conwyrod
Advisory Board 
Autumn on the Conwy
Posts: 4,659
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Post by conwyrod on May 6, 2008 17:38:35 GMT
Fishing is a lifelong learning process, but what's the one thing you've learnt about salmon fishing that you wish you'd known when you first started?
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Post by salmonking on May 6, 2008 17:50:47 GMT
A few years back now,,,,,i had access to a super wee beat on the whitty,,,,,where i knew of 6 great hot spots,,where i always picked up fish in the right conditions,,and sometimes when the conds were less favorable,,,the beat wasn't that long maybe a mile and a quarter,,,,,it's now dead mans shoes ,,and when i look at the beat now,,i see all these different spots where i used to walk by or pay little or no attention to,,,and i'd just love to have a bash at,,,iv'e got some great memories here though,,i just know it could have been even more productive than it was,,and believe me it was,,,,so trying different and unlikely looking Ly's would be mine.
In an other context it would be reading the water better and more confidently.
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conwyrod
Advisory Board
Autumn on the Conwy
Posts: 4,659
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Post by conwyrod on May 6, 2008 19:48:21 GMT
You're right Col, hard earned knowledge about a particular beat is worth a lot.
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Post by sinkingtip on May 7, 2008 22:01:33 GMT
Fishing is a lifelong learning process, but what's the one thing you've learnt about salmon fishing that you wish you'd known when you first started? Ah ken ye said "ane" but ah cannae help it - ye ken whit am like ....... 1) How much dosh my bank account might haemorrhage over the years - but worth every groat. 2) How to manouvre a fish opposite or slightly upstream of you during the 'play'.  3) When NOT to try and manouvre a fish opposite or sightly upstream of you during the 'play'.  4) How to consistently get away with not bringing a lunch. 5) How satisfying it can be to relieve family members of some of their better flee's. 6) How totally useless a mechanical tailer is. 7) How SIMPLE salmon fishing should be - the kit, the cast, choice of flee and, in most cases, tactics - simplicity, thats the 'big' one for me. I'm sure a few more will spring to mind ........  STip |
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owen
Active Member
Posts: 184
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Post by owen on May 9, 2008 11:58:33 GMT
STip,
Would be interested to hear a bit more about points 2 & 3.
My current strategy is to walk down below the fish but if there is a better way of getting the fish in the right place (as there isn't always space & to save on ungodly amounts of exercise) or times when it is a bad idea it would be useful to know.
Cheers,
Nolon.
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conwyrod
Advisory Board
Autumn on the Conwy
Posts: 4,659
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Post by conwyrod on May 9, 2008 18:14:38 GMT
I'll probably discover the answer to 4) in a week's time. ;D
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Post by sinkingtip on May 9, 2008 22:01:25 GMT
Hi Nolon - walking down to a fish is at least better than just standing there holding on to it 50 yds across and downstream of you in a strong current ....... and its amazing how often you see guy's doing this. Instead of tiring the fish ("playing a fish" I believe it is called ) you are simply allowing it time to regain its energy level if anything and, in turn, needlessly prolong the whole shebang ....... all of which I am sure you are aware of. What I was referring to in (2) was nothing more mysterious than that time honoured and well tested technique of "walking" a fish upstream, or at least into an area of your choosing where the fish has to 'work' against both the current and the rod ....... once the initial furore has subsided of course. Sometimes when you "walk down" to a fish it can often just keep on going .... and going - especially a 'guid' fish. Regarding (3) - simply, don't walk it back if it doesn't want to come - no matter what. How many times have you heard the shout "jist let it run ye eejit". Sincere apologies if you expected more. regards STip |
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owen
Active Member
Posts: 184
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Post by owen on May 12, 2008 11:03:22 GMT
STip, Thanks for that - You dont know what you dont know till you ask, as they say. ;D Think I was expecting something suitably aligned to lunar cycles or the length of the grass on the bank or someother voodoo but am more than happy to fall back on your common sense when masochistic complexity cannot be squeezed into the situation. Perhaps I just need to spend some time in a darkened room working out if I just expect, or (more likely) feel the need to make, this lark more complicated than it already is.  Cheers, Nolon. |
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salmo
Advisory Board
Posts: 1,814
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Post by salmo on May 12, 2008 14:49:56 GMT
Keeping a fish high in the water when playing him amongst rocks. He cannot fight so hard when his head is up so you have more chance of steering him away from danger. All this of course depends on the size of fish.  salmo |
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Post by sinkingtip on May 12, 2008 17:37:50 GMT
Hi Nolon - this "lark" should be about as uncomplicated as it gets - it's certainly been my 'war cry' for the past 40 odd years.
Granted, tackle, tactics and the 'business' of salmon fishing have changed greatly over that period ....... but the fish huvnae !!
Floating line.
Sinking line.
Black and silver based flee's (low clear water)
Orange and gold based flee's (falling peaty water).
A guid reel.
A guid rod.
......... thereafter, and in the words of a weel kent 'oracle' - "just whang it oot and let it come roond".
best regards
STip
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Tyne Andrew
Active Member
April Spring Salmon 2010 - Lower Pitchroy, River Spey
Posts: 1,104
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Post by Tyne Andrew on May 12, 2008 17:50:07 GMT
Hi Nolon - this "lark" should be about as uncomplicated as it gets - it's certainly been my 'war cry' for the past 40 odd years. Granted, tackle, tactics and the 'business' of salmon fishing have changed greatly over that period ....... but the fish huvnae !! Floating line. Sinking line. Black and silver based flee's (low clear water) Orange and gold based flee's (falling peaty water). A guid reel. A guid rod. ......... thereafter, and in the words of a weel kent 'oracle' - "just whang it oot and let it come roond". best regards STip Pretty much agree with that! |
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hornet
Active Member
Posts: 1,120 
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Post by hornet on Dec 6, 2008 23:37:24 GMT
Here is decent wee look into why and how most of us started fly fishing  www.fullingmill.com/videorun.htmDucer - A nice SBS on the Moose Flee if you don't mind  Cheers Hornet |
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Post by Roobarb on Dec 7, 2008 10:02:21 GMT
I wish I hadn't read anything about salmon fishing before I started because:
a. Most of it that I read was based around big Scottish rivers that have little relevance to the waters I fish.
b. A lot of it seemed to make out that it was more difficult than it actually is.
The one thing I wish I had known when I started was a successful local salmon fisher!
Andy
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tenet
Active Member
Posts: 431
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Post by tenet on Dec 7, 2008 12:00:03 GMT
That salmon don't read books!!!
Tenet
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alta
Active Member
Posts: 115
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Post by alta on Dec 26, 2008 14:26:56 GMT
Keeping a fish out of water for the shortest time possible. I heard that salmon will shed a hook in a couple of days if left in the mouth. If I had known that I would have cut the line on some really awkward embedded hooks to save stressing the fish too much.
alta
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Post by greenman on Dec 26, 2008 19:14:38 GMT
This was my first full season trying to catch salmon and this took me half a season to tipple .... it will seem so fricking obvious to most seasoned vets but was initially, not fully appreciated, by this noob:
"If there's nae fish aboot yer gonnae catch hee-haw"
The corollary of which is:
"If ye can, spend yer fishing time wisely, time it so yer on the water when the conditions are gid"
When the penny dropped I could heard Yoda's voice in my head and I knew the journey had started proper ... ;D ;D
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