By Henrik Johansen

Slow versus fast.

The first sea trout on fly.

The seasoned fly fishers I fished with could catch five to fifteen sea trout per season. After a couple of seasons with very few fish, I could also reach that amount per season. It was a big struggle to catch the fishes. The river was visited often and a hundred trips per season is probably an understatement.

In June 2014 I was on a fishing trip on one of the lower stretches of the river. I began around 9 pm, and was at a stretch in the river where there were weeds from my side of the bank to the middle of the river. Usually, when I reached this stretch, I would pull the fly in, go downstream until the river was weed free, and start up again. This night I did something different. I threw perpendicularly toward the opposite bank, and pulled the fly in at full speed while I walked forward. The fly broke the surface once in a while. The stretch had to be completed, so I could fish seriously. From what should have been nothing, a wave rose from the opposite bank, and a fine sea trout quickly swam toward my fly, and grabbed it violently. It was a fine fish which put up a good fight. I fished the rest of the night with the good old method. 45 degree throw toward the opposite bank, big black fly, occasional nymph, 2 steps forward, and a new throw. I experienced nothing out of the ordinary the rest of the night. The day after the scenario repeated itself. I got a fish at the same stretch with a perpendicular throw, highly lifted rod, the fly pull at full speed with I walked forward. I fished again through the rest of the night with the traditional method, and I didn’t experience anything special the rest of the night.

These experiences gave food for thought. I looked through my catch reports, and found that ¾ of my time fishing was at the time bats began to hunt, and a couple of hours in the dark. However, only ¼ of the fish I caught were in that timeframe. The rest were caught when the sun approached the horizon, both in the morning and night which, actually, was where I fished the least. I decided to change my strategy for fishing. In this way, ¾ of my time spent fishing was during daylight hours in the following season, morning and night. The rest was spent when the bats were awake. I began consistently fishing perpendicularly the opposite bank. With small flies and highly lifted rod, the fly was pulled in quickly while I walked forward. This shift in schedule paid off. The catches over the course of the next couple of seasons were improved. From an average of one fish per ten trips, was the average now one fish per three trips. Fish that rose from the river, which previously was a sensation, became something I experienced pretty much on every trip.

My totally private homespun philosophy.

The fish I previously caught during the night and the fly I traditionally fished with, has usually been pinched by a fish right after the fly has taken a few swings from the opposite bank. When the fly has speed up, or changed its course in a whirlpool on the way to one’s bank. That is how I have the experienced that there is a chance for pinching 1-4 times per throw on a fly in which you fish traditionally

I believe that a sea trout takes the fly because you appeal to the pinch instinct of the fish. Most are of the opinion that sea trout don’t consume its food (This, I don’t agree with. I believe that its food consumption is strongly reduced.) However, I am pretty sure that the sea trout uses its vision, sense of smell and lateral line when it hunts. That is why I always have a propeller installed in front of my fly. In this way, I appeal to both the sight and lateral line of the fish. If I could attach aroma to my fly, I would definitely also do so.

A slowly fished fly, I believe, the fish will register, but in the river where the food intakes is gone, or strongly reduced, the fish will often be largely indifferent. By fishing the fly quickly, I believe, the fish will have three possibilities. To attack, to flee, or to be indifferent!

By fishing the fly faster I experience a clear increase of risen fish, and more fish that take the fly. I experience that with a change in method there is a much bigger chance for pinch per throw. This is simply because the fly speeds up, and changes its course several times per throw. I have also experimented a whole lot with the small flies in relation to their color, and in my experience, it doesn’t matter if the fly is black, white, or vividly colored.

So you can catch fish by copying others. Sea trout can also be caught when it is light. The sea trout is a lightning fast fish, and the fly cannot be fished too quickly, but it can be fished too slowly in my experience. Sea trout are colorblind – it doesn’t matter about certain colors, but, instead, contrasts. It isn’t about how the fly looks, but about how the fly is fished. Last but not least, it revolves around fishing time – a lot of fishing time. Because it is the legendary River Karup. The sea trout are plenty and big, but the fishing gods must know that they are not easy.

“Tight lines” by the river.

Henrik Johansen