SPINNING

Method
When spinning you mainly use artificial bait. You throw the bait out and reel it in – it sounds simple – and it is. However, there is more to it! Read on below and give spinning a chance.



Equipment
You use either a spinning-reel or a fixed spool reel. Spinning-reels are placed on top of the rod and fixed spool reels are placed underneath. It is up to you whichever you use. The fixed spool reel is considered more all-round and covers a wider weight range. For the heavy fish a solid spinning-reel is the best, e.g. an Ambassadeur. When small children want to learn spinning, an encapsulated spinning-reel is preferred, as it is easy to use and does not get entangled. The rod can be anywhere between 5-15 ft. but a rod between 7-10 ft. is suitable for most fishing. A longer rod often means that you can throw longer. When it comes to fishing-lines, you have a choice of nylon fishing-lines or plaited fishing-lines. The plaited fishing-lines are not so elastic, so you feel the bite better, they last longer but are more expensive. The nylon fishing-line is cheaper but needs to be exchanged once a year as it looses it strength and elasticity very quickly. The nylon fishing-line is better when it comes to wear and tear and a good choice when the bottom conditions are difficult.

Species
When spinning you mainly catch fish of prey such as perch, pike, zander, salmon, brown trout, grayling and rainbow trout. Sometimes you might catch fish that are not defined as prey fish but that is an exception to the rule.



Bait
There are several types of bait. Spoons, are what they sound like, a small metal spoon that wiggle in the water and can be very efficient. Good choices among the spoons are Utö, Atom, Toby, Mörtblänk etc. There are some varieties, e.g. some especially made for reeds, Toby Vass (reeds) and Favourite Vass. Those are very good choices for catching pike in waters with lots of vegetation. Spinners, a kind of bait with a spoon that rotates around it’s own axle. This is bait, which is best in quite warm waters. Spinners are most often used for small fish such as perch, rainbow trout and brown trout but work really well on pike as well. Wobblers, a very popular type of bait, that in many cases are shaped as fish. Some wobblers have a adjustable lip some do not. Wobblers are very good choices for catching our large fish of prey. Rapalas large range, Swim Whizz, Hi-lo, Zalt etc can be recommended. Jigs, a type of bait that has become very popular lately. This bait has a heavy head made of lead and a fish-like body made of rubber, they are inexpensive and appreciated by both fish and fishermen. The reasons why this is such effective bait are many but one is definitely that they can be used at the bottom and that is where most fish are.

Fishing technique
Above we stated that spinning merely was to throw out a bait and then reel it in. This is only partly true. In order to be really efficient you need to present the bait in a way that appeals to the fish. The bait should be presented at the correct depth, at correct speed and with correct movements. When you do not get a bite, something is lacking in the presentation of the bait. Try variation: Did you fish near the surface? – test deep down! Did you fish slowly? – test quickly! Did you reel in the bait at an even pace? – test to reel in intermittently. To vary the way you fish is often the best. A fish that follows a bait out of sheer curiosity can often be tempted to bite, either when you stop reeling in or if you jerk the bait in the water.

Snells
Be sure to use a pike snell if there are pikes in the waters where you fish. They can easily bite off a nylon or plaited fishing-line. You can buy ready-made snells or make your own. Make sure you use snells long enough.

ANGLING

When you say angling you immediately think of bamboo rods, red and white floats, a jar full of worms and stripy summer perch. Angling can be much more than that. Read on about the wonderful world of angling!



Method
Angling often means presenting a natural bait to a fish and is therefore often talked about as the natural fishing. Angling can be divided into bottom angling and float angling. The difference is how you recognise the bite. With a float you rest your eyes on the float and can easily see when there is a bite. When angling down the bottom you have to rely on that the bite is felt through the rod. It is quite common to try to lure the fish, ”by hook or by crook”. Usually you use a mixture of breadcrumbs, with seasoning and flavouring added to suit the fish, moisture the mixture and form small balls that are thrown into the water, where they disintegrate and lure the fish to come. You can also buy ready-made mixtures where you only have to add water. A less fancy way of luring the fish is to throw in some corn. Luring the fish is most effective in warm waters, if the water is too cold, you might get the opposite effect and the fish is full before your bait is in the water!

