Don’t Lose Your Marbles

From November until March, it’s a long dark winter here in Sweden. Most of the time is spent just longing for the summer and the midnight sun to come back into your life. So, when I got the chance to take a short 2-hour flight to the Italian Dolomites to kick off a really early start to the season (when the rivers and lakes back home are still covered in ice and snow), I jumped at it. 

I had been dreaming of getting a glimpse of that special fish, endemic to the region – the marble trout (Salmo marmoratus). It’s found mainly in Italy and Slovenia and a few other places in Europe. Talented local guide Stefano Federizzi gave me a heads up that we’d also have a chance of connecting with big rainbows and beautiful brown trout in different sizes, so gear-wise I packed for a whole lot of different scenarios.

Dry dropper, dry flies, nymph rigs and the occasional big streamers, Stefano had said. I better bring my nymph rod, I thought. A #4 and a #5 Loop Trak so I could run both a dry drop rig simultaneously with a dry fly rod while tackling up a 7X #6 with a streamer when the situation called for it.

Some days reached 15 degrees Celsius with high sun and some long-awaited hatches, while other days gave us northern wind, snow and rain. And conditions change very fast that early in the fly fishing season – that’s just the rule of nature. 

My first connection with a marble trout was unforgettable – unfortunately it turned out to be a foul hook. It was a huge disappointment but nevertheless a unique experience and a memory for life. 

So, this is what happened. I was fishing my Trak #4 with a dry fly only and a 13 ft Loop tapered leader which I had extended with a bit of a tippet to be 100% sure not to spook the fish. A cast, and another one, and another one. It was a struggle to get the drift totally drag free since I was battling three different streamlines, two rocks and a log. After some trial and error, the fish rose to the surface and …  well, watch the episode and see how it all went down from there.  

Nymphing is a big thing in the Dolomites, and I got an introduction to some proper mono nymph fishing by the one and only Mauro Mazzo. I had no clue how complex nymphing this way could be but Mauro explained it to me so perfectly, when describing the challenge of a drag free presentation: “Dry fly is 2D while nymphing is 3D.”  

For my nymphing adventure in the Dolomites I fished with the Trak 10’6″ #2/3, presenting two nymphs.  

Hanging out with Mauro was a true masterclass in reading waters and fishing streamlines, learning the technique of working my left hand to keep tension with the line and making sure the nymphs have that drag free presentation all the time. 

By the end of the trip, I was lucky enough to connect with the fattest rainbow I’ve ever seen. It was a chaotic situation but with the rod performing flawlessly and with Mauro’s help, I was able to land the most beautiful rainbow. 

Italy – I will be back.