The average size of perch here in the Baltic are anywhere between 800 grams – 1 lb Trust me I know I’ve caught one or two of them last year on the fly…unintentually I might add as they were taken on flies that were initially chucked out to attract a decent sized Pike.
So I’ve decided this year to dedicate a lot more time targeting Perch on the fly. This has meant tying up new perch patterns in earnest for the summer. General consensus through out the forums is one should use jig type flies for perch….Bugger! there lies my first hurdle, I don’t have or use dumbbell eyes on my flies -well very rarely that is……long story but it revolves around me ending up with a hook through my cheek….yes I was a tad over zealous when casting a heavy fly and thought I new better at the time…..twat!
Anyway most of the perch I’ve caught, have been on small Zonker or Minnow patterns anyway. Flies that have had no real weight on the front of them, off course I’ll cover all my bases and tie a selection of smallish (weighted streamers & rock knockers), but have started tying in a Tarpon/Deceiver hybrid pattern fly. I’ve taken the same principle as I would a pike fly, and tied them big, and as I use snap links on my wire traces, I’ve tried to distribute the weight more to the back of the hook with the hope that it gives the fly a more undulating movement through the water. Sure I’m going to catch my fair share of Jacks on these flies but my main aim is to attract perch of 2 lbs and hopefully bigger with them.
Since applying the Cluster maps widget on P.F.F.Articles just under a month ago I have been truly surprised by the amount of visitors from all over the world I have received. 57 countries at present & growing. Countries that don’t even have pike present in their water have featured.
Anyway for those countries that do have pike especially in the States, Canada and Europe, many of you might not have heard of Dave Lindsey aka (Dave Mcfluffchucker)barring the United Kingdom off course. Dave is a one of the few professional pike fly tiers around and hails from Scotland. His work is well know throughout the pike fly-fishing fraternity in the U.K and he produces some truly fantastic flies for a very reasonable price indeed. His range consists of all manner of patterns from Deceivers, Buoyant flies, Big buoyant flies, Perch patters, Silver baitfish, Frankein flies, Big 6 inch flies as well as Pike packs.
Click on any of the links on this page as well as the logo at the top and they will take you to his website.
Here is a little something from Scotland I thought you might like to listen to on this grand Sunday Morning.
You know everyone I know bangs on about Ad Swiers “Passion for pike” as if it’s the Holy grail of pike fishing literature. Don’t get me wrong……there’s no question it’s a fantastic read, and I will talk about it next review, but if you are just starting out in the sportor have been fly-fishing for pike and just need a little inspiration, then the best pike fly fishing book available without a question of a doubt - "for me" - has to be, Mastering Pike on the Fly: Strategies and Techniques - By Barry Reynolds This book goes with me where ever I go. Barry truly does understand everything about Pike behavior and is evident by his writings in this book.
It covers all aspects from where to locate pike depending on what season you are fishing for them & what kind of waters you are fishing on? How & where to locate pike with regards to structures & cover. How differentwater temperatures effect a pikes metabolism, spawning times, as well as feeding habits and what flies to use & how to fish these flies. If you don’t improve as a pike fly-fisherman after reading this book then you should stop, and rather take up knitting instead.
Barry tells me he spends around 100 days a year targeting pike on the fly and has caught 30 pike in excess of 50 inches or 30lbs on the fly & his current personal best now stands at 54” and 37.5lbs. This book truly has been written by a true master of the sport. Thanks Barry for allowing me to use this image of you as well.
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Mouldychum run a weekly Friday pin up, so I thought I might do something similar except every week you get to decide how many beers it would take you before she would start to look approachable enough to take back to your boat.......for another 6 pack! We'll start proceedings off with Emily, 22yrs of age. She drives the crane down at our local scrap yard and she says she's up for most things after a few vodkas.
The idea has been around for some time but had got lost on me until I saw them featured in Dave Edwards blog (Deesox) a while back. Old video cases doubled up and recycled to be used as pike fly cases. Whoever thought of the idea 1st must have been a pike fly-fisherman because old video boxes make the perfect pike fly carrying cases. I spent years looking at over priced, undersized fly cases, yet the perfect solution was staring me right in the face, and was going to cost me practically bugger all as well. Just remember to stick a bit of foam on one side so you have somewhere to stick the hooks in. I like to fish light….really light! My hip bag has a bottle of juice, my phone, Spare leaders, Traces and my recycled video box with an assortment of no more than ten flies….That’s it! Anyone going out fly-fishing for pike with more than 10 flies on him…………needs to be shot! Using these boxes has meant no more carrying 20 or so Jiffi sealed packets around with me filled with flies……which invariably would get squashed all the time and what’s more, using these boxes for this purpose keeps the flies in a better condition.