Equipment
Which equipment to use depends on which type of angling you want to do. For small fish telescopic rods with the fishing-line tied to the top of the rod work well. They do not have a reel and the fishing-line is tied in the top of the rod. The fishing-line is cut somewhat shorter than the rod, to be easy to handle. Top-tied rods are relatively inexpensive today and that is a perfect way into the enchanting world of angling. There are often ready-made fishing-lines for the top-tied rods but you can easily make your own. Remember to bring extra fishing-line, floats, sinkers and hooks. When bottom angling for smaller species you use special rods with sensitive tops that easily register the bite. These rods are called bottom angling rods, feeder rods or quiver rods. Anglers often use the English terms, as the methods used originated in England. If you want to try angling for larger species, we suggest using fixed spool reel equipment.



Species
When angling you can catch all sorts of fish – from the small bleak to the large salmon – you only have to adjust the method and equipment used. For the bleak you use a small top-tied rod with thin and fine fishing-line and a small maggot on the hook. For the salmon you use a trustworthy spinning-reel, large enough to keep sufficient fishing-line for the long rush of the salmon and perhaps a hook with a sprat as bait. The species you mainly think of when angling are those that belong to the Cyprinidae family, better known as white-fish. They are abundant and easy to get in contact with, when the water is warm enough. Example of nice species for angling are roach, ide, bream rudd, tench, crucian carp, chub and carp. Other species suitable for angling are eel, pike and zander. Angling is often considered to be a superior fishing method.

Bait
There is a variety of bait to choose from when angling but perhaps the three most common are worms, corn and maggots. With these three sorts in our fishing bag you can catch lots of species. The baits can be used one at a time or in any combination. Other good baits are prawns, dough, bread, cheese and fish. There is an abundance of bait that will work – feel free to experiment. Salami sausage works well on carp, cherries on chub, roach on eel, eel on pike – just use you imagination!

Fishing technique
When angling you must present the bait as well as possible. Do not use a thicker fishing-line than needed, use the smallest possible float, choose a hook that is sharp as an awl and with a size that corresponds to the bait. Make sure that you sound the fishing spot you are to use – that means that you check the depth. Most species stay close to the bottom and you can then choose how you present your bait. When bottom angling this is easy, as you then naturally present the bait at the bottom. This is probably the reason why bottom angling is so efficient.

FLY-FISHING

This is the group with the highest growing potential among the sport fishermen in the country. What is it that makes this method so intriguing that lots of people put their other fishing equipment on the shelf?



Method
One thing that makes the fly-fishing special is that the throwing weight is in the fishing-line and not in the end tackle, as in other fishing methods. In order to get the throwing technique to work, you need to practise and also realise the basics of a good throw. It is very good to get help from an instructor or a skilled friend when you get started. We suggest learning the basics at home on the lawn before you take the step over to the fishing waters. It is difficult to try to focus on throwing techniques at the same time as you try to catch fish!

Equipment
You use rod, reel and fishing-line. For the beginners there are complete sets to buy at a reasonable price and these sets are suitable to start with. If you get caught, which is very likely, you will have better knowledge on which equipment you might need later on. The equipment must be balanced, i.e. it must fit together. The weight of the fishing-line must correspond to the action of the rod. To make things easier, the fly-fishing equipment is classified in the so-called AFTM system that is the American Fishing Tackle Manufacturer’s association. Roughly that means that classes 4-6 are meant for small waters and brooks, 6-8 for somewhat larger waters and streams, 9-10 for coastal waters and large lakes and 10-12 for salmon in streams. You usually do not pay much attention to the reel in fly-fishing but it can be important when you have to give and take when reeling the fish in. Lately large reels have attracted more attention and they are very advantageous when the fish is hooked on. The bit at the end, in-between the fishing-line and the fly is called snell and is usually 1½ times the length of the rod. It is tapered, i.e. narrows down from the fishing-line to the fly. The tapering makes the snell stretch out better in the throw and also makes it less likely to entangle.



Species
Fly-fishing used to be most common when catching fish belonging to the Salmonidae family, e.g. salmon, brown trout, arctic char, rainbow trout, whitefish and grayling. Nowadays you fly-fish for lots of other species as well – one that has become very popular is the pike, a splendid catch on fly-fishing.

