Viking Lars | Saturday, 22 September 2018
Sweden has a lot, I mean A LOT, of really good fishing waters. Stream, rivers, lakes, coastlines and an abundance of possibilities. Most people know this, but for me, two stand out because of their history and legendary status alone.
River Mörrum in Blekinge one. I've fished there several times. It's big fish water, the lower parts are fast and wild, heavy currents, very difficult wading, big boulders and white water. The upper parts are calmer, tree lined, running through beautiful forrests, perfect single hand water and all in all just a great, challenging and interesting fishery.
The other is River Em. It has a long history as one of the best sea trout rivers in the World, and it holds salmon too. But most who travel there come for the sea trout. Unfortunately I've never fished River Em, but that's going to change some day.
Almost as legendary as these two rivers is the Swede Pelle Klippinge. Pelle Klippinge has written several books, of which some are on my book shelves - not least his latest publication, "Emån" (Swedish for Em River). And yes, I'm sorry - the book is in Swedish, but most Scandinavians can read Swedish, and we do have a good readership from Scandinavia, so I here's a little review of the book.
Pelle originally wrote the book several years ago, but it's been sold out for a long time. I was in contact with Pelle a long time ago regarding a particular Em-pattern called Suppper Fly. I couldn't find the book and Pelle was kind enough to provide me with a scan of the relevant pages. He also mentioned he was working on a second version and asked if I wanted to be on the pre-order list, even though he had no date of release at that time. I immediately replied with a "yes", and went on to forget about the whole thing. Then a package arrived from a Swedish publisher yesterday, and I immediately knew what it was.
The second version of "Emån" is a beautiful, interesting and well researched, and of course well written, book. It contains everything you need to know, and everything you might want to know - even if you, like me, are interested in everything about a river than is not exactly the fishing and the fish. You can find detailed descriptions of stretches and pools, the river's history, the nature surrounding the river, the Ulfsparre Foundation, several of Pelle's own fishing experiences along the river are in the book. All in all a wonderful book, of which I've already read half since yesterday.
Like all rivers, Em River has a lot of "indigenous" fly patterns, many of which are well suited for fishing in other rivers. Supper Fly I've mentioned already, but what about flies like Em Terror and Thunder Muddler - flies that alone because of their names beg to be fished. And of course one can only eonder if there's really a romantic story begind a fly named "Moonlight on mrs. Higginbotham". Which is also a fly, both throgh name and appearance, that begs to be tied and fished. The book is full of these flies, their names and the stories behind.
Congratulations on this beautiful, updated, second edition of an important book about a legendary, iconic Scandinavian water!
Have a great weekend!
Lars