Where the road begins and home for the Ammarnäs trout and trophy Grayling
The village Ammarnäs is located in the western part of Swedish Lapland in Northern Sweden and around 100-200 people lives here, depending on season The slogan for Ammarnäs is,” Where the road begins” and if you look at the map, you can see why, or choose to see that only one road leads from or to Ammarnäs. If you travel up here by car or by bus, you can make a pitstop in the little bigger society Sorsele and pay a visit at Hook and Cup Sorsele Visitor Center. They have staff that knows a lot about flyfishing a little shop with fishing gear, a cafe and a museum. From Sorsele it´s only 90 kilometers on the road left up to Ammarnäs and the brown trout paradise.
By Mikael Lindström
Photos by Mikael Lindström, Henrik Kure & Morten Valeur
(this artickle has been published in the online magazine “FFE Magazine”)
I visited Ammarnäs for the first time almost 20 years ago and fell in love with the area instantly, not only for the good fishing I will admit. Since I was a little kid I liked the outdoor life and specially the flyfishing has been my lifestyle ever since I was young. In Ammarnäs you can do a lot of hiking, pic chanterelles, and Cloudberries when it´s time for that, look at birds, riding Icelandic horses in the mountains, skiing downhill and cross country in the winter or just look at the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis.
Ammarnäs has a lot to offer for people who like nature for sure. One of the world’s most famous hiking trails, Kungsleden between Abisko and Grönfjäll in Dalarna, goes right thru Ammarnäs. The path is more than 450 kilometers long and was established by Svenska Turistföreningen at the beginning of the 20th century.
After fishing here for so many years, and also had time to travel around in both Sweden and abroad fishing in many different waters I must say that the variety of waters and good size of both grayling and trout sometimes can give you a world class fishing experience in the Kraddsele and Ammarnäs area.
Other things that contribute to your visit here are the beautiful surroundings, friendly people, a grocery store where you can almost find whatever you need. At Ammarnäs Guide center you have a Bistro and restaurant with local food and a well-equipped fishing shop. Here you can stop by in your waders and perhaps order a Suovasburger with Reindeer meet, a Fisherman’s Pasta or something vegetarian between the hatches.
In the village there is also a ski slope with restaurant and a camping. I can recommend taking a visit to Anders Skum Fjällvilt and buy local Sami delicacies or just fill your car with petrol at the little gas station.
Ammarnäs is otherwise mostly well known for the ”Potato hill” were the local people grow Mandel potatoes on the steep south slope. For those who like fishing, the area is of course known for the big migratory Ammarnäs trout. A special large-grown trout that starts swimming upstream from the big lake Storvindeln to its spawning grounds in the Vindel River between Storvindeln and Lake Gautsträsk. Some Ammarnäs trout also swim up in the little Tjulån and go downstream from Gautsträsk for spawning in the Vindel River.
Why I like fishing this area so much is that you can buy the fishing license for Ammarnäs FVO and fish in 3 really different characters of streams. The little creek Tjulån with great spots for Grayling fishing, Ammarnäs trout and Lake trout, is very nice and easy to get access to because it goes right through the village and is also less sensitive for wind. If the water goes up after heavy rains this little creek rises and sinks pretty quick. Here you can have magic moments of dry fly fishing for grayling and trout with singlehanded rods, careful sneaking and wading.
Early in the season after the high spring flood, you also can have some chances of catching big Lake trout that take a swim up in Tjulån from the big Lake Gautsträsk. Downstream from Gautsträsk the first 400 meters is a Specialstrech called Sjöforsen, also with the possibility to rent boats.
This stretch only allows 4 rods fishing each day at a higher cost and allows only flyfishing and catch and release. Here in Sjöforsen a lot of fly fishermen has got their personal best on Grayling several times and also came in contact for the first time with big Ammarnäs trout or Lake trout. The Ammarnäs FVO fishing-license starts from Guordisbäcken and goes down to above Järnforsen and there are number of nice pools, pockets and rapids where the Ammarnäs trout rests on their way up or downstream the Vindel River. A boat at Ottosmoraselet can be booked so you can reach the other side. No fishing from boat or bring your own boat or belly boat is allowed. The grayling fishing can also be incredibly good and during some bigger hatches of Yellow May or Caddis the bigger Ammarnäs trout sometimes starts rising to dry flies.
The fishing around Ammarnäs is very versatile and you can choose to fish different water almost every day. Lakes up in the mountains, small creeks, wider slow water with very spooky trout in the upper part of Vindel River or downstream from the lake Gautsträsk where the Vindel River is bigger with faster water. 20 kilometers downstream in Vindel River from Ammarnäs the Kraddsele SFF also offers a lot of good spots for trout and grayling fishing. The go to place here is to stop by at Emils Fiske camping and check for good fishing tips. Besides buying fishing license for Kraddsele here you can rent a cabin, put down your tent or caravan. In the reception house there is a little shop where you can buy Sami handicraft made by the camp owner Ingrid. Kraddsele SFF offers you 20 kilometers stretch of good grayling and trout fishing and the friendly and calm atmosphere at the camping makes it a very nice place to stay at.
