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Post by Thursoman on Mar 10, 2008 16:05:58 GMT
Hi to you all. Wondering if any of you have a tip or to for a novice on using rapala plugs. It seems salmon favour orange/gold colours by the look of many reports. What is the main reason for this? Is it because these colours stand out better and therefore noticed? Also what is the best method for fishing for salmon with plugs. Do I cast upstream or downstream? What sort of angle should I cast at? Finally is a slow retrieve best? Apologies for my complete ignorance. Keen to learn for you pros. Chris
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Post by builnacraig on Mar 10, 2008 21:36:41 GMT
Orange is a popular colour, but the green one, is it "firefly" is also very popular in Ayrshire. Some anglers swear by black and silver ones. I suppose it depends on the water conditions. A bright fluorescent orange/gold one is best in coloured water.
Generally casts are across and downstream. A lot of anglers use the floating rapalas and let it float into position with the current before starting to retrieve. That is a useful technique in order to get under trees etc. Speed of retrieve depends on current speed. If the current is really fast you won't need to retrieve until it swings out of the current, just hold the lure and it will move with the resistance through the flow. Start to retrieve faster as it swings out of the main current. In slower flows you can vary the speed as you like.
Finally, they come armed with wicked trebles. A lot of rivers only allow one set of hooks so you should remove one, or more depending on the number at the start and replace the tail treble with a bigger one. There is no place for a lure with more than one set of trebles in salmon fishing. If a fish is hooked by one set of trebles the other set can do a lot of damage. I have seen anglers trying for ages to get the hooks out of a small sea trout or similar and it would be almost dead when they eventually got it unhooked and back in the river.
They are really effective lures for salmon, but give me a fly rod any day.
Builnacraig
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Post by Thursoman on Mar 10, 2008 22:47:59 GMT
Thank you very much Builnacraig. Some brilliant tips there! I understand what you are saying about number of treble hooks and appreciate you mentioning it. (;o) Regards, Chris.
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conwyrod
Advisory Board
Autumn on the Conwy
Posts: 4,659
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Post by conwyrod on Jul 20, 2010 21:22:28 GMT
Orange is a popular colour, but the green one, is it "firefly" is also very popular in Ayrshire. Some anglers swear by black and silver ones. I suppose it depends on the water conditions. A bright fluorescent orange/gold one is best in coloured water. Generally casts are across and downstream. A lot of anglers use the floating rapalas and let it float into position with the current before starting to retrieve. That is a useful technique in order to get under trees etc. Speed of retrieve depends on current speed. If the current is really fast you won't need to retrieve until it swings out of the current, just hold the lure and it will move with the resistance through the flow. Start to retrieve faster as it swings out of the main current. In slower flows you can vary the speed as you like. Finally, they come armed with wicked trebles. A lot of rivers only allow one set of hooks so you should remove one, or more depending on the number at the start and replace the tail treble with a bigger one. There is no place for a lure with more than one set of trebles in salmon fishing. If a fish is hooked by one set of trebles the other set can do a lot of damage. I have seen anglers trying for ages to get the hooks out of a small sea trout or similar and it would be almost dead when they eventually got it unhooked and back in the river. They are really effective lures for salmon, but give me a fly rod any day. Builnacraig At the risk of shocking a few people, I can report that I caught a lovely 12lb salmon on the Conwy yesterday, on a Orange/Gold Rapala Countdown lure. I haven't spun for salmon for nearly 10 years, and I've never used a Rapala before. I bought some plugs and a new spinning rod in May, to do some bass fishing around Anglesey, because the local rivers were at drought levels until late June. The Conwy has been in flood for a few weeks now, generally too high for the fly, so I decided to have a go at spinning - I've been going out with the fly rod as well, but having the spinning rod does open up a lot more fishable water at high water levels. To cut a long story short, yesterday evening was very quiet, nothing to the fly so walking back to the car I decided to spin a likely looking pool which is mostly unfishable with fly due to high vertical banks. In the space of 15 minutes I caught a salmon and two sea trout to 2.5 lb. All fish were returned, but the smaller sea trout did suffer some hook damage - the 'free' tail hook had managed to hook the fish in the belly. sea licer Lamson returns fish I have to agree with everything B says above, especially about the trebles. Something I need to address for the future. However, I have say that fishing the countdown rapala was good fun - they fish deep in heavy water and you can put a bit of thought into how you fish them; casting up and across to get them sinking worked well for me. AS for the bass fishing - I reckon salmon fishing is easier, but I'm well into my Storm chug bugs and Yo Zuri Mag Poppers, just need a fish to grab one. ;D
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Post by salmonking on Jul 21, 2010 5:06:25 GMT
Cracking fish there John well done.
