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Post by Tyne Angler on Dec 23, 2009 13:38:42 GMT
After spending much time reading various salmon forums, reading far too many fishing magazines and tackle catalogues I'm starting to wonder if this salmon fishing lark is getting over complicated.
We have scandi rods, spey rods, floating, S1 to S9092 shooting heads, short head, medium head and long head spey lines, multi tips, DT's and god knows what other types of line, flouorocarbon, hybrids, mono leaders a massive assortment of different 'spey' casts, even hook types and backing line choices are a mine field.
Armed with all of this latest high tech gear do we really catch more fish?
Or is it us the fishers who have been 'caught'?
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Post by G Ritchie on Dec 23, 2009 14:11:44 GMT
I am sure it makes a difference on some days, but I am sure your latter statement holds true a lot of the time.
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Post by sinkingtip on Dec 23, 2009 14:48:08 GMT
Good threadage TA. Going to bare my soul here. Without doubt its "the fishers who have been caught" IMHO and continue to be caught season after season - and why not ? - we all like buying sparkly stuff from time to time. I was always under the impression that salmon fishing is / should be laughably simple - certainly not "high tech". A decent DH rod, maybe two (three at a push, oh, and a single hander) but at different lengths and for different sizes of river. Never fully understood why some guys burden themselves with carting around any more than one rod at any given time ? - by all means stick a shorter / longer rod in the motor if you are uncertain of the water conditions. Lines ? - OK. I' m probably one of the least qualified member (on paper) to give advice regarding lines having been schooled on the planet Double Taper but looking at the rate / range they are produced (and in every conceivable profile) it might take a mere mortals such as myself a lifetime to find the 'perfect' line - or thats how it feels to and auld git like masel. If your into the whole shooting head thing (I mind the days when s/h's were DT Masterlines cut in half and spliced to Black Streak flat monofil) then get one based on trustworthy recommendation - thereafter all you have to do, I assume, is get to know it and all it's little nuances - Ditto 'Spey profile' lines. We will assume all lines are 'matched' with your rod. Sink / Float ? Top water or "getting doon tae them" - have multi tips not by and large done away with the need for fully sunk lines - or am I reading this all wrong ? Nothing wrong with a fully sunk line - as long as you can handle it. Head lengths ? - I was lousy at maths at school and still am. The merest mention of "head lengths" is enough send me screaming to the nearest haberdashery store for some Bias Binding. Get a line that you and your rod are comfortable and have taken the time to understand. Learn how to "whang oot" to the fullest of its potential and bide there. Flees ? - 4 patterns tops - in varying sizes and profiles. Maxima. Nothing wrong with the 'dark ages' - as long as you have a singul shullin for the meter when needed.
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conwyrod
Advisory Board
Autumn on the Conwy
Posts: 4,659
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Post by conwyrod on Dec 23, 2009 15:18:02 GMT
If I knew 8 years ago what I know now, I'd have saved a lot of money, but as HF said, "some of it was fun".
Best investment for a salmon angler is some decent fishing!
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Post by sinkingtip on Dec 23, 2009 16:46:58 GMT
Best investment for a salmon angler is some decent fishing! Or knowing someone who has.
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Post by oresteel on Dec 23, 2009 16:59:17 GMT
When I first started steelhead fishing 50 years ago, there was one shooting head, Pfleuger Medalist reels, and a few nine foot, SH rods. No one worried if their head sank deep enough because it sank as deep as it sank; ditto with the rest of their gear - the fished with what they had. Now you almost need to be an engineer to be sure that the combination of gear you are fishing with is doing what you want it to.
Having said all that, I still think I need more of everything ;D
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acw
Active Member
Posts: 302
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Post by acw on Dec 23, 2009 18:57:49 GMT
When I first started steelhead fishing 50 years ago, there was one shooting head, Pfleuger Medalist reels, and a few nine foot, SH rods. No one worried if their head sank deep enough because it sank as deep as it sank; ditto with the rest of their gear - the fished with what they had. Now you almost need to be an engineer to be sure that the combination of gear you are fishing with is doing what you want it to. Having said all that, I still think I need more of everything ;D Still using a medalist ,as to the shooting heads was using 30 foooters in the very early 70s ,I blame Bob Church!
