Chasing Trophy Brown Trout | with Tellus Fly Fishing

Written BY: Zebastian Possler

Can you tell us about the monster brown trout you recently caught and what made that experience special?

I went up to Gevsjöströmmen with Jens, Klara and their dog Wolger on short notice. This was in August 18th. What’s crazy about this is that I fished this place two weeks earlier, accompanied by Lukas and the guys from by highflyers, Florian and Fabian with Jon as our guide. That trip ended up with some really nice migratorys between 60 to 81cm. You already know about Lukas huge one that he caught on a size 14 Ismo pupa. 

I knew this place was good but I could’ve never imagined having a night like this! On arrival we ended up talking for two hours before getting our rods ready. Klara started to fish the upper part and within 10 minutes she had already caught two fish of 0.9 and 1.1kg and I thought to myself, ”this is gonna be a good night”. 

Because going back to our first trip in the beginning of August, we had plenty of contact with big fish but ended up losing them and alot of fish was only nagging the tail of our flies. Which to me seems like they’re not really interested, more likely triggered and aggressive. Before even finishing off my energy drink, Jens takes a shot at the same spot Klara fished earlier, a few casts but nothing. 

I decided to go downstream and fish the rapids. Same scenario as the energy drink, I did barely even get my fly line out of the rod tip before I hear him scream, ”big fish on”. Long story short, he had a fish of a decade on the other end of his fly line. Following minutes were a bit nervous but it all ended up with me behind the camera, filming Jens fight that trout and with Klara netting it. That trout was measuring 88cm and 7.7kg!!

After that, a dinner occured and some random bullshit before it was my turn. This is all happening within 2.5-3hrs of time. I started off just below the river neck, a couple of casts and nothing. When Im halfway through this stretch, Im changing my fly, to a fly I tied the night before I went there. I switched my tippet as well, from 0.30 to 0.23. 

First cast, on a downstream mend, fast swing, this trout just completely hammered my fly and took off like a missile. After three aggressive runs into my backing I could finally see my self in control over this fish. With Klara behind the net and Jens behind the lens, we could get this trout in the net. It measured 79cm and 5.1kg. I know this night will be tough to outperform but it doesnt matter. Memories for life were made!

What first inspired you to take up fly fishing, and how did that early interest grow into the passion you have today?

An old friend of mine introduced me to fly fishing when I was around 17yrs old. At first it was nothing but therapy for me. We used to go out fishing for trout for a couple of hours in a local stream but ended up laying in the grass, looking at the sky, listening to the river, relaxing and talking about life.

We did a couple of missions each year as well, spent countless of hours scouting new places on maps before deciding which river to go to. As I grew older, I started to notice the positive effect fly fishing had on me and at that time, a few weekends had turned in to weeks. The streams and rivers of Swedish Lapland changed to the rivers of Greenland, Iceland, Patagonia, and other incedible places. 

What are your future plans or goals in fly fishing, and how do you see your approach evolving?

We are currently working on a 2024 youtube show that will highlight the four seasons of Sweden. We will be fly fishing for salmon, sea trout, brown trout and arctic char from May - September and finish the season with some ice fishing in November - April. 

For 2025/26 our plan is to visit some cool destinations to shoot some fly fishing films. I went to Belize River Lodge back two years ago and will go back in March 2026 for a biggest project. We are also looking in to Finland for big browns, Seychelles for GT and Argentina for Dorado. 

What are your top three tips for catching trophy brown trout, and why do you consider each tip essential for success?

1. Keep your fly in the water.

I’d go for a black zonker fly 10 out of 10 times. Super easy to use, and you can fish it in many different ways depending on the behavior of the fish. 

Don’t get stuck in the same spot just because you know its a good one. Fish effectively but don’t rush things.

2. You gotta have the right set ups to be able to fish the rivers properly no matter the conditions.

This I would say is key, especially where we live, in Northern Sweden. The rivers are constantly changing, and could go from super high to super dry in a short period of time. And ofcourse, you need to trust the set ups you’re using, all the way from your backing to the fly. 

3. Go fishing with good friends.

 Its tough work, long days and dark nights so this is something I see great value in.