Orra Fishing Guides: Hiking for grayling or trout and arctic char

HIKING FOR GRAYLING OR TROUT/CHAR

Orra Hunting & Fishing Guides takes you out in the wilderness for a hiking and fishing trip in the mountains of Lapland, leaving the civilisation behind us. We fly by helicopter or walk with packs on our backs and casting rods in our hands to some extraordinary trout, char and grayling waters.

Place: In the mountains somewhere in Lapland, Sweden.

Game: Grayling or brown trout and arctic char. (Choose!)

Methods: Fly-fishing or spinning

Waters: Lakes, streams, ponds

Dates: 10/6-15/6

Fishing camp: Tent. Bring your own sleeping bag and mattress. (Night temperature down to 0° C.) If you don't have the gear, Orra might be able to provide it for you.

Food: Choose between full board and self-catering. With full board everyone helps with doing the dishes.

How to get there: The destination depends on your choice of game. Orra can pick you up at the nearest airport or railway station for a minor fee.

For who: Everybody who are able to walk three miles with a 30 lbs. backpack. (If you're able and wanting, we might go longer.) Max. four people per group.

Price: Example: 4 persons, guide, fishing licence, five days, five nights in tent: 4500SEK for full board. Please request quotation for the arrangement you want. We can for example go by helicopter to waters further off.

Included in the price: full board or self-catering, guide, tent, fishing licence.

Extra: Orra might be able to let sleepings bags, mattresses and backpacks.

Cost for transportation by boat or helicopter might be additional.

Description: This is the fishing trip for those who want to go hiking into the wilderness, sleeping in tents. We choose waters depending on how far you want to hike or fly, how the water levels are and what species of fish you're interested in. Since we're camping, we don't have to limit ourselves to waters in the vicinity of any cabins; we simply choose the best waters. Orra's fishing guide has tried all the waters that we go to. If you think the time of year seams a bit early, know that there are many very good grayling waters in the forest region below the mountains where the fishing starts early. They don't get their water from the high mountains, so levels and temperatures are good early in the season. They are situated in the birch region as well as in the coniferous region. In either case you can expect primeval and wild nature far away from clearings and roads. When it comes to waters with trout and arctic char, Orras guide knows about many small ponds within a half days walking distance from the car that are nothing but ridiculously good...The last time we were at one of the ponds we got in mind for you, three different chars of 3 lbs. each were caught in three consecutive casts at the same spot, and one-pounder trouts were caught in every fourth cast.

The avarage weight of fish caught are high in these waters, usually about 1,7 lbs. for grayling and about one pound for trout. It's likely that you'll catch fish of more than two pounds.

Choice of flies and lures: Lures that work well for grayling are small spinners and spoons in colours copper and red (weight about 2/11 oz.). Bring wire for the pikes. Its is in mixed pike/grayling populations that the graylings get big. When it comes to trout something more colourful might be added in the box, as well as some lure that work well when you jig it in.

The grayling isn't that choosy. The main thing is usually not to have exactly the right imitation but to use the right type of fly and to fish it in the right way. A mixture of sizes and colours of hatchers, emergers, dry-flies and wet-flies are recommended. Colours for hatchers are from yellow to green, brown and black, brown and black for dry flies. Streamers and muddlers are not the first choices of fly when fishing for grayling. Don't forget the imitations of land-living insects (ants and beetles)!

The brown trout is more active in the surface this time of season. Nonetheless one should bring streamers and muddlers. The trout isn't as difficult to get to bite as it might be later in the season, and its feeding is more intense. This early in the season we go to the small ponds when going for trout. Graylings are caught also in streams.

The arctic char often bites at very small (22-18) surface hatchers in colours like yellow-green and black.

Choice of rod: When fishing for grayling one doesn't have to crawl on ones belly 15 yards behind the fish, and the presentations doesn't have to be that nice; it's a forgiving fish. That means that you can use a wide range of rods, lines and tippets. If like small AFTM #3, you can use that; if you want the casting range of a #6 WF you can use that. Trouts and chars are not as forgiving.