Bait
Fly-fishing is above all a question of imitating. The fly imitates the natural food that the fish can find in the water. This makes people interested in which insects that are available in the waters they fish in. This knowledge is often of vital importance to the end result. If there at one time is an abundance of a certain insect, then this is often the only one that the fish has eyes for, all other insects are rejected. Knowing which type of insect that is aimed for at this specific moment will be the key to the fly-fisher’s success or failure. The flies can also be of the attraction type. Then they do not resemble any food that is available but instead they arouse curiosity or irritation that provokes a bite. Basically the choice of flies can be divided into flies on the surface, so called dry flies, and flies used underneath the surface, so called wet flies. However, it is more complicated that that. The dry flies, as well as the wet flies, are also divided into sub groups. Flies can be bought in any colours, shapes and sizes you can imagine but lots of people find great pleasure and satisfaction in making their own creations.

Fishing technique
The techniques vary depending on the type of water you fish in and what you are supposed to imitate. In streaming waters the water does the fishing for you. You let the fly sweep with the current and when the fly stops, then you repeat the procedure. The throw can be made upstream, across the stream or at an angle downstream, depending on how you want to present the fly. In calm waters it is different. A dry fly does not have to move but otherwise it is a matter of giving life to the fly. This can be done using a variety of techniques. Different flies should have different speeds. Different species prefer different speeds at different temperatures etc. Yes, this is a real science but that is probably what attracts all of us.

TROLLING

Trolling is often considered to be expensive and technically demanding but with some simple tricks you can improve your fishing results. Read how below and get an insight into the world of trolling.



Method
Trolling means fishing the bait from a boat that is driven through the water. That means when you row a boat with a trolling-spoon dragging behind that is also classified as trolling. However, if you fish from a boat that is just floating around it is not trolling. Most common way of trolling is to fish from a boat with an engine. When trolling you use any amount between one and ten rods. The number of rods used should be adjusted to the fishing waters and rules in question. It is your responsibility as a fisherman to know the rules of the different waters that you fish in. It is not always advantageous to use many rods - but to fish well with the rods you have.

Equipment
The rods used for trolling can vary a lot, anything from short, stiff rods to long and relatively soft rods. Short rods are often easier to handle in a boat. Most commonly used are multiplier reels but fixed spool reels work as well. For trolling it is wise to use somewhat thicker fishing-line than you normally use. The line release mechanism wears the fishing-lines and they sometimes get entangled, so it is good to have some extra safety margin.

Rod paravanes
These are considered a very good tool to help getting larger width and depth on the trolling. To broaden the trolling you use surface paravanes, such as e.g. Yellowbird. They work in such a way that you put out you bait behind the boat and put on the surface paravane. The surface paravane will then strive to the side as long as you let it. If you want to, you can have several on the same side. When you get a bite the paravane slides down to a stop that you have fixed some metre from the trolling-spoon. It is imperative to have a stop, otherwise the paravane can hit the fish off the spoon. The depth paravanes drag the bait to a larger depth than you would normally reach. Popular models are Kuusamo and Pink Lady. Different sizes and lengths of the lines give various depths. There are also rod paravanes that give a combination of depth and width, one of the most popular is Dipsy Driver. It comes in various sizes and can be adjusted to cut at an angle from the boat. The efficiency of rod paravanes is often discussed and a reason might be the turbulence and jerky movements they create for the bait.

Deep rigs
A good alternative to get the bait further down is to use deep rigging. It is a wire windlass with a counter that you mount on the boat rail. At the end of the wire there is a lead weight with a line release mechanism on. The release mechanism looks like a rubber peg that keeps you bait at the correct depth until the fish bites. Then the line is released and you can drill the fish as otherwise. Several release mechanisms can be placed along the rigging wire and are then called stackers. The rod that has the bait adapted via a rig is tightening in a bow. The reason for this is to collect the slack of the fishing-line when the fish bite. The line release mechanism should be adjusted hard enough to let the fish hook itself on by the resistance.

Planing boards/sledges
They work in the same way as deep rigging but on the surface. A floating sledge is let out on either side of the boat. On the line out to the sledge you fix line release mechanisms that holds trolling-spoons that go along the side of the boat. The spoons are let out straight behind the boat, the line release mechanism is adapted to the sledge line and glides out as long as you want. Sledges give you an opportunity of fishing very wide.



Species
The most common species for trolling are salmon, brown trout, pike, zander and perch. Many other species are also good, such as cod, saithe, mackerel, and garpike.

Bait
The range of baits is enormous. When trolling you usually use artificial baits but there are natural baits also. Wobblers and spoons are the most common. Light spoons, so called flutter spoons work really well and have lively movements.

Fishing technique
For all trolling the most important is to adjust the speed to the baits used. Test the movements of the bait alongside the boat, they should have good movements in the speed you drive.