Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 12 September 2025
This week has been warmer than usual for this time of the year. We have had +23 celsius on daytime and nights has been around +13 celsius, days has been with high humidity. Normally it is 5-7 celsius less. I don't complain as I can go around with t-shirt and shorts. Especially having t-shirt on, I like a lot. I don't like to wear jackets during summer season.
Today, Thursday, I had my last fishing guiding so far for this season. Friday I will go fishing with my nephews as they came from Mid Finland and wanted some advice about flyfishing on rivers. I'm happy to help them out.
Sunday I had short session by myself. Really warm and sweaty weather, +24 celsius and calm, I had thin shirt and I was sweating like in Malaysia. Maybe because that I had some issues and notice things which really bug me off.
Several years ago I used vest for flyboxes. As it had a lot of pockets it was too easy to fill too much. When everything was on front sometimes it gave some shitty issues while casting. Probably for that same reason I don't like to wear jacket as boxes are on front, pliers, scissors, lines... everything hanging there.
So I got myself waistbag, which I found very good, as long I placed on left side on me so it was not front. It worked pretty well on side and it was easy to move more forward when I need something like flies, tippet etc. Also it is really handy to drop all tippet material inside and clean end of season as material really sticks on tippet ends.
Two years ago I started to have wading stick with me, most of times it is just on it's pocket on left side also. I found decent balance to have bag and wading stick on same side. I had issue to have landing net with me as waistbag don't have D-ring or anything where to hang it, I sometimes hang it on back of waders which was difficult as net hung so low that sometimes it got stuck on trees or on heavy current, current started to take net.
I found net holder from Sweden, I have seen people using those or similar ones and always wondered if it would work out for me. Finally I could hold and test it. I could try if handle will go thru. It was little loose when totally on place, yet will work out.
So I bought one and problem with carrying net was solved. And it was staying even better against my back when I had waist bag on front of me as belt was locking net not shaking. I tested that for two days and found it really good.
Then Sunday when fishing back home other problem came up. When bag was on front there are different stripe and bands hanging. Bag itself is hard and with zipper, yet there is underneath place for bottle or small clothes. Adjustment stripes and things like that. When bag is front and you are casting, flyline will easily catch those fucking stripes. So fishing turned more like to avoid those than fishing.
Also as I'm round person with manboobs. Bag was really disturbing wading as water is not totally clear and bottom is dark with moving rocks. In Sweden there were no problem as I could see from distance better how to go, here different story. So I need to move bag again on leftside which makes using net little problematic as now bag is on way.
It sounds small and nonsense problem, yet when I'm fishing and guiding, I don't want have these small stupid things bothering it. I have been thing about sling bag, but that has some issues also which I don't like. So fsr my best solution would be that waist bag would move thru on it's attachment belt, so belt itself would stay on place and bag would roll thru as wanted.
I don't thing they have those kind of waist bags. Thing is that everything in industry is designed for slim/normal people. Yes there are waders with extra belly room and longer/shorter leg and socks can be ordered in different size. Women models have some extra space in certain areas.
Round people or fat people with boobs are out. When you should designed these gadgets for them as then anybody can use them. They have some limitations on movements maybe. They always say body is temple, well my body has cost more than any of Kardashian's. It has filled with good drinks and food since 1974. My temple is kind of... that looks delicious, bam... 10 pounds on hip, I ate it bam 5 pounds more. Some people are läpipasko, thru shitting, these people can eat anything and do nothing physical and they just don't get fat. All the gears are tested and built for those people.
So I solved net holding problem just to hit another one with bag I'm pretty happy otherwise.
Now I have to run, nephews are waiting and we go fishing. Maybe I found solution and balance on my new problem.
Have a nice weekend and go fishing
Mika