Focus on the Loop.......

Invitation to participate on a course on the river Blackwater at Blackwater Lodge in Ireland!

We are pleased to be able to offer a 3 day Fly-fishing Course led by Glenda Powell & Thomas Berggren.Course dates:

2 - 4 February for Scandinavians
6 - 8 February for Open to All

The course will cover:Learning to use sinking shooting heads, the Scandinavian style, the underhand cast and the classic Speycast with full bellied lines...... plus of course - the chance to catch a Spring Salmon in the Blackwater River.

>> Down load pdf for booking information..

Welcome!

Pike with focus on the LOOP...

I agree with Stephan, autumn is the very best time to go for those hard fighting predators, so don´t put your rods in to winter rest yet!




Photos: Martin Johansson & Johan Lindahl
www.nordicflyfishing.com

Autumnal Rush

Autumnal Rush
by Stephan Dombaj

Now that most Salmonids are preserved, the suicide rate among flyfishers is increasing rapidly. But there´s a cure and I am not talking about far-away places and tropical adventures. I´m talking about the toothy secret of your backyard: Pikes, Perches, Zeds, Asps and so on - but the best thing is: Autumn is the very best time to go for them, cause they got to gain weight before it´s getting cold. So, it´s up to you whether you are suffering from circadian-trout-preservation-depression or from bleeding hands because your last 40inch plus Pike has beaten up the shit out of you. I guess you like it the hard way just like we do...

(Predator-Hunt, the dark side of flyfishing)

Let´s start with Mr. Lucius itself - Pike (Esox lucius) is one of European´s biggest and most popular predator, period! And that for valid reasons: That monsterous mean fish kills for fun anything that is almost as big as itself. 850 needlesharp teeth are an appropriate tool to kill both warmblooded animals and aquatic animals. It is our godgiven duty to take revenge for each helpless animal that found it´s end inbetween the blood-dripping jaws of Mr. Lucius.

("Strip it fast and prey for the big bang!")

As you can see - big flies are needed in addition to the fact that Pikes, especally bigger ones, have a very hard and boney mouth, you have to make sure that you set the hook properly! After the take, wait a second till the fish turns, then nail it via flyline and the buttsection of your rod...several times. As far as your equipment is concerned, make sure that it´s prepared for these harsh actions...needlesharp hooks, shocktippet and an appropriate steelwire or fluocarbontippet. Need some flies? Check this out: PIKEFLIES

(Pike Booster prepared for some action!)


(Get equipped!)


(Fat autumn Pike - 40+ on 6wt. AEG Signature)


(Nearly 42 inches - Release)


(39 inch Glomma-Pike)

Talking about toothy secrets, we shouldn´t forget about "Zeds" (Stizostedion lucioperca) Zeds are considered to be far more distinguished than Pikes ... and well, it´s the truth. But ain´t that thing hot as hell? In my eyes a brilliant gamefish that can be quite tricky to get on fly... but that´s the challenge! As far as flies are concerned: Take the same patterns frome upon - maybe a bit smaller.

(6wt AEG vs. Zed)


(Zed on Pike Booster Fly)


(Fin-Artwork)


(Portrait)


(Stream-Zed)

Take your time and give it a try, beside the the two predators upon - there´s a lot more to experience! For example:


(Catfish on Fly)


(Perches)


(Asps)

Just slipping away from predators for a sec. you´ll soon find out that autumn is aswell the best time for giant carps on fly!

(Gian Carp on a 4wt)


(Wannbe predator nailed on a streamer)


(Koi on fly)

If that ain´t flyfishing - I don´t know!

Creek Addicted

Creek Addicted
by Stephan Dombaj

Flyfishing is your cocaine - it keeps you going and you need it periodically. Your life as a flyfishing-junkie is a walk on a tightrobe and you are constantly searching for the next kick. Time to take it to the next level. You think it ain´t possible, than check out the highly addictive Opti Creek Series: The ultimate ultra light tools par excellence...



After one year of harsh longterm abuse I have to admit that I´m addicted to this rods. To be true, I´m using both the 2weight and the 3weight version (short and the long one) 90% of the time for trout- and streamfishing. Due to the tremendously deep loading action, these rods give you both power and sensitivness without being too mellow.

(373-3A Creek vs. Mur-River-Grayling)

Some people are still quite sceptical as far as lightline rods and big fishes are concerned; 2 and 3 weights are considert to be small-fish-fun-optimizer but reality couldn´t be further... I caught some of my biggest fishes on this sticks! To boil it down, I caught some very big fishes JUST because of this rods and I will tell you why...


