- 23.4 deg C

Last night was the climax of this years famous comeback of the Winter with minus 23.4 deg C, this after 2 weeks of north eastern wind and tons of snow. We have been cut off from the world for 5 days due to meter high snow drifts. Yesterday our neighbor cleared the road with heavy machinery. The deep temperatures caused a few problems with the starting of our car today, as it was idle for almost a week and cooled down like a freezer.
The Trolling season in Vänern is over for us, as already predicted, the boat is brought to Simrishamn and will stay indoors over there until spring comes and fishing is back on schedule.

Salmon 8.3 kg

Todays single strike was a salmon of 8.3 kg, I caught it only a short distance from yesterdays place.
We had a real nice day on the water, with less wind and sunshine. For the next days the winter will be coming back and it might be that today was the last fishing day of this years Vänern season.
At least the last 2 fish were very good and make No. 3 and 5 in my personal Vänerlax ranking.
The hope is still that we'll have the chance to fish a few days more as the fishing is approaching its best right now.

Salmon 9.5 kg

After 2 days in our area without fish, I decided to move today some 20 nautical miles along the shore to the north to fish in an area which had produced some good fish in the last days. Short after the arrival I got a fish on, around 5 kg, which came off close to the boat. After catching 2 pikes I moved on a bit further out into the lake. Around 11.30 I got another strike. After 20 minutes and some messed up lines I could net a salmon from 9.5 kg, a nice reward for the long trip.One more undersized salmon closed the day.
Tomorrow the weather forecast looks good, while the rest of the week will be snow and storm again .

First snowstorm

Yesterday we pulled the boat out of the water to go for a motor service, which we had to cancel as the first snowstrom is hitting the country, at least one month to early. The weather is the issue of the year. In the past we had maybe 2 days in 2 weeks, which could not be fished, this year you can be lucky to have 2 days in the same period with acceptable weather.

Best day this year on Vänern , up to now!

Today I had our neighbors son fishing with me as part of his Birthday present and the fish behaved well. After a slow morning we caught a trout of 3 kg around noon time. On our way home, we hit a hot spot with tons of bait and caugth 6 fish in 1 hour, 2 salmon, 5kg and 3.5kg, a further trout of 3kg and 3 undersized salmon. The fishing was close to perfect as well as the weather.
Unfortunately for tomorrow the forecast is predicting new shit weather, only the early morning might be OK.

Storm is back

Yesterday has been another nice and sunny day. The fishing was a bit more difficult than on Monday, but I caught 1 salmon of 5kg and an undersized. For the rest of the week, there will to much wind to fish, maybe on Sunday again.

Finally a nice day

After some outings with no countable result and a lot of ugly weather, at least yesterday with 24 hours rain and a cold night, todays fishing in sunny conditions gave 2 fish, 1 salmon of 4.5kg and a trout of 2.5kg plus one lost fish. I decided to swap from fishing woblers to Löja,which was a good move.

Fall season started

Today was the start of the Fall trolling season on Vänern. I launched the boat on last Friday,fished only a bit in some bad weather. Today the weather was much better, after a frosty night, sunshine and warm and the fish were behaving well. I caught 1 trout of 5kg, 1 salmon of 4kg, as well as 1 wild salmon which was released and lost 1 trout, which was foul hooked.

After 10 days

The first week and some days are over on our trip to Norway. We had some good days and some bad. Highlights of the last week were some further nice Sei up to 8.5 kg, during trolling with big wobbler we had even a double hook of 7 kg fish, which we released. We got also some nice cod, the biggest 2 at 7.3 and 6.8 kg. Now the Mackerels are coming in and we are looking to get some of them as well.

Norway, Sandstad on Hitra

We arrived last Friday in Sandstad on Hitra in Norway. It was raining continuously for the first 2 days, so that we could launch our boat only on Sunday afternoon. The first fishing trip in bad weather gave some medium sized cod and coal fish. Yesterday evening was much better with no wind and a gentle current. So we fished 2,5 hours and caught 4 coal fish and 1 cod, the biggest 2 were 11.5 and 10.5 kg, which means that the first target, getting a 10+ coal fish or "Sei" as they are called here, has been achieved.

Last fishing day in Simris, Salmon 11.3 kg

Yesterday was the last day fishing in Simrishamn as today was to much fog in the morning.
I went out yesterday in dense fog as well and fished the whole day with radar and all the navigation technology to avoid trouble. Right after the start, I had not even all rods in the water, I got the big Salmon on and in the boat. A bit later a Seatrout of around 5 kg, which was unfortunately an out spawned fish, which I released.
The spring season is now over for me. I was quit OK considered the weather we had with the long winter and the many days off due to wind and fog, although the fishing in Vänern in the Mellerud area was the worst in the last 20 years.
In total I caught in Vänern and Baltic Sea 16 salmon, total weight was 109 kg.
We'll go to Germany soon and in June to Norway for some other style of fishing.