Lastly, I also supply several fly-fishing shops here in Finland with an assortment of flies & package the flies in these old video cases and sell them as a box sets. Which to be honest sell better this way than selling just single flies. They are also easier to post and the flies arrive in the condition you sent them in……..Nuff said!
You know there are thousands upon thousands of books, magazines, articles & Blogs all dedicated to fly-fishing for trout & Salmon....God knows why!. Every book store's fishing section is overflowing with the bastards, yet there are only a handful of books written specifically for those that either target pike on the fly or for those maybe interested in taking up the form. Anyway I need to free up space in my sidebar so I've deleted my "Favourite books Amazon widget" and decided to go though each book........(well there are only six of them) for you over the next week or so.The first will be "Fly fishing for big pike - by Alan Hanna.
This was the 1st Book on Pike fly-fishing I ever read and if anyone can be credited with starting me in the sport, then it has to be Allan Hanna. It’s certainly not the best book out there with regards to targeting pike on the fly but the book does cover some aspects of the sport from the tackle needed to where and how to fish for Esox lucius. I have to add though that it was written towards a specific technique of fishing he uses by combining slow sinking intermediate lines with buoyant flies….. If you are able to get it as well, it does comes with a very well presented 96 min video (not sure about the DVD version) called “Fly fishing for Big pike in Ireland” which includes fly tying tutorials, casting techniques, fly line set up, pike recipes and some wonderful pike on the fly footage from Ireland.
Had a little time last night so I tied a few more flies for the ever increasing collection. I love using Party wig hair in my flies. Its a little trickier to tie but the amount of volume it gives you with such minimal weight is worth the effort. Not only that its a treat to cast as it has little water retention.
This fly here I took short clumps of the black wig hair and build it on top of each other to make the collar. Trimmed the bottom as you would do if you were trimming a bucktail popper just to free the hook up
Another version of the Ballydoona bomber. This time in red. This works best with Purple Zonker strip tied in behind the head.
Here’s a handy gadget I found recently that you can knock up yourself for cutting your own Zonker strips. All that’s needed is a 5 of old style razor blades & two long thin bolts with nuts. If you are lucky enough to live in a country where whole treated rabbit pelts can bought rather cheaply then this the perfect gadget for all you tight arsed fishermen out their. For a piece of fur the size this chap is using to demonstrate with, costs around 15 euros here which is practically 12 short zonker strips from your local fly shop but with this gadget one can cut 40 to 50 long zonker strips for the same price. This is a huge saving if you’re prepared to put in the time and effort.
Run your cotton base to the bend on the hook. Take a small clump of White Flash n Slinky and tie on to the end, then fold over itself and build up the cotton behind the fold. Sorry for the 1st 2 images being taken with a white background
Snip the length short.
Use what was left and repeat the process so that the next piece slightly overlaps the last.
Then tie in several strands of gold & silver fff flash on either side of the hook.
Then tie in equal lengths of light green (any colour will suffice) wig hair so they flow down either side of the fly.
Build up 2 more clumps of White flash n slinky
Then mix a decent amount of mixed gold & silver fff flash onto the top of the hook. Fold over itself and build up the cotton behind the fold…..like so.
Add 2 more clumps of the White flash n slinky
To finish of the fly first tie in a clump of black wig hair onto the top and then a clump on either side of the hook to give it lateral lines.
Except for a few saltwater sorties at the beginning of the year in South Africa, this has to be the longest period I have spent without being able to chuck some fluff in ten yrs and to be truthful I’m starting to get a little ratty and jaded around the edges. Reading everyone else’s antics globally isn’t helping matters either. In fact its even got to a point where I’m hoping & wishing that there is some other bugger out there who is suffering withdraw symptoms similar to my own. Yes!, this blog has brought some respite to the fishing doldrums I am presently experiencing, but its just not the same.
