Have a GREAT Whitsun everyone – your BFF-team

3 x Gold, 2 x Silver and 1 x Bronze

Well this year has started and is continuing to be really good for us at BalticFlyfisher. The Ryd Open Flycasting Competiton 2013 (Sweden) gave us some heavy metal to take home. 3 Gold, 2 silver and one bronze medal where handed over to Lasse Karlsson and Silja Longhurst.  The 2 silver medals where won in Trout Distance (Silja) and Seatrout Distance (Lasse); bronze in Seatrout Distance (Silja). Lasse went and took gold in Trout Precision and Silja  in the 15ft and the 18ft (with a 15ft rod) Spey Competition.

The lucky winners – Lasse and Silja

The Ryd Open Flycasting Competition 2013 is one of the 3 Swedish casting competition which are being used to select the Swedish national casting team for the World Championships in Fly casting with standard Flyfishing Tackle held every second year. There are 6 categories: Trout Distance (#5  long-belly line), Seatrout Distance (27 gram Shootinghead), Salmon Distance (15 footer 55 gram Shooting-head), Trout Precision, 15’1 and 18 foot Spey .

After this exciting weekend we are looking forward to our next Competitions- the Danish Championships in Fly-casting 2013 in June but until then it is time to grab a rod and get out there-fishing

Oh I nearly forgot we were using an ECHO 3 9’6″ #8 for the sea trout distance, an ECHO 3 9’0″ for the trout accuracy and a TR 15’0″ #10 for the Spey competitions.

Silja

Details of the fair and how to get to it can be found just here, it really is worth coming along it is one of the best events of its kind in Europe.

Hope to see you there.

The three competitions are held by the owner of Sweden’s largest online flyfishing forum edgeflyfishing.com in partnership with the Sportsfiskamässan.

Each day of the fair there’s a new competition.

Edge one shot distance

The first competition on opening day is the “Edge one shot distance” competition. It’s a pick up lay down competition where each competitior gets one shot to see how far they can cast. They get 1 minute to warm up and make their one shot. They can cast out the line before making their attempt as to get the desired amount of line ready for the pick up and deliver. A very fun competition that really is make or break. Qualifying rounds are held in the morning, and the top ten goes on to the final in the afternoon. This year it was won by Danish caster Lasse Karlsson with a cast of 31,44, Mikael Blomberg from Norway took second with a shot of 29,38 meters and Swedish Staffan Dahlbom took third with a cast of 28,25 meters. The casts where all measured by lazer measurement, hence the very accurate distances.

Edge Switch cast distance

Second day sees the “Edge Switch cast distance” competition. Each competitor gets 2 minutes to make the furthest switch cast possible. Longest cast counts. Switch is in this competition defined as making a cast that has a anchor in the water. Some competitiors this year tried the perry poke to get a better cast since we are lifting the line of from both water and the floor (pool isn’t long enough ). A traditionel switch (single spey witout direction change) was however the way the winners got their best distances. And as with one shot, qualifying is in the morning and finals with the best ten in the afternoon.  Winner was Swedish Staffan Dahlbom with 26,55 meters, Swedish Ronny Landin took second with 26,10 and Swedish Tellis Katsogiannos took third with 25,75. (4th was Mikael Blomberg and 5th was Lasse Karlsson)

Edge trout distance

Third and last day sees the “Edge trout distance” competition. Same as the switch each competitor gets 2 minutes to throw as far as possible, longest cast counts. Again qualifying rounds in the moring and best ten to the final. This year the distances where very good. It took a cast of 29,10 meters to get to the final, and there where 5 casters throwing further than 32 meters. In the final Mikael Blomberg won with a cast of 34,15 meters set in the last 4 seconds of his 2 minutes, before that his best cast was 32,35. Ronny Landin landed second place with a cast of 33,10 meters and Lasse Karlsson took third with a cast of 32,40 meters.
The gear used for all the competitions are the same, a sponsored rod and line (#5 weight) based on very normal fishing gear in these quarters.

The competitions are open to anyone visiting the show, walk to the pond sign up and cast. It very good fun, and each year new people get their first taste of the casting bug in friendly competition.

Thanks to the organisers for a great event and well done to all competitors, particulatily to Lasse Karlsson of course.

Tim Rajeff’s good friend Tom Larimer guides the mighty rivers of Oregon and Washington and as a pro steelhead and king salmon guide he needed a series of lines that allowed his clients to quickly get the hang of fishing heavy level sink tips and BIG flies. So he spoke to Tim about his needs and together they came up with the ECHO Skagit Compact.

As with any line the shorter the head the more critical the weight; by refining the taper and length of the ECHO Skagit Compact from 23ft/7m to 27ft/8.2m depending on head weight, they’ve created 15 models from: 360grains/25g to 810grains/53g in 30grain/2g increments that ensure you’ll be able to find the perfect match for your favourite rod.

As with all ECHO Spey-Lines the front loop has the line size and line type printed on it for easy recognition. ECHO Spey-lines do not contain softener’s and are environmentally friendly.

Designed by ECHO’s Tim Rajeff with Tom Larimer
Manufactured by AirFlo in the UK
Distributed exclusively by BalticFlyFisher

The ECHO Skagit Intermediate is available in eleven sizes from 390grains/25g to 720grains/47g and lengths of 21ft/6.4m to 24ft/7.3m.

In keeping with all other ECHO Spey-Lines, the Skagit Intermediate also has weight increments of 30grains/2g, enabling you to fine tune the line to your rod with ease and the front loop has the line size and line type printed on it for easy recognition. ECHO Spey-lines do not contain softener’s and are environmentally friendly.

Designed by ECHO’s Tim Rajeff, with Tom Larimer.
Manufactured by AirFlo in the UK.
Distributed exculsively by BalticFlyFisher.

Designed by ECHO’s Tim Rajeff with Tom Larimer

Manufactured by AirFlo in the UK
Distributed exclusively by BalticFlyFisher

The ECHO Rage comes in nine sizes from 360grains/23g to 600grains/39g and lengths of 27ft/8.5m to 32ft/9.7m which makes matching the proper size to almost any two-hander a piece of cake. As with all ECHO Spey-Lines the front loop has the line size and line type printed on it for easy recognition. ECHO Spey-lines do not contain softener’s and are environmentally friendly.

Although originally designed for throwing monster dry-flies to steelhead in the Pacific North West, the Rage is a fantastic line for North Atlantic Salmon – we normally use it with a 10ft intermediate poly-leader on the front, but it is equally at home with a sinker or fast sinker. If you feel you need a little more delicacy, or you are a spey-beginner and you have the tendency to “blow your anchor”, then just hook a 14ft poly on the front.

Great line.

Designed by ECHO’s Tim Rajeff with Tom Larimer
Manufactured by AirFlo in the UK
Distributed exclusively by BalticFlyFisher

Not only have the ECHO Spey Lines arrived but we are also allowed to use the old names …

the lines are now called:

ECHO Scandi Compact
ECHO Skagit Compact
ECHO Skagit Compact Intermediate
ECHO Skagit Switch
ECHO Rage Compact Float