Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 4 November 2022
Weather is not winter nor autumn. It is both depending the day, and it is making our life difficult with reindeer. Things are getting icy frozen and that is not a good thing.
Sunday we had wolf hunting which was success as we had two licenses and both were used. There is saying that things will get worse before getting better. We are on that in many ways now.
Yesterday we had slaughter day, and kind of funny situation. Vet who came to see our work was same person to whom I taught flyfishing years ago and same lady came few times and we tied some flies. I can and she also can still remember her first grayling ever, it was not big one and still the most memorable one. The joy she had from that fish was something awesome.
In some point she asked if I could take blood from sternum (well basically where it starts) instead of behind ears. I told that I'm not really expert with that and haven't done it much. She told and she can show and teach. Well why not then.
In some point we had situation that I was holding the knife and she and she took my hand and we moved knife together for the right move etc. She said same things that I use to say, don't hold so tight, relax etc. My friend was laughing afterwards that is probably what you do normally when teaching casting. Well that is true.
So I learned that stab. I'm not fast yet with that because you really need to feel where to put knife and there are lot of hair between. Still doing better. Afterwards I heard that few of the stabs were slightly touched the shoulder. That is mistake you shouldn't be doing.
When thinking of todays FP I started to think about similarity of the that stab and fishing. In the stab, area where knife goes in, it is about size of finger tip, body has to be straight, knife have to go in right angle, deep enough but not too much, then cut down and swing with the knife.
Do you see any similarity for casting? I can. Then after hearing there were some side hits, I was thinking that there are no room for mistakes. In fishing you might have and yet you shouldn't. I learned that in hard way with snakeheads and gourami. I have missed trouts because of accuracy mistake.
This is crucial with the dry fly and sight fishing. When you make a cast, you know if fly landed where you wanted it to be. I have seen rising fish, I know which line I want fly to go, making cast. Then when fly is on the water, I know that fly is not coming line which I wanted. It doesn't mean that fish wouldn't rise and take anyway.
Anyway it means that you made mistake. It is like stab, job done but not like it should be. During the age I'm getting more demanding for myself. My friends says that everything I do is with high demand for myself. Job has to be done really well or fucked up really well, not something between.
There is no room for mistakes. We should have more expectations from ourselves. That is only way to make us better casters and fishers. Don't settle.
Have a nice weekend and go fishing
Mika the legend