Some of you may have wondered why up here in the north even many of the better pike are remarkably slim.
Quite simply, we are north of the Arctic Circle here! That means: The winters last longer and all spawning times of the fish begin or end accordingly later than with us - also those of the pike!
If you arrive here in Swedish Lapland (as we did) in June, you will experience pike fishing like it is typical for April here in Central Europe: serial catches of greedy snappers in shallow water, where between many small and medium sized "bucks" a fat, pardon, slim, spawned "muddie" nails even small lures at any time.
In addition: Up here in the north the pike still have to "work" for their food. No trout tanker/water manager dumps stupid portioned trout fresh from the farm into their pond for free, and no mass stocks of roach or gudgeon threatened by smut beg to be eaten. There are only natural stocks of forage fish here. Those who have survived as pike behind the Arctic Circle have been truly tested by life, and are therefore tough and an unadulterated predator in real natural waters. Pike in the north are correspondingly aggressive in their bites.
Text: Sven Halletz - fish guide at Snwotrail Dogcamp (a euphoric quote from Facebook)
Photos: Olivier Portrat - photographer and guest at the Snowtrail Dogcamp