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Post by stickleback on Dec 23, 2009 20:18:56 GMT
I'm starting to wonder if this salmon fishing lark is getting over complicated. We have scandi rods, spey rods, floating, S1 to S9092 shooting heads, short head, medium head and long head spey lines, multi tips, DT's and god knows what other types of line Indeed. As a relative novice I'm pretty bamboozled with many of the terms. At present I'm concentrating on trying to improve normal Spey casts but I'd really appreciate it if someone could explain in easy to understand terms what the differences are between the following and if they have any alleged advantage(s) over normal/traditional Spey: ~ Skagit ~ Scandi ~ Shooting head I'm presuming one of the advantages is something to do with lack of space behind to make a D loop and/or if your fishing off a awkward bank ? Regards Cammy
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Post by allysshrimp on Dec 23, 2009 20:54:35 GMT
Armed with all of this latest high tech gear do we really catch more fish? Or is it us the fishers who have been 'caught'? Its nae the gear that catches the fish Dave, but the fisherman who is wielding it. There is no doubt I my mind that it is us fishers that are caught with all this array of equipment on the market nowadays. Take an "Experienced, Skillful and Knowledgeable" angler, and kit him out with some reasonable gear from the 80's. Point him in the direction of a puddle, and if there's fish in it he will have them out. ;D Now if I could buy some of that Knowledge in the local tackle shop. You would find me first in the queue
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Speyducer
Advisory Board
Release to spawn another day
Posts: 4,123
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Post by Speyducer on Dec 23, 2009 20:55:15 GMT
I'm starting to wonder if this salmon fishing lark is getting over complicated. We have scandi rods, spey rods, floating, S1 to S9092 shooting heads, short head, medium head and long head spey lines, multi tips, DT's and god knows what other types of line Indeed. As a relative novice I'm pretty bamboozled with many of the terms. At present I'm concentrating on trying to improve normal Spey casts but I'd really appreciate it if someone could explain in easy to understand terms what the differences are between the following and if they have any alleged advantage(s) over normal/traditional Spey: ~ Skagit ~ Scandi ~ Shooting head I'm presuming one of the advantages is something to do with lack of space behind to make a D loop and/or if your fishing off a awkward bank ? Regards Cammy Skagit - a North American discipline; Pacific North West, with the original skagiteers involving Mike McCune & Ed Ward to name just two; Skagit is a river, but it was the development of a fly line system to delivery a fly the size of a small rabbit off a fly rod - using a short & dense head; typically 27' head, and grainage from 300 up to 750, and although initially utilised for casting the large fur/feather offerings off a long & heavy sink tip off the 27' floating belly (head) of the fly line. 15' or more of T14 tips are not uncommon. The key to the technique is, however, quite different to Spey casting, and the many different Skagit type casts use a 'sustained' water-borne anchor (bit like the double Spey but longer pause). Just as easily 'tweakable' to deliver floating tips and smaller flies, but practice needed for the delivery of lighter 'touchdown' of the line/tip/leader/fly on delivery. As the head is so short, this is useful for delivery from under very encroaching banks, but as in other types of shooting systems, a good running (shooting) line managment, and lots of stripping are required. Scandi - as the name partly suggests, Scandinavian in origin, and this usually refers to shooting heads of 40-45', often without tips, and directly securing the long leader to the head. Scandi casting is the term most often interpreted as 'underhand' casting, and this means that instead of the final delivery stroke has a primarily greater pull with the lower hand, and using the upper hand on DHer rods merely as a pivot point. These Scandi's often use 'touch & go' Spey casting techniques, much as we all aspire to do with the single Spey. Overhead casting is also used with such Scandi shooting heads, especially for pushing the line out over wide streams.
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Post by stickleback on Dec 23, 2009 21:00:58 GMT
Thanks Mike. I think I'll currently stick with what I 'know' and just keep trying to learn ;D
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