(65cm Barbel vs. 2wt. Opti Creek)

Think about the real efficiency of a flyrod... you´ll come to the conclusion that we are operating withing a 15meter radius in the majority of cases. So now that we know that distance is just a realtive convinience we can adjust our tackle to fit in this range as far a presentations on 2 - 15 meters are concerned. It ain´t as easy as one may think...take a common WF-Flyline and try to present and streach your leader on a range of 3 Meters. Common linesystems are - in most cases - way to light on the first few meters to create a straight energytransfer that is energetic enough to streach leader, tippet and fly. Some flyanglers start to wiggle the rod aggressivly in order to get some more line out - finally they are going to lose the precision we are aiming for. Corollary of that example, a line that loads your rod even on the shortest distances. Long story short: Both the OptiCreek and the OptiStream lines are perfectly matching up with this rods. Due to the action of this lightweight rods we can go for bigger and spooky salmonides with very thin leaders, which can be heavyweight argument for dries. The quite short but yet so heavy tapersection in addition to the delicate deeploading action of the rodsystem results in a never-seen-before fishtool.

(Size 20 SD´s Spinner, black)

Still not convionced? Allright, I guess it´s time for some action now! Beside the pros upon there is another very important thing about UL (Ultralight)-Tackle: The yet so deep action has the same effect as a rubber-strap - it is shock absorbing so it´s nearly impossible to break thin leaders even if you are playing rough. And believe me... you can play very rough with this sticks!

Ultralight Rods = Ultralight Flies ?! Not at all... believe it or not, but you better give it a try. You can serve real beef flies aswell...for sure it´s not that delicate but it works!


(Tungsten Wooly Bugger goes Creek 2wt.)

(0,12mm diameter on a OptiCreek 2wt. vs. BIG FISH)

(69cm Bow on OptiCreek 2wt. - the fish was activly feeding on emergers 3 Meters away from me )


(Giant Trout vs. Creek Combo - the winner is...)

The Rods are available in 2lineclasses and 3 diffrent lenghts, each rod is quite indiffrent in comparison to the others:

• LOOP Opti Creek 282-3A + Creekline WF2F is maybe the most versatile 2weight flyrod available. Superior "castability" even with big streamers! My fav. for 08.
  
• LOOP Opti Creek 373-3A + Creekline WF3F (New for 2008) The short 3wt. is a true jungle-rod! Smooth and delicate action gives you a lot of control on shorter distances.
• LOOP Opti Creek 388-3A + OptiStream WF3F is a true all-purpose rod. Powerfull and yet very progressive. Way faster than the short version.

Check out the following images. Maybe you´ll see why I am freaking out on that stuff. Beside all technical specifications and line recommendations it´s all about the feeling. Sometimes it´s not up to us to decide the moment when the fish of your lifetime/trip/year arrives - it´s just up to us to descide whether we are taking the chance or not. With this tackle you can be sure that you have the right tool to challenge this situation. And that´s what it´s all about - challenge everything.

(Get bend! 2wt Creek vs. Sneep)


(Creek-Chub)


(Mr. Brown)




(Conehead-Streamer Trout on 2wt.)


(Fat Barbel vs. Opti Creek 2wt.)


(Creek Combo did it again)


(Austrian Grayling on our latest toy - 373-3A Creek)


(Angry Sneep vs. Creek)


(Fat Sneep)
















(Opti Creek 373-3A slammed down a nice buck)


(Creek Char)


(Sweet Brownie, 09Softshell and Creek Combo)


(YOU BETTER FISH NOW!!!)

Still here? C´mon - take your rod and get back to the water! Tight Lines!

Flyfishing Guerilla - Trout Headhunting

Flyfishing Guerilla - Trout Headhunting
by Stephan Dombaj
feat. Paulo Hoffmann

Half day off - time to leave the city and it´s sins behind to cherish mother nature once again... ah, and before I forget, to challenge beastious evil trouts (of course)! Migratory and resident fishes are getting nervous right now; autuumn is coming and they have to gain weight for the spawning time - especally the big mamas. Be prepared for some heavyweight surprises, even in the tiniest creeks! Check out this half-a-day footage about 2Guys, 1River, several big trouts and a bunch of bad ideas:

(Guerilla Art: 50cm Brownie vs. AEG Signature 5wt)

Item to go: Loop AEG Signature 590-3A; Loop Evotec G3 FW 3/5; Loop Multi WF5F
The recommandation upon represents a medium-all-purpose-stream and lake combo, which is made to be abused and adjusted to fit into nearly ever possible situation as far as the common troutfishing is concerned (and of course way beyond - as you can see in this Article "Built To Resist") But enough theory for now...time for some action:

Rainpregnant clouds were covering the sky as I started to prepare my equipment and after the first 60+ migratory I realized that I forgot my camera, so I took a picture with the cell, released the fish and called Paulo to join me... with the camera.

(Abusing this shoes at least 3times a week)

Time to get up...actively feeding fish right infront. A spooky fish that refused my PJ-Nymph at first. Just the way I like it...no need to serve a low-fat-tofu-fly? Time for a Big Mac aka. Wolly Bugger! Well, fast food trout dig it... and:

(Bang! Nailed it right away from the surface)


(Good one - lot of pressure after a braketesting run)


(Time to play it way around)


(Landing...)


