EPK fly tying evenings

EspoonPerhokalastajat organizes fly tying evenings for the uneasy fly-fisher minds <-- It's closed season here. I missed the first evening, but got there for the second. I have to say, I always see new people there....which is good and probably means newcomers to EPK. This evening we tied three flies and they were not new to me. Nevertheless, I always learn a few tricks and Finnish words. :) Here are some photos from the evening:

Last days of fishing before the closed season

Here in South-Finland, rivers are closed. It's spawning period for the red-spotted, yellow-colored (wild-)trout. I fished the last days and fishing was though (on those rivers). Generally, the water level is higher than usual... on this river, though, water was low and trout was wary. I managed to land over 15 trout and grayling. Nothing big. Still, it was fun. The cloudy weather also provided good occasions for landscape photography. Here is a first peek into those last days. Some more photos will come and I am also back to doing some more fly-tying.

This years best sunset over a graceful river

I've been confined to my flat due to a knee accident. This means most of my passion for fly-fishing and exercising is "suppressed". :( Fortunately, this gave me a little time to revisit some photos that I took this year, but had no time to check and share. Here is one from a magical sunset over a very unique river. I have seen many sunsets and sunrises there, but at this sunset just everything came out right. It was summer, long days and short light "nights".  There were also well balanced lights and brilliant reflections of color. Last, but not least, I was there. :) I shoot there many times, but this time persistence (read stubbornness) paid off. I hope you enjoy the photo (click for larger view):

Thousand lakes region photos

I spent a week enjoying the unusually hot Finnish summer at the lakeside. At the beginning, I tried fly-fishing in some beautiful rivers (see photos). Eventually, I gave in, as the water temperature reached 27C. Trout were dying lack of oxygen. I changed my plans and headed a bit more North to keep myself cool in the lakes and forests. Mikkeli also provided plenty of things to see and enjoy. It was a great vacation, regardless of bad luck with fishing.
In this gallery you may see some photos from this trip or watch here as slideshow.

Vision - my fishing companion is broken

Recently fishing was superb, especially during the night and early mornings. Although, we have plenty of light at those times, my casting seem to suffer. I managed to hook a branch and brake off the tip of my first fly-rod, a Vision 3-zone. The tip itself was replaced already, but now I have to make a decision to buy a new tip or retire this rod. Its ferrules are quite worn off and the rod itself seen about 7 summers. The Vision customer service is one of my favorite, they are very quick to answer, always offer solutions and not try to find excuses. I need to think about the options, buy a new tip, buy another rod, look for someone who needs the lower parts of this rod. One hand, I landed close to 500 trout on this rod and think it is part of my "fishing mojo". :) On the other hand, I could buy one of the latest Vision rods. Hmmm.

UPDATE: Of course, Vision customer service replied to my request on the same day. They could send a new tip for a reasonable amount and recommended two of their new rods. As I wrote, the rod (and model) is quite old & not sold anymore, but Vision supports their products. I had couple of bad experiences with another brand, namely they told me that no replacement available anymore and I should buy one of their other rods. So, I respect Vision for their customer service and continue buying their products. I bought one of their kit (great price / quality) and a better wading jacket. Now, it's time to cast and drift some more flies.

Insects - a bit more than seen by naked eyes

Taking macro photos of insects has been one of my interest. I think (and hope) that I learnt a bit during these photo sessions both about insects and about photography. When I take a closer look at these insects I often discover features, I did not know... E.g. patterns of mayfly abdomen, eyes of flies, hairy&scary look of a fly (reveals that The Fly movie was not that far-fetched), shape & texture of wings. Enjoy these photos and try your cameras macro setting when next time out. In my "Insects" gallery you find these in larger resolution (click on the photo on naturephoto.zenfolio.com to open it up in full size)

Night fishing under the never setting sun

Here in the Nordics, night fishing under the never setting sun is fun. Photography is a bit more challenging. G'nite!