My name is Christian Hörgren and I am a rod builder from Sweden. I fish for Brown trout in rivers in Swedish Lapland and Brook trout in my home waters north of Stockholm. My first choice is always dry flies, but I don’t consider myself conservative or a traditionalist. I just love the transparency and action of top water fishing. 

I love fly rods and I have big collection in all different materials. They say that each material has its own speciality, but I don’t really agree. All materials can be good for all situations, it’s all about personal taste and tuning the equipment. Most people associate me with fiberglass rods, and that is my most frequent material. I prefer to fish with shorter rods. The best thing with fiberglass is that you can make a short and powerful rod without losing its sensitivity. When I fish for large browns I usually fish with a 8’3’’, 7wt rod. Despite it’s heavy weight, I can make short presentations and delicate roll casts with a tiny mayfly. Same thing with brook trout fishing, where the deep bend in the 6’, 3wt allows me to fish more technical and present the fly more accurate on very short line. 

I use a lot of different reels. My main concern is that it has a smooth and minimal inertia and a generous range. It must balance the rod and look good, and that is why I prefer small arbor reels. Two of my favorites for dry fly fishing are the ATH F-series and the old Shimano Freestone – both incredibly smooth and accurate. I use fly lines with thinner diameter like Cortland Sylk and 406. They cut the wind better, are easier to mend and behave less spooky on the water. I clean the lines after every season and always have some Tiemco Line Dressing in the vest. 

I have been furling my own leaders for years. I usually fish 6’ leaders made from regular Uni-thread 6/0 in stealthy colors. I have experimented with different tapers, but nowadays I make straight tapers with a tippet ring in the end. I impregnate them with boiled line seed oil and use Red Mucillin on the water. Furled leaders turn over better compared to mono leaders and has no memory. I prefer nylon tippets, mostly because they are more ecofriendly. Fluorocarbon will stay in the nature forever if you lose them. Tippet dimension depends on the size of the fish, but I try to go as thick as possible given the circumstances. If I fish for large brown trout in a river, I usually use 1-2X depending on fly size. In most cases I use steering knots to attach the fly, but a Rapala knot can be very efficient if I want extra movement in the fly. Tippet length depends on the water and if the fish is leader spooky, not too short and not too long. 

I try to approach the water slowly and read the water from a distance. Rising fish can stand very close the bank, and I always fish the closest area first. Try not to get greedy and start casting to the other side of the river too early. It is better to move around silently and fish closer. I waded more when I was younger, but nowadays I try to fish from land first before I step into the water. Do not disturb the fish in its habitat and don’t damage the bottom fauna if you don’t have to. The eco system is fragile. 

I have been doing a lot of fly casting and practicing over the years. Distance, precision, roll casts, anchored casts, curved casts etc. They are all very useful, but my strongest advice is to keep the line from the surface as much as possible. This is extra important when it comes to dry fly fishing. The water surface is a blank canvas and the fly line is a pointing finger towards your fly. It’s almost like a Zen thing or a Fluxus piece, try to cast the line without casting it. Treat the water surface gently with your line. Do not use more line than you must. Believe in your casting and try to stay focused. Do not practice fly casting when you are on the water. Do not cast unless you have a plan for your cast. These advises can all be challenging, especially when the fishing is slow. But they have helped me in my fishing over the years.  

The fly is our only way to get in contact with the fish, our only hope. A fly should have the right profile and rough color scheme. I do not believe in exact imitation; in my opinion the presentation is far more important. You do not have to be an expert in Entomology to catch fish. You need to have an idea of what the fish is eating and how to mimic that with something roughly similar. But Entomology is a sub-culture (among others) within the fly-fishing community, and I have the deepest respect for those who dedicate their life to the perfect extended body of a Heptagenia Sulphurea. I am more interested in finding the fish and trying to figure out if I can catch it. 

We have about 30 mayfly species in Sweden and over 400 caddis species. I love it when the Drakes start to appear in June, but for the rest of the year I fish mostly with caddis patterns. I love to fish with general, robust flies that I can vary in size and colors. Flies made in materials that perform well during the drift and that can take a lot of water. Deer hair, foam and rubber legs are amazing materials for these kinds of flies. Add a color indicator on top of the fly and you can control the fly better. Streaking Caddis, stimulators and skaters are among my favorite flies here in Scandinavia. They have also worked well on Kola peninsula in Russia. Other Scandinavian favorites are Superpupa and Dyret, both general patterns with Palmer-like hackles that can be fished upstream, downstream, dry or wet. The ideal fly can be fished in many ways and imitate many different types of bugs. 

I try to reduce the fighting time with a fish to a minimum. Softer rods tire the fish quicker, and by using an appropriate rod weight and tippet size you can land the fish faster. All to reduce stress and the amount of lactic acid in the fish. 

Reading the water is like reading good poetry. You discover new things and find new levels of understanding every time you visit the river. But next time everything has changed. This is perhaps the most comforting and important thing with fishing for me. No matter how much you have spent on tackle or how many days you fish a year, the Fisherman of the day might be your ten year old daughter or your colleague who have never touched a rod. Fly fishing reminds us that we are all equal in front of Mother nature.