Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 11 January 2019
In August 2017 Satu said go fishing, this time she meant that go fishing alone. No guests, no children or wife, just you, take few days and go. I was shocked…. what, where would I go, just me nobody else. I told her that I need to go somewhere else than in our home waters, I would meet friends anyway, not that I don’t like my friends but this trip was meant to be different. After a while I suggested to her that I go to Kiruna area, there is some waters I want to try and at same time I could meet some new partners also. I decide to go on last week of August because there was no clients, but most of all it was just after weekend when meeting some other reindeer herders in north Finland and fishing in Arctic sea with them. (Another FP coming). From that kind of weekend you need rest. (you should know that when we meet there is lot of booze on table)
So on Monday I start driving in late afternoon. I know that condition is not best possible. First snow has come on the mountains and waters are low. But I don’t mind, I can explore some new waters and I have got tips from my friend who is fishing guide on that area. First fishing day on Tuesday is very difficult. Heavy wind from north and extremely heavy showers now and then. So I go back to my camping place around midday and have a long nap. During that weather is getting better and wind is settling also. So I go to fish “secret lake” nearby. I walk downstream and find lake between rivers. Nice lake, I go fishing on neck on the end of lake. There is some hatching and rises so everything is looking good. I got some small furious trout but I know there is big arctic char and trout also in the lake. I can see rises from bigger fish but there are in middle of lake almost 80 meters from shore, so no change to even try. Suddenly one rise just about 30 meters from me, I get ready where the next rise is and I will give a try. I have about 10 meters space on my back so I won’t get more than one shot. Rise, I cast….. and it is gone. Wrong fly for him. New cast but big one is gone and I got again some small furios trout. Weather is getting better and better so I give rest to that place and go to see next lake. There is nice hut and I have a beer when rain is suddenly coming behind mountain. Time to head to car and camping place. I will come tomorrow with drifter which is in my car. (but I never went, next night I had leak in my car’s heating system and exhaust fumes were coming somehow inside of car. Luckily I got out from car and people in parking lot called ambulance, I spent night and next day in hospital in Narvik, Norway. I had 24.6 % carbon monoxide in my blood, so I should be dead, they said. Maybe it is true that when you are asshole, you are so mean that you won’t even die) :D
Thursday, last fishing day and first of my second life. I had been watching that strecht many years when going ice-fishing behind Kebnekaise. Kebnekaise is highest mountain in Sweden and it is also know from fairytail about Nils Holger, Lilliput. I have been sleeping in hotel now and full of exciment. Stream is about 150 meters wide and 400 meters long. Because of low water you can easily see main stream and that where I’m heading. I start fishing in up and got grayling about 30 cm. It is okay but stream should have better ones. I go downstream and see hole where two streams are getting together. Nymphing, I got grayling about 42 cm and 45 cm. Now it is looking better. I change flies, I put small muddler in the end, size 8 and nymph on side. It is heavy wind again but from west now and it is coming down to river. I have just changed my flies when I see rise about 100 meter down from me. But I will try this place first anyway. I making cast and fishing, same time I’m looking how to get down where rises are. I’m not really concentrating on my fishing when I got strike. I feel this is big trout, 5 seconds and it is gone. (later I talk with my friend and he told me… oh, I forgot to tell you that also salmon are rising there and biggest trout they had caught from that area is more than 8 kg. Well mine was not that big one but nice to know afterwards anyway.)
Time to go downstream. Rises are still there. Nice pool, just end of stream and after spot there is small stream until water get still. Wind is blowing really heavily and casting is…. well challenging. I’m right handed and wind is just from that side. I have put dry fly and making first cast. I try to keep line under wind just over water. First cast is too short current is bringing fly too close to my shore. That is first time when I’m really looking down to see spot. I. ’m standing like road of big stones and it is flat like road, but just one more step and would be swimming. Bottom is dropping straight down. This is really black hole, it is not just abyss. It is about 20 meters wide and 40 meters long. If you need to hide for car and body, this is the place. You can sink 4-5 cars or even vans to this black hole. It is probably 7-8 meters deep, I can see some rocks in depth of 3.5 meters but then it just getting black and continuining….. Swedish black hole. OH, rise are still on, I need to keep fishing. Next cast, good one and strike. Landed nice 45 cm grayling. And this goes on about 2 hours. During that I landed more than 20 (maybe even more than 30) grayling between 40-49 cm, most of them were around 45 cm. After now and then I need to have rest, my hand is getting tired about holding fishes. It is insane feeling and lot of good time. This is really holiday for me. In the end my fly is ruined, it is broken and that was only one I had like that. I try another similar one but nothing. I put big salmon klinkhämer and got few but it is not so good anymore. It time to say byebye to black hole and give try on spot where I had big fish on awhile.
I head to spot and land one 50 cm grayling. It is time to pack gears and go back to hotel. That was awesome day and nice way to finish season. It was last fishing day for that season over there and rivers were closed next day. But I’m still wondering from how deep graylings were rising.
Have a nice weekend and keep fishing if you can
Mika from Finland
Ps. some photos as usual, about this trip. It is easy to smile after day like that
Pss. They are moving Kiruna because of mining and I mean moving houses. Photo about that also
