André Brun
FLY FISHING GEAR
RODS
As a G. Loomis Ambassador I have access to all the rods I want, and are able to fine tune my setup to different occations and situations. That said, I have a couple of allround flyrods that are really awesome when it comes to technical dry fly presentations. A great rod should be versatile enough to be accurate at both short and long distances, it must be good at mending line and other line manipulations, and it must be able to do spey casts in addition to wide loops and narrow loops while overhead casting.
Since I try to fish a lot for big brown trout, my perfect dryfly rods are the G. Loomis NRX+ LP 590 and the G. Loomis Asquith 490. A 5 weight and a 4 weight. These rods are gentle on the tippet material when playing fish, and can do whatever a good flycaster wants them to do. And they do it well. A great rod should always work with you in difficult situations, and not against you, or limit yourself. I must mention that I do also nymph fish a lot and fish streamers for big trout which preys on forage fish. That is a lot of fun too, and broadens the rod arsenal to light and long nymph rods to sinking line cannons like the ten foot seven weight G. Loomis NRX+.
LINES
As a G. Loomis Ambassador I have also access to the fine range of Rio lines, and I love to fine tune rod, line and leader setups. The Rio Technical Trout line is a beautiful dryfly line that really makes mending and other line manipulations a breeze. For tight spots and dense river banks the RIO Single Handed Spey line is great. To mention a couple of examples.
LEADERS
My favourite dry fly leader is a Hends Camou 450 cm with 1-3 meters of soft Rio Powerflex tippet to desired dimensions. This supple and soft leader and tippet is perfect for those long free drifts, often much more important to vary wild big brown trout than its smaller relatives. A big trout has become big for a reason, and if you got a chance on one of those, you don't won’t to spoil that moment with a straight narrow loop cast that lays the leader and tippet straight on the moving water.
REELS
Like a beautiful side by side shotgun of perfect machinery, a rod and reel combo isn't necessarily just about being a tool. It is also something you develope a relation to when spending so much time with it in springtime, summer and late fall flyfishing in all kind of conditions. I got my first Abel reel in 1996, when I wrote a reel review in a paper magazine the following year. This reel I had to keep, because it was just my definition of a perfect machined flyreel. It also helped me land my new personal best brown trout in 1996, and I still remember how I released the 3.2 kilo wild fish gently into the river again under a northern midnight sun.
I am nowadays an Abel Pro and have several of their reels I use on every fishing trip or evening when going fishing. Their new series of SDF reels and VAYA reels have a perfect sealed drag that just need no care, so they are in my opinion perfect examples of when beauty meets functionality.
CLOTHING AND WADERS
My love for wild fish and the focus on a healthy nature with natural flowing rivers and pristine lakes, made me come in contact with the brand Patagonia many years ago. I felt that these folks had the same vision and focus as I had, and I am really proud of being a part of that. Patagonia stepped up the game on their waders and wading shoes a couple of years ago and are now the most functional and durable waders and shoes you really can trust on extended flyfishing trips aswell as my everyday fishing. I love their clothes as well because you immediately notice the details, placements of seams and use of fabrics comes from decades of experience. A great tip for you guys: On chilly days, use a mid-layer of thin down instead of a sweater, and you will feel more comfy than ever before. On hot days with cold glacier water, use down underwear under your waders and go light with a t-shirt or shirt on the upper part.
THE APPROACH
We must all make choices all the time, and choices have consequenses. When flyfishing during a particular hatch on a particular stretch of the river, I usually never get tempted to make a cast on the first trouts that starts to rise. The first fish that starts to rise during a hatch is often the smaller ones, and the big ones most often don't show up before the hatch gets more intense and there is an abundance of for example Baetis rhodani. First of all, a big trout needs a lot of insects to make it profitable to even rise, and second, a big trout will be reluctant and consider it for some time before he enters an exposed shallow area. The choice I usually make by never casting to the first trouts that enter the scene, has got me more big trout than anything else, I believe. Having a stealthy approach and being patient is the number one tip for increasing your chanses of catching big trout on a regular basis.
THE FLY CASTING
Different casting for different situations of course, but my go-to cast on typically a slow moving shallow river with rising big trout is: I get as close as I can. Never too close so that your upcoming flycasting suddenly scares him off, but as close as you can while moving extremely slow, especially when wading, and while keeping a low profile with no sudden moves. Then I try to see if the trout has any rising pattern. Is it moving, and if so; how far? Often maybe as little as 30 cm to each side. And in slow moving water he's most certainly coming from a little further upstream than it looks by the rises. That dictates a presentation that drops the fly typically 2-5 meters upstream from where you assume the fish is. A non-splashing cast with an upstream air mend that secures a long free drift is not only necessary, but it also won't spook the fish and you'll get a second chance. If the fish will not take the fly on the first drift, I let the fly drift way below the trout before I gently make a new presentation. Maybe it's early in the hatch so he's taking an emerger instead of a dun? Casting gently and with a free drifting fly will give you plenty of opportunities.
FILMS
Many years ago I partnered up with a film maker who was curious about this whole flyfishing thing, and it resulted in several films during the last 20 years. The new film in the Ørretboms-series you may watch here: