God, the environment here is just unbelievable! I found myself saying this over and over again. Stockholm's inner archipelago is a hidden gem. I've heard it being said before and I've read a few articles on it but I could never imagine how beautiful it really was.My reel was working over-time.



I eagerly wound in the spinner at speed which was causing the fish line to jig around slightly as it headed in back towards the boat. "Just take it easy", was the advice from Hans, who incidentally has caught some of Sweden's largest Pike and featured in over 40 TV documentaries around the world. They were to be wise words.

I still had the remnants of a ham sandwich in my mouth when the my spinner suddenly snagged something. I flipped back on my rod and heard the distinct clicks of the reel. "What have I snagged now", I thought as I began to turn the reel in some more. Wait a minute! I could actually feel something pulling the line.

I turned to look over my shoulder in the direction of my guide, only to notice he was in the process of landing what turned out to be a fairly large perch. "I think I might have caught something" I announced.

By now it was obvious that whatever I had caught was not going to be landed without a fight and what I fight it turned out to be. With instructions coming in loud from over my shoulder I struggled to bring the fish under control as the line whizzed out more than I was reeling it in.

I was lost in battle. So much so that I nearly fell out of the boat. If it was not for the rescue by an intervening arm I would have had an early bath. Damn this is beginning to be hard work. No wonder, the familiar shape of a pike momentarily broke the waters surface as it made another dive down under the boat. Wow that look big!

The net came to the rescue, as my guide lowered it into the water and instructed me to try and steer the pike into its direction. Easier said than done. I don't think I'd even had time to swallow my sandwich in all the excitement.

"Take a look at that!" announced Hans, "That's a beauty". It sure was. I'd seen nothing that large in my life. You could have fit your head in its mouth! Weighing in at 9.4kg, it was the biggest fish I had ever caught.

It was one of three I caught that day and the icing on the cake of what was a wonderful day. No matter where you've fished before or your skill level, this is an experience not to be missed. The equipment was top notch the location was incredible and the fishing was great.

Thanks to my guide Hans for his patience and taking me to such a special place!

You can view a picture of my monster pike and the package at http://www.activitiesinsweden.com under the heading 'autumn packages'