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Post by speyghillie on Feb 3, 2009 19:39:34 GMT
I've posted this picture before and the general consensus was it's a sea trout.  That would make another good thread - who has caught a salmon closest to their house. ;D Ah yes, the old Abu Cardinal.... ;D I'd go for Sam Bremner at Wester Elchies, 10 yards, any height....  How about the strangest place you've ever caught a Salmon? Turriff Golf Course, 14th Hole, Fairway Bunker. |
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Post by salmonking on Feb 3, 2009 20:21:49 GMT
Happy days..and some great stories. I remember the first salmon i ever hooked,as a youngster we used to ledger worms for trout. I remember one day when the river was in spate,i had a number 2 mepps..(old rusty thing)in my pocket,so i tied it on and cast...after a few casts i got this almighty thump and the rod buckled and this enormous fish on the other end..probably no more than 7/8 lbs...as i would only be about 12 or 13..i was in panic mode...releasing the bail arm every time the fish made a run.. ;D...it eventually broke me and was gone...i was shaking,and truly devastated. Later on that year i landed a bar of silver using the same method..it took ages to land,and i was chuffed to bits,still hadn't worked out how to use the drag  I then soon after took up fishing the fly..aquired a fly rod/reel and guided by a mate who was more accomplished in this art of fishing.. started to learn...1 year on i had my first fly caught salmon,taken on a teal and green. I very rarely ever spun again. |
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Post by G Ritchie on Feb 3, 2009 20:23:06 GMT
Not much on the garden fly, so I will lower the tone. ;D My first one was also on the worm, from the River Ugie in the mid 1980's.  It took eight year of trying before the first one arrived though. I first started fishing the Ugie in 1979, coming from a trout fishing background, the sea trout came fairly quickly, mainly caught on the fly at night at the Pumphouse, just above Inverugie. The salmon eluded me though. On the day in question the main river had burst its banks following heavy rain the previous day and I headed up to the North Ugie tributary and the large, normally slow flowing pool at Rora, which was still fishable at this height. In the muddy torrent, the worm was the best bet and I fished it round with just enough weight to occasionally bump the bottom. The fish weighed 11 1/2lb and was fresh off the tide. That was my only fish that season, but they came in ever increasing numbers after that. eight the following season, all on the spinner, 3 on a Rapala and 5 on a Toby. I had to wait until the next season to get my first on the fly, a grilse of about 5lb, again from the Ugie, on a fly I had tied to try and replicate the movement and colour of the Rapala's and Toby's. My main spring pattern to this day is just a variation on this dressing, I now use arctic fox or templedog instead of marabou for the wing. This is the actual fly.  Thread - black Tail - fl. red multi yarn Rib - silver wire Body - silver tinsel Hackle - white cock Wing - white marabou, 4 strands of silver flashabou and black marabou over the top Eyes - painted on with white and black varnish over a deliberately bold head (I couldn't afford jungle cock in those days) |
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salmo
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Post by salmo on Feb 3, 2009 21:02:03 GMT
1st Salmon was a Red Salmon in the Kenai River during my first summer in Alaska in 1994. It was a Thursday evening. We used to leave Anchorage at 1630 after work in 2 cars and get to the river about 2 hours or so later. The Kenai peninsula is famous for its huge red salmon runs. One of our geophysicists had a spreadsheet that automatically downloaded the fish counter data from the mouth of the river and had all sorts of calcs to say how long the fish would get to the area we would fish. Usually it would be around 2 days. In the office we would see him in the corridor and ask how many fish went past the counter that day. It was 2,00 one day, 10,000 then 12,000 and finally it built up to 50,000 and we would not be able to concentrate thinking about the chance of catching one. When we arrived at the river the regulars briefed me on bear safety. Well that ruined my day as there was a good 20 minute hike through woods to get to the river  I took a fly rod but it may just as well have been a spinning rod. I had a 10 1/2ft Hardy Sovereign and one of the techniques they use there is monofil off a conventional fly reel (centre pin). The flies were single with simple red and white hair Coho fly (also available in black and white, orange and white, green and white and purple and white - almost anything and white). I had a Leeda LC100 and I stripped the line off and put on the monofil. A lead weight was used about 3ft from the fly and bounced to roll the fly into the fish which swim up the shore line. You only have to cast out about 10ft let it trot down and then lift and swing the weight back square and out. Same technique as Combat Fishing. A bit dull but it turns out to be a good laugh. Nowhere near as much skill as speycasting. I was one of the last to catch one so I was a bit despondent with this trotting the fly lark. Not at all what I expected. Anyway my luck turned and I picked up my first ever salmon at