Catching and releasing a nice salmon spinning in high water. Subscriber comments only will be answered. Filmed. fished and edited by Paul Hanley. All rights reserved 2019. More information at www.salmonfishingireland2012.blogspot.com.
Lovely fish, Just started salmon fishing and i am wondering what depth should i be trying to run my lures at and what direction to cast in relation to the river? Seen plenty of salmon rising or jumping but have failed to get takes making me think i'm doing something wrong. I normally use abu tobies, flying c's and original floating 11cm rapalas but to no avail so far.
Just because there are fish jumping doesn't mean we are going to catch it just means there are fish about. The water conditions can greatly affect the fishing but usually when there is a bit of rain and fresh water on the river it excites the salmon and moves them around and thats normally the best time to hook up. Normally casting upstream and working the flying C as close to the bottom as possible will move fish, this can get them aggressive and lead to takes and hook ups. The old saying is that if you're not taking weed on your spinner you are not getting deep enough. The most important thing in salmon fishing is location, once you know where they are it's just covering them properly with the spinner or fly to get a take. The best times are definitely early morning and late evening just before last light.
How do you play a salmon. I have been fishing for brown trout and white trout all my life and catching them no problem but when it comes to a salmon I have no clue on how to play the fish. Any tips ?
The main tip is to have the right tackle for the job, don't go in there under gunned. You haven't said if it is spinning or fly that you are using. Spinning with the right tackle you can bully the fish a bit but the old saying is when it wants to run let it run and when its not running gain line.The most dangerious time in the fight is always in landing the fish.So make sure the fish is played out well and always take the fish above you facing upstream and not below you as it will use the current to pull against you. If you can beach the fish on grass or something soft as not to damage the fish, tailing it is good as you can hold it in the water for release.
I have a few a Hardy 10 ft... 10 to 50gr, a Daiwa 10ft.. 15 to 50gr and an Abu travel rod 9 ft ..10 to 35gr. Depending on water levels the daiwa and Hardy are heavy water rods and the Abu is if I just need an easy access rod when I'm fly fishing in the car boot or bank that's not in the way.
In high water the chances of taking a salmon on fly are slim due to access to certain spots, water speed and getting the fly down fast enough to cover the fish. With spinning you can cover more water with less access, can achieve better depth, cast upstream and follow the river contours better. In medium to low water the fly can be fished slower with better control and it can be held in the area longer by mending etc. To maximize your chances of catching a salmon you need to understand the area you are fishing and depth you need to achieve with your fly / spinner, then apply the right tackle. If I'm fishing a pool that's 6 ft deep in normal water the the fly is ok but if it floods and the pool is now 12 ft deep and fast then spinning is the best method.
High water and very little bank space make it impossible to fly fish plus it gets very busy with other anglers that don't or won't understand bank etiquette so you are very limited in your angling methods. Upstream spinning allows for the spinner to achieve greater depth and better tracking along the salmon lies.
Hi Doug, we fish for Atlantic salmon and don't have the amount of salmon running our rivers that you have. In some instances it's how many miles per fish not how many fish per mile. You could cover a large amount of water at this time of year and not see a fish and trust me it's very rare to snag an Atlantic salmon in high water.
I'm hoping to get down in june if all gets back to some kind of normal I was talking to noel in the tackle shop so I'm I'm hoping to get a state salmon licence down there can I ask Alan when I come down in June where would you recommend to fish a few people say the dam and fly or spin
Yes they can be caught on a fly rod but it all depends on your location and water height. If you are fishing the start of season with heavy flood water and bigger salmon then a double hand salmon rod it better suited but in summer with medium to low water and smaller salmon then a standard 6/7 or 7/8 will do well.