STORY ABOUT HOPE and NOT GIVING UP !
Travelling to Vänern
I started to haul my ass towards Vänern on the morning of 20th of April. Jumped in the train 6:30 a.m. in Jyväskylä. I had woken up just bit before the alarm clock went off, taxi was in time and so was the train! Started to feel good already :) Maybe this will be an excellent trip?
Train arrived as planned in Helsinki and my colleaque picked me up from the railway station. With him, we met a new very important customer, and signed the final contract for delivery and spent exactly 45 minutes in as planned. Did catch my flight to Oslo in time, and Finnair-flight took off according the timetable. Feeling was getting again bit better.
Decided to have a glass of white wine and a sandwich. Tasted good, and when landing to sunny Oslo, felt really relaxed and optimistic.
My boss picked me up from the airport, and after a short visit on his nice house, we headed to city of Mellerud in Sweden. Son of Mr. OSS ( read B oss) who is an eager fisherman and pike fan, joined us.
Ride went nicely and after 3 hrs we did reach the hotel.
Decided to have a glass of white wine and a sandwich. Tasted good, and when landing to sunny Oslo, felt really relaxed and optimistic.
My boss picked me up from the airport, and after a short visit on his nice house, we headed to city of Mellerud in Sweden. Son of Mr. OSS ( read B oss) who is an eager fisherman and pike fan, joined us.
Ride went nicely and after 3 hrs we did reach the hotel.
Cosy hotel on the lakeside with sauna, jacuzzi, massage chairs and great food was a wonderful preparation for a good nights sleep.
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Easter lamb tasted heavenly after massage chair, jacuzzi, sauna, and two beers! Starter was quail egs boiled, gravad salmon, caviar. Dessert creme brulee, coffee and calvados. Few glasses of good red wine completed the meal. Normal preparation for a trolling day...:)   created a devilish plan how to get back on top: Each and every hotel has now this type of game simulator, which can be used by swedish players on their holidays.  I just wonder if a wet beaver is common thing in Sweden? Do they have warning signs for that?? |
Eating breakfast at the speed of light
On the trolling morning I woke up again without any alarm going off, and James Brown did sing in my head: I Feel good!!!! Long underpants on, and lucky British Columbia-project cap on top, I moved my sexy body to the Honda -vehicle. Fast and furious breakfast 07:30-32 a.m. on local gas station ( hotel served breakfast 08:00, which is waaaay fucking too late!) and with continuous sound of wheelspin and smell of burning rubber, we moved to the harbour 30 km south. (Dahlbergså, point B on the map)
Fishing guide
Mr. Mathias Ström, www.sportfiske.org was already waiting us at the harbour. Mathias is a professional fishing guide, doing trips on lakes Vänern and Vättern and also on the sea. First impression was that Mathias knows what he is doing - and that was also the last imperssion when the day was done!
Equipment , Örnvik 630 wa, 175 hp
the trolling boat was really suitable for this type of fishing, and well equipped with all the nav systems, plotter, autopilot etc. The top speed of 70 km/h is rather impressive (we did test the max of course!) and very hard for any salmon to swim faster...
the trolling boat was really suitable for this type of fishing, and well equipped with all the nav systems, plotter, autopilot etc. The top speed of 70 km/h is rather impressive (we did test the max of course!) and very hard for any salmon to swim faster...
nice ride with Örnvik
Mathias perparing the boat and the baits
Trolling area
approximately 08:26:34 a.m. we started to move towards the planned area. It took about 20 min to reach the destination. ((Secret area is marked on the map below. (please do not look, or You have to eat Your laptop!))
approximately 08:26:34 a.m. we started to move towards the planned area. It took about 20 min to reach the destination. ((Secret area is marked on the map below. (please do not look, or You have to eat Your laptop!))
Secret area _here it will happen!
OSS - on the move to the target!
Weather
the lake was dead calm whole day. Slight fog in the morning, sunshine in the afternoon. Water temp between +2 to +6 degrees. Ice had been leaving the lake approx 2 weeks ago. Air temp was +5 to +18C ! Really lucky with the weather!!! ( or not really lucky: I did promise the weather, OSS promised the fish, and guide Mathias promised the coffee!)
the lake was dead calm whole day. Slight fog in the morning, sunshine in the afternoon. Water temp between +2 to +6 degrees. Ice had been leaving the lake approx 2 weeks ago. Air temp was +5 to +18C ! Really lucky with the weather!!! ( or not really lucky: I did promise the weather, OSS promised the fish, and guide Mathias promised the coffee!)
www.sportfiske.org in the morning mist of Vänern
Sun comes out and Mathias reports to his blog
Target: inlake salmon + 4 kg !!!
Salmo Salar m segabo_järvilohi_insjölax
Strategy
In Väneren it is allowed to use 10 baits and only 1 triple hook / bait. We had 10 rods in use, 3 by each side and 2 per both donwriggers. We wanted find the warmest water and use bait fishes rather close to the surface, with weights 20gr, release dist 150 - 160 ft. Downriggers were between 21 - 17 ft and 2 of them with flashers. Messages from other boats told, that it has been quiet, but when a german team came to the radio with their 9 kg wild salmon, suddenly there was more and more boats in the same area! There was Norwegian, Swedish and Finnsh Teams. Our Team was proudly Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish !!! ( not necessarily in this order...:))We planned to do trolling with speed of 1,7 knots, find the warmest water areas, and the day should end 16:00 p.m. Plenty of time and space...
