| Home | About Us | Vintjärn | Flies and Fishing | Friends |
Creek fishing
Despite heaps of new experiences, it is strange how certain memories never seem to lose their glow. To this category belong my first memories of fishing at a time when the world was new, and most paths still not tread. I am eight years old and sitting with my father on the edge of a meadow with an old grey barn in the background. My father has lit his pipe, and the fragrance of freshly cut hay mixes pleasantly with the aroma of Greve Hamilton’s Mixture. In the grass beside us lie two thin rods, one long and one short, made from slender alder wood. Line, sinker and hook are in place, and in an old tobacco tin a bunch of lively worms squirm. The creek nearby gently winds between tufts of grass and young birches. My father taps his pipe and stands up – the adventure begins.
|
|
|
In Sweden, there are tens of
thousands of small streams and creeks, many of which can give you an
interesting as well as exciting fly-fishing.
|
|
|
|
Do not be disheartened because the stream looks small and insignificant. This is one of my favorite creeks, no wider than I easily can jump across in most places. Still, it holds a decent stock of trout, and despite many years of fishing, I have not yet encountered other people there.
|
|
|
|
An ideal rod for this kind of fishing is 6-7 ft for a No.5 line. Since the casts are usually short, it might be a good idea to rig the rod with a slightly heavier line than the recommended.
|
|
|
|
Fishing a small stream has its problems. Branches, lingonberry shrubs and tree roots have an almost devilish way of tangling even the most pedantic back-casts. The switch-cast is often a good solution.
|
|
|
|
Small stream trout seldom grow big, they are shy and easily frightened. A sudden movement or a careless step, and you lose your chance. A low profile is preferable, and a day of fishing means a lot of creeping around and many knee-falls.
|
|
|
|
Stones, tree-stumps and overhanging branches give the fish shelter. The best spots in a stream are also the most difficult to reach with a cast.
|
|
|
|
The best trout are usually found in deep, slow flowing sections of the stream. There you can often see them rising in the evening.
|
|
|
Small stream trout come in many shapes and colors. Every stream has its variants, fish genetically honed to adjust to the particular environment where it lives. This is a nice trout caught on a Balsa-wasp in a small clear-water creek, amid thick foliage and lush grassy banks. The harmonic body of the fish indicates that there is plenty of food. |
|
|
|
As opposed to the previous one, this trout comes from a creek with humus colored water shaded by thick pine forest. It has taken on a color adapted to its surroundings and due to poor insect life, the fish has grown very slowly.
|
|
|
|
Small stream trout are not particular when it comes to flies. Sturdiness is just as important as the pattern. Frequent contact with bushes, stones and other obstacles demand a robust fly that can take some beating without falling apart.
|
|
|
|
Bintrådsmyran. Body and head formed by tying thread and lacquered. Two turns of hackle to represent legs. Hook size 12-14.
|
|
|
|
Woolly Worm. Representing a hairy larva, it is one of my absolute favorites. My own variant has a lime-green tag, body of brown chenille and a black hackle with the inside turned toward the hook eye. I weight it down with copper thread and usually tie it on a No. 10 streamer hook.
|
|
|
|
Chenille Larva. Yet another larva imitation. It is extremely easy to tie and consists of a strand of super-chenille, burnt at both ends. Dubbing conceals the tie-in point.
|
|
|
|
Polycelon Beatle. A run of
polycelon is tied in, peacock hearl forms the body. The polycelon is
stretched along the body and tied in just behind the hook eye. The legs are
tied in by using figure-of-eight technique under the “neck” of the fly. Legs
may consist of deer hair or synthetic fibers. |
| Home | About Us | Vintjärn | Flies and Fishing | Friends |
