Pikesafari #5 2015

As usual time is flying away and it's already time to write another pikesafari summary. Yesterday was our fifth safari of this summer and we were fully booked almost a week in advance. Unfortunately, 5 persons in the same group made a very late cancellation and by that stopped other anglers from participating since many guests wanted to join this week.

So in total we were 10 boats and 35 persons going out. Once again weather gods wasn't on our side. Very windy again with average of 9m/s and squalls up to 17m/s from SW/S. This is hard weather conditions even for me so you can understand how difficult these conditions might be for beginners.

I decided to go west of Dragsö to the area between Svinön and Ramsö island. A bit wind protected but still waves and water kept coming over board due to the strong winds. At the first site I managed to catch a small ''cucumber'' quite fast on a Relax 6'' Motoroil. We moved a bit and had one more pike on the first site and also a few more bites. Some other boats did good and 4 pikes at best in one of the boats.

After one hour we continued a bit more west to the area between Haglö island, Skillingenäs and Varö island. Conditions got a bit better since wind strength decreased a little and made our last 45 minutes a bit more comfortable. We managed to catch a few more pikes in my boat and also lost a couple by the boat, no big ones though.

With about 45 minutes left I had a phone call from a guest who were unlucky enough to join the propeller breaking club. All those Propulse blades are now on the bottom of the baltic sea. To be honest, It's a pleasure to be able to tease season stay guest Anders for being part of the propeller breaking club now :-)

Since we didn't go to far we could fish for a little more than one hour on second site before we headed back to Dragsö. We summed up the evening at Dragsö and in total we caught 25 pikes but the big ones didn't show themselves this evening. Biggest pike measured 75cm so a lot of the other pikes was in kinder size.

Now I will pray to the weather gods for more pleasant conditions next week as we expect to be fully booked and 40 anglers.

Take care guys and thanks for reading!

// Daniel Wickman
   2015-07-24

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Pikesafari #4 2015

Hi guys!

A slightly delayed summary this week, but that's how it is when the camp is being very busy with more than 1300 guests staying with us at the moment.

The day before yesterday we went out for this summers fourth pikesafari and we did it with 8 boats and 32 anglers. Weather conditions was a bit hard for beginners since wind was strong from SW with 8m/s in average and up to 15m/s in squalls and decreasing strength during the night. The sun was shining and temperature this time was about 21 degrees.

We decided to go east of Karlskrona city and begun around Verkö and Tvägölja island. Wind caused some big waves out there and it was literally a battle to fish against what mother earth brought us. In my boat I was accompanied by two young lads with their grand father in Helmersson family. We had several contacts and fish in the boat during the first stop on different lures such as classic jerk baits and real eels. About 5 fish in our boat and other boats seemed to have some pike action as well.

After about an hour we continued to the same area as last week. This means we tried our luck between Basareholmen, Mjölnareholmen and Kalsholmen. Since the wind direction came from S/SW the city of Karlskrona gave us a bit of protection from the worst waves. On our way there I think everyone got a bit of a shower from the Baltic sea since wind combined with the high waves brought some heavy showers over board. Anyhow, In my boat I managed to catch a 88cm pike almost directly on the new site and immediately we understood that this might be a winner pike.

We continued on and caught a few fish. Not as good as the first place but still some activity. A neighbour boat started to yell and we could see from distance that they caught a decent pike. Our second instructor Jakob was also nearby and helped out to assist them with photos and measurement.

Back at Dragsö it showed up that their pike measured about 85cm so it was a tight call between their and my fish. The company in my boat received winner caps and left with smiles on their faces. In total we reached 27 pikes and 88cm as our biggest of the day.

Next week is almost fully booked already so we will most probably use a total of 10 boats and 40 anglers! Looking forward to it and maybe, maybe there will be a report from fishing on my own in the beginning of next week :)

Best regards,

Daniel Wickman
2015-07-18    

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Pikesafari #3 2015

Hi there!

So another week has been passing by since our last post and this means it's time to post another pikesafari summary! Weather in Karlskrona has been crazy since last week. During Saturday and Sunday we had really warm temperatures, up to 32 degrees and almost no wind. Sunny days and many many boats out in the archipelago. When this week started, weather changed dramatically and just like that temperatures dropped to below 20 degrees in daytime and very windy. For 5 straight days we'vre had average wind strength of approx 9-11m/s and up to more than 20m/s in squalls.

Yesterday was no different from previous days. Only up to 18 degrees and up to 18m/s in squalls. Just when we were about to leave Dragsö at 18:00 rain was starting to pour down on us. Tough conditions for sure and not the best for pike fishing either. Since wind was strong from west I decided to go to islands Koholmen, Mjölnareholmen and Basareholmen which are located just east of town.

With 9 boats this area gave us good space to fish for a little more than one hour. Fishing was difficult due to the strong winds since it was very hard to get a grip with anchor at any site. A few pikes was caught though but the action in my boat was not to much to cheer for. This day I had 3 young lads following in my boat and they all tried good to catch some pikes. First site only gave 1 pike for our boat and size wasn't even worth mentioning.

