Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Of Grayling And Brown Trout

While going through an email folder yesterday afternoon I came across a stack of photographs and copy that Christian Hörgren had sent after a trip for grayling and brown trout in his native Sweden a couple months ago.

Christian wrote... "In July two friends and I made a trip to a small stream in midwest Sweden. This water used to be known for it's population of large arctic grayling. The word spread and in 1990's everybody went there. Finally the authorities decided to let the water lie fallow for a few years. Last year it opened to the public again but very few know about this thanks to weak marketing. We decided to give it a shot. When we got there, it took us three days to break the code. We finally found the fish in the bottom of the stream feeding from free living caddis larva and caddis flies in broad daylight."

 
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR

"The nature is spectacular in this part of Sweden. The moraine terrain is very demanding, both when moving along and wading in the stream. The small size of the water and the fact we could fish dry flies made it perfect for my Larry Kenney 7'9'' four weight. This rod is a fantastic tool for short distance roll casting, which is the best way to explore a water of this size. I also brought my new old friend Orvis Far & Fine 7'9'' five weight. This is a graphite rod but it's a smooth caster and a charming stick. It's considered to be one of the best graphite rods ever and I understand why. Despite it's humble length and weak blank, it has the ability to roll cast large caddis flies over sixty feet. Over here in Scandinavia, people tend to prefer nine footers. Maybe it has to do with our casting tradition and the fact many of our rivers are wide and windy. I have come to the conclusion however that eight foot long is a sweet spot for almost all kind of fly fishing in smaller streams and rivers. It gives you a closer feel to the line, the fly and the fish, and it makes it easier to move and cast. Why make it complicated?"

I really enjoy the content that Christian sends along not only for the locations but also for the fly gear that he uses.  Everything is top notch.

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