Guideline ULS – Ultra Light Scandi 

Words by Jacop Moselius Tiilikainen
Images by Alvaro G Santillan

The most fun and easy to use setup I’ve ever tried!

The ULS Hybrid rod together with the ULS Multi Tip or the ULS 3D+ shooting head create a kit that will be enjoyed from the newest beginner to the most experienced fly angler. The compact length of the shooting head combined with the short, powerful and deep loading rod makes it enjoyable and extremely easy to cast, creating the perfect combination to learn underhand cast. The experience anglers will at first use too much power, but after some cast they will find the perfect tool to face challenging rivers and pocket water without effort, targeting migratory trout during long hours of fishing.

Dammån is a river system that runs into one of the biggest lakes in Sweden, Storsjön. This is a huge lake with a good stock of large trout, and during the summer they migrate up the tributaries to prepare for spawning later in the fall. The fishing for these migratory trout in Dammån is like a mix of Seatrout and Salmon in my opinion.   

The first time I met up with Leif Stävmo and got in the water with the ULS rod and line I used too much power. It easily took me an hour to change my way of casting, but when I finally adapted my style I could not be happier. And my guiding clients and some of the locals by the river Dammån as well. Every angler was hooked on it. A shorter casting stroke and less power is all we need.

Specially during the beginning of the season I use big and heavy baitfish imitations. Sinking tips for the pockets were it might be a lot of white water where I fish the fly fast with a 90 degree cast. Mending down and sometimes even strip the line to get the fish reaction. During the evening I use silhouette flies and fish them quite slow depending on the speed of the water. But I would say a lot slower than during the day. 

Dammån is not the biggest and widest river so you will for sure see a lot of people fishing the most popular pools. What I’ve done is to experiment and find my own hotspots. Sometimes that means that I have to deal with extremely tricky places and there is when the ULS system shine even more. I fish with trees in my neck just to be manage to fish the holes where I know there is some fish. And it works!

I really enjoy the rod when I fish with underhand casts, but it doesn’t mean that I can not use it as a single hand rod casting over my head, it is so light in hand. This is a multi-purpose solution that suits these types of fishing as well. The lines have a double classification, the one you should choose depends on the recommended casting weight on your rod and of course your own preferences. As a guideline, a #5/6 line fits perfect on a #5 Guideline rod if you are mainly Spey casting. Use the same line on a #6 rod if you use various types of casts, including overhead during your fishing.

In addition, with as many changes in my fishing style and technique as I do during a session, I need to be versatile. And there is where the ULS line system comes. It is like a big tool box where you can find the perfect solution for every pool, run, technique or water level. I really enjoy the ULS Multi Tip when it comes to versatility. So handy when it comes to change the depth in which we are fishing easily and fast! In addition, I also need to have a rod, a line and a reel that can be put to their paces when I hook a big fish. I’ve put it to the test quite good and got a few nice migrating trout the last season. I use the Compline 2 35lbs with these shooting heads system and the Vosso #68 with the ULS Hybrid #7. They never let me down.

Summing up, this can make a the difference and why the ULS system will be my first choice and my recommendation for my clients for this 2021 in Dammån.

Words by Jacop Moselius Tiilikainen
Images by Alvaro G Santillan