Virgin salmon man

[warrenhouse0]

I'm new-ish to this forum and this is quite a difficult post to write - mainly 'cos I feel completely out of my depth (no pun intended). Its rather like going to confession in this group but here goes - I've never been salmon fishing. There, I've said it and I feel a lot better now .

To explain a bit more. I'm a long standing trout fisherman - still love it and will carry on but I have a serious itch to move on 'up' to salmon fishing. I have plenty of kit to use but haven't any idea of where a beginner can go for a reasonable price and without feeling too intimidated. I live in the East Riding of Yorkshire - not the ideal starting point. Another confession whilst I'm baring all - I can't Spey cast and lessons don't seem cheap - any ideas please?

thanks all

[Speyducer]

Feb 2, 2009 23:07:12 GMT warrenhouse0 said:

I'm new-ish to this forum and this is quite a difficult post to write - mainly 'cos I feel completely out of my depth (no pun intended). Its rather like going to confession in this group but here goes - I've never been salmon fishing. There, I've said it and I feel a lot better now .

To explain a bit more. I'm a long standing trout fisherman - still love it and will carry on but I have a serious itch to move on 'up' to salmon fishing. I have plenty of kit to use but haven't any idea of where a beginner can go for a reasonable price and without feeling too intimidated. I live in the East Riding of Yorkshire - not the ideal starting point. Another confession whilst I'm baring all - I can't Spey cast and lessons don't seem cheap - any ideas please?

thanks all

You have a PM

Mike

[iainjay]

Welcome warrenhouse0,
I think my first post on here,about 4 years ago,was,almost word for word,the exact same as your own.I was, and still am,a keen trout fisherman and thought that I would love to give salmon fishing a go.Didn't know how to go about it and found it all a bit daunting.Read everything I could find and eventually worked up the courage to ask a chap who ran a nearby loch-fishing venue but who also was a salmon fisher to give me some instruction on the River Teith.Standing in the river with this 15ft thing in my hands,I felt completely bamboozled.Didn't really understand any of this Double/ Single Spey, sweep,anchor mullarkey at all.After a couple of hours thrashing around I was managing to get some kind of cast together.The chap was extremely patient and helpful and,to me, looked a really good caster but,I knew was Not an instructor.
On the back pages of T&S I found David Bell's number and booked a lesson with him on the Leven.Now, I thought I had the basics ok but wondered "why's this guy making me do this left hand up? Doesn,t he realise I can't do this??" Only then the penny dropped as to wind direction and the difference being with a qualified instuctor was most apparent.
Not long after,I stumbled upon this forum and the help and advice I received was first class.It truly is a source of great knowledge and experience.
Later that first year I was fortunate enough to have a lesson with Ian Gordon on the Spey and I can't emphasize enough this was by far the best money I have spent.There is no doubt in my mind that a couple of lessons with a qualified casting instructor is essential for someone starting out in our sport.
All the very best to you.

Iain