Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2010 7:04:34 GMT
Here are some things tactical that I am much more aware of now than 7 years ago when I re-started my salmon fishing career after a long 16 year gap
1. Cover the water at a good, brisk pace when fishing a river, especially the runs on larger rivers, and fish the fly at an appropriate depth according to the water's temperature. Don't waste time re-casting from same stance unless you have a very good reason to do so. So take 2-3 steps between casts, not one wee one or shuffling your way down a pool. Salmon can see a fly pretty well in normal water and will move further to intercept as the the water warms up.
2. When fishing a conventional Pool consisting of Neck, Run, Glide and Tail, remember that established fish will tend to move from their lies at two distinct times of the day - an hour or so either side of noon and from deeper to shallower water - for a look see etc. Salmon also tend to move up towards the Neck of a Pool as darkness approaches. The Tail is where fresh fish that have just entered a Pool are most likely to take. If fish are "porpoising" or running up a pool, enjoy the sight but don't waste too many casts on them. It is the fish that have recently settled in a lie that you mostly want to try for as the will chase invaders (i.e your fly or lure)
3. Fish a fly/lure that is mostly in harmony with Nature/Season/River Bed. Check out how it looks in the water before starting to cast If the chosen fly/lure is not working and you can see the fish are there, try a contrasting fly or lure. By this I mean that if you fish, say a Long Tailed Munro's Killer or a Black and Gold Minnow for 2 hours, it does not make a great deal of sense to me to change to a Tummel Shrimp or a Brown and Gold Minnow. A better course might be to try, say, Black and Yellow fly or a Orange Flamethrower or a bright PBP etc or a Pink minnow or Green and Black or a large Toby/Flying C
3. Cock fish which are jumping and splashing all day long tend to stay in their favoured lie for a sustained period - and I mean several weeks here. Percentage wise, the first cast of each day over them may be your best chance of catching these fellows as they have often seen it all. on the other hand, I also think this is when aggression is a factor to bring into play - so play to the instincts of the fish chase away potential competition and so provoke a take.
4. Try, if at all possible, to really check out your Beat in low water so you are fully familiar with as many lies and idiosyncrasies of each part of a pool at different water heights. Sketch these findings on to a rough map and keep it safe, differentiating between High Water, Normal and Low Water Lies with X's Y's and Z's etc. You will surely be repaid with success over time. Also, be aware each pool can change totally after a big winter flood and so needs re-checked.
5. Between the end of Spring and a couple of weeks into Autumn, the majority of salmon from below the Neck of a Pool will be caught on pretty small flies (i.e. from about 1/4" up to 1" Tubes or a Size 8 hook and smaller right down to a size 15 or 16 Trebles or Doubles being much more likely. A mostly Black fly and a Black and Silver one are very killing combinations a lot of the time. e.g. a Stoat's Tail and the Silver Stoat (or variations thereof) are the flies to try more often than not.
6. The Stoat's Tail (or variant) can be good much of day if duller but the Silver Stoat (or variant)is a great fly to try if bright or as it gets dark. A Red Lurex bodied Stoat (e.g. Black Brahan) is a good choice in the early, early morning before or just as the sun hits the water.
7. Dibbling a Prawn/Shrimp style of fly over a Salmon's nose is a legitimate way of provoking a take from what may be the only fish of the day. Exciting too! Similarly, softer hackled Irish Shrimp style Flies work very well in slacker water where you can really work the fly and make it pulsate by "tipping" the rod or varying the retrieve as the fly travels through a pool. Use these in Size 10 or smaller most of the time in normal or lower water conditions from late April/May onwards
8. If you are fortunate to hook a larger than average fish on a sub-surface line (i.e. Intermediate or faster sinking), keep as much of the line clear of the water to avoid a drowned line, even to the extent of holding the rod with your arms up and not tucking it into your belly as is the natural instinct. I haven't hooked a really big fish (+20lbs) on the fly but this is what I will try to remember to do if my prayers are answered!
9. If you do land a fish, get stuck back in straightaway and try for another, possibly its partner, as they often move in pairs. Don't be too self-congratulatory and have a major time out celebrating. Plenty time for that at the end of the day when you finish.
10. Make sure your knot to the fly/lure is a good one, the leader is a suitable length for the type of fly and/or style of fishing and the leader passes through your Tip ring easily when winding in.
11. Pay extra special attention to those periods in each day's fishing when you become aware of the birds singing, the wind dropping, the clouds shifting, flies hatching. Really listen to and try to develop that inner feeling/voice telling you to be ready for a take! Concentrate/focus on your casting but be aware of what else is going on around you. Remember, the general rule is that the fishing is better, the more difference there is between the water temperature and the air temperature. A steady or rising Air Temperature gap with the water is the best one to fish in - most of the time.
12. If you do not carry a net, make sure you know in advance where you are going to land and or release a fish. Kinda tricky if you are midstream with a large and lively fish and you need to wade upstream to exit a pool or you are fishing off a high bank and it is 6ft deep at the edge for 100 yards either side of you with trees/bushes blocking the way.
