Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 20 October 2023
After a very long day and a six hour stop-over in Helsinki, I finally made it to Kuusamo. A beautiful place in Finnland, where I had the pleasure to work in the winter as a guide and the honor to meet Satu and Mika!
Out of a work relationship it became a very heartfelt friendship. And I was more than happy as both picked me up at the little airport and I almost lost my cool when I had my first bite of a sensational Reindeer sandwich. Handmade from Mika!
On the first day I met Thomas. A fellow German who was staying with his dog Einstein and his Van at Satu's and Mika's Reindeer Farm. Mika was guiding a group of guys on their fishing trip so he asked Thomas if he could teach me the basics and show me the different types of flies, nymphs etc.
Besides the fact that he is a very cool guy, Thomas was a great teacher. He showed me the magic of a proper loop, not with the rod, but with a long electric cable. Than we went over to the old practice rod and after half a day of casting and producing a lot of line salat, l got a compliment of Satu. Totally excited, I went up to my sweet little Nook and heated up the sauna and enjoyed the outstanding view out of my window.
Then the first day on the River.
We drove 45 minutes, grabbed our gear and started to walk down towards the river.
The first view, blew my mind. It was simply beautiful!
Mika showed me at first how to read the water, how to find the right spots and behind what rocks fish could be. Than he checked out what I've learned the day before corrected a couple of things that I had forgotten over night. And then...
Then I made my first cast and I was surprised that a fish bit, that I messed it up.
Mika had a good laugh, so did I and I went on.
Three minutes and 5 casts later there it was, my first grayling (Äsche). The feeling, AMAZING!
We went on and Mika checked my casts and corrected me and gave me great advice! And to be there, standing in really wild waters, catching wild fish was the most relaxing but at the same time exciting thing, that I have done for a long time!
We went to more rivers, which are by the way all 45 minutes away from the Reindeer farm!
But we also went to the lake at Reindeer farm. A beautiful place in the middle of a forest. To go there we had to take a quad bike. That was so much fun. There I caught my first Trout with a fly.
But what was really fun, besides fishing from a rowing boat with Mika, taking care that my loops became better, was the day when we took out the belly boats. If you never tried it, give it a shot!
Of course the week ended with a BBQ with the friends I made up there....
After one week of fishing with Mika, Thomas an Satu, I definitely became addicted to flyfishing and to the feeling of standing in a wild river in the middle of nowhere and managed to cast a sexy loop!
Rocco