In the past 4 yrs, I’ve been able to find at least one stretch of open water here I was able to chuck some fluff at come the end of February - but this is becoming ridicules. No man should have to endure a 6 month drought of fly-fishing……..should he!
I’ve tied over 120 flies this winter, Cleaned all my lines, sharpened old hooks, sorted out my collection of Spinners & Zalt lures for those none pike on the fly days, Yet I’m sure in 3 weeks time………..”ONCE THE FEKKIN ICE MELTS!” - With my currant mental state being as it is – I’m probably going to be like a rabid dog frothing at the mouth, champing at the bit and will probably fish like a man possessed once the spawning season ends…………..Well that’s what I’m visualizing anyway! I just hope with all this pent up angst being released, that it doesn’t have an adverse effect on my fishing!
I’ve also decided that I will start at the north end of Replot island in Svedjehamn Björköby and work my way down its west coast first, but as you can see by this image, I could be here around Svedjehamn Björköby for quite some time. Having to endure looking at images like this for the past 6 months you can understand what I must be feeling like at the mo.
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For all of you in the States & Canada that have never heard of the Ballydoona bomber, let alone fished with one, then you don’t know what you’ve been missing. It was the very 1st fly I started fly fishing for pike with, and was designed by a chap called Alan Hanna from Ireland. Its main feature is an off set triangular foam head placed at the eye end of the hook. Anyway this is for all you tight arse pike fisherman out there that like to get creative with cheap ass products found from your local craft shop.
One can use foam from a block off course, which all fly shops will stock, but for a tenth of the price I will be using foam sheets 10 cents ea from my local craft shop.
Take sheets of foam and cut into 30mm wide strips
Then cut the strips into 50mm lengths. Glue these together and wait for it to set
Then cut through the foam blocks at 45 degrees like this. Trim all the edges also at 45’ angles to suite the size hook you are using.
I very rarely use eyes on my heads but for this I bought a meter of this double sided plastic wrapping paper with holographic balls on it and cut 2 out to use for eyes.
Here is the finished product. You don’t have to, but I like to coat my foam heads with some clear varnish just to give it a shiny finish especially with the holographic eyes I have used.
What you tie behind the foam head is entirely up to your own imagination. A longish strip of around 150mm of Zonker fur would suffice, but I also like to tie in plenty of flash and super stretch Floss onto mine as well. Here I have used a strip of artificial fur, a generous amount of Silver Tinsel flash, Gold fff flash, Green super stretch floss and two different coloured green Marabou feathers for hackles. Lastly I also cut 2 strips off the foam 2mm to use for legs.
Simple, easy & above all tight arse cheap to make. And don’t be fooled by what it looks like ……yes! - go ahead and laugh, but this is a killer fly & will catch you tons of fish.
Technique to fish this fly
I have found that the best way to get the most out of this fly is to fish it with a slow sinking intermediate line. Cast out and give the line a few seconds to start sinking. Then strip back with short sharp strips. The line draws the fly under the water but floats back to the surface. The deeper the line goes the longer you can keep the fly under the water bobbing up and down.
Here is Alan Hanna explaining how to tie an Al's Eel as well as some great footage of this fly through the water.
I came across these while on my recent visit to South Africa. “Action Discs” although primarily developed for bass baits, walleye rigs, salmon lures and trolling flies a number of saltwater fly-fishermen are now using them over there, purely because they are giving the fly more movement when being stripped back. This is evident from the video footage the website has with there “Arctic fox tube flies”.Anyway I bought a packet of the small discs to try out this spring. Will see how they fare once this bloody snow & Ice melts.
The growing debate over here in Europe within the pike fly-fishing fraternity regarding the use of heavy mono or wire traces seems to be hotting up. The general consensus that I have been reading within most of the pike fly-fishing forums around the world is split down the middle. There are those who have used wire traces since starting the sport……me included, that either wont change a winning formula or are reluctant to try something different and there are those that have used wire traces for many years but have recently………….well in the last 2 yrs that is! changed over to using very heavy mono filament and are full of praises towards its attributes…….Okay its been around for a long time, but if all our top fishing celebrities have fed us this opinion that one should always use a wire trace on the business end of your line then off course you are going to get those that will always buck the system and try something different. I’ve always been happy with a short wire trace especially with the confidence & security that comes with using one but I’m also willing to try other systems as well, especially if its going to improve my days fishing. I suppose this is why I love to fish for pike on the fly due to the constant evolution of the sport.