Back in action

After 1 week with almost no fishing due to bad weather with storm, fog and everything you don't need, I was back in action today. It was the first T-shirt day,spring or summer has finally arrived.
I caught 1 salmon of 8.5 kg. For tomorrow the forecast looks good as well as for Saturday, so hopefully we get something more.

More storm

Yesterdays fishing in almost perfect weather conditions gave 1 salmon of 6kg, but today a new storm front is messing up the water again, so we'll see how it is tomorrow.

Poor fishing

The weekend fishing has been poor after the shit weather from last week.We got one salmon on Sunday during the tournament,which gave the 20. place.The fish are very scattered and it needs some luck to find them as they are moving quickly.

Even more wind

Yesterdays late afternoon outing gave 1 salmon of 3.5 kg plus an undersized. Today and tomorrow no fishing possible due to heavy wind up to 18 m/s but for the weekend and the tournament the forecast looks good. The only problem will be to find the fish after the storm.

A lot of wind

The last 2 days no fishing due to hard wind and tomorrow the boat goes to the service, there will be some fishing in the afternoon possibly. For Thursday and Friday says the forecast nothing good as well but the weekend should be good in terms of wind!

What a first day in Simris, Full Pott +1

I started the season in the Baltic Sea with the best day I've had up to now. 7 Salmon from 6 to 9 kg from which 5 came together at one time. Absolutely great after the poor days on Vänern!
There is hardly an improvement possible, except for a 20+.

Vänern fishing part 1 over, ready for Simrishamn

We pulled the boat out of the water yesterday as the fishing on Tuesday was with any result, for the other boats as well. So we decided to stop any efforts as long as the water is that cold.
We are ready to go to Simrishamn on the weekend and hope for some better fishing in the Baltic Sea.

Back to normal

After Saturdays horror with the "Spöknät"and a Sunday without any fish contact, today was back to normal with 1 salmon of 6 kg and 1 undersized. The water is still much to cold and the fish are scattered a lot.

Salmon fishing the "traditional" way!

Today's story starts with some fiction and ends with stinking reality.
Imagine you are a guy living on Kallandsö near Vänern. The summer is over, fall is coming and you have nothing to do, but in your deepest memory you know that with fall and sinking water temperature the Salmon are coming close to your shore. You have a small boat and a net and some jerrycans and as it is Tradition in your area, you put this stuff in the water of Vänern some where not so far from your home, to get your share of the Salmon.
You do not have a license to do this, but as you do not prepare moonshine whiskey, drive to quickly or pay a women for sex, nobody cares.
As your net is in the water it starts fishing, while you sit at home. Than all over sudden and completely unexpected something happens, Winter is coming! Your small boats gets frozen in, in your shallow bay and you can not go anymore to check the hard work and devastation your net is doing.
And while your are sitting at home, the jerrycans which kept your net marked and floating are sucked with water, as they were not made for the purpose you use them. After a short while they are submerged and your net is now what the tradition calls a Spoeknaet.
This is something like a ghost net as it can not be seen anymore but it is still fishing for you although as you can not go and find it, the hard job is done for nothing. The fish start rotting and this goes on as your net is not rotting and moreover it becomes a hazard for the nautical safety.

With the spring coming the ice is melting and the salmon are coming back to your shore and your net is still fishing for you, but you can not find it anymore or you forgot it completely.

On a Saturday in April a Trolling boat comes to your area, because the Trollers come from all over Europe to spend their money in your country to catch some Salmon as well, this Trolling boat gets tangled in your hard working net, as the captain could not see it!
The captain is now in deep shit as he is alone, his 2 downrigger wires and 4 rod are hanging in your net and the motor is caught as well, it takes him 2 hours hard work to clean up the mess. He has to get your rotten fish out of the water and and the remains left from your net, which is still working as it has again caught a fish for you, which is still alive.

This is what happened to me today, the picture shows the stinking result of traditional fishing!

1 salmon again

Today's fishing brought the same result as yesterdays, 1 salmon 5 kg and 1 undersized.

First Salmon caught

I started early today in the search for the Salmon and found them around noon time in an area with warmer water and caught one from 5 kg and one undersized. Tomorrow I'll change from Wobbler to Löja and hope so to catch a few more.

First day of fishing

The boat is in the water. We launched it in Sikhall this morning and I fished 4 hours in a cold and gusting wind without any result. The water is between 1.4 and 2.3 deg Celcius and the Sonar screen was most of the time empty. I have never seen so little fish in our area, but with the ice being gone only for 2 days nothing better was expected. Tomorrow I will check out some deeper water and see whats over there.

The fishing season is starting soon

After a too long and too harsh winter, the fishing season is finally starting. Although there is still ice floating around in Vänern the first fish have been caught , "Trolling on the rocks". The boat is ready for launching by tomorrow provided the strong western wind eases down tonight, at least it pushes the remaining ice out of our sight.