your mind paid no attention to such introspection. But, instead of driving home, you drove to the other river section.

You’ve somehow managed to dodge the crowd. First, in the evening, you selected different river section than most of other fishermen, and now in the morning, you were just about to drive home but decided to check the crowded section before you leave and found out that there was only one car left. So, instead of leaving, you sit behind the wheel with your eyes closed. You try to recall all the moments of last hours but memories are fussy. After a minute or two you hear engine starting and the car drives away. You are alone in a great trout stream.

A moment later you are gazing the river from bridge. A pocket water section looks tempting. You tie on John Goddard’s famous caddis dry fly and Lennart Berqvist’s pupa pattern. You figure that the English pattern will be a very attractive indicator and the Swedish pattern would be the choice of a picky trout.

When you get into the water and start casting you notice that you can’t see your indicator fly from roughness of the surface. Sleep deprivation isn’t helping either. But this is what you love so you keep on fishing.

Mind and body become separated. Body is fishing; mind is dreaming and enjoying the ride.

Suddenly you see a flash of light below the surface.

“Hey! That looked like a fish!” your concussions mind says with astonishment.

“No kidding.” subconscious mind would reply if it could talk. While conscious mind is speaking, subconscious mind is acting: right hand raises the rod and left hand pulls the line.

“I’m getting good at this!” says the conscious mind.

“You are getting good at this?” would be the answer.

You get back into the car and start driving home. An hour later you stop the car, close your eyes and fall to sleep.

Straightening the leader - or "opax-flyfishing tip of the year"

2007-06-30T12:18:00.000+03:00

Although, it is hardly the focus of this fly fishing blog to give fly fishing advice or tips, I'm going to do it this time. I was reading a thread in a fly fishing forum where beginning fly fisherman was asking how to straighten the leader when it is taken off the reel after a while or when the leader is new. I was surprised by the answers that were given. I thought that everybody a bit less than little experienced fly fishers knew the answer but all sort of hints and tips were given. Of course ,there is more than one way to do this, but the simplest solution that is used by me and was also given by a few guys that answered the question goes like this: a normal trout fishing leader can be straightened by stretching it when it is slightly heated.

1. Right hand fingers hold the fly line leader junction, left hand fingers takes a strong grip of the leader.
2. Pull about half a meter (2 feet) of the leader between left hand fingers so that it feels hot but doesn't burn the fingers. This is the heating part of the procedure.
3. Stretch the piece of leader with both hands.
4. Move right hand next to left hand and repeat the procedure until all of the leader is straightened.

There, no need to buy any fancy gadget or get a good bottom snag and break the leader in order to straighten it.

Flytier's Page: Levern "VERN-O" Burm

2007-06-29T16:41:00.000+03:00

Take a look at Levern "VERN-O" Burm's Gallery featured in Flytier's Page by Hans Weilenmann. Great flies and great photographs.

I have the privilege to own some flies tied by Vern. We made a fly swap last Spring when he sent me a few US trout flies and I mailed him back some Finnish trout flies.

VERN-O's flies can be purchased online via JS Fly Fishing.

Fisheye perspective

2007-06-27T19:37:00.000+03:00

This is why the fish try to escape when I try to release them.

The photo is shot from underwater.

A Mayfly from Hell

2007-06-21T12:23:00.000+03:00

From Life

When I take the kids to park I never leave my camera home. I mostly take pictures of my children, but, as my son pointed out, I also take a lot of pictures of bugs.

This is a mayfly. The picture was taken with strong underexposure, and finally accidentally edited with Picasa's Tint filter.

Priorities: Setting things straight

2007-06-20T08:39:00.000+03:00

It was every bit as good as I told you it would be.

Priorities: Upside Down

2007-06-19T14:13:00.000+03:00

It is mid June and trout fishing is absolutely perfect right now.

I haven't been able go fishing for two weeks. I have the usual excuses, let's not get into those.

No excuses. Not one. None.

