Salmon Fishing explained

[Flybye]

If its any help " Anyone who thinks they know anything about salmon fishing, hasn't done enough yet" Anon
An old sage that makes you feel better when the plan fails to come together,and again on those occasions when optimism triumphs over experience. Salmon fishing is art
TK

[Paul Arden]

13) Do they take at night?

Thanks!
Paul

[Hamish]

13) Do they take at night?

Yes, they do. Not as regularly as they might during the day but certainly in the evenings of the Scottish 'summer' months Sea Trout fishers do get the occasional Salmon. I guess most folk fishing legally for Salmon do not intentionally go out fishing for them at night, whether that's down to tradition or convenience is maybe a discussion point.

H

[alex vulev]

12) What makes a good salmon lie?

Similar to what makes a good trout lie really. One mistake that a total beginner will make is thinking that as we're fishing for resting fish, they must be in the slack water. This isn't the case, and they'll often hold in quite fast water. Behind or in front of rocks, or wherever makes life a bit easier. They've just come out of the atlantic and they're hard as fuck. River trouting experience can pay off where lies are concerned. Ever seen a salmon move into a lie and piss all the trout off? Also note that the general position in the river (I think Falkus refers to it as a taking strip) will change with the height of the water. I remember being a little kid, watching my dad worming (get in dad!) very tight to the bank as the water dropped in a big spate. I didn't think a fish that big could be that close in when I was about 8. Turned out happily enough (we ate it!) that I was wrong.

Great! So french nymphing will do for Salmon too !

[Bernd Ziesche]

Hi Paul,
as has already been mentioned your questions need a HUGE book to offer detailed answers.

Reading all the above (very good) answers, one thing comes to my mind. Some of the answers/hints seem to be (mainly) based on experience the angler made at "his" home water.
In my experience the differencies in strategies differ signifcant from one river to the next one. Sometimes it will be opposite.

General rules for an easy beginning are fine and a lot (very good ones) have been made already. Finally you need to learn the river, you are going to fish.

An example:
Fishing Gaula in Norway I would suggest: Clear water (no rain) = smaller fly (in the bright day time light colors) and colored water (rain) = bigger and bright colored fly (for example orange).
Then again fishing Skjern Au in Denmark: The water is always colored compared to Gaula river. But most successfull Salmon anglers there fish much smaller flies, than they would in river Gaula. That (my theory) is because of the Skern has much less current speed. In my experience a HUGE fly in slow moving water (no speed up by stripping = only downstream swing) often does not work well, but the smaller (less visible) fly often does work well instead.
We do catch very large fish on very small flies sometimes. Never mind to try a small fly.

Having written this, the (imo) most important factor in salmon fishing strategies is about the drift speed of the fly.
And here the line density and the angle of presentation as well as your choice of technique (stripping, no stripping, mending up- or downstream etc.) also comes into play.

To keep this simple: The fly may be too slow easily, but it will far less often be too fast to force the salmon take it.
Based on this cause beginners (short casts in a 90° angle in order to get the fly a bit INTO the river) sometimes catch better than "experts" (casting 45° downstream with a long cast). That is true especially when the salmons are close to the own bank!
The key for me always was: Getting to understand where the salmons are lying first. Then make a strategy how fast and in what depth I want my fly to swing over (or in front) of them at exactly that spot. Something pretty logical, which often is completely overlooked.

Alternative strategies like nymph fishing or dry fly are often overlooked, too. Especially in hot summer time, when low water will force the salmons to hide under a fast (shallow) white water, the nymph upstream can be a fantastic and (in for example Norway) rarely choosed method. Always worth a try. The downstream swing of course is the easiest way to cover all water, if you have no clue where the fish are lying.

You asked about rod length. Göran Andersson gave a great hint:
Big river (high water) and teh salmons are close to the bank. That is when you want the shorter rod to have more speed on the fly close to your own bank.
Small river (low water) and the salmons are in the middle. That is when a huge rod will do a better job in order to be able to slow down drift speed to some degree.
His experience here is based on typical Norwegian waters like Orkla (where he fished a hell lot). So this may not apply to every river of course.

In general: Huge river = long rods and small river = shorter rods...

You asked about night and/or day fishing...
Another book to answer.
It completely depends on the river AND on the time of season AND on the conditions (rain, no rain etc.).
The only thing for sure is: In many rivers you have to fish all around the clock in order to get one fish in two weeks!

Of course you have to look at the local conditions of each river besides that. Simply is different from river to river. But one thought I may offer: If the weather is cold (early season) day time often is better (more activity). If the water is hot (later in the season) night time can be best instead. Always watch the conditions and learn to think like a salmon. Key question: When will he be nervous (close to move on etc.). That is when he may indeed offer you a take.

Hope that offers you further help.
You should come over and we share fishing then.
Best
Bernd

p.s.: All that was about Atlantic salmon.

[Paul Arden]

Thanks man

14) if I catch a fish should I rest the pool or get straight back on them?

[petevicar]

14) if I catch a fish should I rest the pool or get straight back on them?

Try and get the fish out of the pool asap.
Go straight back in. I once caught 4 fish in 4 casts.

[Snake Pliskin]

Yep. Straight back at em.
Where are you fishing by the way?

[Paul Arden]

I'm not but I was on the Don. I'm fishing the Kola in August, but mostly I'm going to fish for trout. But I can see myself doing some Spring fishing on the Don next year and hopefully fishing Nova Scotia in the Fall this year.

Cheers, Paul

[Hamish]

Hi Paul,
as has already been mentioned your questions need a HUGE book to offer detailed answers.
Best
Bernd

Books are good close season reading, that much is certain IMHO.
Best thing, like anything else, is getting out there and doing it..... finding out for yourself. More than anything else in fly fishing that I've found (so far) the confident salmon fisher catches and catches often. That confidence comes from knowing the gear, casting, where to fish the fly and how to read the water.
The successful convert from river trout fisher to small river salmon fisher isn't all that hard and once casting the double hander is tamed it all falls nicely into place.

Time on the water is the key, that's the simple truth IMHO.

H