13. The benefit of a long tapered leader with smaller, lighter flies only really comes into play if your casting allows it to do so. So make sure that you are comfortable with the length of line you are casting to maximise the turnover etc. Always striving for an extra yard or two is the killer of good casting. A professional golfer does not hit each Drive with maximum force - they hit within their range of controlled power. This is what the top fly casters also do.
14. Experiment when fishing but don't "practice" your casting on good taking water. A carelessly cast line splashing down on the water near a lie may well put down the fish for the rest of the day.
15. Don't ignore local advice just for the sake of it or you are desperate to try the latest "killers" you have tied up over the winter/night before. When the ghillie or a local says " A wee black fly/Willie Gunn/Ally's Shrimp/Cascade/Frances/Pot Bellied Pig is what has been catching/works at this time of year, listen to that advice and follow it unless your experience tells you otherwise.
16. Check your knots. leader and various connections several times a day but especially after landing a fish or on a windy day when casting is trickier and wind knots are more likely.
17. Simply enjoy the fact that you are fortunate to be fishing for Salmon and that you can leave your world behind you for a few hours/days/weeks. It is a very special privilege to be chosen to be a salmon angler and an extra bonus when you actually land a fish!
18. While salmon have a tendency to behave in a similar manner in a given set of circumstances, nothing should be absolutely ruled out as a tactic to catch them. So, if nothing is working and you cannot understand why, try a totally contrary approach. e,g a contrasting and/or brighter, flashier fly several sizes larger or a much smaller fly than what you have been fishing with, a squarer cast fished fast or a different type of retrieve on the dangle. If spinning, then a totally different colour, size or type of lure which is fished upstream, downstream or whatever is the opposite of what you have been doing without success. Reverse the Bright Fly, Bright Day approach. you can catch a fish by ignoring "The Rules"
19. Check your knots and leaders frequently
20. Don't talk yourself down. Try to maintain a reasonably positive attitude along the lines of "if there is a fish there, I have a good chance of it" as opposed to "it's just my luck, nothing ever good happens on this Beat for me"
21. Remember that angling for salmon is only a hobby where the catching of them is a bonus part of the sport, no matter how much you have spent on the costs of the fishing. Remember that the total costs of each rod caught salmon- when all costs are taken into account - is probably into the £'000's when you take account of monies paid and blanks etc. Salmon fishing is not a tangible investment where you can prove you received absolute Value for Money through what you caught. Remember, you generally get no refund in Scotland if washed out and or the river is unfishable (as many may well be if and when all the snow melts!!)
Good Luck and tight lines in 2010. I am sure there are plenty of wee tips, tricks and secrets out there that others are willing to share here.
tweedbunnet
1. Cover the water at a good, brisk pace when fishing a river, especially the runs on larger rivers, and fish the fly at an appropriate depth according to the water's temperature. Don't waste time re-casting from same stance unless you have a very good reason to do so. So take 2-3 steps between casts, not one wee one or shuffling your way down a pool. Salmon can see a fly pretty well in normal water and will move further to intercept as the the water warms up.
2. When fishing a conventional Pool consisting of Neck, Run, Glide and Tail, remember that established fish will tend to move from their lies at two distinct times of the day - an hour or so either side of noon and from deeper to shallower water - for a look see etc. Salmon also tend to move up towards the Neck of a Pool as darkness approaches. The Tail is where fresh fish that have just entered a Pool are most likely to take. If fish are "porpoising" or running up a pool, enjoy the sight but don't waste too many casts on them. It is the fish that have recently settled in a lie that you mostly want to try for as the will chase invaders (i.e your fly or lure)
3. Fish a fly/lure that is mostly in harmony with Nature/Season/River Bed. Check out how it looks in the water before starting to cast If the chosen fly/lure is not working and you can see the fish are there, try a contrasting fly or lure. By this I mean that if you fish, say a Long Tailed Munro's Killer or a Black and Gold Minnow for 2 hours, it does not make a great deal of sense to me to change to a Tummel Shrimp or a Brown and Gold Minnow. A better course might be to try, say, Black and Yellow fly or a Orange Flamethrower or a bright PBP etc or a Pink minnow or Green and Black or a large Toby/Flying C
3. Cock fish which are jumping and splashing all day long tend to stay in their favoured lie for a sustained period - and I mean several weeks here. Percentage wise, the first cast of each day over them may be your best chance of catching these fellows as they have often seen it all. on the other hand, I also think this is when aggression is a factor to bring into play - so play to the instincts of the fish chase away potential competition and so provoke a take.
4. Try, if at all possible, to really check out your Beat in low water so you are fully familiar with as many lies and idiosyncrasies of each part of a pool at different water heights. Sketch these findings on to a rough map and keep it safe, differentiating between High Water, Normal and Low Water Lies with X's Y's and Z's etc. You will surely be repaid with success over time. Also, be aware each pool can change totally after a big winter flood and so needs re-checked.