To be truthful I have mixed opinions on this topic, On one side I’m happy using a wire trace due to the security it affords me, yet it lacks very little memory and so I have to change these traces regularly due to them ending up kinked……Bugger!, yet stiff Mono retains its memory but has a greater chance of being bitten through…….well when I mean bitten through I mean scoring itself against those extremely sharp teeth Mike has, thus chaffing it and ultimately weakening its structure. What is promising to read though from many of these converts is that using a heavy Mono 100 lb – 120 lb seems to last a lot longer……A whole season in some cases……..mmmmm interesting!
Anyway with this in mind I will be using a heavy mono filament trace 120 lb b/strain this year on one of my intermediate lines just to see what all the fuss is about……Am sure that once I hook into 10 kg pike I will be going through all the stresses that goes with the unknown of using a different set up though.
Seeings it snowed all day yesterday here in Vasa, I decided to tie a few more flies in the afternoon. They might not look like much but I know they will be fun to use.
"The Weekly Fly" website features this week, Doug McKnight tying a Deer Hair Popper and is a fantastic tutorial for anyone wanting to learn how to tie these flies. Tied onto a slightly larger hook with a little more deer hair makes a fantastic Pike popper as well.
Here is another batch of images of pike caught here this winter in the Baltic. I’m also happy to say that all these were successfully returned from whence they came. Canada "Eat yer heart out Sunshine"
10.15 kg
I thought to day that I would feature a very good friend of mine’s underwater photographic career. Roger Horrocks & I were at Durban High School together in South Africa during the 80’s. He was always an extremely keen spear fisherman and has held numerous records for the sport over the years. His love of the ocean now extends to freelance photojournalism, specialising in environmental, travel and marine photography for news, editorial, advertising and stock photography businesses. His portfolio reads like an adrenaline junkies résumé should look like. Free dives with Great whites, Tiger, Bull and Ragged toothed sharks, Dived with Nile crocodiles in the Okavango swamps, Completing a 100 km unassisted marine trek off the coast of Southern Mozambique, Has worked on numerous BBC projects such as “Earth’s Great Events Shoot” and BBC’S four week shoot covering the “Great sardine run” up the East coast of Africa. If anything, Stop by today and have a look at Rogers website & Blog. His Imagery is something to behold.
Here is the 1st of three short videos of Javier Barros fly-fishing for pike in Spain,He runs a website there called www.vadeando.com and I was talking to him last week about these clips and his words were "We only want to show people that catch and release is the only way forward for us,especially educating this to the the young anglers of today. Catch and release is not very "habitual" in Spanish rivers, and our web tries to change the mind of people who practice this "traditional" way of fishing. Good for you Javier and hope to see more clips like this in the future. And a big shout for letting me upload this on to here for others to see.
A few weeks back I wrote an article about “If you could only take one fly out with for a days fishing which one would it be”? Well although this blog is primarily for those who target pike on the fly I also, every now and then fish for them with my trusted Loomis 6ft bait-caster rig outfit, if conditions are to blusterous for chucking fluff…that is!
And it got me thinking about what lure would I choose given the same proposed question, and I would have to say a large sized spinner lure.
Over the years I have (as I’m sure all of you have ) collected an untold amount of different lures. Some became favourites while others seem to have disappeared in to obscurity yet slowly but surely even my favourite lures have started to be replaced with a very handsome collection of Spinner lures & as I mentioned a few days ago the only other lures I take with me now are my trusted Zalt’s
Many of these are from the CompanyKuusamo lures here in Finland. Kuusamon lures are thelargest metal spoon-bait factory in Finland with the Kuusamo Professor and Räsänen models known the world over by lure fishermen. They have a fantastic collection of Spoons, Spinners & plugs all ranging in size and colours which catch more pike over here than any other manufacturers makes or models. Although the Finish side of the website is up to date they need to get their fingers out and up date the English side as its still features the 2006 range. Not that much has changed to their winning formula of designs & colours these last 3 yrs.
Click the thumbnail to visit their site.
Another Range of Spinners that you need to keep a look out for are from Rockstar lures coming out of Ontario, Canada. What makes these lures so special is thatthey are bigger and longer than normal and constructed from stronger wire than other brands at present on the market.