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Post by alanbell111 on Sept 20, 2010 19:17:15 GMT
Just started salmon fishing and for first time fished the Tay (Dunkeld House beat) on Saturday 11/09/2010 and caught a 10.5 lb hen salmon - on a Copper Toby...(as directed by the Ghillie..!)....the fish was successfully released... Also used a variety of Rapala's initially using a small weight (to get distance) but after changing to a very fine 30 lb Pro-Power braid (which I was given by a fellow fisherman)....without the weight....and this also really opened up the river and I could easily reach the other side of the Tay even with my basic casting skills. Spinning was easiest option for me - especially on the Dunkeld House beat - but even I can see that spinning with the right equipment really opens up the complete river to a wide variety of lures and different techniques....I know the traditionalists would beg to differ - but spinning is also a very enjoyable , rewarding day on the river.... I agree that the Rapala should only have one treble - (I also de-barbed the treble) otherwise you really find it difficult to release any fish... I can't wait to get back on the river again .... Hi to you all. Wondering if any of you have a tip or to for a novice on using rapala plugs. It seems salmon favour orange/gold colours by the look of many reports. What is the main reason for this? Is it because these colours stand out better and therefore noticed? Also what is the best method for fishing for salmon with plugs. Do I cast upstream or downstream? What sort of angle should I cast at? Finally is a slow retrieve best? Apologies for my complete ignorance. Keen to learn for you pros. Chris
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burnie
Active Member
Posts: 1,179
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Post by burnie on Sept 20, 2010 20:01:27 GMT
Rapalas are popular on the Tay when harling,but the Toby seemed to get the better fish when I was fishing. They are a tool in a vast armoury to be tried.As has been said there's a lot to recommend fishing a fly too. On the point of removing hooks,which as stated are paramount to fish welfare.If you remove the "extra" trebles completely you affect the lures action.I have in the past removed the bend of each prong of the hooks,but left the straight body of the treble so as to minimise this imbalance,but it removes any sharp bits that would damage a fish.
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Martin
Active Member
Posts: 386
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Post by Martin on Sept 22, 2010 6:43:49 GMT
Tobies do a lot more damage to fish than 3 hooked raps.
The most damage is when the fish must take the toby across it and when you strike you pull the toby through its mouth and hook it on the out side of its face, eye normally badly damaged.
If spinning from the bank with a rap the slider is the best you to you if you wanna use 1 hook.
We still harl the rap with the 3 hooks as you cant strike straight away to hook the fish(tried it with the slider missed them all) With the hooks been smaller there isnt that mus damage done to the fish, nothing worse than what they will do to them selves on route upstream
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Post by paulireland on Mar 31, 2011 20:13:57 GMT
I've a good bit of experience using Rapalas for Salmon and Sea Trout and now use just 4 colours and 2 different sizes of the countdown variety, these will cover you for all the differing stages of floodwater. Starting in the dirtiest water (you will catch fish in water so dirty you can't see the lure an inch or 2 under the surface!) of the flood, fish a CD7 FT, that's a countdown 7cm in Fire-tiger colour (I expect this is the one builnacraig was referring to), as the colour starts to drop out switch to a CD7 GFR or Gold Fluorescent Red (which is actually orange!), as the colour continues to drop change to a CD7 G or Gold followed by a CD7 S or Silver and finally when the waters clear but still a bit high and fast for a fly, a CD5 (5cm) S or Silver. After many years of fishing and using too many different lures to remember, I now stick to the above system and have total faith in it. As to how to fish them, it depends on conditions but as a general rule, the dirtier the water the slower I fish them but find most success making a square cast and letting the current bring the lure round like a fly, only winding very slowly. I always use braided line and you will feel every bump as the lure swings round and some pretty savage takes! Hope that helps a bit! Paul Fire-tiger GFR Gold Silver
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conwyrod
Advisory Board
Autumn on the Conwy
Posts: 4,659
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Post by conwyrod on Mar 31, 2011 20:20:26 GMT
That's some useful advice Paul, thanks for posting.
CD9 And CD11 seem to be useful and poular sizes on the rivers I fish - have you tried the bigger sizes?
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Post by paulireland on Mar 31, 2011 20:24:32 GMT
That's some useful advice Paul, thanks for posting. CD9 And CD11 seem to be useful and poular sizes on the rivers I fish - have you tried the bigger sizes? I have and caught fish on them but found my success rates were best with the 7cm, the one drawback being that they are lighter and would need one hell of a cast to cover the water on a big river so the CD9 or CD11 would then be a better option
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Post by builnacraig on Apr 3, 2011 8:38:57 GMT
Nice guide there Paul, thanks for posting.
I see you prefer the smaller sizes, some of the most effective rap fishers I meet also have that view.
BnC
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Post by fishingdaft on May 15, 2011 15:38:08 GMT
I don,t know why but on the clyde any fishers i talk to all use size 9 firetiger,hottiger,or gfr.But on the nith where i fish the one they use most is one called silver shiner size 7 ,but for some reason rapala stopped making these ones when the water is big and dirty i fish a bright yellow and and black with an orange belly
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sobiet
Active Member
Posts: 10
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Post by sobiet on Nov 29, 2012 22:55:56 GMT
Did you ever try the deep down husky jerk rapala black & gold.Fishes deep in fast flows. Deadly...... Best was 3 springers in 4 times out. But after 45 years salmon fishing mostly fish the fly now sobiet
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Post by grannyfish on Nov 30, 2012 15:07:47 GMT
ln th past I have used blue count down 11cm fished straigh across count say to 10 retvieve fast make the fish chase the bait
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