I Thought I Was Fishing for Perch?!?

I had a very nice day on an island in St Anna Skärgård recently. This particular island is very rocky and the shoreline steep. Since i saw lots of fry I thought it might be a good opportunity to catch some perch for dinner. Watching the sun set with a some fried perch on knäckebröd and a cold beer has got to be one of the best ways to enjoy a warm summer evening. With my mouth already watering i tied a yellow dog nobbler to the leader and got started.

I waited a while for the heavy fly to sink and as soon as i started to retrieve it I felt a violent jerk. For a few second I thought it was a huge perch because I didn't expect to catch a pike on such a small fly (#8 hook and about 6 cm long). At this point I didn't use a steel leader so I tried to bring the pike in without pushing it to much and thereby risking to lose it. The fight lasted for about 5-10 minutes before the leader snapped. At this point I pulled out the steel leader.

Note to self: always use a steel leader when fishing with streamers.

A while later it was time again. This strike wasn't as violent as the first one, but humbled by the previous experience I half expected to see a pike again. I was right.

It was about 40 centimeters and way too small to take home with a clean consciousness so I let it go immediately.

The day progressed and while fishing my way around the island I proved unable to find any perch. I did however enjoy the scenery and caught one more beautiful pike.

Hit and miss!

I went fishing for pike for the first time this year. Just a quick raid near my parents cottage in St Anna skärgård (archipelago).


View Larger Map

This is what it looks like in real life. The weather was nice but really windy, which is usually a pain in the ass when it comes to casting, but a good thing if you actually want to catch anything. 

First pike of the year. The fly was a green and white blonde, with a hint of yellow in-between, which has proven itself many times in these waters. 

The pike wasn't very large (I'd say about a kilo or so) so I thought I'd try to snap some action photos. It turned out pretty good. At least I was able to do it without having to dive for my camera afterwards. Doesn't really convey the action though. It got free just as i was reaching down to grab it. 

That's all the action from this short trip. 

I got to see this beautiful swan couple though. 

My favorite fly for pike

I've never liked hot melt glue very much, but it has its advantages. It's cheap, durable and not too heavy. The downside, at least for me, is that it takes some practice before you can make good looking heads. My solution is to encase the glue in a short length of drinking straw. This gives a smooth and very durable head, which can then be wrapped in whatever nice and shiny material you can get your hands on!

The variant shown above has been my most productive one so far. It's hard to see on this picture, but there are a few strands of pearl flash along the side. 

One of many healthy autumn pike caught on this fly.

Longing for spring!

Just a few pictures to help my Nordic friends remember what nature looks like without snow... :-)

I want to go fishing now!