River Vuolajohka (Norway), part 1
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The river is not accessible from the road. Out trip starts on a little boat with electrical engine. With a 30 minute ride we cross lake Vuolitjävri and reach the east side.
We moor the boat to the shore, detach the engine and store the battery in a waterproof plastic bag. We will proceed by foot.
We arrive at the inlet, which is the outlet of a smaller lake.
Sheltered from the wind and with flowing water, the inner lake's outlet is full of rising fish
Fish on ! Bending rod together becomes a standard habit. All grayling.
We could stay here the all day and catch fish until night but after 30 minutes we move upstream along the shore of the inner lake to explore farther.
It is only with streamers that we manage to 'drill' through the thick layer of smaller grayling and reach the larger fish
Opposite to the outlet, on the south side, there are small inlets that pour through the low vegetation and feed the pond. It is full of fish here too. The dry fly returns a fish at each cast. Yet, it is the streamer that catches some over 40.
The main inlet is located in the south-west corner, the Voulajohka river. From here the river begins (actually ends) its flow.
Really nice fish dwell in any pool and white water. Fishing with nymphs and small dark streamers is simply amazing.
The stream has here the typical characteristic of an alpine stream. We catch more trout and the grayling is still present in the fast currents.
Sweating and with cloud of mosquitoes constantly orbiting around the exposed flesh (without repellent it would be simply impossible to go on) me move farther, through the rough terrain.
Suddenly a big fish rip off the 0.20 leader and I lose the second and last dark olive streamer that was doing magic. I try to replace it with a black one of similar size, but I the impression is that the olive was doing much better.
After about a kilometer of walking and fishing, a sublime scenario tears open before my eyes
The riverbed widens and a flat current is literally boiling with rising fish.
Mayflies, yellow sally and other stoneflies, small sedges, midges almost any order seem represented in the orgiastic hatching scene of feeding fish. With some difficulties in the fog of punkie bugs I manage to mount a dry fly and catch numbers of trout and grayling for a good hour before exhausting the energy and decide to head back. With regret though, the area looked real promising and in about 500 m. the river would become again narrower. Withal in the open it is wise to know the limits, we have no food with us and yet a long stretch to walk back.
It is a long way and the fatigue of the day is overwhealming, but when we arrive at the inlet and we see that the fish are still rising we cannot help casting a a bit more before stepping on the boat and heading to or base camp. We will visit the upper part of the river but for today it is over. The upper part is reachable with a 10 kilometer walk and we need fresh energy and rest before venturing for the next fishing.
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