The "Tight lines Quartet" Will be combining their passions of fly-fishing & Jazz with a summer tour of Scandinavia between June - August. They will hook up with DJ Jatsipetsi, Jazz & Fly Fishing’s own household DJ & together they become Tight Loops - a group playing funky jazz with dance floor spices. Now I'm deffinately going to keep an eye out for their Vaasa gig.
Mouldychum ran a feature a few days ago with regards to the unnecessary killing of a supposedly world record caught Steelhead salmon, which has brought wide spread condemnation towards the angler in question
Now my argument is “What’s the difference between the Steelhead above, and this Pike caught here?, And why there isn’t a similar outcry for this image being published?. I have no argument with what Dylan has to say, in fact I wholeheartedly support his words, but I’m a pike fly-fishermen, and my love of this great fish stems beyond passionate…..its more an obsession than anything else. This Pike has seen more of the goings on below the surface of the Baltic sea, and spawned enough eggs to fill a tanker ship for the last 25-30 yrs,…………and would probably have done so for a few years more had this bloke understood the importance this great and majestic girl was to the ecosystem it swam around in. I cant tell you how sad I feel when I see images like this, especially images that glorify mans incessant quest to bolster their ego’s.
Now I love to fly-fish, & and I also like to eat fish, and will always bring something home for the dinner table for the family to eat. Yet I understand the importance of how fragile our waterways are becoming. Catch and release has been with me from an early age and is a topic I feel very strongly about indeed. Its got to a point that I will soon start to lobby for more stringent rules to be put in place over here and I also feel that these points need to be told at grass roots level as well. Kids of today are our future and unless we don’t start educating these kids early Ie: (in handling fish correctly& C&R) then what hope do we have for further generations to enjoy the feeling you get, from catching a fish.
Now I am definitely not endorsed by Zalt in anyway to write this short tackle review, but if you have never heard of this lure or company then maybe you should check out their website and get yourself a couple of these lures, because they have to be if not one of the best lures on the market today. Zalt was started in 1987 by Bo Olsson and Peter af Rolén & is now the most successful pike lure in Sweden.
Fly-fishing for pike is off course my 1st love but I do like to hurl the odd lure occasionally,so
with the exception of spinners, I have caught more pike with this lure than any other lure I’ve ever possessed .
When I moved here to Finland I used to have at least 4 or 5 full boxes of lures with me on the boat, but as time has gone on I now only take my trusted box of spinners and my box of Zalt 19 cm & 14 cm Lures with. Matti Hayes was right all those years back when he said that his favourite Zalt for fishing the Baltic was the Clear Blue 19 cm, andI have to agree. Its so good I have had to get my partner to hold my rod while I dived down 3m to retrieve it from a snagged branch, purely because I didn’t want to loose it.
Its design is just perfect for slow trawling and even better used as a jerk bait. Their website doesn’t show them, but they do come in numerous colours, although to be perfectly honest they say at Zalt that its not the colour that attracts the fish but the movement these Zalt lures impart while being retrieved, and what a movement it is!
For all you out in the States & Canada that have never heard of these lures or let alone use one, then do yourself a favour and get 1 or 2, it will be the best investment you will make all year.
This is an article which was in Vaasa's Swedish daily publication yesterday
Sverige fredar gammelgäddan
Sverige fredar gammelgäddan i Östersjön.
I sommar inför det svenska Fiskeriverket nya regler för att begränsa fritidsfisket efter gädda i Östersjön. Statistik från yrkesfisket visar att fångsterna av gädda minskat med 80 procent de senaste 15 åren.
För att skydda gäddan får den som fiskar med handredskap bara ta upp tre gäddor per dag. Dessutom blir det bara tillåtet att ta upp gäddor som är mellan 40 och 75 centimeter, skriver Dagens Nyheter.
Martin Rydgren på Fiskeriverket säger till tidningen att åtgärderna måste inriktas på fritidsfisket eftersom yrkesfiskarna bara står för cirka fyra procent av gäddfångsterna i Östersjön
Sweden Protecting Old Pike in the Baltic Sea
This summer Sweden is restricting it’s laws on leisure-fishing for pike in the Baltic Sea . Statistic says that the numbers of pike caught have dropped 80% in the past 15 years. To protect the pike, the leisure-fishermen have been restricted to three catches per day. The allowed sizes being between 40 and 75cm.
