Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 12 May 2023
At the this moment when I'm writing this FP at home, instead exactly a year ago we were sitting on a plane from Helsinki to Istanbul. And when you are reading this on Friday we were just about to land in Kuala Lumpur. Those were the days of our lives......
You have read too many thoughts and throw backs to Malaysia from me. If you have been fishing there you know why, if not... you really should go. Satu reads rarely my FPs, at least she doesn't say that she would. Today she asked what we gonna do next year at this time. I told you that we gonna be on trip. Satu replied that, yes I saw that you are having fever for travelling. She had read last week FP.
I started planning next year's trip. We see how it goes. Anyway Sunday we went ice fishing on our lake. It was nice weather and we had awesome one hour fishing and other quiet one.
Our fishing started fast and I caught first rainbow less than 5 min. I lost one soon after, caught another fast after that. Then Satu got some strikes and she lost two just before getting them in tube. I lost one in tube when line cut off and same happened to Satu just few minutes later. Rainbows were eating and furious, in 45 min we got 7 fish.
We decided that one more and we are done. When that thought was said it was basically game over. After that we spent one hour with only some small pushing but couldn't hook any fish more. So back home and I made file and salt those. Monday I was cold smoking filees and Tuesday we "tasted" one file, well it was so good that we ate it totally.
So on Wednesday I decided to go back to ice fishing. I got three, returned one, lost one in tube and few which I couldn't hook. It was nice 2 hour trip with some dangerous moments. It has been almost +20 celsius (68fahrenheit) on day time and nights has been easily plus celsius. So snow and ice are getting away fast. Ice is getting black and stick (or tine or what ever in English). It means that it doesn't carry so much anymore.
There was thin ice layer, then 20 cm water and 5-10 cm good ice. Except some spots good ice is not so good anymore. Once I fell little bit and my winter rubber boots got some slush in. Another time my another foot went thru the the slush and "good" ice. I had to knee to got bigger surface to carry my weight. And of course water went in. So after that I decided to stay on snowmobile trail and fish hole which were just next to that.
How much you want to fish that you ignore danger around fishing. :D
Anyway river mouths are open at lake and it won't be many days when there are already spots for fly fishing. I hope that on Saturday I will be opening fly fishing season, if not on the lake hopefully in some river. It won't be so exciting than year ago in Malaysia when I had drank Mountain Dew which made me sick and making first horrible casts for Gourami.
For that there is always next year, until that I will fishing and guiding here in north and getting better and ready for next year. Goal has been set, now is time to reach it.
Rainbows that we caught are all cold smoked and something to have during summer as a snacks or on the bread when reindeer herding or fishing.
Have a nice weekend and go fishing, I will!
Mika from Finland
