Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 23 June 2023
We use the word “aurausviitta”, translation would be “ploughing cloak”. English is stupid language, it doesn't have words which match with Finnish. Or probably I just don't know the words and neither translators. Aurausviitta is anyway what we have by the road showing where the edge is during the winter, so roads can be cleaned from snow.
What this plowing stick has to do with fly fishing and midsummer? Well we often say that someone doesn't go outside of ploughing sticks, it means they stay on the road and don't want to work in the forest.
Starting from Saturday we have a lot in the forest, reindeer has been our main thing this week. Weather has been on our side. we have worked long days and nights, well we don't have nights now so life is so good. We have been back home from marking around 4am just to be back outside 9 am. In total we have marked a little bit over 1000 reindeer babies during 4 nights.
Monday I had fishing guiding, well it was more casting instructions and just little fishing as they wanted. We did basic training at the farm on the field. This summer I have started to use a ploughing stick as a rod, or part of that at least. It feels a lot like a rod on your hand, and when I make it shorter the weight is quite the same also.
I also have set up just for training, it is all the time next to the field so even I can do a few casts when passing by. Good for me also, and our trainees can practise when they want. This set up has took some damage so it is not reliable for fishing but perfect for training. Handle is fixed and reel's brake works now and then. Old set up found new life.
Monday I used stick also as guiding stick. During practice I had to figure how to stop or eliminate some moves what casters were doing. I'm not sure if it great idea but it helped a lot them. Their brains knew what but muscle didn't understand, so I had to figure out something. Ploughing sticks are 1,5 meter (5 feet), so I could have some distance not really disturbing caster and yet able to help with the move.
I put one stick across the chest so they had to hit stick when back casting, it was eliminating that hand didn't go behind shoulder, also it helped a lot with wrist flip. That flip was coming naturally when they hit the stick. Absolutely nice backstroke loops , have to say.
Other use was from front, other one was doing a lot side move while forward casting, it was more like sword hit. So I went front and put stick, so it was eliminating this side move and rod was sliding along the stick.
Not sure if great ideas those two examples, for me it looked like that they got idea faster and fixed the mistakes. They got good start for fly fishing anyway.
Now I have to run, it is midsummer festival, few hours work at farm to do before planning to go fishing. In the evening, if weather lets, huge bonfire at farm, few drinks and sauna. Tomorrow Satu has gig and I will go probably fishing. Sunday fishing together if weather and reindeer marking allows.
Great weekend coming up.
Have a nice weekend and go fishing!
Mika from North Finland where sun never sets...
