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IMPORTANT
SITE UPDATE:
Visit the relaunched
Fish & Fly at fishandfly.com
Nordic Fly Fairs 2002
A report by Harry Salmgren
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Böril Jonsson the |
If last years fly fairs in Finland and Sweden were reminders of all the personal crafts that numbers of anonymous individuals put into our beloved sport to help it develop, fly tiers, rod makers, casting instructors and so on, this years fairs in Eskilstuna, Sweden and Tampere, Finland, show that computer technology these days also is closely knit to today's development of fly gear and accessories by such individuals.
In Finland one of the highlights in this year's fair was the newly developed computer animated casting instruction they showed as one example of many tutorial programs. In Sweden innovative use of computers and 3D animations attracted attention to a new futuristic fly reel.
As an idea to develop, the centre pin reel for fly fishing certainly can look as if it has been around since the invention of the wheel, thousands of years ago. And supported by the old saying 'the plainer the better' they also often prove their value in the long run, even if some makers only seem to have clung to the idea of 'plain' with the effect that their reels don't withstand even normal use for fishing. However the plainness can often be of a subtle look disguising the immense development efforts of making it, especially if the idea of maintenance free is added to it. Like the new Lamson Litespeed for one or a Ross reel or a Tibor for that matter, even if the reels of Ari 't Hart and Loop Evotec normally are closer to what we anticipate looking with such eyes.
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the casting instructor for OTG in Sweden |
Another idea developed for fly reels comes from the work of the Italian inventor/technician Sbarro. He was the first to produce a practical hubless solution (without a center pin) for wheels. This idea has since been used for fly reels too by fly anglers like the Loop manufacturer and inventor Kurt Danielsson in Sweden. Around 1990 he had a working model of a hubless reel called HiTech. This reel has been discontinued, one reason, perhaps, being the profound expertise needed from the angler to handle it properly. Like man yother state of art products, it was not an everyman's toy, taking the abuse of angling situations without serious concern.
In the Fly Fair in Eskilstuna, Sweden, this year there were two hubless reels on display, one made by Vision and the other by the Swedish founder and maker of Allumite alluminium flyboxes, Böril Jonsson. His reel attracted the attention of many who previously had not seen a hand made reel in surgical steel with a rim riding spool. With its ingenious details this reel again puts focus on the fact that there are so many people out there who we never even hear of making efforts for us anglers. Just seeing the smart solution for the crank which atomatically hides within the hubless design when a fish takes line, is a reminder of how many sleepless nights there must be to solve such a problem. And the same solution also makes it pack very nicely, letting you stack reel one on the other with no problems at all, is a bonus when travelling. The nice 3D computer animation following Böril's show added nicely to the feeling of state of art.
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flies on demand in Finland |
But evidently such development also creates a need for education. So apart from learning how to use the high-end fly rods properly, now it looks like we are in for schools for using the fly reels too, which brings us back to the Fly Fair in Finland.
If the Swedish fair centered around material, the Finnish centered around skills. Like last year's fair, the fly tiers were in majority even if the number of fly fishing destinations on display also had grown. The young Finnish International Team were very informative and pleasant to meet. They were happy to share ideas, techniques and flies with the viewers. And Oliver Edwards tied anything on public demand. All broadcast on the internal television circut.
Both the Finnish and the Swedish fairs had grown from last year. The move of the Swedish to Eskilstuna was a success. Thanks to the vitality and efforts of the fly fishing club of Tampere, Pirkanmaan Perhokalasta the XVI Finnish Fly Fair also ended in a success.
See you on the waters
Harry Salmgren