Salmon Fisher Individuality

By Jock Monteith 18th December 2022

After a good healthy fresh air day out on a Scottish salmon river 5 o'clock always brings about a 'deep felt' sense of satisfaction whether your memory banks and phone camera are full of salmon shots or not! This sense of satisfaction should be felt by all types of salmon fishers at the end of their day if they've put in a reasonable shift.

Understanding Scottish Salmon Fishers

Success in Scottish salmon fishing has never truly been guaranteed and even the most prolific of salmon beats can be tough going for cooperating salmon on any fishing day of the salmon fishing season. So what are you actually buying into if guarantees cannot be given. They say 'different strokes for different folks' so here's a few differing angles of salmon fishing participant attraction to consider to see which category of salmon fisher you fit into. You may very well find that you fit into more than just one!

The True Escapism Salmon Fisher

For many Scottish salmon fishers the sheer excitement of getting out into a fascinating 'alive' & beautiful natural arena that's steeped in fishing history and casting their fly down through famous salmon pools is a big enough attraction in itself. Modern day society and the weekly stresses that accompany that 'more mental less physical' lifestyle has made many of us feel the need to 'bolt for cover' with our salmon rod when any opportunity arises. It is the excitement of getting away that so many of us crave and that buzz can easily interfere with a night's sleep before the fishing day finally arrives!

The Salmon Encounter Adrenalin Addict

Many anglers whether they care to admit it or not are completely addicted to the physical beauty and sheer adrenalin buzz that goes hand in hand with the capture of a perfect salmon. These are the guys who are difficult to get off the water at lunchtime or at 5pm as the mere thought of one last cast becomes far too irresistible on the 'off chance' a salmon takes which can sometimes happen. There's little that beats getting a good look at a 'sparkling' fresh run salmon immediately following the adrenalin induced exhilaration of battle. They are not only the best looking fish of all but have a truly intriguing oceanic migrational life cycle.

The True Salmon Fisher Socialite

For many salmon anglers the real attraction is the camaraderie that's experienced on the Scottish rivers which is a truly brilliant interaction between fellow anglers and the professional salmon beat ghillies of Scotland. This is high level of interaction usually always accompanied by sharp witty and often hilarious banter that blends in well with the sheer excitement of the river like adding salt and vinegar to a good fish supper! Over the years I've been fortunate to experience some amazing fishing hut 'lock ins' that would have been blockbusters had they been played live on the big screen!

The Salmon Fishing Perfectionist

This category of salmon angler is much more plentiful these days due to the exploding salmon fishing tackle industry. These guys are completely self confessed 'tackle tarts' and the acquisition of new and often very expensive salmon fishing equipment and massive selections of perfect salmon flies keeps their dream alive from one river visit to another. The sheer buzz from the purchase of kit where the perfectionist is already playing a salmon on the river as they're handing over their credit card shows you exactly how potent the power of the Scottish salmon rivers truly is and how this mind game of 'keepy uppy' works in salmon fishing!

The True Salmon Fishing Expert

This breed of salmon fisher is fairly rare but they most certainly do exist. You'll maybe glance over at that ragged old fly they've just tied on at arrival at the river and have 'clocked' their old battered Bruce & Walker Spey actioned rod and dismissed him as an average Joe until he appears back at the fishing hut at lunchtime having landed the only 2 fish of the morning! Watch these guys like a hawk if you want to really learn how to make salmon open their mouths as these chaps are 100% tuned into the sub surface side of salmon fishing and exactly how close they can position their fly near the likely salmon holding areas with the optimal pace and depth of fly to match the prevailing water conditions.

Mixed Salmon Fisher Personalities

These are a few of the different types of character personalities that show up on the riverbanks of Scotland that make this 'people business' so fascinating in addition to the chance of the often 'elusive' quarry we seek. There's much more attraction in Scottish salmon fishing than just putting a fish in the landing net as at best that will only ever happen 5% of the time spent on the riverbank. Salmon fishing in Scotland has such amazing history paired with captivating riverbank scenery so enjoy the camaraderie and natural excitement that pulls you to the refuge of the river. Often it's when your mind has drifted far away from the true task in hand that our Salmon God will give you the nudge!