Outside the camping, the big Ammarnäs trout for sure have some nice holding spots on their way upstream the Vindel River. Right outside the last cabin on the camping the Börtingsten is a well-known spot for Ammarnäs trout and downstream from the camping comes spots like Krokforsen, Börtingselsfallet and Börtingselet,
Kraddsele SFF also has two limited stretches, Järnforsen and Övre Forsen, were you can book 3 licenses for fishing each day, only flyfishing and catch and release. If you are interested in pike fishing with flyrod or spinning rod, Kraddsele has a special Pike stretch upstream from the village in Kraddselet, were you can rent a boat or bring your own belly boat.
As a little teaser or information, the average weight and length of 115 reported Ammarnäs trout for the last season 2023 at Ammarnäs FVO and Kraddsele SFF was 67 centimeters and 3,4 kilos.
My personal best Grayling I caught so far is 65 centimeters from above Järnforsen, although it was caught on a small grey Squirrel zonker during trout fishing.
Without exaggerate to much, a big number of the graylings catch and released this last season were between 50-58 centimeters, and a lot of them are tricked by dry flies.
Ammarnäs Guide Center
I have had the privilege to work as a guide for the Ammarnäs Guide center during the last two seasons and i will say it has been my best summer job in my life, so far. My longtime friend and owner of the Guide center, Peter Schmitt, had asked me a couple of years ago to come and work for him. He really convinced me that my experience and knowledge after my many years fishing the Ammarnäs waters could fit very well in the guiding job, and that he also needed a guide besides him, to have time for himself to run the restaurant more. Then things and matters fell in place with a paus from my ordinary work and I could go to Ammarnäs for 2,5 months of guiding during the fishing season.
Peter is a very skilled fly fisherman and entrepreneur that moved up to Ammarnäs from Gothenburg mostly for the fishing. Besides that he runs the Guide center with the restaurant, bistro and fishing shop he also work for the Mountain Rescue together with his Labrador ”Fly”. Peter also co work with the Vindel mountains Sami center and County Board in Västerbotten for the grant of fishing and hunting. At the Guide center you also can rent the apartment on the upper floor or rent one of the many cabins around Ammarnäs that the Guide center conveys.
The Guide activities that GC provides is not only spot on guiding and whole day guiding the fishing in Ammarnäs FVO and Kraddsele SFF. In cooperation with the Vindel mountains Sami Center and depending how many fishing licenses and days The County Board grants, Peter also sell guided trips with Fjäll flygarnas helicopter to more remote waters in the mountains like the crystal clear Mankeforsen, Laiva creek and Ältsån.
These exclusive waters are only available as a packaged trip with helicopter, a guide, fishing license, food and accommodation included. The fishing is flyfishing only and catch and release and these trips has been very popular and the dry flyfishing for Trout and Arctic Char has been more than amazing.
Every guiding or helicopter trip starts by meeting up at Ammarnäs guide center in the morning when we take a cup of coffee, get our license, talk and hear what kind of fishing the guests ask for and then we adapt the fishing day what the clients likes, depending on water conditions and weather we can choose different water to maximize the experience of the trip.
Mankeforsen
The helicopter from Fjällflygarna pick us up at the Biergenis ”Airport”, a little gravel field with a big container with a tank of fuel and that’s all. After a 10 minutes flying with the helicopter following the upper part of Vindel River, we see our cottage for two days on the right side and close to the water, The Mankeforsen cabin. The water is gin clear and we can see every rock and deep spot in the river where Mankeforsen goes out in the lower Framakselet. It´s really magic to see the river from above and I try to memorize all the hotspots when we go in for landing. In the middle of the river lays a little island and the current goes around on both sides. A little upstream from the cabin there is a little shallow stretch so you can wade over to the other side. On several spots here we have the chance to do some sight fishing for the trout that are cruising around in the clear water.
Laiva bäcken
After a 15 minutes flight with helicopter from Biergenis we see the tent camp on a little hill with the Laivacreek winding around the camp. This is a Sami exceptional water in the Ammarnäs mountains where we fish in gin clear unique streaming water in the wilderness for trout. Laiva is a smaller creek that goes down from the lake Laiva and winding through the valley down to Tärna sjön. In the middle a minor creek, Skivbäcken goes in to Laivacreek and here we had the best fishing were the two creeks meet up. This trip contains a lot of walking and of challenges in sneaking with low profile due to the clear water and lots of bushes around the sides. Here we live in a tent camp with a wooden stove and tent beds and cook every meal over open fire.
Ältsån
A little longer trip with the helicopter from Biergenis we reach the end of the lake Lower Ältsvattnet were the creek Ältsån start its way down to Tärna sjön. The accommodation is in a tent camp with a woodburning stove and all meals are made over open fire. The basecamp is located a little downstream s from the neck where Ältsån starts its journey down. This is a unique streaming water with both big Trout and Arctic Char in gin-clear water. This is also a water that demands low profile and the easy spooked Trout and Arctic Char can be a real challenge.
For more information about Fishing license and booking:
Vindelriverfishing.se
Ammarnäs FVO +46721933808
Ammarnäs Guide center +46730847033
Ammarnäs Värdshus +4695260200
Emils Fiske camp +46706996497
Kraddsele Fiske +46702106361
hookandcup.com
info@hookandcup.com