Tactics
Baits were replaced rather often, and the first set of "löja" was bit soft so the frequency to change was about an hour. Later baits were holding ok. During the day some wobblers and lures we tested, also some changes for made to the release distances. Mr. S had the first go when fish strikes.
Baits were replaced rather often, and the first set of "löja" was bit soft so the frequency to change was about an hour. Later baits were holding ok. During the day some wobblers and lures we tested, also some changes for made to the release distances. Mr. S had the first go when fish strikes.
Other boats
Trolling day
OSS is updating his system files, and preparing for the big strike!
The day went on in peaceful manner, whole FINOSWE -Team was enjoying the weather and few cups of coffee and sandwiches. Suddenly around 15 p.m. there was a strike! 5 kg salmon jumped up in the air, and Mathias hooked it, and gave the rod to Mr. S, who started the fight the fish with big grin in his face! After few seconds the line was loose...shit!!!! The salmon was not properly in hook, and the feeling in the boat was gloomy. Very unlucky and disappointing.
Many hours of trying and 1 hour to go to the deadline, it is not a nice feeling to loose a fish, especially seeing the size of the fish airborne :(
After a silent moment, Mathias proposed that we could continue trolling on overtime until 18:00 p.m. Nobody was against that idea! Just new baits in, 1 new lure in the downrigger and bite the lip.
17:30 p.m. the faith started to faint by the sun slowly going down.
That moment we said almost from one mouth, that 10 minutes is plenty of time, lots of things can happen!
17:50 p.m. I started mentally to prepare to lift off the baits... fuuuuuuuuck!
Ok, really nice day in a great group of fisherman, sun was shining...main thing is not the fish...fresh air...the experience...
biting the lip...
Suddenly the beautiful sound of running reel made me almost shit my pants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IS IT TRUE??? 10 min left to go, and a nice hit to the downrigger!!!???!!!
Grabbed the rod on my turn, and felt the first trolling catch of the season kicking in the end of the line. GREAT!!! First impression was that its around 2 kg, but when I got it closer, salmon dived deeper and then pulled nicely some line out. OK, this fish has some gravity, and may well be that +4 kg is possible.
Slowly reeled the salmon near the boat, line tight, rod up, head cool... and.... YES!!!!
It is in the net beautifully, and YES it is definitely +4 kg!!!! and YES, feels GOOD. (3 yes rule)
The salmon was 5,6 kg and 76 cm in length.
Sometimes smile can be seen even from behind...
nice pro- netting from Mathias!
beauty and the beast!
Just when we had an hilarious moment on the boat, and small slices of whisky were tasted, the second downrigger rod went off, and the ever so beautiful sound of running reel filled again the smooth, tasty and colourful air of Vänern!!!!AMAZING!!!!
Young and patient fisherman Mr. S got now his window to wipe away the disappointment of the earlier esacaped salmon. Steadily and calm he worked the fish near the boat, and again Mathias netted the fish effectively!!!!
WHAT A DAY!!! Last 10 minutes changed the score, two guys got new personal records on salmons, and the drama was better than in movies.
Mr S and second fish of the day, great 4,5 kg Vänern salmon!
Travelling home
After lifting the gear up, we speeded up to the base, and Mathias stayed overnight there for the next days trolling. We headed back to Norway through the Swedish hillbilly country ( Värmland). Survived the trip.
BIG thanks for Mathias for a very pleasant day and trolling the extra mile !!!!BIG thanks for OSS arranging all this!!!!
I will surely be seen again in Vänern, the experience was so positive. And I hope to do a guided trip again with Mathias as soon as possible! Great stuff!!!
Sauna and a beer, aftermath
in the evening we had sauna and few beers at OSS-hachienda. Some whiskytasting was included and Busmills 10 -years old does never fail! Pleasant discussions, and debriefing the events of the day cannot be any nicer. Great trip, all the targets met, promises kept, and hopefully new tradition started?
Tasty English breakfast in the morning of 22nd and a pleasant flight + train to Jyväskylä completed the set. Everything worked like a swiss clock, and remember :10 minutes is plenty of time!!! (the train was 15 min late on the schedule, and that felt like really plenty of time...)
Hope is not a strategy, says salestrainer and author Rick Page. Absolutely correct!
But I say, that without hope, there is no point to plan any strategies. Evenly correct?
Tight lines to all friends!
Jari, the fisherman from lake Keitele, Finland
PS. beacause this is a fashion blog for fisherman, the tip for the colour of the season: glimmering silver in all variations
in the evening we had sauna and few beers at OSS-hachienda. Some whiskytasting was included and Busmills 10 -years old does never fail! Pleasant discussions, and debriefing the events of the day cannot be any nicer. Great trip, all the targets met, promises kept, and hopefully new tradition started?
Tasty English breakfast in the morning of 22nd and a pleasant flight + train to Jyväskylä completed the set. Everything worked like a swiss clock, and remember :10 minutes is plenty of time!!! (the train was 15 min late on the schedule, and that felt like really plenty of time...)
Hope is not a strategy, says salestrainer and author Rick Page. Absolutely correct!
But I say, that without hope, there is no point to plan any strategies. Evenly correct?
Tight lines to all friends!
Jari, the fisherman from lake Keitele, Finland
PS. beacause this is a fashion blog for fisherman, the tip for the colour of the season: glimmering silver in all variations
