World Hardships 2026

Stopover in Amsterdam. Check the AirTags. Both my bagages are there. 

Arriving in Milano. Starts checking the AirTags. No updates since Amsterdam. But that’s how it usually is until the shows up on baggage belt. 

First item on the belt is my rod tube. Good, then my other bag should soon show up. It doesn’t. The time passes and still no pings since Amsterdam. Then the monitor says last bag on belt. But some more bags shows up so still hopeful. Sometimes the bags come in bursts. Then the belt stops. 

I walk over to the lost luggage. They start to help me and look for the bag. But nothing. So they start to file a report. When that is done I get an email from KLM. Your bag didn’t make it. It will be on a flight today and we will deliver it as soon as possible. 

So I head over to the service desk for the rental car. There it is super busy. I think I get in line. After a while I realise that you have to get a number. Good then I don’t have to fight to get into the front. It takes very long time for the number to increase. But it looks like the everyone getting a car hasn’t made any reservations and takes forever to decide what car to get. But finally soon my number is up. That’s when I realise that the queue system is more of a recommendation people just rushing to the service desk. 

Finally I get the keys. Then the challenge to find the way out of the garage starts. That wasn’t the easiest. Suddenly I’ve seen the same cars three times. And when I get in the spiral to drive out I get cars behind me honking, thinking I’m too slow. How rushed can one be? You have just picked up a rental, relax. Outside of the garage I get overtaken by two cars with screaming tires. 

And out on the road every one is driving at least 1.5x the speed limit. Is this how it will be for the full three hours drive? Now I hate the Italian traffic. But when I reach the highway things starts to mellow out a bit and soon I’m almost alone on the road and no one is going 1.5x the 130 km/h speed limit. 

I make a stop to go to the rest room and get something to eat. There I make the first call to the airline to see if there is any updates regarding my luggage. No updates but I get the delivery address verified at least. So I continue my drive to Vinadio. 

In Vinadio I go to the competition site to check it out. Without any bagage there isn’t much else to do. There a lot of people are practicing. I talk to some people telling them about my lost luggage. Now I can see that the bag has arrived in Milano so I make a call to the airline to see if they can give me any updates. Then I get to know that the bag has to be manually security cleared before release and that won’t happen until the day after. That’s the last call before the service line closes for the day. 

Next morning I call again. Then I get to know that it will take at least three hours to get the bag released and then it will be delivered in 24 hours. That’s way too late and I tell them that I need my bag yesterday to start to prepare for the WCs. Then I get bumped to a prioritised delivery. I should have my bag within 12 hours or that I can go there myself to pick it up. I hang up to contemplate my options. A 7 hour drive is not an optimal preparation but I decide it’s the best option. That would give me some time to prepare. I call the airline and tell them I’m on my way. I get confirmation that I can pick up the bag. 

When I’m about one hour away from the airport I stop for a short break. I check my mail and AirTag. The bag isn’t at the airport anymore and has been handed over to the delivery company. I call the airline. I won’t be able to pick the bag up anymore as it has been handed over to the delivery company. Ok fine it should still be delivered during the day so all I can do is to turn back to Vinadio. 

Checking the AirTag the bag hasn’t moved during my drive back. I keep checking the AirTag no movement. But after a while the AirTag has no more connections. That could be good. It could mean that it has been loaded and on the way to me. I keep checking the position of the AirTag and no updates. I start to get my hope up. Checking the time for the last update it looks like it’s time to get back to the B&B to wait for the driver to show up. 

Back at the B&B suddenly an update. It is still at the delivery company. There has been a number of calls during the time to the airline also. Very hard to get any updates. But finally I get them to check with the delivery company. It won’t be delivered during the Monday. So it just to accept that I will have to compete with borrowed equipment. 

That was quite a hard thing to accept. I was in denial. I was in denial I think when accuracy started and there was no way I would get my equipment. I made a few false casts with Bernt’s Helios 3D 6 and thought that was I would go for. The wind was there but nothing too excessive. So when I was up next I made a few false casts with the Helios 3 8’ 6” 4wt he had used for accuracy and decided I would use that for my round. 

First target. 5 points. Next 1 I think. Then there was a mix and I ended up with 50 points. 

Not too bad. But not enough for a final in the WCs. That might not cut it for a final in Piteå Open. 

