Two guided trips last week. First off was Andrea and Jonas from Switzerland who was living at @bonas_stugor and wanted to come and try the fishing. I was occupied at work so Ricard and Cristofer stepped in again and delivered a good experience! They went out for a 4 hour trip and managed to catch a glimpse of an elk and caught som nice pikes aswell as getting a tour around the archipelago. I met up with the gang when they came back to shore and it was all happy faces 🙂 I was glad I had the time to chat with you guys!
Later in the week I went out with a Belgian family. Jeff and Ilse together with their daughter Aveline and son Carsten were staying at a cabin in the north of Åland Islands. I went there in the morning to pick them up from the secluded cabin by the sea. We started out trying to get some perch as I saw some clusters under a bridge I passed on the way to the cabin. In the beginning everyone was a bit unsure how to use the active fishing technique with spinning rods. It didn’t take long before both Aveline and Carsten had grasped the basics and made nice long casts.
Aveline was the first one to catch a fish. A healthy perch that went directly into the livewell, I had promised the family fish for dinner! I took another hour before we hit some fish again, this time it was Aveline who caught a 3,1kg pike! Before I even could clear the net Jeff landed not only one but two pikes in two casts.
Everyone had strikes and Jeff and Aveline had luck of catching them, mum Ilse did not really mind but Carsten really longed for his first pike… After a short stop att the shore to release a bait that had landed in som bushes Carsten yelled out! Fish! After a quick fight the pike was safe in the net.
When all the kids had a fish we decided to take a break and have lunch in the fantastic august weather! Todays lunch was smoked salmon (+pepper smoked salmon) with potatoesallad some shrimpmayo and some sallad. Sitting on the red granit rocks in the sun really made our lunch magic!
With 3 hours left of our fishing we kept on casting and hade some strikes but more often than not the oikes did not bite properly. When some in the boat rested for a bit I put on a small spinnerbait (ABU reflex) and told the others that I would try to catch some perch for dinner. First cast I had a strike and landed a small pike. Soon thereafter I saw a BIG pike hit my small bait and I shouted BIG fish. Aveline asked if she could assist me in netting the beast and boy did she. Without any hesitation she landed a 104cm beast in the net 🙂
We worked our way around some Islands and there was a bit every now and then. Just as Carsten got his 4th pike of the day a boat came up to us to check our fishing licenses. I was very excited because since I started my guidning operation I have only been asked once before. I think more water owners should check the fishing licenses to keep up the work with keeping the fisherys healthy!
Just as the clouds came rolling in we started back to the cabin and a dinner composed of two small (but approved!) pikes and a couple of perch was about to get cooked on the grill. I hope the dinner was fantastic and that you all had a wonderful stay at Åland Islands and a safe journey home!
Lovely to connect with people from all over Europe with the common interest in nature and fishing!
//Hasse