The restrictions are aimed at the leisure-fishermen, because professional fishermen only cover 4% of the total amount of pike caught in the Baltic.
Yet there is no mention of the use of over trawling in the region, and how they have depleted the stocks of fish which I might add are the pike main food source thus having a knock on effect for the pike stocks in the Baltic…….Although I am happy with the regulations, Why Is it always the recreational fisherman that gets the blame and suffers?
“Lordis” dubious win in the Eurovision song contest in 2006 ( long story) a few years back gave Finland the opportunity to be able to hold the competition on its shores the following year so you would have thought that the country would have gone all out to truly promote this fantastic place. Yet I was extremely disappointed with how they went about it., and after talking with many other Fins it seems I wasn’t the only one either.
……. So instead of showing, the hundreds & thousands of kilometers of un-spoilt wilderness we have here, let alone the 180 000 lakes and its truly impressive Archipelago ecosystem found on the Southern West coastline let alone all the activities that can be done in and around these areas – to name but a few -…….. Hiking, Canoeing, Kayaking, White water rafting, Skiing, Husky sledging, Gold panning, Nordic walking, Ice climbing and off course Fishing tourism.
They spent 80% of the all the advertising space revolved around Helsinki. Sure the competition was being held there, and it is our capital city steeped in history and becoming a truly cosmopolitan destination in its own right, but Finland is not just about one city, its about Culture, Lifestyle, nature, open spaces, clean air living.
It clearly showed me that whoever was in charge off, or responsible for editing these promotional tourism films had no idea what they were doing and weren’t looking at the bigger picture.
Finland’s tourism revolves mainly around outdoor activities and so you would have thought they would have tried to promote this more heavily. Outdoor activity companies here in Finland, especially between the months of May – Auguststruggle each year to make ends meet ….I know, being a wilderness guide I have my contacts in all areas of the industry…….. and now with the global monetary crisis sweeping the world these businesses will barely stay afloat…..in fact I predict that many will go under unless something is done to help these companies in the near future.
As I have mentioned before the fishing tours industry could rake in millions of Euros per annum if it was run correctly. I have received several comments over the last 2 weeks with regards to the possibility of people wanting to come out here to fish but don’t know where to start with trying to access the necessary information, Guides, accommodation, travel etc etc………. purely because they have seen the images posted on this blog of the massive pike being caught here in the Baltic. What has been surprising to me though is that most, if not all have enquiries, have come from the States.
Finland’s & Sweden’s Baltic region has, if not the best Pike fishing waters in the whole of the Northern hemisphere…..it truly has. Yet nothing is being done to promote this statistic to attract prospective clients to our shores more vigorously…….well that’s here in Finland. Sweden on the other hand are literally light years ahead with regards to this matter.
Myself and Lena have a meeting with the Ostrobothnia fishing federation on Thursday about how this area can not only be improved as a fishing destination but also what is needed to put this world natural heritage site in the shop window with regards to fishing tourism. I’m hoping to work closely with them on this project as its something which runs deep in my veins.
Pike on the fly in Scandinavia is getting bigger and bigger with each growing year. Last year I came across these films of Roy and Robert getting stuck into some great looking pike on the fly in Norway. What I particularly like about this footage is how well they both handle and release these Pike, which to me is a great advertisement for the sport. Robert Sørvik has kindly allowed me to up load them onto my blog…..so cheers for that Robert.
Now I don’t know what its like in your own countries but Finland is a country who’s nation is obsessed with maps…. which suites me down to the tee. There are numerous websites over here(Retkikartta.fi - Citizens map land survey of Finland) that offer the outdoors men a portal into the world of Finland’s topography, and as it’s a nation of outdoors men......well except for those few city slickers that dwell in Helsinki, we can pretty much obtain any kind of map we need at the push of a button. Book shops even set aside a considerable amount of floor space for the map connoisseur like myself. Whether it’s a road map, a topographical map, a geographical map, an Atlas, Sea charts, tourist city road maps…you name it we can obtain it over here.
Anyway just to change the subject slightly for a moment. Growing up at home I could never understand how my oldman would sit for what seemed hours on the bog reading his monthly installment of National Geographic or sailing magazines, especially the free sea charts or maps that came with the supplements. I never believed that someone could becoming so engrossed in an article or chart that they completely lost track of time for that long. Me……..well I’ve always been a command & conquer sort of bloke most of my life, probably because I didn’t want to stick around to watch the wall paper slowly peel itself of the walls. But recently though I’ve found myself sitting on the kaazie longer than I usually would.
