Loan from children

Loan from children

Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 21 December 2018

I have been wondering how things are in other countries. If you look photos on Instagram and in different groups on Facebook, it looks like that you can fish trout and grayling all year round. We have in Finland spawning protection for trout and grayling. For trout it is 1.9.-30.11. for grayling 1.4-31.5. Some rivers are open only from 1.6 to 31.8. And I know that in Sweden and Norway has their own rules for same reason. But then the rest of world…. I don’t know. In fact, that is not issue what I’m really wondering it is what happens after spawning protection.

Spawning protection was ending last of November and right after that on first of December there was photos about catches on Facebook. People rushed to rivers to fish. I feel that it is stupidest thing to do.  Right after trout have been spawning you go and fish them. Well it is not really the thing. The thing is that people go in the water and wade, not even thinking about that they will be walking over the eggs. Or kicking some slime from bottom which will end up over the spawning gravel and choke eggs eventually.

It might be that it is only in Finland but makes me wonder anyway. It is great that people are using barbless hooks, and suitable landing nets. That people are fishing sustainable, which means that they take one or two fish to eat at time and not the biggest ones but something between. But we should look further, beyond this moment. Nobody is perfect, and I’m the last one. (Ask from my wife or kids but, they have been able to overlook that fact I’m asshole, so I’m nice person) What I mean is that we should learn and maybe think about more about our acts.

For me it means that I really have to think where and how we fish in start of season. It is June and graylings have been spawning just few weeks ago and their roe is also in gravel. It has changed my approach about wading and it might be something you really need to do also. Or how you handle fishes? Shall you take photo about that 10 cm trout and is that photo really something you need to do. Of course photos are good memories but you don’t need to film all of them. (at least not on your hand) You probably know this but if you use dry hand or glove to handle fish, you will make much more harm than using bare hand which is wet. Your dry hand is making “skin” burn to fish and it is same if your skin get burned, enough and it will kill you. And glove is taking liver layers from fish, which is crucial to protect skin. Or when holding fish, you squeeze fish just around front fin, where heart is located.

They say that “the land and water is legacy from our fathers”. That is not true. I rather think that it is loan from our children and that how we should handle it.

Have a nice weekend and Merry Christmas

Mika

Ps. I drive lot of different things, snowmobile, reindeer, car, tractor and I obviously have too much time to think, like you can see above.
girls fishing satus catch familytime kids on the rock anni and grayling years ago