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Post by salmonking on Jan 12, 2008 0:49:03 GMT
I may ruffle a few feathers here,,but what the hell,,,i remember asking the same kind of question on the old board,,and we had some interesting theories,,now with some new blood ill put it to members again. I'm curious to find what members want out of their salmon fishing, IE, the unexplored maybe spate river or medium sized,,maybe not unexplored,,but unspoilt,,you know,,heavy going on the banks,,not knowing the wade,,difficult at times,,basically you and the river. To me this is the fishing i prefer,,it feels more natural,,where as on the big commercial rivers/beats,it feels less so,,i like the wildness of a smaller river. There are no Gillie's,,telling you how to fish or what to fish,,giving the artificial feeling,,as with the neat banks and hut,,the change over after lunch,,,drawing the short straw,,(yip I'm still seething after pedwell) Now i do enjoy the luxuries of all this now and again,,but my heart is in the go it alone places,,which brings me to my second question,,,, Do forum members think the big river is easier fishing IE catching fish than their smaller cousins or vice versa,,and why? Maybe certain conditions make one easier than the other,, I'm sure there are lots of different views on this one,,,,,,, look forward to your thoughts.
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Post by salmonscotty16lb on Jan 12, 2008 1:13:33 GMT
smaller usually spate rivers are a hit or miss. great when the waters up and fish are on the take. but if was booking in advance for my fishing it would be on a large river where the chance of a fish is improved in low conditions. ie September = hit or miss i could book fishing on the tay or tweed if low water i might have a chance of a fish but if the rivers come up i might have a better chance on say the Earn or the Witadder for much less cost? thats just salmon fishing last year i fished the Ericht in Feb and was told a run of fish just passed through giving locals good sport but the river was dead this week. and i fished the whitadder at the back end when all the locals had a great year and i was to late.
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Post by walter mepps on Jan 12, 2008 12:45:16 GMT
WHOOPS meant to send that report in a pm
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Post by walter mepps on Jan 12, 2008 12:47:37 GMT
Ruffled feathers may be good for fly tying though ;D
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Post by salmonking on Jan 12, 2008 12:54:39 GMT
Not every season is like last,,,like every other river there's always a golden year now and again,,,it seems to happen in cycles,,looking back on past records,,,,,mine and my mates,,but im keeping that to myself . By the way i didn't get all my fish from the whitty,,i had a fair few on tweed as well,,,,as for being paranoid,,maybe,,,there will be more disappointments than successes from a visitor point of view. Fenton tellin you where to go EH ?? ;D As for the tweed prices,,,getting ridiculous,,,but the whitty prices will rise next year as the full levy on all fish caught comes into place,,,this should ease rod pressure a good thing,IMO,,as long as we don't get people telling us where to go and fish on our smaller rivers,,,,im ok with a price hike.
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Post by salmonking on Jan 12, 2008 16:46:30 GMT
Must have been a daft subject,,never mind only trying to provoke some thought's. ;D
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Post by G Ritchie on Jan 12, 2008 17:32:22 GMT
I enjoy fishing all types of rivers, each have there own challenges and it is just good to have a bit of variety to your fishing. I personally enjoy fishing a new piece of water on my own without a gillie and trying to figure things out myself.
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robbie
Active Member
Posts: 882
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Post by robbie on Jan 12, 2008 17:37:21 GMT
Not a silly question really. This year within a week I went from a small river, made smaller by no rain (Ettrick) to a big (ish) river, Tweed. I enjoyed both equally for different reasons:
Big River Good Points:
Plenty of room to "open up" when casting More water to fish Catch history to give confidence Convenience of parking, access e.t.c. A friendly, helpful Gillie available when needed Boat when needed Camaraderie of fellow rods to share a pool, joke, or the capture of a fish with. Normally somewhere to fish during periods of high or low water
Downsides: Just how many people have been down that pool before you, that day/week/month Timed turnarounds Anonymity and therefore treated with indifference by Gillie or fellow, unknown rods, due to vast number of visiting anglers.
Small River Good Points:
Probably lightly fished Can cover all the water Small intimate pools that you can "angle" and really work the fly over and around lies with accuracy and possibly by sight. Privacy.
Downsides:
Probably a spate river and drastically affected by rain or lack of it. Access may be difficult and much walking may be involved
There are probably many things that could be added to all 4 categories above. I have simply written a few things that readily came to mind. I don't think I have a favourite yet. Your main point I think was whether it is easier or harder to fish one type of river or another. ......mmm do you mean easier to fish or catch? If it is fish, then I probably agree with you about a small river, If it is catch then I think they are both as difficult as each other. Small, you work it all out for yourself Big, you may get some assistance, but just how many flees has each Salmon had under its nose, and can your casting skills allow you to cover them any way?