Fly Fisherman's Entomology 101

2007-06-11T18:37:00.000+03:00

I call it a yellow may fly with huge¹⁾ orange eye balls. An online translator gives it a Latin name of crocus may no per ingens orange oculus balls.

Simplify: A size 18 yellow dun.

¹⁾ Hugeness here is relative to the size of a bug.

No Comment

2007-06-10T16:28:00.001+03:00

Caddis Larva

2007-06-06T14:23:00.000+03:00

From Life

It's a size 12 olive caddis larva.

From Fly-patterns

A Reason to Fish

2007-06-04T17:22:00.000+03:00

No Comment

2007-06-04T08:42:00.001+03:00

Night Fishing Anticipation

2007-05-31T14:34:00.000+03:00

Night Fishing. There is something special in it, but it is hard to say what. It is much more difficult and I rarely (read: never) catch more fish at night.

But that fish, which I don’t really see but only hear splashing the water, can be the biggest and fattest brown trout in river. He's a hunter. I’m a fisherman.

Oh, and I like bats!

Three things of importance

2007-05-29T14:05:00.000+03:00

An Illuminated Tree

It has been on the river bank for decades. It has been in the sunshine for thousands of days. But for the first time it was illuminated for you.

A Discussion and the Practice of the Underhand Cast

In this cast, leader and fly are used as an anchor to load the fly rod against tension of water. When the timing is perfect, and only then, the fly line will shoot like an arrow from bow. Practice it a hundred times, and each time you do it right (maybe once or twice in first hundred casts), you feel it like you had never really cast before. It is that magical; a pure form of joy.

A Piece of Wood

Once living, now dead. It served its purpose and still does.

The Proof

2007-05-18T10:35:00.000+03:00

It's a small stream, so the pool is a miniature version of the ideal pool. It has all the characteristics however: strong current feeds it from upstream run, its bottom drops deep slowing the current and trapping drifting insects into the turbulence. The current gathers again at the tailout where the trout lie.

The pool must be approached carefully, taking cover from bank and trees, and finally casting a streamer to the current. The streamer mimics the dying minnow perfectly, swimming slowly, flashing its side, slowly but surely dying as an easy prey. The animated death sequence becomes prolonged, yet the fly is left untouched.

Same pattern in a different color, the motions repeated but the results remain. Give the pool a rest.

* * *

Later the line is rigged with two nymph patterns and a spilt shot. One of the flies is a flashback caddis larva pattern and the other is more natural and subtle nymph pattern.

The take is so subtle that it is almost unnoticeable. Tighten the line and a trout is on. It is hard to judge its size, and then it splashes water throwing the hook. There is only one person near the pool so it is clear who should be blamed.

New cast and eyes fixed to the end of line drifting through the pool. The motion stops just before it should speed up.

Just before landing the trout it becomes evident which fly has been accepted. And that is the best part.

A fly tied and designed by The Mad Fishicist.

Awe

2007-05-16T09:35:00.000+03:00

Sometimes Nature pulls her special tricks. It happened yesterday, on a calm early summer evening. All the sudden, out of nowhere, it came: the high winds bending the trees, bring sunset-sunlight, a few raindrops and the roaring of the stream. It felt cold and warm at the same time. Everything was very much alive.

From Small Streams

I tried to take a few pictures of the moment, yet only a fraction was captured to digital media.

From Small Streams

No Comment

2007-05-14T15:53:00.000+03:00

From Misc 2007

Fish Prints by Jack Brown

2007-05-10T09:35:00.000+03:00

Gyotaku (pronounced something like "jo-taku") is an ancient Japanese art form in which prints are made by inking a fish and pressing rice paper on it. In Japanese, "gyo" means "fish" and "taku" means "print" or "rubbing." It's harder than it sounds.
- John Giearach

Jack Brown lived seven and a half years in Japan during the late seventies. During that time he fished, and learned the six hundred years old art of Gyotaku. Used originally to record impressions of fish, nowadays Gyotaku receives enthusiastic reception as a decorative and interpretive art form. Today fish rubbings and prints can be seen displayed alongside other notable pieces of art.

