Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 24 May 2019
I’m HT6 and when I left from England, I was just no 164. They put also my owner’s nickname from Paul, Mika the Legend and Mika’s company MLguiding on me. I arrived to Finland just week before Mika needed me and he found line for me just two days before fishing trip. So we didn’t have much time to get to know each other before leaving to Sweden. When Mika took first grip from me, I knew that he was proud of me already.
So we went Sweden and Mika set up me and also HT4. He put us on rod holder which was placed on car so we would be ready use easily. On the first day we had heavy raining and river was new also to Mika so he had short 1 hour test fishing on fly fishing area. He was using HT4 but I didn’t mind. We returned to lodge to wait that rain would stop. Late afternoon rain stopped and we took off again. This time I knew that we gonna fish for real. I was still in rod holder in the car with my pal HT4. We stopped to field which was parking lot and Mika left us to holder and went to river just by himself. I yelled to him that he forgot something but he didn’t mind about that. Now I know that he went to snoop river. That is what he often do when arriving new spot. I think that he can somewho smell if there is good fishing or not, or at least he thinks so.
Mika came back and took me from holder. HT 4 had to stay. I knew that Mika want to test me but also I had feeling that he thinks that there might be work for me. He tied streamer on tippet and we headed to river. I saw that spot was too good to be true. Mika started to cast and we had some problems in the beginning. I was doing my job but Mika gave too much power in the first casts so I couldn’t be totally relaxed. Soon he figured out the combination and things started to go smoothly. We fished the neck and then Mika changed the fly. Fly was even heavier than first one but this time we were working nicely together. There is photo about that fly in the end. Mika was walking little bit upstream, downstream and back on forwards…. I knew that he wanted to find perfect spot where he could do something if (when) we hook the fish. He is always looking how to land fish before he is starting. So he found the spot and I made the cast to the neck. I heard Mika saying that it was 1 meter too short but it was not my fault. I launched loose line out and there was not more. We fished that cast and nothing.
Mika gave more line, and I made few fault cast (yes, my owner was helping a bit). I felt on handle how Mika’s grip changed a little bit when he saw how I took line out. There was certain proud in that touch. Fly dropped on water and Mika made small mend, line tighted and then I felt heavy weight on my tip. Mika lift me up and we had fish on. Fish took downstream right away and now it was good that Mika had checked the route. Water was not deep where we were after few meters, just little bit less than knees high. Mika was reeling line in and walking backwards at same time towards the shore. Fish started to come upstream and I heard how Mika said that awesome, you are doing great job. I knew that he was talking about how I was working with fish and how I kept it so firmly in the hook. Fish came about 5 meters from us and we it saw Mika… well fish really took off to upstream. Mika gave line to fish, reel’s break was doing good job and I did what I was made for. Soon fight was over and we landed our first trout. Beautiful 64 cm silver beauty. Mika took some photos about me and fish before releasing it.
We stopped fishing afer that. Mika was happy about our first session which took only 30 minutes with landing the fish. I know it was magical start to our partnership. Since that I have been Mika’s no 1 choice when fishing trout with dries, nymphs or light streamers. During the same trip we had great time in Laivacamp in mountains and later also in Varzina, Russia. There is some photos about fishes I landed during those two weeks what we had time to fish last summer. (Mika thinks that he was landing the fishes but I’m the one who is doing all the work).
I know that he will get HT8 in some point for trouts but it will be only for streamers. Oh… I landed also 58 cm grayling and some salmons last summer. And this spring even my owner was really rusty, I brought one nice rainbow trout to boat.
So this was my story how I turned from no164 to trout hunter. My owner is proud of me and I like to fish with him. We will make lot of memories together.
Have a nice weekend
Trout hunter, HT6 no164 (Mika helped little bit with writing)
Ps. I regonize me because reel is always pink. That is my partner, pink reel.