All this I have put down to my incessant and sometimes obsessive need to look at maps. I just cant not walk past one without having a dob at it! Anyway yesterday morning I was going over the sea charts and coastal maps of the depths & drop off areas around Replot island, checking out where my plan of action will be when spring time erupts, that I genuinely lost track of time & my legs went numb with pins & needles, and I realized that I was possibly turning into my Dad.
It also then dawned on me that maybe the reason why my dads legs are in such bad shape with such a lack of circulation, could be due to years of sitting on the bog reading his beloved National Geographic’s…………… so I have now moved the sea charts back in to the lounge where they can be read with out the thought of ending up with deep vein thrombosis……
Ive never felt the need to chuck my flies more that 15 to 20 meters but these blokes in the Netherlands take chucking pike flies to another level. Makes me wonder though if they had a 20cm chunk of fluff tied onto the business end, would they be able to chuck it as far as they are doing in this competition.
Just watched this Fly tying video by Gary Dubiel. Although its mainly used for Saltwater purposes "The little Haden" could be modified for us pike fly fishermen.
Herring and Perch are the Baltic Pikes main food source, so over the last few days I have been playing around on the stand tying up some new and improved Herring imitations.If they work well this spring I might have to start producing more of them. Will put up a tutorial for them in the next week or so. Sizes range from between 18cm to 12cm in length
I've had an affinity with birds for as long as I can remember.In fact Birds and Fishing are the main reasons why I have traveled so extensively over the last 15yrs. Our Garden is full of bird feeders for wintering birds and bird boxes hang from nearly every tree. There hasn't a day gone by where at some stage during that day I've been found to have a pair of binoculars in my hands. In the last week or so I have been a little more active checking for the first tell tale signs that spring is on its way in the form of maybe a Blackbird or Fieldfare but it was a Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) that landed on a bush this morning outside our kitchen window that has given me renewed hope that winter has turned a corner and soon I will be able to chuck some fluff again.
Every so often I come across a website or blog that catches my attention especially if it has something to do with fly-fishing for pike. “Fly Fishing Nation” is one of them. Although they cover all manner of fly-fishing from fresh to salt there is something for everyone. Great articles and stunning photography and some insane pike flies to boot.
Click on the image to visit the Blog. Their blog roll from 2008 seems to be packed with Pike on the fly articles, flies and images.
You know everyone keeps banging on about Canada and the insane trophy pike fishing that goes on there but the Baltic sea is equally impressive as well. . I can understand why people want to go to Canada, fly in by boat plane, fish on pristine waters in remote wilderness for trophy pike, while staying at a well run lodge.......Hang on a minute, all that can be done here in the Baltic sea for half the price.....well for those living in Europe anyway! Here are just a hand full of images taken from this winter season here in the Baltic region just to get you thinking!
If you have followed this blog from the beginning then you will know how keen I am about using surface lures & especially poppers. Read “fly-fishing with poppers 07/08/08”. During Spring & Autumn time my fly box consists primarily of poppers. Unfortunately though the size of the poppers that are available to buy either from tackle shops or off the net are too small due to most primarily being designed for the bass fly-fishing market in the states, and just didn’t give me the surface disturbance I was looking for to attract larger fish so over the last 5 yrs here in Finland I have been tying up my own poppers which I have called the “PADDLE POPPER” There are 3 main features to this popper which I have changed.
The 1st being the popper head itself. I do use the “Boiler maker popper head” from Edgewater but have started to make my own out of Balsa wood. These have a wider surface are that make a louder popping sound when you strip it back.
The 2nd is their length, and this is easy to achieve with adding longer strips of Zonker rabbit fur to the end of your hook + - 15 cm, and
The 3rd feature is the use of stiffer feathers tied on either side of the hook shaft which bend outwards and displace a lot more water similar to that found on a rowing boat.
If you have some time and you like using poppers then buy some Balsa and shape a few heads and make some of these “ PADDLE POPPERS “ up. If not go to Edgewater and lookfor the “Boiler maker popper heads” or the “Master blaster heads” They not only make a lot of noise but give much more movement through the water & as the saying goes the bigger the fly the bigger the fish.
