Salmon Fishing Fiction
By Jock Monteith 13th May 2023
Never let anyone 'contaminate' your salmon fishing well by misinforming you that bright light river days are a waste of time. Many of my most memorable salmon fishing days have been ones where the light conditions were brighter than a big bag of bright things!
Your Sparkling 'Alive' Salmon Fly In Bright Light
That complete bright light nonsense would probably have been started by an inexperienced angler who's mind's needle 'naturally' tilts to the negative side of the dial and who also likely had zero grasp of the necessary sub surface techniques for the various seasons of the year. Ignore that bright light rubbish if you ever hear it and keep well away from these types as their negativity could jump ship and contaminate you too! Staying positive and embracing all salmon salmon fishing conditions is the key & 'challenge' of success. Your salmon fly will never look as good in the water as it will on a bright light day and if we're seeing that difference I'll guarantee you the 'underworld' will be seeing it the same way!
Salmon Fishing Tactical Versatility
Having the versatility of thought to change and adjust your tactics beats the typical 'one dimensional' salmon fisher's approach all day long. If the salmon are lying deep then go deep after them. If the water is cold fish a slower fly and if salmon are not reacting to a big fly give them a 'sniff' of a small fly. There's an additional buzz involved in the capture of an older resident fish that's completely ignored a barrage of offerings when you come in at the back of fly fishers who've tried their best and you nail that old resident (that's been showing but not taking) with your first educated swing through the pool.
15ft Type 3 Braided Core Fly Line Sink Tip Assassin
I recall one such experience on the middle Tay where I couldn't get onto the best pool with a guest until the afternoon on a very bright light day due to a squad of 'herons' that had their hand brakes jammed on for the entire morning (and the first half of the afternoon) before the head ghillie kindly cleared the runway for a proper 'tactical' attempt. This September bright light low water day saw 2 salmon hooked by myself & the beat's head ghillie on controlled long distance heavy sink tip presentation that the salmon were definitely 'not' expecting having been totally conditioned by the 'herons' to expect only to see flies and lures swimming high above them and no where near their noses!
Salmon Fishing Is Not Rocket Science
I know I keep repeating myself but excuse me as it's just my style of brain washing but to be 'consistently' successful in salmon fishing you need to be focussing at all times on what's going on under the waterline so stop looking at you're beautiful fly reel and the amazing scenery and become a salmon antagonist specialist! Next time you're out salmon fishing try to get into this mindset as it will completely change the way you look at a river. Start trying to visualise the shape, depth & contours of a salmon pool under the waterline and exactly where in the water column salmon are likely to be holding before targeting those suspicions with clinical 'sub surface' tactical precision!