Second site for this evening was the whole Borgmästarfjärden which is the area between Dragsö and city of Karlskrona. A lot more comfortable for sure since this area is a bit wind protected. Fishing wasn't great here either but one of the lads in my boat caught his first pike in the end of this tour. Again size wasn't great but still a nice experience!

Since Jakob was home with a cold, Willy followed this pikesafari to help me out with all the boats. Everything worked good and guests seemed to have a nice time overall even though the total score was not more than 17 pikes on 35 anglers.

Biggest pike of this evening measured 86cm and actually 2 pikes more measured above 80cm mark so it was a tight race on the goal line. Anders and Janne with company received winner caps and replaced their old ones.

Now we hope to have better weather conditions next week!

I also received a report from Ludwig, a young Swedish lad who joined in for pike safari last week. His family rented a boat from us and they did some fishing on their own. Ludwig caught 14 pikes during 2 days and biggest fish measured a bit over 6kgs and 90cm. He also sent me a few pictures and they can be seen down below!

// Daniel Wickman
   2015-07-10

 

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Pikesafari #2 2015

Hi guys,

Time for another pike safari update! Earlier tonight we finished our second pike safari of this summer and we did it in stunning weather. All day sun and low winds from south. Good conditions for sun bathing and ice cream eating. 24 degrees, no clouds. I know a few who will wake up with red noses tomorrow! But for pike fishing? Well as you might know it maybe isn't the best conditions but sometimes fishing shows up to be the complete opposite.....

With only 14 participants I decided to go to a smaller area than previous week. Since we were no more than 4 boats we got plenty of space to fish around Haglö/Varö island a bit west of Dragsö.

In my boat german guest Jürgen joined in as well as Ingvar with his daughter for their 104th (!) pike safari. We managed to catch 5 pikes during first hour and lost a few ones.

We gathered up and continued on to the islands just south of the city called Kobebus and Bergaholmarna. It wasn't to successful since my boat only caught 1 more pike there and the other boats seemed to have low numbers also.

Back at Dragsö we summed up our results during the evening. In total we managed to catch 14 pikes in total with the biggest fish measuring 64 cm. Winner fish was caught on a motoroil Relax 6'' by me on the first site so all guests in the boat was rewarded with winner caps!

Upcoming days looks to be very warm and sunny so it won't be any fishing on my schedule upcoming days... Sunday & Monday will be my days off work so then it will be some time spent in the hunt for summer mamas :)

Until next time, stay well and enjoy the sun!


// Daniel Wickman
   2015-07-02        

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Pikesafari #1 2015

Hi there fellow readers!

It's Friday morning in the end of June and this means we yesterday arranged this years first pike safari. Weather is continuously cold for being end of June, both in air and water. Yesterday was no exception since we had approx 16 degrees in air and about 15 degrees in the water.

Wind was strong whole day with W 10m/s in average and even more in the squalls. With these conditions in mind we got a bit limited in places to go since many competitors are complete beginners to boat driving and fishing.

After a bit struggle with making up my mind of where to go, I finally decided to go a bit west of Dragsö. First stop we fished between Ramsö and Svinö. In total we were 28 anglers trying our luck.

In my boat I had Mattias and his 11 year old son who joined for some pike action. Luckily, it didn't take to long until the youngster caught his very first pike in his life! The pike wasn't big but what does it matter when it's the very first pike ever? Happy times for sure!

We contiued and had a few more pikes at the first site. After an hour we continued on to a new area which this time was between Andöarna and Skärva bay (North of Dragsö). Almost an hour was spent here before we gathered up again to go back. In my boat the youngster continued to fish good on his old ABU Garcia equipment with nylon line and a classic silver spoon. He actually caught 2 more pikes and saved one for dinner.

Back at Dragsö we summed up the first pike safari. My colleague Jakob joined for his first pike safari and they did good in his boat! When all boats reported their numbers Jakobs smile got bigger as he announced their top fish. 78cm was enough to win the first pike safari and the fish was caught by a guest in his boat on a small Real eel.

In total 23 pikes was caught and also a few perch. Overall a very successful first pikesafari!

We still have vacancy for upcoming pikesafaris and reservations can be made to info@dragso.se and also by phone 0455-15354.

// Daniel Wickman
   2015-06-26

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June biggies

Hi guys!

A bit strange to write a report this week since fishing season is "over" for this spring. We had one Swedish group here during last weekend for a couple of days but thats about 50-60 anglers less than previous weekends so for sure a big difference! Even though our official season for fishing is over, this doesn't mean that all pikes disappear and fishing sucks until August. It's actually many times the opposite!

I've been out trying my luck 2 times during the last couple of days with variating results. 4 days ago I went out a few hours before work and managed to catch 3 pikes between 85-92cm and a few smaller ones as well. I also had a M A S S I V E follower! First I made a long cast with a Real Eel 40cm and felt a small strike without setting the hooks. I continued on retrieving my lure and in the end when the lure came close to the boat a huuuuge fish followed with interest all the way. I estimated the fish to be +120cm......... Huge disappointment. Fortunately I managed to catch a beauty as well when a really fat and golden coloured pike ate my Real Eel 30cm. She measured in around the meter margin and was a small consolation for the big fish that followed a little earlier.

