John Lind Rasmussen ties Elveren – for dusk, dawn and night fishing

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Around here we have a strong tradition for fishing sea-run brown trout. Part of the year we do that in saltwater, but during late summer and autumn more and more large browns enter the streams in preparation for the spawning season during winter.

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Foam feeding frenzy – dry flies for large sea-run brown trout

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Sea trout (or around here often spelled seatrout) on the dry fly? Well I guess it started by accident. In my case I started catching sea trout, when fishing for brown trout during mayfly season (Ephemera danica) – which happens to collide with the first run of sea trout in my local streams. Continue reading “Foam feeding frenzy – dry flies for large sea-run brown trout”

Classic inspiration from New Zealand – low light and large trout

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Right now, the Southern Hemisphere experience winter, while the Northern part of the globe is going into summer and holiday mode. In some areas, the heatwave is getting a bit too intense – and fishing in the middle of the day isn’t always productive if your quarry is trout.

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Deer hair dries – great searching flies

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The coarse texture and subdued colours of deer hair, makes this material great for imitations of a variety of terrestrial as well as stream born insects. And the air trapped inside the hollow hair makes for great floatation – and adds a great bonus to most kinds of dry flies. Continue reading “Deer hair dries – great searching flies”

Dry or die – on knowledge and passion

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Fishing a dry fly to a steadily rising trout can be a very fulfilling experience. It can be totally uncomplicated as well – if the fish isn’t to discriminating when choosing the bugs. But some days are more challenging than others – and to have a success on a regular basis you need to know something about insects, hatches, drifts, drag, casting, tackle and lots of other stuff – and be able to observe the water patiently before whipping the surface with your fly line. All that adds up – and make dry fly fishing a sport for connoisseurs. Continue reading “Dry or die – on knowledge and passion”

The second mayfly – and a skeleton diver

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The large and beautiful Ephemera vulgata lives in lakes and slow flowing rivers. It also lives in the large and dominating shadow of it’s close sibling, the Ephemera danica. I guess the focus on streams as the cradle of flyfishing culture has something to do with that. Continue reading “The second mayfly – and a skeleton diver”

The Mayfly… Ephemera danica – fly fishing’s national bird around here

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Spring has turned directly into something that feels a lot like summer in our neck of the woods. We are still in May, though – and here in Scandinavia that means mayfly time. And it’s not just any mayfly I talk about. It is the large Ephemera danica that is commonly found in clear water rivers and lakes with sandy or gravelly bottoms throughout Europe and the British Isles. Together with it’s close relative, the lake-living Ephemera vulgata, this is flyfishing’s national bird around here. Continue reading “The Mayfly… Ephemera danica – fly fishing’s national bird around here”

Jack Gartside and the Sparrow – a Swiss Army Knife fly

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The late Jack Gartside was a fly tier who came up with a tremendous amount of effective fishing flies – most of which were tied using relatively cheap and easily available materials. His classic Soft Hackle Streamer is a good example of his approach – and his equally effective Sparrow is another. Continue reading “Jack Gartside and the Sparrow – a Swiss Army Knife fly”

Meet the Trout Bandits – partners in crime, fly fishermen, photographers and artists

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If you follow Ahrex on Instagram, you will see, that we like doing collab with artists. You might also have bumped into the name, Trout Bandits a couple of time. The name sends subconscious images of outlaws, smoking guns and the wild west.

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