Taoft / Mikko Stenberg

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Mikko Stenberg

I was born in 1976 in a small town called Karkkila, Finland. Strangely enough I have always been interested in fishing and fishes although no-one else in my family fishes. After doing some basic coarse fishing and spinning for pike etc I started fly fishing and fly tying in the age of 14. I think I got my interest towards fly fishing and tying from Finnish outdoor magazines and especially from one fishing book series that my parents gave me as a Christmas present. When I got into fly fishing, spinning etc were set aside and I concentrated only on fly fishing and tying. Somehow the whole feeling that you get from catching a fish on a fly designed and tied by yourself is such a satisfactory event that I could not imagine getting it from any other type of fishing – so I was severely bitten by the fly fishing and fly tying bug.

In the beginning I tied mostly flies for brown trout, grayling and stock rainbows that I fished on my home river Karjaanjoki. After a few years of fishing I joined the local fly fishing club that had a positive effect on my fly fishing. Got many good advises and friends from the club. With these new friends I was able to fish some of the Central Finland’s bigger rapids like the Huopana. From those places one could catch a lake run brown trout around 20lb mark back in the good ‘ol days before the industrial revolution – not these days though.

When it comes to classic salmon flies I’ve had no real teacher. I’ve learnt a thing here and another there. I tied my “first” classics before the mid 90’s. Needless to say those very first ones were tossed to the bin after some practise. I can still remember my first Thunder & Lightning and how I tried to mount the Mallard wing the wrong way up for two freaking days – never got it sit right! I did not let that put me down and practised more. Although some people said to me that tying those classics is a waste of time I enjoyed and still enjoy tying them. Most of the classics that I tie are sent to competitions. However the trend has been towards more classics tying especially since quality materials and good substitutes for the pricey stuff are more readily available these days.

In the end of 90’s I got interesting in fly tying competitions. I think I sent my first flies to some Finnish magazine’s small competitions and other local competitions. After doing well and receiving nice feedback from folks I decided to give a go for the bigger international competitions. FQSA’s Worlds and Mustad have been very popular and respected competitions among Finnish tyers so I sent a hairwinged Silver Doctor for the FQSA’s compulsory model category in 2001. Competition went really well and I ended up winning my first FQSA World Championship with that fly. The next year I sent a few more flies to the same competition and the result was a silver medal in the hair winged creation category with a fly called The Burning Sunset. In 2003 I sent three more flies. A feather winged compulsory model Blue Doctor won me a silver medal and a hair winged creation pattern The Fox Parade won me my second World Championship title. Due to these achievements I was nominated as a “Master Tyer” by the FQSA and included to the same list with many brilliant tyers such as the magnificent Peter Dunne and many of the excellent Finnish champions.

Besides the FQSA I’ve sent flies to some other international letter competitions. In the Mustad and Fly Anglers Online competition I’ve won a couple of medals. I also did well in the Global Flyfisher’s Flymeister 2001 competition by winning one category and the “Best of the Show” price with a fly called The Green Glory. This year I managed to win the tough Fly Fishing & Fly Tying magazine’s Daiwa Masters League and a few years back a separate Oliver Edwards Hydropsyche larvae competition.

When tying flies I like to take it slow. Especially if I tie a classic salmon fly I take brakes, have a cup of tea etc. to be able to give my best for the fly. I also have received and still do receive a lot of comment about the phase that I tie. Because of this taking part into live fly tying competitions has been a big step for me to take. However this year I participated the Finnish nationals and surprisingly placed 3rd in the salmon fly category and 4th in the general category among some very talented fly dressers. In the future I will be taking more part into these type of competitions because they are fun and because it gives one good kicks for fighting against the ruthless time.

In 1999 I moved to Kotka, some 120km East from Helsinki to study energy engineering. The studying location was not hard to choose since one of the best salmon and seatrout rivers of Finland, River Kymi runs through the town. Here I joined the local fly fishing club and have met many talented fly fishermen and tyers. We have our club “nights” every Tuesday where I’ve been teaching fly tying to the club members and also gotten many good tips from my club members. Such young rising stars as Jari Degerström and Antti Frigård are members of Kotka flyfishing club.

I’ve also been to fly fishing competition scene a bit which took most of my concentration for many years around the Millenium. I’ve been very lucky to be able to fish in a same team with talented fishermen such as Petri Virolainen and Seppo Jalkanen. Together with the lads we have won 3 national team championships and one bronze medal. In individual level my achievements are more humble. Maybe I’ll put my effort in the future but now it seems that fly tying and salmon fishing are taking most of my time these days.

Fishing wise I like many different type of fly fishing. I do not like grasping to the spinning rod when the situation is hard but take those situations as challenges to be salved with a fly rod. Since I’ve learnt fly fishing on a small stream I like fishing for brown trout, grayling and stock rainbow with light gear using flies from big streamers to tiny dries. When river fishing the techniques that I like the most are close quarter pocket fishing with dries and flashy streamers such as the “Super Tinsel” as well as the Polish larva fishing.

I also love fishing still waters, no matter if it’s a lake or the Baltic Sea. The more rough the weather the better but can not deny loving those calm Midsummer nights on a Finnish whitefish lake when the super challenging fish are sipping emergers from the surface. So whitefish is one of my favourite fly fishing species but fishing for rainbow and brown is fun too. The growing pike fly fishing scene sucked me in last autumn too. Throwing those starling sized monster flies in a stiff breeze is manly stuff. Tying those big buggers is great fun too.

Salmon fishing is perhaps my main interest these days. Especially since I was asked to join the Guideline Power Team last autumn which is Guideline’s “Pro Staff” type a thing my chances in fishing good places increased dramatically. Casting a double hander is one the most enjoying thing in fly fishing in my opinion and fighting with a salmon is something else!

Cheers,

-Mikko Stenberg-