Pike dreams
During the workday, Fredrik Aremyr runs a small family business that manufactures equipment that dampens the noise in buildings, vehicles and machinery around the world. In his free time, he seeks the silence somewhere else – in nature, preferably in his boat with a range of fishing rods rigged to the gunwale.
Taking care of noise
Swedac Acoustic manufactures, sells and installs acoustic products that dampen sounds and vibrations that cause noise problems in different settings, mostly in the industry, transportation, construction and offshore sectors. One of the hero products is a special damping cassette that reduces the noise from steel and aluminium constructions in everything from offshore rigs to ships and heavy steel constructions such as bridges but works wherever you have steel vibrating.
The company isn’t the only legacy that Fredrik carries on from his father. When he was seven years old, his father took him out on a frozen lake to fish for perch. The freezing temperatures made Fredrik cave after just five minutes, but what he didn’t know at the time was that the briefest fishing session of his life would become a catalyst for many more to come.
A competitive sport
Fredrik’s passion for fishing seemed to grow every time he ventured out on the water and at his peak, Fredrik logged around 100 fishing sessions every year, each one lasting anywhere from four to 20 hours. Possibly a few too many, if you ask his family. He was also an avid participant in different fishing competitions, his biggest achievement being a victory in the Sportfish Masters, the equivalent of a national championship.
“When you compete, it’s all about the prestige. You want to win, or at the very least place among the top three. And to do that, you have to practice. A lot.”
Fredrik compares preparing for a fishing competition with working out. Aside from the actual time in the boat, you have to spend time doing research, listening to what other people are saying about the waters and watching social media.
“Then you practice on site, at the same time of the day as the competition is run, every weekend leading up to the event. You figure out where the fish is at and what makes them bite.”
Dream catch
The stress and time commitment made Fredrik give up competitions about three years ago. Today, he only gets in the boat for pleasure and relaxation and stops at a more moderate 30-40 sessions per year. Mostly on local lakes, where he catches pike, perch and pikeperch, or the west coast, searching for mackerel and other salt-water fish. His fully equipped Buster X aluminium boat always sits at a trailer at the warehouse at work, ready to accompany him to his favourite fishing spots at the drop of a hat. And when he goes, the prospect of nabbing “the big one” is usually top of mind.
“You always want to break new records or catch an unusual fish. That dream never dies, whether you’re competing or not.”
