History

Flyfishing for salmon, trout and grayling has actually been practiced in Finland for a rather long time. The biggest influence to the development of the sport was by many English and Scottish businessmen, who came to Finland in the mid-19th century. There were gentlemen like Mr. Finlayson who settled in Tampere with his textile production but as an avid sportsman he had reputedly also other ambitions. In the north traveling English fishermen left their feathery legacy to the Sami-people (or Lapps) living by the big salmon rivers. As a result there were finally many skilled flyfishermen here in the beginning of this century.

Brown trout was then, even as now, the most popular species but flyfishing for salmon was also very productive. Those early days saw relatively few anglers fishing for great stocks of very large fish indeed. I think that one could safely assume that the average weight of trout caught then in Finland was greater than almost anywhere else in Europe. Brown trout up to 10 kilos (22 lbs) were not uncommon in those days and Finnish salmon rivers produced huge quantities of big fish every year.

Simo Lumme: Master and his flies

The current turns

Since the early days the number of flyfishermen has been growing on steadily and the international boom of flyfishing in the 80's saw more new anglers throwing their lines and bending their rods than ever before. The latest survey claims that we have now more than one hundred thousand flyfishermen and the sport has gained many typical local, very Finnish features. Both English and American influences have been combined to produce a special mixture, which has resulted several books and which is firmly supported by the Finnish Flyfishing Magazine.

If you are familiar with the type of tackle, techniques and flies used in the Rocky Mountains area of the USA, you'll notice that our preferences are very similar. The art of flytying has as long traditions here as flyfishing and many tyers, both amateur and professional, produce flies of very high quality. As a result several Finnish flytyers have won trophies in international contests. Especially classic Finnish salmon flies are very slim and elegant, really beautiful works of art. "Perfect swimmers" noticed the late Al McClane, a well-known American fishing author. Contrary to the current trend of many other countries these classic feather-wing salmon flies are still often used in actual fishing, mainly in the River Teno (Tana) area.

Like so many other things fishing changes with time. Not all changes are for the worst, though those mighty salmon rivers so productive in the past are no longer the same today. Increasing industrialization and hydroelectric dams endangered many populations in the 50's and all southern runs of migratory fish were diminished. In the north things have been going to a somewhat better direction and rivers like Teno are still comparable to the rivers of past. When the demand for more and better quality fishing has increased, also the work to rebuild habitats for salmonids has gained official support and funds. Fish ladders and similar deceives have been built in increasing numbers and restoration of salmon and trout spawning areas goes steadily on.