Fredrik Westman's experience packaged in essay form is well worth publishing to reach more people. Was so good! Many thanks and a warm welcome back, Fredrik! Here is Fredrik Westman's experience from Anån this summer 2020.
Had the best dry fly day of my life yesterday.
In numbers: 15 trouts, 13 st 15-25cm, 1st 35cm, 1st 45cm+! 5 dropped.12 greyhounds, 8st 15-25cm, 4 st 30-35cm, 5-6 lost tot 50-60 grab!
The transformation has been going on all week. I have drunk the water the trout swims in, ate trout, got more and more red dots all over the body, stopped using waders. Started thinking like a trout. Last night there was total trout balance. Trout in, trout out.
It started small “badly” with only one trout and five graylings. Fina, but that wasn't what I was there for. Harrliga Harrjedalen questioned my voodoo.
Realized I need to refocus. I got into the zone. Stopped flashing. Went on instinct. Found them. Sneak like a ninja, cast like a god. I stopped being Westman and became #Troutman.
Caught eight trout in a couple of hours, with a rather nice 35cm+ as number nine. I was satisfied. 9-5 vs Harrarna.
Then I found THE PLACE. The place I would pax if I were king of the ecosystem. Consume the least possible energy and eat the maximum. Sheltered behind a rock with a stream edge son led all the floating insects over the place. Looked around for a while, saw a cautious wake. Not an eager splashing wake like the fearless young ones, but a smart wake that indicated caution, big fish. Measured the distance, threw some cards. One more, a bit longer. Made a perfect presentation. Boom, cross stop, backstabbing. Dance with primal power. The trout and me. Hope, rushes and nervousness.
Tried to take it fast and hard so it could be re-exposed without too much lactic acid. Don't want to upset the ecosystem by removing an apex predator that keeps the balance in nature. With soft rod, 0,14 rope and trembling arms succeeded in the fourth weaving attempt. Hook bent, about to get off. Euphoria. Gold. At least 45cm. As if on cue, some guys came stumbling past just then and took a quick picture. Gently held and let it recover. Watched it for a while while it rested. Majestically, it slipped back into the stream. I stretched out my arms and placed a victory snuff in the front. As Rolf's friend in the Shaku Hunter.
I had succeeded, everything that happened now was a bonus. Danica began to fly out over the water. With confidence at its peak, five more were landed, some with throws I shouldn't have succeeded with. Maximum length between mountain birches to short landings on necks between rocks, for good presentation. The dragonflies danced, the evening was late.
A few hungry graylings then did their best to create total grayling balance, but I quit before they took over. However, the insects took over. Bite my lip, on the eyelids, between the fingers, even in the palm of your hand.
The evening ended with a little unbelievable 15 caught trout and 12 harrar. About ten more dropped. 50+ surcharge. And perhaps 100 insect bites. But who cares, pain is temporary, glory lasts forever!
I'm probably peaking as a fisherman now. time to go home.
#becomingtroutman #CallethYouBecomethI #thetroutwhisperer #trout #tänksomenöring #blienöring #ettmednaturen #drömmerjag #enmidsommernattsdröm #solsting #hybris #flugfiske #torrfluga #flyfishing #sightfishing #itonlycountsonfly #matchthehatch #deaddrift #trout #troutbum
PS1. Due to warm water, I released in the water and usually directly out of the net as far as possible. However, the big one needed to be photographed.. DS.
PS2 The lost net found by two friendly fishermen!