5. Between the end of Spring and a couple of weeks into Autumn, the majority of salmon from below the Neck of a Pool will be caught on pretty small flies (i.e. from about 1/4" up to 1" Tubes or a Size 8 hook and smaller right down to a size 15 or 16 Trebles or Doubles being much more likely. A mostly Black fly and a Black and Silver one are very killing combinations a lot of the time. e.g. a Stoat's Tail and the Silver Stoat (or variations thereof) are the flies to try more often than not.
6. The Stoat's Tail (or variant) can be good much of day if duller but the Silver Stoat (or variant)is a great fly to try if bright or as it gets dark. A Red Lurex bodied Stoat (e.g. Black Brahan) is a good choice in the early, early morning before or just as the sun hits the water.
7. Dibbling a Prawn/Shrimp style of fly over a Salmon's nose is a legitimate way of provoking a take from what may be the only fish of the day. Exciting too! Similarly, softer hackled Irish Shrimp style Flies work very well in slacker water where you can really work the fly and make it pulsate by "tipping" the rod or varying the retrieve as the fly travels through a pool. Use these in Size 10 or smaller most of the time in normal or lower water conditions from late April/May onwards
8. If you are fortunate to hook a larger than average fish on a sub-surface line (i.e. Intermediate or faster sinking), keep as much of the line clear of the water to avoid a drowned line, even to the extent of holding the rod with your arms up and not tucking it into your belly as is the natural instinct. I haven't hooked a really big fish (+20lbs) on the fly but this is what I will try to remember to do if my prayers are answered!
9. If you do land a fish, get stuck back in straightaway and try for another, possibly its partner, as they often move in pairs. Don't be too self-congratulatory and have a major time out celebrating. Plenty time for that at the end of the day when you finish.
10. Make sure your knot to the fly/lure is a good one, the leader is a suitable length for the type of fly and/or style of fishing and the leader passes through your Tip ring easily when winding in.
11. Pay extra special attention to those periods in each day's fishing when you become aware of the birds singing, the wind dropping, the clouds shifting, flies hatching. Really listen to and try to develop that inner feeling/voice telling you to be ready for a take! Concentrate/focus on your casting but be aware of what else is going on around you. Remember, the general rule is that the fishing is better, the more difference there is between the water temperature and the air temperature. A steady or rising Air Temperature gap with the water is the best one to fish in - most of the time.
12. If you do not carry a net, make sure you know in advance where you are going to land and or release a fish. Kinda tricky if you are midstream with a large and lively fish and you need to wade upstream to exit a pool or you are fishing off a high bank and it is 6ft deep at the edge for 100 yards either side of you with trees/bushes blocking the way.
13. The benefit of a long tapered leader with smaller, lighter flies only really comes into play if your casting allows it to do so. So make sure that you are comfortable with the length of line you are casting to maximise the turnover etc. Always striving for an extra yard or two is the killer of good casting. A professional golfer does not hit each Drive with maximum force - they hit within their range of controlled power. This is what the top fly casters also do.
14. Experiment when fishing but don't "practice" your casting on good taking water. A carelessly cast line splashing down on the water near a lie may well put down the fish for the rest of the day.
15. Don't ignore local advice just for the sake of it or you are desperate to try the latest "killers" you have tied up over the winter/night before. When the ghillie or a local says " A wee black fly/Willie Gunn/Ally's Shrimp/Cascade/Frances/Pot Bellied Pig is what has been catching/works at this time of year, listen to that advice and follow it unless your experience tells you otherwise.
16. Check your knots. leader and various connections several times a day but especially after landing a fish or on a windy day when casting is trickier and wind knots are more likely.
17. Simply enjoy the fact that you are fortunate to be fishing for Salmon and that you can leave your world behind you for a few hours/days/weeks. It is a very special privilege to be chosen to be a salmon angler and an extra bonus when you actually land a fish!
18. While salmon have a tendency to behave in a similar manner in a given set of circumstances, nothing should be absolutely ruled out as a tactic to catch them. So, if nothing is working and you cannot understand why, try a totally contrary approach. e,g a contrasting and/or brighter, flashier fly several sizes larger or a much smaller fly than what you have been fishing with, a squarer cast fished fast or a different type of retrieve on the dangle. If spinning, then a totally different colour, size or type of lure which is fished upstream, downstream or whatever is the opposite of what you have been doing without success. Reverse the Bright Fly, Bright Day approach. you can catch a fish by ignoring "The Rules"
19. Check your knots and leaders frequently
20. Don't talk yourself down. Try to maintain a reasonably positive attitude along the lines of "if there is a fish there, I have a good chance of it" as opposed to "it's just my luck, nothing ever good happens on this Beat for me"
21. Remember that angling for salmon is only a hobby where the catching of them is a bonus part of the sport, no matter how much you have spent on the costs of the fishing. Remember that the total costs of each rod caught salmon- when all costs are taken into account - is probably into the £'000's when you take account of monies paid and blanks etc. Salmon fishing is not a tangible investment where you can prove you received absolute Value for Money through what you caught. Remember, you generally get no refund in Scotland if washed out and or the river is unfishable (as many may well be if and when all the snow melts!!)
Good Luck and tight lines in 2010. I am sure there are plenty of wee tips, tricks and secrets out there that others are willing to share here.
tweedbunnet