Summer has really hit Scandinavia this week, and whether you are into the imitation game in cool mountain streams, going for silver migrants in the rivers… or like chasing predators in the lowland rivers and lakes – the days are long and full of opportunities. Way up north around the Arctic Circle the sun is up all night – and so are the fish. There’s no rest for the wicked, as our friend Stefan Larsson often reminds us :0)
The colour pink bears resemblance to pretty few food items in the natural environment – except maybe a few shrimps and trout and salmon eggs. Never the less, most fly boxes carry at least a few pink flies.
Continue reading “Pink might not be the new black anymore – but it’s still relevant”
Today Ahrex Hook team member, Morten Valeur, ties a Sunburst Sonic Muddler, so let’s do a little catching up on the history of the muddler fly. Around 1950 Don Gapen of the Gapen Fly Company, Anoka, Minnesota came up with the original Muddler Minnow, still considered one of the most versatile streamer flies ever developed.
On this blog we’ve often talked about technique – related to fly tying, fly fishing or hook design and -production. Well today, with the summer holidays in front of us, I would like to share my reflections on passion. Continue reading “Some words about passion”
You keep your eyes focused on the big chartreuse diver – while it’s popping, diving and sliding – and in a seemingly helpless way trying to swim past the cluster of lily pads. Every twitch makes it dive a few inches and pop back on the surface. You know there’s something lurking deep down there… cause the surface tingles with that mysterious excitement that can’t be explained but still feels real and unnerving.
Continue reading “Popping, sliding and diving – for pike, musky and bass”
When tying pike or muskie flies, you are faced with the laws of physics. You want to use a big fly in order to get the attention of the top predators. But you still want to be able to handle that fly on a single-handed fly rod that you are able to cast all day. In fact the same challenges are equally relevant when tying any kind of large streamer fly… for predatory trout or most kinds of saltwater fly fishing. But for this blog… let’s stick to flies primarily designed for pike and muskie.
Today we direct the big curious magnifying glass at Swedish saltwater fly tier par excellence, Jonatan Ternald. Jonatan was one of the first tiers that started using our hooks, and he has been a fabulous inspiration for us ever since.
Water covers just around 71 % of the Earth’s surface. Being an angler, that is a very comforting thought. And while the Earth keeps turning, the rivers keep flowing and waves breaks repeatedly as they hit the beach – the underwater drama of life and dead never stops.
Continue reading “Give the baitfish a break – swing some streamers”
Today we put the spotlight on one of Sweden’s most talented and productive fly tiers. Håkan Karsnäser has been tying flies for more than 30 years, so he is by no means a new kid on the block. He fishes in the ballpark of 100 days a year, and spends even more time on fly tying. He is a versatile and well-travelled fly fisherman but loves fishing for rainbow trout in his home waters of Hökensås in southern Sweden.
Today I want to show you a style of fly that I’ve been playing with for a couple of years. It’s nothing revolutionary. Just a combination of elements that work well on flies tied for migratory fish.
Continue reading “Playing with styles – translucency, colour and movement”