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hornet
Active Member
Posts: 1,120
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Post by hornet on Jan 12, 2008 22:09:57 GMT
I like the challenges that both type of rivers give the angler.
I initially learned on the spate river North Esk in the spring where i found going from the troot fishery to the river was a completely different way of fishing. To be honest i did not ever think that it would end up replacing the troot fishing that i was hooked on.
As i was still using a single handed rod i had no issue with the casting etc but what i did find i was doing was trying to think of how the river looked under the water. Where were the fish likely to lie or run. Should i wade or cast from the bank. Floater or sink tip. Do i stick with known favourite flees or ring the changes. There was no ghillie to give assistance so it was really like a short term apprenticeship on Salmon fishing.
There was also no plush facilities like the troot fishery had, ie stop for a cup of tea and a bacon sannie in a nice heated fishers bucky. What i had changed too was a cracking river that oozed quality and seemed to have changed each time i visited it.
I then went onto fish the Dee which i thought was not much of a change in terms of size, quality or the amount of fish seen. The Dee however needs to be explored and fished more as my only taste of it so far has mixed feelings and i'm sure this spring i can set this right.
My first time on what you call a big river was the mighty Tay in spring and this was at Stanley. Absolutely massive and to be honest quite daunting. If there was no ghillie service i would have been lost. The main thing i have learned from fishing this massive river was not to get caught up in trying to cast to the far bank and take all the advice the ghillie was giving me. I was also more interested to learn where the fish would likely to be within 35yards or so.
My next big river was the Tweed in November where i went for a couple of days to learn Spey Casting. A different type of river from what i was used too. I caught my first coloured fish and my first sea troot on this visit and from my two days i learned a hell of a lot.
I like both types of river but if i had to choose then it would be my spate river.
Cheers
Hornet
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Post by ducktip1 on Jan 12, 2008 22:47:24 GMT
I dont like fishing a river thats too big, as Hornet say it can be a bit daunting, especially if its my first time on the river. Spate rivers are good, as I know that I am covering fish ( when they are in the pools ) and that gives me confidence. Medium sized rivers I like best, I can explore wade and go looking for fish and better pools on my mad Boab safari days out ;D
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tweedsider
Active Member
Quietness is best
Posts: 993
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Post by tweedsider on Jan 12, 2008 23:21:58 GMT
Give me a small river any day. Everyone seems to have pointed out the snags of spate streams, - no water- no fish. On most small rivers you will fish a pool through in half an hour at the most. Move on- upstream- downstream, you know you are covering all the fish. No embarrassment with a ghillie telling you just another yard when your line has been landing in a heap for the last five yards of line out. No frozen knackers with wading up to the t--s for two hours in the one pool. Paying less in most cases and nom need to flog the water to death to get your moneys worth.
A gie me Tam a Border Burn Whit canna rin withoot a turn.
TWEEDSIDER
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severnfisher
Active Member
The Severn Valley in spring
Posts: 226
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Post by severnfisher on Jan 17, 2008 21:45:55 GMT
I personally enjoy fishing a new piece of water on my own without a gillie and trying to figure things out myself. This strikes a cord. Big or small what I enjoy most is trying to make sense of a new water. Having said that I also get a lot of enjoyment from helping others out with knowledge of hot spots and taking places whatever the species. I'm sure most people who've fished for a few years feel the same. The contradiction is that being on a river with someone telling me how and where to fish is my own personal idea of angling hell.
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Post by sinkingtip on Jan 17, 2008 22:17:20 GMT
I know what you mean Graham + Sevvie but the ability to operate as a 'solo act' and / or claim self sufficiency is a skill honed on, or gained after, years of experience IMO. I think novices NEED to be shown by more experienced anglers HOW to 'read' water before venturing forth, alone and onto uncharted territory .... so to speak. More so on larger rivers IMO. Thereafter - absolutely ! ..... voyage of discovery and all that, not to mention the immense satisfaction when you 'pull it off'. STip
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Post by G Ritchie on Jan 18, 2008 7:50:27 GMT
Yes, small rivers tend to be more easy to 'read'.
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Post by neptune on Jan 18, 2008 18:54:45 GMT
i agree with sinkingtip about novices needing advice im still a novice & salmon king has on a number of occassions given me good advice ie. you`ll no catch onythin wi that flee, that landing nets no much cope, gies a rollie etc ;D ;D on the plus side he told me what flee to use & it worked so just now i would choose small rivers (i can practise with the new double hander when no-ones around ;D) ps. (sk does give good advice)
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