There is spectacular fishing in fresh and saltwater if you dare to brave the elements.
HEAVY HITTERS
I CONSIDER MYSELF a pike angler above all else. Pike fishing is my first love and these fish have not lost their appeal. I cannot recall the exact moment I became
obsessed with pike fishing but I remember being just old enough to go fishing by myself. I used to hike along local rivers with my tiny lure collection in a plastic box under one arm and a rod and reel purchased from the local petrol station under the other. I grew up in a small town and the closest I
got to a fishing shop was a tiny shelf next to the motor oil and filters. It was fun then. Those small, evil-looking pike made an impression on me and the aggressive strikes and explosive fights made me into a dedicated angler. These vicious fish with a warrior’s attack still have the same effect on me and I am still just as addicted to those sharp strikes as I was as a kid. Twenty-five years after I caught my first
pike, fishing is a part of everything I do. I work as a freelance outdoor journalist and serve as a consultant for ABU Garcia in Sweden. Sometimes construction work helps me make ends meet, but as soon as I get my paycheck I am fishing again. I started kayak fishing when a friend lent me
a kayak. In early spring, I could drag the kayak over the ice to open water while the boat ramps were still frozen solid. That summer, kayak fishing reignited the excitement of fishing that I had lost. Now, I’m sponsored by Jackson Kayak and I chase trophy fish in remote locations. The kayak fishing scene in Scandinavia is almost non-existent. I live in Gothenburg, the
66…KAYAK ANGLER
second largest city in Sweden, but I have not met another kayak angler. Through writing, social media and television appearances, I am working to change that.
PIKE STRIKE
ACCORDING TO ichthyologists, the northern pike has the fastest strike of any freshwater fish. Fishing for pike with lures is spectacular. When pike are on the prowl they strike so hard it’s a surprise every time. For a kayak angler, the Swedish landscape
offers a variety of fishing options. In the brackish waters on the east coast the pike feed on herring and whitefish. The fishing is mostly done in very shallow water, often less than three feet deep and both shallow jerkbaits and flies work best. With a kayak you can go to places that boats
cannot reach and it gives you a great advantage to be able to sneak quietly into the bays without disturbing the area. Swedish pike grow big. Trophy weight is
just over 22 pounds. Fish over 45 inches are relatively common and a true monster is a 50-incher—more than 50 pounds. Pike are great at adapting to their
environment; they also thrive in Sweden’s deep lakes. The water may be over a hundred feet deep, but the pike still hunt on the surface. I have had days when I was throwing topwater lures in over a hundred feet of water and still having hook ups on just about every cast. In the deep lakes pike follow schools of
baitfish, so trolling live baits or large crankbaits allows kayak anglers to cover the most water and catch the largest pike.
Rugged villages cling to the rocky
Scandinavian coast. PHOTO: WILL RICHARDSON
North of the Arctic Circle, the weather is unpredictable and the land can be inhospitable, but
the water is full of amazing fish. PHOTO: WILL RICHARDSON
PHOTO: S-O LARSSON
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