Late Lapland clave report

There is not much I can add to the earlier reports - especially Tom's
docusoap....... I must say, though, that the trip did not start out so
well for Riverman and myself on Friday. I remember growing up that there
were a number of expressions relating to "wondering lost all over Hells
half-acre". As it turns out, Hells half-acre can be found in the
mountains of the Swedish county of Norrbotten, and there is a little
cabin built right bang in the middle of it. Or so our
mosquito-challenged fellow clave attendees would have had us believe.
All was not what it seemed though, we later discovered.

Following instructions, Riverman and myself set out on Friday afternoon
for a 3km hike upriver through the swamp to the upstream rapids. We duly
arrive sweaty, bitten and irritated at what turns out to be a beautiful
crystal clear river. Second cast into the first pool yields a little 10"
brown and everything is suddenly much better. The fishing back down to
the camp yields one busted tippet on the first decent fish hooked, a
nice 16" fish that smacked a streaking caddis and finally a lovely 1.1kg
fish at the camp pool. I was happy, especially as I also had the odd
experience of hooking a very large fish on a 10" trout "streamer". I was
having trouble figuring out how such a small fish could get me down to
my backing when I finally noticed it was sideways in the mouth of a much
larger trout - which took one look at me and buggered off for parts
unknown. I learned later from the gentlemen downstream that the trick
was to throw lots of slack after the larger fish and wait until it
swallowed the small trout. It's not really baitfishing if the bait is
still attached to your fly - right?

We fished this stretch again the following Tuesday after the other
clavers left and this time had a very pleasant walk upstream rather than
a slog through the bog. Caught a good fish around 1.2kg in the pool I
got busted in and another around 1.1kg in a lovely pool 1km upstream, so
the upstream stretch was definitely my favourite both for the quality of
the fishing and the beauty of the environment.

The downstream stretch I fished on the first Monday and then again on
Wednesday. Beautiful water but little luck with the fish. I hooked a
very nice fish on the Wednesday on a Hornberg Dan kindly gave me on the
first evening of the clave. I have never used this fly before but the
fish took on the second cast ofter changing so I will in the future. Of
course, next time I will check to see if the hook tip has been filed off
first :-)

Overall conclusion? A very beautiful river valley with excellent fishing
- if you bear in mind this is a nutrient poor sub-Arctic mountain river.
I will most definitely return. As for spending a week with a bunch of
smelling, farting drunks - well, that needs no further development.
Better fishing company would be hard to find and I am looking forward to
next year. Juktån???

Vaughan