[Adam Saarinen]

I'd been out 6 times to the sea in my tube this fall & got nothing, only a couple fish on & lost quickly! Went out Wednesday after work & lost a big fish that wasn't on that long! Then seen something interesting i've never witnessed before, a duck go crazy & start squawking, went to have a look, feathers all over the surface! Must have been a pike attack? Then pulled this out, didn't know whether to laugh or cry? Smallest pike i've ever caught while out fishing for pike, fly was almost the same size!

Thursday after work I went to a fresh water lake on a island in the sea, I live where the black knife is, Lake is where the green knife is!

Beautiful looking place, had heard few years ago there is big walleye but got nothing! Cabins everywhere on the shores & I'm sure they all use gill nets, Finland uses more recreational gill nets then any other country in the world!

Took the rocking chair out in the sea on Friday after work, it was ruff! Got this 3' pike, amazing fish & strong, made a jump straight up whole fish out of the water twice, only ever happened to me once before, thought I got a picture in the air, but no!

Fly was in it's left side of mouth, barstard to chin it with my left hand on it's right side in the rocking chair, got it on my lap, hook out & tried to move it over for a better picture & it fell into the drink! Funny thing is i'm still nervous after being bit for the first time this spring!

Went out Saturday morning & lost a good fish, it surfaced about 3', you can see where the teeth were on the hole in the wiggle tail!

And another smaller one lost too! But I'm not gonna start using a stinger hook, i've had big pike suck the fly down deep & it's a project to get out, don't want 2 hooks down there! Had this argument with Niklaus Bauer when I met him over a year ago, he said it's no problem, of course he would, he invented the Bauer pike rig & is making money from it!

Went out Sunday morning, that big Rock is protected for birds & no fishing near it, but I've heard it's a good walleye place!

Got nothing & seen nothing, but still fun!

Was a sunny day!

Our ship building yard!

The Aurora of the seas was built here almost 10yrs ago, the largest cruise ship in the world then! Think it lives out in the Caribbean and Florida now!?! Go out again Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sat! Cheers Adam

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Went out before work this morning, got nothing, seen nothing, maybe tomorrow in a different place?

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Never got out yesterday morning, woke up to late & not enough time before work! Went out this morning, got into something quick but it started swimming to me & lost it strip setting! Got into this as it started raining!

Only small 26", but a cranky [email protected]#ker, dropped it twice off my lap trying to get the hook out, wet hands & slimy fish, had flash backs of getting bit & put the glove on!

 

[flybill]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[Jim F.]

had flash backs of getting bit & put the glove on!

Yeah, I reckon a guy wouldn't want to get bit by one of those more than once.

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Yep! Only 32", but cut my thumb open good!

 

[Jim F.]

Yep! Only 32", but cut my thumb open good!

Considering that thumbs are typically in the 3" plus/minus - class, your thumb was woefully out-matched, @Adam Saarinen . . .

 

[dust in the wind]

Can I come visit you? Great Report!

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Guess what Billy? I've got 2 float tubes! But you better bring your new waders cos' i only have one pair of chesties & the next pair will have a zipper for reasons float tubers know about!

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Went out this morning, drove almost 1hr North! Bad launch point through the mud!

Had to use my Simms Vapor boots with Finns that are good for slop launching!

Beautiful place, been here many times before!

Got nothing, seen something 2' & silver come sniff the fly after not long out, maybe a walleye? Heard a big splash in a pocket of open water in the reeds, but had to go piss first, then it was some kind of jungle casting in the reeds, but nothing! Had one on not long, it surfaced, less than 30"!

Catch of the day, a jellyfish on the sail back to the van!

Drove the little bit further up the road to take pictures from each side from a tall bridge connecting 2 islands! Impressive view! Day off tomorrow, no fishing, missus goes to work in the morning & is cranky! To much fishing & time behind the vise, have to take care of our dog! Lucky our dog likes to lay on the mat while i ty a big pike fly! Try to get out mon, tue, wed after work!

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Went out after work today, sunny! Started casting a green & orange fly cos' pike friends say it's the best in the sun! Nothing was happening so I changed to black with blue & bit of silver! Bang, in a pocket of water in the reeds, didn't feel big at first, then it surfaced & opened it mouth! Ohh yeh, Big! Well over 3', 40", maybe even 41"? Strong barstard, would go deep & pull away with power ripping line from my hands then surface & do it again, few times this happened! New Scott Meridian played well! Was happy it was hooked on the lip on it's right side, easy to chin it with my left hand on it's left side! Put my glove on, took these 2 pictures, it went to the reeds & then IT WAS OFF! NO!!! My fault, I know if the fly is hooked on the lip & it catches on reeds they can get some lever point! I sat in my tube thinking WTF! Sad Sad Sad feeling, so close to getting it up! But it was awesome fun! In the first picture you can see it's eye next to the fly, second picture you can see from the water behind how big it was! Try again tomorrow!

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Went out last Tuesday after work, caught nothing & seen nothing! Went out Wednesday after work & had a fish on for a moment but lost it, wiggle tail was chewed up again! Picture is from rinsing the flies I used when I got back home, this was the forth time this fall a fish had bit only the wiggle tail, so it's why I'm moving them closer to the hook! Went out Saturday morning & was on the water for almost 3 hrs, only thing that happened was another fish on for a moment & more chew marks on a wiggle tail, fifth time this fall! The water level was very very low! We don't have tides like the ocean cos' this is the Baltic sea, the water is sometimes up or down, the moon faze can have something to do with it & also if the wind is blowing to the south west it can make our shores low & if the wind is coming from the south west it can make our shores high!?! Could be a low water moon faze with winds blowing to the south west & not having any rain in 2 months have put our sea level to where it is!?! Not ideal!