Run a line of cotton about 10 mm down the hook shaft from the hook eye. Then place a blob of superglue around and slide the bead on over it. Then build up the cotton behind the bead as much as you need depending on the size hole that has been drilled through the popper head.
Then cover the cotton with superglue and slide the popper head over it. I like to use superglue as it soaks into the thread better.
Then tie on a piece of Zonker fur at the back of the hook near the bend. Here I used a strip of the artificial fur around 15 cm long. I also added a few strands of Red krinkle mirror flash on either side
Then tie on your feathers on either side of the hook shaft so that the feathers bend outward. Here I used Guinea fowl feathers but any black feathers will do. I also added a few more strands of the Red krinkle mirror flash on either side as well.
Then cut yourself a 60 mm length of black Zonker strip and wrap around the hook for your fur hackle. (Gill covers)
Then tie in a red marabou hackle followed by an orange then another red (for the Gills)
"This is Fly" latest issue 15 is out. click on the image to go to the site. Go to page 121 where there is a short snippet about fly-fishing for the Amor pike (esox reicherti) in Russia.
So I went to the summer cottage all be it in the height of winter with the family this weekend to do a spot of ice fishing. Now ice fishing is a religion here in Finland in fact, thousands of blokes each weekend bare the freezing cold to go sit on a small fold up chair and drop a line through a hole over a pre-determined spot with a ridiculously tiny rod just in the off chance they will get a few fish. They even have a week long competition here in the summer whereby all the participants sit on huge polystyrene blocks in the middle of a lake and pretend they are ice fishing through a hole ……..
Personally I can think of a hundred things better than aimlessly looking down an Auger drilled hole freezing my bollocks off,but with the lure of good food, great company, a few “Rum toddies” and “Hot chocolate and Minttu’s” and a sauna each evening I decided to give it another bash.
I woke up on Saturday morning with the mother of all hangovers yet optimistic, looked out the window at the thermometer and it read -16’c. Got changed, and went through the check list, Maggots, grab the ice drill, grab the fishing equipment, have some coffee then climbed on the Snowmobile with Lena and sped off along the frozen Baltic to a well known Perch spot. Now if a lot of you are like me and who’s stomachs work like clock work, I should have visited the kaazie before leaving, especially after my “morning cup of coffee” because no sooner had I arrived at our fishing spot, when my stomach started playing up. “Shit! I knew I had forgotten to do something”……… no pun intended! Now its never bothered me about dropping my kak’s in the forest if natures calls, but try doing it at -16’c in a hurry with all the regalia I was donning, is not something I recommend.
Well to cut a long story short I arrived back 5 min later without a hangover and a pair of long johns full of snow. What made the experience even more un pleasurable was that the ice drill was blunt and I spent 10 min drilling only 3 holes. For someone who generally enjoys their angling fishing for Tench, Bream, Barbel etc etc then this form of fishing would probably appeal to you, but I like to be active and I became quite bored within 20 min and decided there were better things to do waiting for me back at the cottage.
So no pics of decent sized Perch for you all to ogle over……sorry!
You might find the following image a bit disturbing!!!!!!
What I can show you is me taking a plunge into the ice waters during a legendary sauna session that night. Temps had dropped to below -20’c yet we spent the evening outside around a fire drinking lots of booze & cooking sausages. Since living here I have come to truly appreciate the sauna and the hotter the better for me. In fact if its not +80’c and above inside a sauna I make it that hot by throwing plenty of water on the stones to get it up to temperature. What makes the experience even more exhilarating is to then slowly lower yourself up to your head into the freezing waters through a pre-cut hole in the ice.
I know it looks mental but the feeling you have after you get out and climb back in the sauna is indescribable and has to be experienced to be believed.
Rum Toddie: Hot water; Indian sugar and 2 x shots Rum
Choco Minttu; Hot water, 2 x tea poons hot chocolate powder, 2 x tots Minttu (Mint liqueur)
A South african living on Replot island, Korsholm, Finland
Pike on the fly is an addiction which has slowly consumed my life to an extent that I'm never truly happy until Ive caught my next one especially if its with a new fly I've tied.This blog is dedicated to pike on the fly in the northern hemisphere.
Finland through the lens of my Camera. View many of my more interesting images I have taken around Finland, Lapland, Kuru & even "The Serengeti" in Tanzania.
