Swedish filmmaker Ted Logardt and angler, TV host, and conservation advocate Emilie Björkman have joined forces to tell stories from some of the world’s most inspiring fisheries. Björkman is well known from the Swedish fishing TV show Fiskeliv, while Logardt has spent years producing documentaries and outdoor films. Together they created the series Wild Fish, Wild Places, produced for Loop Tackle’s YouTube channel. The series explores remarkable fisheries, local cultures, and conservation stories, combining cinematic storytelling with a deep passion for fly fishing.
What made you decide to pursue your joint filming project?
At the end of 2021 Emilie phoned me and said that “Fiskeliv” (the Swedish TV show about fishing that Emilie had hosted at the time) had ended. “I think we should do a film about the comeback of the Baltic salmon. You know, what happened, the lifestyle and the characters.” So we did that one in 2022, and since then we’ve produced quite a few fly-fishing films and series, both for TV and YouTube.
When Emilie was positioned as a brand ambassador for Loop in late 2024, she got me involved and we developed the concept for the Wild Fish, Wild Places series. It’s a real dream assignment in every sense of the word.
What have been the most important lessons you’ve learned along the way filming Wild Fish, Wild Places?
Production-wise, the biggest difference when filming a series far from your home waters is that you have to capture everything you need to tell the story you want in just one go. Time is always a huge factor for us (and probably for everyone shooting nature-based content), and the biggest struggle—besides getting a fish on camera—is trying to create variety in the story.
It’s about mixing things up for interest while still staying relevant to fly fishing and conservation. So we basically keep the talent mic’d up and roll the cameras 24/7.
Another big insight is that the fly-fishing community worldwide is amazing (at least based on the small slice we’ve encountered during filming). Everywhere we go, people put so much heart into what they do and genuinely want to share what they love in the best possible way. That’s a beautiful and humbling thing.
What has concerned you most during your travels?
I worry about everything all the time. You want to do a good job. Emilie and I try to plan and script everything as well as we can, but there are just so many uncertainties.
Are the fish running? Are we too late? Too early? Will the river keep rising? Do we have enough batteries? Will the camera handle this much rain? Have we talked to all the people we should? Why is your mic scratching against the fabric? Have we covered all the angles? Did we offload every memory card last night? Did we do backups? Are you dehydrated?
When people lend you their lives and their life’s work in a way, you owe it to them to do your absolute best and make them both fairly represented and proud. And obviously, this is first and foremost a job where Loop has invested resources in the project and expects a solid result in return.
Do you have any advice for people who would like to make a difference for our fisheries?
We inevitably live in a time when humans are putting a lot of stress on the planet, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything that’s happening. I think fly fishing is a great way to acknowledge and appreciate nature. Fly fishing is always a local event that is part of a global context.
So why not get involved in your local fisheries? Even if the system seems to be doing okay today, it’s still worth protecting what remains. And if things aren’t working in nature’s favor, try to improve them from your end—little by little and bit by bit, in whatever way you can.
Just get involved. I think that’s always a good first step.
WILD FISH, WILD PLACES
