Fly Tyer Spotlight: Micke Lindström

FLY TYER SPOTLIGHT

Mikael (Micke) Lindström

Fly tying is a wonderful pastime and in our “Fly Tyer Spotlight” column, we present some of the most talented and innovative fly tyers across Europe and beyond. They are fly tyers worthy of acclaim and attention – and they represent a great source of creative inspiration. Mikael Lindström –an experienced trout and salmon fisherman from the Northern parts of Sweden – is one of them. He has a knack for tying simple yet super-effective flies, especially for finicky trout in rivers.

By THE EDITORIAL STAFF

Full name: Mikael LindströmBorn (Year): 1966Home country: Sweden

From the tranquil waters of Kvitsleströmmarna in Jämtland to workshops and seminars around the world, Micke Lindström has honed his craft for over 50 years. In this interview, he shares his early inspirations, favorite fly patterns, and the techniques that have shaped his extensive career. Join us as we delve into the passion, skill, and dedication that make him a true artist in the world of fly fishing and tying.

How did you get into fly tying?

I have been fishing with my grandfather since I started to walk. My aunt had a cottage at Kvitsleströmmarna in Jämtland, and I began fishing for grayling with a spinning rod, a plastic float, and three flies. I read everything I could about fly fishing at the library and in the magazines available at the time. I got my first fly rod that midsummer in 1973, and a neighbor, an older man who was a fly fisherman, had heard of my burning interest in fishing from my parents. He came over and gave me a big box of fly-tying materials and equipment. His eyesight was weakening, and he thought I needed the fly-tying supplies more than he did. I will remember that day for the rest of my life!

What is it about fly tying that you like so much?

From the beginning, I loved tying classic wet flies and dry flies like the Europa-12, Ants, and Goddard’s Caddis. I also started to read a lot about insects and learned more about entomology.

Over the years, my fly-tying became more varied, including pike flies, salmon flies, and seatrout flies.

While tying, I imagined places where I would fish with the fly I was creating, making it a calm and cool place for me. Fly tying became an obsession with positive sides, like meditation.

I had an early favourite baitfish pattern or streamer that I caught bigger trout with. My first big brown trout from Kvitsleströmmarna was caught on an original Muddler Minnow when I was 13 years old, and the trout weighed 6.5 kilos—I think I woke up the whole village! I then started tying the Muddler with white, grey, or black marabou, and later with different skins I found at flea markets or fur shops. I quickly realized that my catches were getting bigger and bigger.

Now, after 50 years of fly tying, my hobby has taken me around the world, leading workshops and writing articles. I have found both business and pleasure in my hobby. I still imagine the places and spots where I will fish the specific fly I’m tying and fly tying remains a meditative experience for me.

What kind of flies do you most en joy tying and why?

I have a big heart for my Zonker flies. Since the 90s, I have cooperat ed with The Fly Company in Den mark, which helped me get differ ent skins for my fly tying. However, every fly pattern has its time. I also enjoy tying Spey flies a lot; I like their appearance and how they look in the water—they just look fishy.

What are the most important fac tors when designing a new fly pat tern?

In my opinion, the right size, colour, and likeness to what the fly should imitate are crucial. For instance, our mayflies in Northern Sweden are a bit darker than those in the south. The main course in Northern Sweden is also caddis and sedge flies. For example, I fished a lot with the Superpuppa in darker shades, but then I changed the ordinary cut hackle to CDC, adding some movement in the “legs.” I noticed that the fish liked it a lot.

Lots of wasps and ants are also flying around during the season. It’s important to learn when the actual insect you are imitating hatches. The movement or lack thereof, along with the presentation using thin leaders and the right knots, is valuable.

What do you look for in a fly for trout and grayling?

First of all, I prefer the “Dry or die” saying for trout and grayling. I want the fly to imitate the actual insects on the water, or at least what insects the fish were eating recently. I think fish have a food memory and need to learn to eat a specific insect or food. And if you want to catch the biggest trout, above 80 centimetres, you need to imitate baitfish.

What’s your favourite fish species to catch and why?

Definitely trout! Big brown trout or seatrout in the rivers is my go-to. I like the trout for the many shades they come in. I believe I have to think more about what I’m doing when fishing for trout, such as casting at the right angles, choosing the right fly, and using the right equipment. I have a great belief in what I’m doing after so many years of fishing in different waters. The leader and the knots are very important to me.

I use thin fluorocarbon tippets for my dries, as I don’t want any signs on the surface, and a double turle knot so the leader goes into the hook eye and is hidden on the fly head. I prefer small heads on my flies, both hook flies and my tubes. On my tubes, I prefer to balance them with soft tungsten split tubes on the underside to balance for the hook.

If I want a little more weight or colour, I have a box with lined cones in tungsten or brass to put on the leader in front of the fly, with the small head on the tube hidden in the cone while swimming.

Of course, I also do some salmon fishing, but it’s more of hard work. I fish for pike sometimes when I have the time. I’m a fly-only fisherman, and everything counts on fly, but trout is my favourite species.

Do you use flies that require adapted or alternative fishing techniques?

Yes, I like Zonker flies for trout, seatrout, and salmon. I started early with Zonker Matukas made of rabbit, and then I developed my own tying with Zonker strips. By looking for better skins to tie with than rabbit, I found squirrel, red fox, muskrat, American, and Australian opossum. These are the skins I prefer today.

I like to cut my own wings to get the optimal shape depending on the skin and the water I will fish in. Take a simple black tube, a black weight, and a squirrel Zonker wing, and you have a deadly effective fish catcher. For the biggest brown trout, I fish the fly very slowly, letting it hover just under the surface.

What’s your all-time favorite fly and why?

It’s hard to pick just one fly, so I’ll need to list my favourites in a few categories:

When it comes to dry flies, a Wasp I tie with glued black and yellow foam and black CDC for the legs is my favourite.

This is my go-to dry fly for the whole season. I rely on the fish’s food memory, and this fly has helped me a lot, even during the worst mayfly hatches with selective fish. They seem to have a strong taste for the wasp and can hardly resist it.

For brown trout, it would be The Muddler Zonker. I tie it with squirrel zonker, polar fox (for my grey baitfish), muskrat, or Australian opossum, depending on where I’m supposed to fish the actual fly.

A Golden Banana Zonker is my favourite for salmon. It swims better than an Olympic champion. I use Finn raccoon, red fox, muskrat, Australian opossum, and American opossum zonkers for this pattern. In the front, I use bleached and dyed ring-necked pheasant or yellow-dyed capercaillie for a little local touch.

And for seatrout: The Black Doctor Spey, or my black long Sunray zonker with squirrel zonker or Australian opossum. These are mostly tied on tubes.

Are there any specific fly tyers that have influenced and inspired you over the years?

Yes, from the beginning, it was the books of Nils Färnström, Preben Torp Jacobsen, Rolf Smedman, and Hans Lidman. Then I met Lennart Bergqvist, whose articles I had been reading in Flugfiske i Norden and Svenskt Fiske. I liked his thoughts and his skills with fly tying. He also praised my flies when I competed in a fly-tying competition in my early days. I managed to win the Northern Swedish Fly Tying Championships two years in a row, and Lennart was one of the judges.

For salmon flies, Mr. Håkan Norling has been a major influence. I like his idea of tying the Templedog style with folded wings, which makes more durable flies with soft hair wings. I also appreciate his humble approach and his early ideas around the Scandi-style of tube flies.