I also went out yesterday to try my luck. With moderate winds from west and sunny weather I decided to start in the middle part of archipelago around all the islands. Fishing didn't go to well so I moved even further out but without success. Only a few small pikes was landed before I accidently caught a horn pike. Since pike fishing was slow I spent some time to catch the horn pikes instead. Soon enough I moved on to fish for pikes again but this time inside some bays.

Obviously fish was found in the bays and during the afternoon my amounts got a bit better and I also managed to catch a fat meter pike in very shallow water on a Big Mcrubber. Great fun and this was also a good time to end up my day on the water.

A few guided trips is still on my schedule but on Thursday I will be going on a short vacation break so there might be a week until the next post will be written.

Until then, take care and have some fishy days!

// Daniel Wickman
   2015-06-09

 

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Spring season summary

So it's already time to sum up the spring season of fishing in Karlskrona. Time is literally running away and it feels like the main spring season is over faster than ever. Anyhow we've been open for fishing guests since March 19th and since then anglers from 14 different countries have been fishing in our area with Camp Dragsö as their base. These are pike enthusiasts from Sweden, Germany, France, Finland, Netherlands, Russia, Belgium, Latvia, Denmark, USA, Poland, Switzerland, Romania and Czech Republic (sorry if I have forgotten any!).

Once again we had a warm winter and due to this ice didn't stay for long at all. Ice was only present for a few days around Dragsö so fishing was possible almost whole winter and early spring this year. Fishing started out extremely well with many pikes above 10kgs reported already in February. Previous years I've been impressed every single time a pike over 10kgs was reported either directly to me or on social medias but this year 10kgs pikes was reported every week and sometimes several monsters every weekend in early spring. Still it's amazing pikes but you almost get a bit blind for these reports since you almost expected these fish to be caught every weekend. Crazy and amazing at the same time!

Me myself had a very successful spring and caught 2 very nice pikes above the magic 10 kilo mark. Very fat ladys with the measurements 11.35kgs - 113cm and 10.4kgs - 104cm. Just the way we like them!

With a warm winter water temps increased fast and first signs of spawning came in mid March already. Even big fish started before the end of March which about 2 weeks earlier than normal. Nice pikes was continuously caught though with meter pikes regularly coming up every weekend by our guests and also by me.

Numbers went down a little bit in mid April due to spawning and poor fishing conditions but a few decent pikes still came up by our guests. Fishing was slow for at least 10 days but then results started to get better again to the end of April. Local anglers did very good this time and the best boat managed to catch 6 meter pikes in one day, one boat!

From the last weekend in April to the last weekend in May we were very busy with between 50-70 anglers every weekend. This increased fishing preasure resulted in a few actions from our side. Firsly, we bought 2 more brand new Master500 boats with 40hp Selva engines. Except from these we also employed Jakob who just graduated from Sport Fishing Academy to cover up this increased fishing interest. So from now on we will be 2 guys working mainly with fishing business at Camp Dragsö which is well needed.

May was suddenly here and weather conditions continued to give us everything from rain, strong winds, sun, bright skies, hail, fog.. you name it. We got it all. The only thing we didn't get was high temperatures. Overall this May has been a very cold one and only a couple of days reached over 20 degrees in day temperature. This cold day and night temperatures has for sure kept water temperature down as well since we still have between 11-15 degrees in most areas even now in the beginning of June..

Overall fishing in May was good but as always with fishing some days good, some days not so good. The best days one boat could catch up to 100 pikes/boat and day while the worst days could result in a couple of pikes in the boat. Overall I would say that average catch was between 5-30 pikes per boat and day but it's very hard to tell since result variates alot between the groups. The longest pike caught by our guests was 113,5cm in May but even bigger fish has been reported by local anglers. When it comes to amounts the guys in Krolik company did best as they caught 1131 pikes in 6 fishing days and 9 persons!

What else to tell about this spring season? Well soon our new cabin suites are done! 5 unique cabin suites with interior themes 'Archipelago', 'Black/White', 'Glass', 'Retro' and 'Mountain' will be ready for rental in 2 weeks from now! More information about these cabins and pictures will be posted as soon as everything is ready.

When it comes to most successful lures this spring there is one lure that's been totaly outstanding. Svartzonker McRubber and Big Mcrubber in motoroil, eelpout, red tiger, gold/green colour.... They've been hammered by hungry southern girls this spring and many many many meter pikes has been falling for these magic creations. Other lures that works more than well is still Big Bandit (shallow/suspending), Buster Jerk (Shallow/Suspending), Relax softbaits in variating sizes, Real Eel 20-30-40cm, Svartzonker McTail, Mouse spinn fly, Wolf Tail Jr and many more.

Before I end up this summary I would like to inform everyone considering to come to us this autumn or next years spring. Some weekends are filling up fast and there is actually a few weekends in May 2016 that already is fully booked when it comes to Exclusive packages. So for sure it's about time to make up your mind about upcoming fishing holidays at us :)

We are now looking forward to a summer with strong pikes and sunny days!
 
// Daniel Wickman
   2015-06-04

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