Jack sent me two absolutely beautiful prints: a brown trout and a steelhead. The fish rubbings made by Jack Brown are great gifts for fishermen.

Visit his website at www.kechenenyfishprints.com

Rod Building - Part 13: The stripping guides

2007-05-08T11:06:00.000+03:00

From Fly Rod

After little fun with the power tools (must use them at least once a year) the stripping guides are ready to be attached to the blank.

From Fly Rod

This Temple Fork Outfitters blank was supplied with large stripping guides. They will add a bit weight to the rod but will make the shooting of fly line a bit more effective.

Note: I'm waiting for a shipment of single footed guides for this rod to arrive in any day. Should that happen, this rod might actually be finished in time for the May/June streamer fishing.

Small streams (I am in love)

2007-05-05T19:56:00.000+03:00

Saturday morning I decided to take a look at some small streams no more than an hour drive from my home. Small streams are true treasures, best of them usually hidden and hard to find.

A road less travelled - From Small Streams

I found the stream.

From Small Streams

And finally had time for my precious little girl.

From Small Streams

She is even more amazing than I thought. She casts like an angel, and none of the fishes - ranging from 35 cm to 42 cm or about 14" to 16.5" - were match to her.

From Small Streams

New fishing season is beginning.

From Small Streams

I am in love, and alive again.

Leadercalc 2007

2007-05-04T17:35:00.000+03:00

Steve Schweitzer has updated his Leadercalc formulas. If you make your own leaders or plan to do so, check Leadercalc 2007 at Global Fly Fisher - it is the best resource you can find about hand tied leaders.

In 2006 I used exclusively hand tied leaders, this year I plan also to use some ready made standard leaders and as well as braided leaders.

Respect

2007-05-02T20:44:00.000+03:00

My grandfather was a farmer. He was also a fisherman, but I wouldn't call him an angler as he preferred fishing with nets. And he caught a lot of fish in his lifetime. Those fishes he caught were the meat; he fished because his family needed it. But he loved it.

As long as I can remember I've always been greatly interested in fishing. Never the nets, which was a disappointment for him I am sure, but the angling. In my childhood, we spend the summers at my grandfather's farm, and I fished most of the time. I caught only a fraction of what my grandfather caught.

There is a single moment in my life that I remember my grandfather best, it was the moment when I landed a big pike and my grandfather was there, and he looked at me and said finally with certain respect in his voice “Well Olli, it looks like you are fisherman after all.”

It still feels good.

Rod Building - Part 12: The tip-top

2007-05-01T11:09:00.000+03:00

If you, like me, have spent your lifetime wondering things, and if you, like me, are fascinated by fly rods, then you know that I just had to do this.

From Fly Rod

One isn't enough.

Realistic Stonefly Nymph. Tied by Tomas Whitehouse

2007-05-01T07:33:00.000+03:00

From Tomas Whitehouse

It feels just as real as it looks.

Tomas and Tuuli have a great website and shop at www.tntflies.com

Ice-out

2007-04-29T20:02:00.000+03:00

A jazoni photo. Used with permission.

Rod Building - Part 11: Whipping the females

2007-04-28T11:35:00.000+03:00

From Fly Rod

If you found this page via search engines, looking some pictures of serious whipping action, you might be a little disappointed right now.

From Fly Rod

Let's face it - this is about building a fly rod. Nothing sexy and hot in high heels or lusty lingerie to be found here. There are no pictures of naked beauties getting whipped, just a fly rod.

From Fly Rod

Hey! You made it this far - Drop a comment. Thanks.

Gyotaku - Japanese Fish Rubbing

2007-04-24T14:44:00.000+03:00

I believe I first saw these in John Gierach's Trout Bum. Jack Brown has learned the art in Japan and has made these for over 25 years. Visit his site at www.kechenenyfishprints.com