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Went out Sunday morning to try a new place, this was the launch point & you can see how low the water level is! I'd been doing some research looking at maps, looking for public access places & looking at satellite pictures for reed structure!

This place looked really promising, it was about 30 mins drive north!

Got into this one!

Only small, 71cm, think that's 28"?

It had a big cut on it's belly, maybe from a bigger pike cos' they do eat each other! It was the only fish I caught, did see another but it didn't play! Was on the water for 2hrs, water is starting to get colder & I can feel it in my feet a little! Had a fly get stuck on something & couldn't get it off, had to grab the leader & pull! Snapped the 0,52mm fluorocarbon, small cut on my finger & had 2' of fluoro hanging off the line after the nail knot, hurts to loose a pike fly that has a lot of time in it plus the more than a few dollars if it's got some Lego bits on it! Wasn't planning on being out there much longer, so put a perfection loop on the end of the 2' & put a new bite tippet but liked how it casted, so when I put a new leader today, it will be shorter than before!

Couldn't help myself on the way home, wierd seeing your name on a road sign, small little no shop place, went to have a look once! Wind is coming from the south west all day today, might go out after work tomorrow hoping the water level is higher! Cheers Adam

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Went out after work today for 1.5hrs, seen some swans! Water is normal again, higher!

Got into this, it made a small jump twice & thought i had gotten the picture on it's second jump while in the air, but looks like it was just launching!

Only small 26", go out again Saturday & Sunday!

 

[Adam Saarinen]

A lot of fun after work today, was on the sea for a few hours! Started slow, was 1hr till i got the first fish only about 20-21", then about 26", then about 34", never measured any, was using my new net & chined the biggest one to take a picture on my lap & measure it to my rod, but it fell in the drink getting it out! It made a jump in the air while on & another half hearted jump, fun! Also lost 5 others, one was big & took the whole wiggle tail & clip, but loop was still on hook, can't explain it! Everything was caught & hooked on black flies! Go out again tomorrow!

 

[Jim F.]

You're on a roll, Adam!

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Rained all day yesterday & didn't get out! Got out today & didn't see anything, didn't catch anything, just to sunny i think?

But a nice place to spend a few hours on a Sunday, a beer would have been nice! But us float tubers know why you can't!

Loving the fall colours!

These were everywhere & I'm happy with this photo!

Go out again Thursday, Friday & the weekend! Have to come straight home from work Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday to walk our dog cos' the missus is working day shift! Hoping for cloudy weather!

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Got out yesterday/Thursday after work & pulled these two 3' pike out of the sea! The new big net seemed to small straight away, i was very happy that Sunday I'd finally started sqashing the barbs on each fly! The first fish was hooked like a barstard, deep down the throat & on the top side & it didn't want to open it's mouth, was a project! Also lost a few fish that were on & had some bites, another wiggle tail chewed to s#!t! But seen something awesome in between the two fish landed, a black cloud was coming & I could see the rain falling, in a small bay in the reeds I seen a monster splash in the surface feeding on baitfish, so I went there! Started to rain & baitfish were active in the whole little bay, casted my fly & about 3' or 4' further this beast exploded again in the surface feeding on baitfish, must have been a 50" monster! It done it again at the end of the bay, casted there & at the end of the stripping when I only had leader out of the rod it went tight, but didn't last long, could have been the monster? Didn't see it again!

I find my van ideal as a float tuber, it's full of air all the time, I just release the pressure after each use & just leave enough air for it to keep it's shape!

Went out after work again today, another one very close to 3', then 2 smaller ones!

Also lost one that was on for a while & a few more bites that didn't stick! Go out again in the morning, then came home to drink beer & ty something, sounds like a good idea!

 

[Adam Saarinen]

Woke up this morning to - 4 Celsius, windshield was frozen!

Wet waders I threw in the van yesterday evening were frozen!

Fly of choice for this sunny morning, got a bite almost straight away but didn't stick!

Then pulled a cranky one out of the drink!

Was pretty close to 3' & it really swallowed the fly, i'm very happy i finally started squashing the barbs!

It kept it's mouth open nicely for me & you can see they really do have 700 teeth, look at the roof of the mouth!

Was the only fish I landed, another one about same size tried to attack the fly as i lifted it up to start casting again, was only a couple of feet in front of me, almost had some poo in my waders, was another one on for a while, then came off, didn't see it yet but think it was a bit smaller? Couldn't get it to the surface to see! Feet were cold after a couple of hrs so I went! Go again tomorrow morning!

 

[Buzzy]

View attachment 152899 Woke up this morning to - 4 Celsius, windshield was frozen! View attachment 152900 Wet waders I threw in the van yesterday evening were frozen! View attachment 152901 Fly of choice for this sunny morning, got a bite almost straight away but didn't stick! View attachment 152902 Then pulled a cranky one out of the drink! View attachment 152903 Was pretty close to 3' & it really swallowed the fly, i'm very happy i finally started squashing the barbs! View attachment 152904 It kept it's mouth open nicely for me & you can see they really do have 700 teeth, look at the roof of the mouth! View attachment 152905 Was the only fish I landed, another one about same size tried to attack the fly as i lifted it up to start casting again, was only a couple of feet in front of me, almost had some poo in my waders, was another one on for a while, then came off, didn't see it yet but think it was a bit smaller? Couldn't get it to the surface to see! Feet were cold after a couple of hrs so I went! Go again tomorrow morning!

Love the frozen wader photo! Almost as much as the teeth pic!