(62cm/25inches)


(Bow vs. AEG wt5)


(See you soon, take care and tight lines buddy ;-))

Time for some GloBug-Action; We have been searching for a while and found some descent smaller trouts rising for dries, but considering the fact that I lost a serious big brownie at the bridge a few days before, it was time to head up and prey for the harsh pull that rips the line off your hands.

(Hookup!!!)


(40cm Brownie)


(Portrait)


(Another Bow)


(Built to fight)


(P. again)

In a short subsumption: I really don´t know how many trouts nailed our flies away - a few tens for sure. Everything around 40cm, some bigger (till 43cm) and just a couple smaller ones. So I decided to try a real mean´n big bug... see what happens:

(Hook up! A good one! Time to play it down and dirty!)


(Looking for a better place to land it...)


(There it is! Just a little over 50cm - Awesome Buck!)


(...on GloBug)


(Release)

Misc. and some bad ideas:


(Mother nature teaches us: Endurance is the key to sustainable success)


(Flyfishing Guerilla till late)


(Sick, but that´s the way it is: Loop only!!! Other tackle is made for... well opening bottles ;-)(Don´t take it too serious) )


(Bad Idea No.I: A Wadingjacket ain´t a Fullbody-Amour)


(...)


(Bow)

AEG Signature - Built To Resist

AEG Signature - Built To Resist
by Stephan Dombaj

The principle is as simple as fabulous: Take two worldrenown blanks and pimp them up to endure everything! Well, I´m talking about the latest generation of hardcore flyrods - the AEG aka. Troutbum Signature Series. Based on the internationally know Greyline/Multi-Series system both the 5weight (9ft) and the 6weight (9,6ft) are far more than just awesome troutrods. And I will tell you why...

(5wt AEG + WF5Multi - 6wt AEG - behind- WF6F OptiStill)

I have tortured both rods across Europe from Norway (Rena/Glomma) via Gemany, Austria down to the dirty south (Slovenia, Croatia) and of course at some meetings and expositions aswell. And I really mean it like this! Abusing tackle and clothing 24/7 without pause; and these rods are just the right tool for it - doesn´t matter at all what you´re aiming for. From most delicate graylings to monsterous pikes, carps and seatrouts...go for it!

(Climbing in waders - you want it? You´ll get it!)

Just a few words before the party starts: Some people keep asking for the gripmaterial: The grips are made of a non-slippery Cork-Rubber-Composite which is a logical consequenz when your fishing hardcore, because you eradicate all disadvantages of natural cork, like biodegradation, isolated inclusions on pressure points and so on. The quite rough structure of the material gives you a firm grip, even if you have taken a bath in living eels. A detail that makes the diffrence.

(Hand vs. Freshwater-Tiger...)

So time for some action now. For those of you, who are intrested in the shown setups: The 590-3A represents finest carbontechnology in additon with fresh and useful design that serves the idea of building the ultimative fishingtool. I use it with a WF5F Multiline and it performs very well on both distance and delicacy. The 696-4A is a true killer rod - especially with a WF6F OptiStill I´m about to run out of words. A versatile tool for every ocassion. Due to it´s very powerfull buttsection it´s predestined for BIG-FISH-Challenges. As I said upon: Trout, Grayling, Carp, Barbel, Sneep...and so on... typical targets for a 5 and 6weight - so it was time for a bit action: Item to go: 22cm PikeBoosterFly! Let´s play down and dirty!

After several carps it was time for a blast. Rules: Strip it fast and prey for the big band...and well: it banged!

(102cm Flyby)

(Landing)

(Yammy)

(Jumping mama)

Misc. Footage:

(Carp in 6wt AEG)

(Stream-Stalking)

More Pictures coming soon! Stay tuned!

Helga å - The Dark Side of Pike Fishing

Helga å - The Dark Side of Pike Fishing (S.Sweden)
by Stephan Dombaj

The tiny preypattern twiches along a shady lillipet-field. If anything is there, I´ll surely have it´s attention now - time to speed it up. Fast and steady retrieve with both hands: Strip, Strip, Strip...BANG! Nothing than pressure - the fish get automatically nailed via flyline. Attack and first run are a simultaneous action...

Helga å, a small river located in southern Sweden, offers a wide variety of gamefishes including rainbows, grayling and brownies - actually the reason why we came there, but the shorestructure reaveals the beastious origin of it´s inhabitants...so, while Stefan and Alexander Haider went successfully for trout, I was in search for real troutkillers. Item to go: Loop PikeBooster Stick, Classic Reel for the Sound and Opti PikeBooster SH for the win!

Alex is fishing the beat for trouts. Apperantly no one there...TIME FOR PIKE!!!


First Cast and Bang...like it should be!


The fish has ripped of the slackline


damnit...in the cover...


got that thing


barbless hook easily removed


nice pike


release...


see you soon brother...


Resting