Interviews
Interviews
Fly Fishing 300 Days a Year Made April a Pro Who Doesn’t Believe in Flies
Interview of April Vokey by Anni Yli-Lonttinen “My parents thought I was crazy and told me that I needed to get a “real job”. I knew that I wanted fly-fishing to be my “real job”, so I went fishing every day to become a competent fly fisherman… and it paid off.”...
A Date with a Fly Fisherman Lead Mari to Eventually Start Her Own Guiding Business and Star on a Fishing TV-show
Interview of Mari Elal by Anni Yli-Lonttinen I’ve been fishing all my life. However, in the early days I hadn’t met any fly fishermen or even registered the whole sport existed. In 2010 that changed, when I went on a date with a gentleman who had just returned...
Jasper was so fanatic to learn fly fishing that even the challenging parts felt just intriguing
Interview of Jasper Pääkkönen by Anni Yli-Lonttinen Seeing a box full of flies as a boy was like opening the Pandora’s Box. From there on Jasper was begging for his own fly tying equipment and fly fishing gear. Overtime the focus switched from the catch to enjoying...
After a fly fishing trip I appreciate good ice cream and a warm shower
Interview of Katri Pesonen by Anni Yli-Lonttinen Pike fly fishing at sea and chasing for roach at rivers are my favorite things in Finland. When you are fly fishing, you are forced to start thinking how the nature around you works. I am not very achievement focused...
With my pictures and videos I hope to inspire more women to try fly fishing
Interview of Lotte Aulom by Anni Yli-Lonttinen In the beginning I sometimes just picked the fly that I thought looked nice. My husband tried to teach me fly fishing technicalities, without me listening. Somehow I managed to hook my first fish and was super...
Ice Hockey World Champion learns to be better fly fisherman with mental training
Interview of Janne Pesonen by Anni Yli-Lonttinen On my very first fly fishing trip a trout jumped high in the air to catch my fly before it even landed the water. Amazed, I thought to myself, that can it really be like this? Besides the books, advice and...
My small nerdy check-list of fly fishing goals will take me next to Jurassic Lake
Interview of Patricio Mac Allister by Anni Yli-Lonttinen Working in the fly-fishing industry has changed things for me. I feel lucky to be a part of it. But I always remind myself that fly fishing is about those moments when you’re in the water. Immersed in Nature and...
Fly fishing is like a disease, it affected all my other hobbies until it was the only one left
Interview of Simon Stäblein by Anni Yli-Lonttinen After breaking up with my girlfriend, I went fly fishing for almost 6 months. It saved my life and showed me that every coin has 2 sides. For me fly fishing is a way to get out from all the bullshit that...
Fish are peculiar animals; their behavior is so intriguing and difficult to understand
Interview of Aku Kaasalainen by Anni Yli-Lonttinen I got intrigued by the versatile nature of the sport when I was watching other fly fishermen as a boy. There was so much new to learn with it. As a youngster you get bored if you are not moving forwards and...
The most interesting point in fly fishing is difficulty
Interview of Yasushi Nishi by Anni Yli-Lonttinen About 15 years ago, my friend told me how fun fly fishing is. In the beginning fly fishing was soooo difficult. In my first fishing trip, my fly line got twined around tree branch so many times. Article series:...
When you are fishing 3 weeks in a row, you are bound to start learning things
Interview of Pieta Piiroinen by Anni Yli-Lonttinen I have an impatient nature and I want to know and learn everything at once. That isn’t the best quality, patience is a virtue when it comes to learning fly fishing. First time I got a fly rod in my hands was...
Using the “ski pole technique” to land the first fly catch was a memorable moment
Interview of Jyrki Holopainen by Anni Yli-Lonttinen Catching my first rainbow trout with a fly sparked an interest towards fly fishing, which I don’t see wear off any time soon. Always wanting to be out fishing, at the age of 9, I had strict rules like wearing a life...
On my first day out fly fishing, I thought I committed a grave angling etiquette crime
Interview of Randy Kadish by Anni Yli-Lonttinen When learning that you could fish the lakes of Central Park in New York for largemouth bass, at first I didn’t believe it. Later, reading about casting a fly rod, I became intrigued, and was soon...
Seeing a fly rod as a boy in the 1960 got Gunnar hooked for life
Interview of Gunnar Westrin by Anni Yli-Lonttinen If we talk about a BIG memory, it is the king salmon of 136 cm, absolutely amazing. Though, the size of the fish isn’t necessarily the appeal. It is the adventure of it all. Grayling is my favorite fish. I have...
Find a fly-fishing companion who is your friend and rival
Interview of Shinya Kato by Anni Yli-Lonttinen Have a fly-fishing friend, who is the partner that goes fishing with you and who is the rival who competes for a catch. Best fishing partner will keep your motivation up. To always go fishing and to become better than...
Simplify and set your fly fishing goal
Interview of Stephen Plut by Anni Yli-Lonttinen Fly fishing is hypnotic to me. But in the beginning many parts of the sport were difficult, like the jargon and all the choices. They left me with my head spinning. What I found however was that there...
I wouldn’t know what to do if I wouldn’t be fly fishing
Interview of Ole Frithjof Rogowski by Anni Yli-Lonttinen I love fly fishing because it takes me to places. Both physically and mentally. Places where I wouldn't be able to go without it. It means everything to me. I can't stop thinking about the next fishing...