Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 8 March 2024
Last Friday I got new line for HT6. It was ordered from Slovakia by my German friend, delivered to Germany and then brought to Kuusamo. Some things are just more work than others. I was searching that line from Finland but it was out of stock everywhere or not available at all.
I had SA DT 6 line earlier. Last time I trained in horse hall I forgot wires and planks before roof, so I hit wire and line got damaged. It is DT so I could just turn it. Anyway Paul recommended to have SA mastery distance expert for future, so I ordered one.
I ordered some lines for HT8 and new reel for Satu also. Those I can have from Finland but still waiting delivery.
Saturday I changed line and I found super easy system, using drill to get line off from reel. I don't understand why I haven't figured that earlier as it is super fast and easy way to do. It will be usefully also when cleaning and maintaining lines. I just put bolt thru spools hole, attached bolt to drill... let it run. Well now I know it.
After new line was on place I did some practise. I had problems to carry as I was used to DT. At least that I wanted to myself believe. It took some time to figere out new line.
Sunday I continued and I was more familiar with line, not best possible yet but start to come along. Weekend was exciting other way also as there was reindeer race in Rovaniemi and I was following results via web. Saturday Rimppakinttu won his start so Sunday was semifinals, which he won so one more start in A-final. I was casting and checking when the final is and what would be his time. He finished 4th so I'm happy about that. There was some situation during the run and he over came those and had awesome finishing from far behind.
Sunday was difficult weather. It is not cold anymore, more like -4C/25F and if sunny 0C/32F. Sunday was different story, grey, cloudy, some rain and wind. Biggest issue was this supercooled rain or how you call it. You know rain is so cooled that when it hits any surface it will turn ice immediately. So my rod got icy layer and line also is some parts.
I was not really thinking about whole thing when casting, I should but I didn't. I did realize that snow got that icy layer also but I just thought that it will be even less friction between line and snow, and as I was doing aerial casts so it doesn't matter. How little I understood.
I did some slowmotion launch drill. Line was behind and I did slow motioned forward cast and launch. In one cast I felt how line got kind of stuck when starting and I put little bit more force to get it move, I thought that "fly" got stuck on snow ball or something like that as there was some really small balls here and there. I did paid attention on that time, I finished all the other drills and took some videos to see how I'm doing and what I need to improve.
When I got home, I do practise now at farm where I have more space, I noticed that flyline is broken. It had bad cut about 5 cm from tip, cut was about 2/3 of diameter. So you could say cutted thru. I realized that when it was "stuck" line was behind of icy layer which was on top of ice. It is super sharp as samurai sword and when I put more force that ice layer cut the line. I cut original welded loop off and attached leader with nail knot to the line. No big deal even it doesn't feel nice to destroy 120e line in two days.
What I have learned past weeks... my training circumstances are far from best possibles. It might be that no-one really understands how many different factors are when training with snow, ice, cold etc.
I still found some weird satisfaction when training in snow. Maybe I hope that it will make me better when it is not so easy.
Have a nice weekend and make a cast.
Mika from Finland
Ps. coming weekend race in Salla, I will go to watch how Rimppakinttu will do
