Fly fishing of your dreams – Kvissleströmmarna

A night of early season fishing

Dusk. The mythical time of the day when the sun change shift to night duty. The long shadows stretch themselves over the winding stretches of rivers and the Oviken Mountains (Oviksfjällen) glow incandescently in the distance. I pull up to the stretch of Kvissletrömmen that will serve as the evenings arena of infamous fly fishing that I have heard so much about. The air is warm and I gaze over the silently flowing water, watching the rise and fall of the hatching midges. The suspense of the unknown builds up inside of me, it’s almost palpable. Is tonight going to be my lucky night?

My gut feel is to tie on an emerger, I choose the trusty Parachute Adams, #14, proof the fly to prevent it from sinking and slowly work my way into the cool flowing water. A few steps out I feel the press of the current against my waders and I slowly perform my first cast. The line furls out nicely and the tippet presents the fly perfectly. This is going well tonight and I’m feeling lucky. I watch the fly dance its way downstream before I take up the slack and present a slightly longer cast. I’m aiming for the tail end of the pool, a place where I know larger trout like to hang out and feed. Two false casts and my line falls perfectly at an adjacent angle to where I am standing. I take up the slack in the line and watch the fly carefully drift, slowly towards a rock under the surface when suddenly I see the characteristic swirl engulf my fly. Fast count to three and strike, feel the resistance and I am on! Rod bend and moving in sync with every swish of the fishes struggle to break free. Nervously I play the fish to calmer waters and guide it into my net. A beauty of a Brown Trout, salmo trutta, lying like a slab of gold in my net. A quick photo and I release it to fight another day, thanking my lucky stars that the evening has started so well.

Rich waters

The Indalsälven River is one of Sweden’s most fish rich waters and the stretch of Kvissleströmmen, between Ockesjön and Storsjön is one of the more well-known areas that has rich stocks of Grayling, breeding stocks of Brown Trout and Whitefish, which normally move up to the river after midsummer. The area is divided into two main channels by a row of mid-stream islands, which further create smaller run offs, resulting in a varied fishing terrain. The total fishing area stretches over 10 kilometers before reaching the mouth of the Storsjön Lake. All in all, there is enough water amongst the small run offs and rushing rapids, to find your very own piece of fly fishing paradise.

Sustainable Fly-fishing

In accordance to sustainable fishery management and in order to preserve the quality of the fishing, strict bag limits are applied to the fishery. The bag limit is restricted to a maximum of one Brown Trout per day per fisherman, and all female browns must be returned to the water. The feeling of returning a trophy fish to fight another day beats the feeling of placing in your freezer.

Parking

Ample parking is available along the stretch of river. Respect private property and cabins that you pass along the way to the fishing spots.