Rolf believes that the central thing in ice fishing is spending time outdoors, but the competition is still fun.
The production team behind the popular slow-TV venture "The big moose migration" contacted the organizers Skellefteå sportfishing club asking to broadcast the Ursviksnappet competition live at Ursvikfjärden for six hours.
– We didn't really believe it, says Rolf Öberg, chairman of the club and co-founder in 1977.
The project manager for the broadcast is Ola Gerhardsson, who tells us that the production team has long experimented with different slow-TV formats. An idea to film fishing was born, but it would have to be done in an interactive way. Ola describes the project as a kind of video game, in which viewers can control fishing teams from the comfort of their own home.
– We wanted to have the video game dimension of the show as part of an already existing fishing competition, says Ola.
Ola and the production team looked for fishing competitions and found Ursviksnappet. During the competition, television viewers will be able to follow, and influence, three teams made up of fishermen from different parts of Sápmi. Through the project's app, viewers can vote on, for example, which rod the fishermen should use.
But the broadcast won't only include ice fishing. Chef Kristoffer Åström will also be on site, to cook fish and give cooking tips.
– All fish caught during our competitions become food, even if they are small fish, explains Rolf.
He estimates that a total of 300-400 kilos of fish is caught. The competition winner can get upwards of 10-11 kilos. Rolf considers it important to point out, for those who feel sceptical about fishing, that the catch is taken care of.
– There is usually a great demand for the fish, especially fromT hai families who want to cook the roaches. They fry or boil the fish.
"The big moose migration" will be the slow-TV subject for the fifth year in a row. Preparations begin immediately after the Ursviksnappet fishing competition this weekend, says Ola Gerhardsson, project manager for "Storfiskarna".
Rolf says that the municipality has been helpful and spread information about the competition on their channels, and the club itself has printed invitations in English.
Rolf also hopes that the live broadcast of Ursviksnappet will open people's eyes to pimp fishing. A particular focus is on attracting more young people. Last year around 30 juniors participated. This year, each participant in the junior class will receive an ice stick and prize. Another group the club and municipality wants to attract are newcomers to Skellefteå, and employees at Northvolt.
– The plant is only a few kilometers away and we often see them fishing here.