around 5 lbs and then caught another slightly bigger. Both chapped as was the custom and taken home for the grill. The bag limit was 6 per person but it was changed daily by the Alaska Fish and Game Dept. depending and how many fish had entered the river. Once a magic number is reached they advertise to locals to use dip nets (like landing nets) and then they let them wade and dip in the shallow sections in the mouth of the river. Daily limit can be up to 30. This is called subsistence fishing. This regular trip was made during the early part of the summer and we fished until the light faded around 1230am and then walked backed through the woods talking nervously in high pitched voices to scare away the bears (fat chance of that working) ;D ;D ;D We drove back to Anchorage had a beer and went to bed at 3.30 am. Up at 6.30 am and off to work looking dreadful ;D ;D ;D salmo PS Got hooked with silvers later that year and Kings the following year but more on that later |
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Post by iainjay on Feb 3, 2009 21:47:01 GMT
My first fish was only a couple of years ago.I treated myself to a day on Park on the Dee.At nine o'clock I walked down to the Durris stream with Keith Cromar and at 9:20 I felt a really strong pull on the line.I didn't panic and slowly lifted into it, started winding in and thought to myself about what all the fuss was about,this all seemed pretty straightforward.Next thing I knew was the reel handle just about taking my thumb off as this thing on the end headed for Aberdeen.After a good tussle I eventually brought the fish in..15lb for my first salmon.I proceeded to land another 3 that morning, all on a size 8 Cascade.A day I know I'll never forget.
Iain
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salmo
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Post by salmo on Feb 3, 2009 21:50:44 GMT
My first fish was only a couple of years ago.I treated myself to a day on Park on the Dee.At nine o'clock I walked down to the Durris stream with Keith Cromar and at 9:20 I felt a really strong pull on the line.I didn't panic and slowly lifted into it, started winding in and thought to myself about what all the fuss was about,this all seemed pretty straightforward.Next thing I knew was the reel handle just about taking my thumb off as this thing on the end headed for Aberdeen.After a good tussle I eventually brought the fish in..15lb for my first salmon.I proceeded to land another 3 that morning, all on a size 8 Cascade.A day I know I'll never forget. Iain It does not get much better than that for a 1st salmon ;D ;D salmo |
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Post by jackfish on Feb 4, 2009 6:01:42 GMT
Some great story's and with the addition of a few nice pics too ;D
Thanks for sharing
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Post by sinkingtip on Feb 4, 2009 8:39:23 GMT
"Can You Remember Your First Salmon" ?
Well if you cant I assume you are presently suffering from Alzheimer's or were in a heightened state of inebriation at the time - it does happen. ;D
I can remember No's 1+2 vividly.
Thereafter only the 'major' events and those documented with the aid of a camera ........ and most of last season.
First fish ? - many moons ago, Tummel, 9 1/2' troot rod (Rodcraft of Redditch), 4lb leader and a wee Peter Ross.
Result ? a clean fish of around 12lbs.
Number two was had the following day but this time on a copper Toby.
Braw.
regards
STip
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salmo
Advisory Board
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Post by salmo on Feb 4, 2009 9:01:00 GMT
Not much on the garden fly, so I will lower the tone. ;D My first one was also on the worm, from the River Ugie in the mid 1980's. It took eight year of trying before the first one arrived though. I first started fishing the Ugie in 1979, coming from a trout fishing background, the sea trout came fairly quickly, mainly caught on the fly at night at the Pumphouse, just above Inverugie. The salmon eluded me though. On the day in question the main river had burst its banks following heavy rain the previous day and I headed up to the North Ugie tributary and the large, normally slow flowing pool at Rora, which was still fishable at this height. In the muddy torrent, the worm was the best bet and I fished it round with just enough weight to occasionally bump the bottom. The fish weighed 11 1/2lb and was fresh off the tide. That was my only fish that season, but they came in ever increasing numbers after that. eight the following season, all on the spinner, 3 on a Rapala and 5 on a Toby. I had to wait until the next season to get my first on the fly, a grilse of about 5lb, again from the Ugie, on a fly I had tied to try and replicate the movement and colour of the Rapala's and Toby's. My main spring pattern to this day is just a variation on this dressing, I now use arctic fox or templedog instead of marabou for the wing. This is the actual fly. Thread - black Tail - fl. red multi yarn Rib - silver wire Body - silver tinsel Hackle - white cock Wing - white marabou, 4 strands of silver flashabou and black marabou over the top Eyes - painted on with white and black varnish over a deliberately bold head (I couldn't afford jungle cock in those days) Great story graham and a very distinguished looking hat ;D salmo |
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