Jamtland (Sweden) – July 2010
Photographic diary of the fly fishing trip last summer in Sweden.
The goal was the big pike, which according to reports from previous years, should have been so stuck to attack our streamers / poppers right on the boat. Instead the great rainfall of the previous spring, has moved the best time for pike fly fishing, a little later in the season: for 2010 the month of August would have been much better.
Marco, Federico and I instead we left on July 11th and we stayed in Jamtland (Sweden) until 23. The Jamtland region is perfectly located in the center of the Swedish nation, about 520 kilometers north of Stockholm and only 300 from the Club Polar Arctic: Sweden is very large …
Excellent accommodation in a comfortable cottage located near the town of Ottsjon and the homonymous lake. The off-road vehicle and the two boats available, equipped with electric and petrol engines, have allowed us to explore many lakes in the area. Naturally having a partial or no knowledge of the lakes in question, characterized by shallow waters and outcrops, we have done a very prudent exploration, paying great attention to where the keels and especially the propellers of our boats were put.
The fishing grounds have been very solitary, in different waters: it would take years to beat all the waters of the area … Given the latitude, the weather has often reserved unfavorable moments, according to the motto: “In Sweden sometimes it rains, sometimes it pulls wind, but almost always it’s raining and windy! ”
However, the fishing was satisfactory with a daily average of six pike to rod, whose size was around 70 centimeters, with peaks up to 93. Although the lakes have little fishing pressure, you can not believe that catch the pike good size is simple: up to 70/75 cm catches are relatively easy and fairly constant, while for the 80 cm and up, catches are much more sporadic and unpredictable.
As for the equipment you can fish with flyfishing rods that cast line 8/9 for streamers little weighted, on 8/10 centimeters; following the advice of the local guides you can go down to the line 6, casting light streamers in rabbit fur dubbing. A multi-tip tail will help the exploration of the different depths, even if we have almost always fished with the floating tip: fishing just below the surface of the water with streamers in light colors allowed to directly see the hunt for pike, making the fishing a lot more fun.
As for the reel I would advise models that are more appreciated for the lightness that for other characteristics: throwing all day with a line 8 or 9 in the wind is not a joke …
The steel wire tip is inevitable: 20/25 steel finals will be sufficiently resistant and more easily knotted: we will not have to fish for Moby Dick. Maybe I would glue the final nodes with Zap-a-gap type glue. This type of glue will also be useful in the creation of streamers in order to make them a little more durable in the clash with the strong jaws of pike.
Do not forget a good pile, a good (really good) rain jacket and all the possible and imaginable products to keep away the mosquitoes present in millions.
Impruneta, 14 September 2009
