Deadly fly or finding the fish

[Neldricken37 0]

I,ve been tying salmon flies for a couple of seasons now and have since relocated to the banks of the tyne from thebanks of the river doon( west of scotland).i know that you must learn to know your river first before you can begin to properly fish the run,s and lyes and where to position yourself to cast across the river. as i look forward to a new season on the river south tyne.i,ve watched experienced salmon fisherman catch good fish with silver tubes sparsely dressed.since i,ve started tying i,ve put a lot into the tying and the look of my flies and tubes,i look in myboxes and feel confident in my tying and my ability to catch.my casting ability is not long distance wise,i get my fly to work and produce the goods,but,i watch guys try to reach the other side of the river casting and casting and casting with more often than not nothing to show for there days work,my question is.is it better to know the resting place of fish,know your river,or is it more productive to cover as much water as possible.i was brought upfishing the hill lochs of western scotland and only ever fished with spinner,worm or bubble and flie.all methods very productive,i never bothered much with flyfishing till about 4 years ago and now i wouldnt go back to the spinning rod,i remember an old fella on the spey telling me one on the fly is worth ten on the spinner.

[TitanFlies 0]

What's wrong with both? I think knowing where the fish are and having a deadly fly make for a good day of fishing...

[Flyman416 0]

I think you should use the deadly fly and study your river, and with time, youll know where the fish are becuase everytime you go there without knowing where the fish or the best spot to fish its like going there for the first time... Again and again. Brain over brawn

[Markbob 0]

While some may be reluctant to admit it, the majority of the beauty of our flies is for us, not the fish. yeah, there are times when the fly has to be just right for the day, weather, water whatever but knowing how to properly present a fly to the fish means knowing where they are, how they are acting what their primary food source is and so forth. This may be different from one body of water to the next. I feel that most the time if you present a passable food item in front of a hungry fish in a manner that allows the fish to believe that the fly is actually food then you will probably get the strike.

[FrequentTyer 0]

While some may be reluctant to admit it, the majority of the beauty of our flies is for us, not the fish. yeah, there are times when the fly has to be just right for the day, weather, water whatever but knowing how to properly present a fly to the fish means knowing where they are, how they are acting what their primary food source is and so forth. This may be different from one body of water to the next. I feel that most the time if you present a passable food item in front of a hungry fish in a manner that allows the fish to believe that the fly is actually food then you will probably get the strike.

 

A read a quote I really like and can't remember the source. It was "if it is small, dark, and unattached, they will eat it." But we have all had the experience of fish ignoring one fly and taking another. I think the fisherman himself brings a lot to the "killer fly." Two people fishing the same fly in the same water with the same level of skill may have very different results simply because one had more confidence in the pattern. Sure fish can be seen mouthing twigs, leaves, and cigarette butts, but I don't think I would ever be able to catch a fish on a pattern mimicking one of these items no matter how realistically I tied it. So while I agree with you that we tie flys more for ourselves than the fish, I think the care we take in tying that increases our confidence in the fly.

Obviously you need to know where the fish are and have some idea of what they are likely to eat. But a reasonable pattern that you believe is a "killer" will be more productive in your hands.

[Neldricken37 0]

Some very interesting replys to my post,i agree that we do tie flies for ourselves but it is satisfying to open your fly box knowing that you have put work,thought,and time into each piece you present in front of the fish,i also agree with the theory of putting faith into a particular pattern for a particular river.i know a friend of mine only fishes with one particular pattern and sticks to it with devestating results over a season,'the posh tosh' ,even outfishng some guys on the spinner.this pattern has even took fish for this guy on the gaula in norway,also the dee in scotland and the mighty spey.i have some very good patterns tied on size 7 single salar hooks which i wish to add to my profile,cheers for the replys guys.always learning.

[Laxi 0]

When it comes to salmon fishing I believe presentation is everything! If you know the river very well I believe you can catch fish on almost any fly! Of course it does matter whether you use a big tube or a small #14, but I don't think it matters much what kind of a tube fly you use if you present it right to the salmon. But hey, it wouldn't be any fun if we knew the big secret

[tidewaterfly 0]

I've never fished for salmon, but I believe in general, all fishing, for most species has many similarities. I agree with what most have said about presentation of the fly, and that sometimes a particular fly pattern will be better than others at any given time. I'm not convinced, based on the experiences I've had, that there will always be a single fly, that is better than all others, but rather it's more likely there may be a variety of flies that might be equally effective.

 

However, in your example, citing the fellows making the very long casts without success, I would say it won't matter what fly they use. Very long casts are sometimes needed, but in most situations, the longer the cast, the more difficult the line is to control, and subsequently the fly. If you can't control what the flies doing, how can you know you're getting it where it needs to be, in front of the fish? Sure, an angler can get lucky sometimes with very long casts, but that's not how most of us want to catch fish, just by being lucky. The percentages are against you!

 

Knowing the water, and getting yourself into a position to make casts that you can control, and into a likely spot that may hold fish, should yield better results, than just attempting to cast as far as you can. The majority of the fish I've caught on flies over the years, have been within 50 ft of my position, and most within 35ft. Beyond that range, and especially in moving water, the success rate diminishes.

 

If I'm confident I can get my fly, with proper control, to where I think the fish may be, and cannot get a take, then I can make a better determination of whether or not I should change flies. Otherwise, it's all just casting practice!

[Fly Fishing Russia 0]

However, in your example, citing the fellows making the very long casts without success, I would say it won't matter what fly they use. Very long casts are sometimes needed, but in most situations, the longer the cast, the more difficult the line is to control, and subsequently the fly. If you can't control what the flies doing, how can you know you're getting it where it needs to be, in front of the fish? Sure, an angler can get lucky sometimes with very long casts, but that's not how most of us want to catch fish, just by being lucky. The percentages are against you!

 

One of the best casters I know is not catching the fish too often. I have seen him come to the river, wade out, and make a beautiful cast right to the opposite bank... At that pool I would stop 10' from the water and cast exactly to the point where he was standing...

[JSzymczyk 0]

 

 

One of the best casters I know is not catching the fish too often. I have seen him come to the river, wade out, and make a beautiful cast right to the opposite bank... At that pool I would stop 10' from the water and cast exactly to the point where he was standing...

 

That, my friend, is absolutely CORRECT!