After the accuracy round I checked the AirTag. Still no movement. So I called the airline and asked for an update. Well suddenly the 12 hours or the 24 hours delivery window wasn’t valid anymore. Now it suddenly it was 48 hours. 

So now I really had too accept that my equipment in trout distance was out of question. So of all the offers of equipment to borrow I had I decided to go for Bernt’s offer. Cast his rod and one of his lines isn’t a bad offering. Of all the rods I had casted so far the Helios 3 10wt is the one I would go for if the HT10 is off the table. And a line approved by the 5wt master. I felt somewhat confident. 

I make a few test casts. Not a bad kit. Reasons why I decided to go for this kit was:

⁃ The handle had similar overgrip to what I’m used to. 

⁃ The champ let me use his kit. 

⁃ Americans need to stop cutting the rods. I casted Whitney’s HT10 with some great modifications. But I could tell instantly that something was off. Just not what until I was told that 1.5” was missing in the butt section. 

On the platform I get 37.5, 37.5 and 37. Well that’s not going to cut it. 

Checking the AirTag. We have movement!

Then some guy I’ve been checking out how to cast the 5wt comes up to talk to me. You might’ve heard about him. Rick Hartman. Great talk. Don’t remember about what actually. But we had fun. So fun that I forgot about my missing luggage. I have to excuse myself to go check my phone. Well at this point everyone knew about the poor bastard without luggage. Everyone was just happy it wasn’t them. 

So I had a missed call. And a missed call on WhatsApp. From a Spanish number. Blimey!

Oh, and the guy coming to talk to me had been sticking it past Bernt in the first round. So I guess the curse has been broken. What a great time to do it Rick. I’m very happy for you and well deserved! Would’ve been so much happier than I even was if I had a decent shot. 

I start to callback. No answer. My heart sank again. But soon I get a callback. It’s the delivery guy. He is on his way. Expected ETA. Too late. But I share my location with the driver. 

But there is a lunch break for the judges. Checking the AirTag. Well if the stars align and KLM flies upside down I might be able to cast one round with my kit. 

Checking the AirTag nonstop. 

Now the delivery should be really close by. I make a call. My shared location has failed. The driver has passed Vinadio. Blimey!

But he can turn around. I share a new location and starts to run around in Vinadio to find the guy.   

I find him. I’m a couple of hundreds meters away from the competition site. I run there. Right outside of the competition site I get my rod and reel bag out. I get to make a few casts everything feels so fucking off. I cannot cast anymore. The line just falls to the ground. Bernt and Anna show up. It’s time to get ready for casting round two.  

I have to make a decision. Cast with my line. With a leader not measured. We have no time for that. Backing not tested. Nothing tested. 

So I decided to go for the line I got to borrow for the first round. Bernt’s backup. Then it is right out on the platform. I actually didn’t have time to decide. I was up next. 

I don’t remember much from the first round, the second round or anything from the days leading up to the second round. Nothing more than everyone knowing about the poor bastard without his kit and everyone being vey happy they weren’t in his shoes. And on top of that a lot of people looking forward to see me cast. Well thank you. I’ve been chasing my bag for the last 48 hours. Not preparing. Just what I needed on top of that. More expectations. 

So now we’re in the final round. It’s shit. But a bit less shit than the first round. I get one cast away that looks somewhat decent. No hook up. But not shit. 39 meters. I have one cast left. No improvement. I’m not going to cast the 5 wt final. 

I had been battling so hard up until then to keep my spirit up. So fucking hard. Just focusing I finding my bag and not letting the bad thoughts get through. Then it was over. And now writing this the feelings comes rushing back. Emptiness. Sadness. Disappointment. All this effort and not a decent shot to show it off. And also on top of that embarrassment. I don’t know why but the feeling is there. And I’m exposing it. I just wanted to disappear from the fly casting world. Never to be seen or heard of again. 

It just hits so fucking hard. 

I improved immensely going into the worlds 2024. It was the same this time. I was so ready for everything except this. My 5wt casting was at another level the week leading up to the WCs. 

“ I’ve never seen Rickard cast better or in so much control.”

Well I’m not going to quit. I’m hungrier than ever. I’ll write about the rest of the worlds in the following FPs. 

Cheers, Rickard