Otto Lintunen is a passionate and well-known salmon and sea-run brown trout angler from Northern Finland. He has been fishing for most of his life and has spent the last 20 years exclusively fly fishing.

Otto's fishing journey began with pike and perch fishing in his youth before progressing to grayling and resident brown trout. Eventually, his focus shifted to migratory species such as Atlantic salmon and sea-run brown trout, which have been his greatest passion for many years.

Over the years, Otto has become something of a phenomenon within the salmon and trout fishing community, thanks to the remarkable number of large fish he has landed. This angler from Kuusamo is widely recognized for his consistent success on some of the most challenging migratory fish species.

What are your biggest passions in fly fishing?

"I love all fly fishing and still do for example still water fishing but I´m most passionate about chasing that big shiny salmon and migrating brownies. Nowadays I spent 85% of my fishing time after salmon and migrating browtrouts.

There are three different 'must have' things in every fishing season for me:

1) Early season Baltic salmon fishing
2) Atlantic salmon fishing in bigger rivers Norway and
3) Late season migrating trout fishing in the pitch black darkness.

When it comes to salmon fishing I´m most passionate about fishing big rivers which holds big salmon. The size is more imporant for me than the numbers caught. I really love fishing heavy lines in deep pools that are holding big fish. Migrating trout fishing is for me at least as important than salmon fishing. Nothing beats the feeling when a real big brown trout smashes the fly in total darkness."

Vision gear that you can't live without?

"XO III DH fly rods and XO series reels combine perfect set ups for almost every fishing situation I need and those are the most trusted ones for me when it comes to chasing big salmon or big browtrout. Early season fishing with heavier lines 16´6'' #11 and 14´2'' #9 and late season fishing 12-13´footers are perfect choice for me. Plus ofcourse #7 10´ XO Catapult single handed is the tool for me when fishing migrating trout in spots that allow me to fish with single handed rod."

What are your top 3 flies? 

"To be honest, the flies are not that crucial for me...For me it´s more about the presentation. But if needed to name it would Phatagorva (seatrout, baltic salmon, atlantic salmon), green and black tube (atlantic salmon) and black muddler (for big brownies)."

Your wildest fishing memory?

"I was fishing in Norway. There was pooring rain, river was going up quick and I was propably only one fishing for the day anymore. I called to my friends to come drink couple of beers as company in the capahut next to the pool I was fishing. Visibility in the water was between 1-2cm so I was fishing deep with a very big fly. Every cast there was some trash at the end of the line. Then I hooked "a log" while I was stripping in and at the same time my friends came to that pool. Well as you can guess, the log started to swim upstream and my whole running line was on the ground on the shore, when it started to really pull upstreams and the runningline jumped from the rocks and went totally in a big mess. I yelled my friend to come and help open tens of knots from running line while I was drilling the fish. We went up the river couple hundred meters, I was keeping the fish tight from shooting head and my friend was carrying running line and trying to open the knots when fish stopped. The moment he got knots open, fish turned and rushed dowstream. After tight fight there was fresh really fat 115cm hen salmon at the net. I guess I was lucky that time."

 

You can follow Otto in Instagram: Lintusotto