First Salmon

[The-Real-FlyBri]

Well, in a weekend where Pond321 and I were supposed to go to Wales, were rained off, then intended to go to Devon (Tamar), and were blown out by the wind, and eventually landed in Northumberland late on Friday afternoon, I think you can say that everything turned out for the best in the end.

We fished the Coquet (not Crocket Jon) and the North Tyne.

Friday evening say us catch a few brownies fishing wee doubles and wets down and across the peaty waters of the Crocket - sorry, Coquet. After a nice meal and a few beers, we sat at some riffles and proceeded to decimate quite a bit of wine and malt whilst watching large migratory fish run the riffles, we eventually staggered out to fish for sea trout. I won't bore you with the ins and outs, but they say that if you're not losing flies in the trees then you're not trying hard enough with sea trout fishing. I lost my rod's tip section, a good portion of my 8wt fly line and gave my mobile phone a wee swim. I was REALLY trying... Needless to say, we blanked.

In the morning we drove down to the North Tyne and fished with the 15fters and after I lost a fish through blatant hungover stupidity (I was having one of Morgan's patented 'hot-face-hangovers'), I connected with a good sized salmon and somehow with Jon's help managed to land it!
Although I've caught a kelt before this is my first 'fish' and to say I was chuffed to bits is an understatement.

See the photos below - Jon will post the rather amusing photo of the fish trying to escape it's grinning captor I'm sure

The salmon in my barely capable sea trout net:




Here's the beauty which was estimated by the ghillie at around 15lbish (from the photos - he wasn't there)







And here he goes getting his breath back (both of us):





Cheers

Bri

[williegunn]

Well done the first is always the most difficult

[macsalmo]

Well done FlyBri,
The first of many for you

What a cracking first Salmon.

[robmason]

Good stuff, well done. Which beat did you catch it on?

[elwyman]

Well done, nice fish - looks like you need to but a bigger net! ;D

[Fruin]

Well done. I wish you many more successful trips.

[gavan]

well done flybri,
great pictures, and a super fish...
glad you mentioned the net, i use one like that for trout, and my nephew laugh's at it.
don't know how you got the fish in it........well done..........................gavan...........

[exerod]

Well done and a super first fish. Nice to see an angler who doesn't grow long arms towards the camera! Or were you just terrified it might get away?

Andy

[juniorspey]

well done, cracking fish...if they were all that good...................

[macd]

Well done, cracker of a fish.

Ross

[johnmac]

well done! a beauty....... and the first of many for you i hope! John.

[The-Real-FlyBri]

Many thanks chaps - yes - hooked well and truly I am now!

The fish was caught on the North Tyne and we only managed a few brownies on the Coquet although she was looking fine and we did see fish running the river (although they could have been sea trout...)

As for not shoving the fish towards the camera - I'll post a photo tomorrow which shows what happened when I first picked up the fish - nearly jumped back in the river!

The other funny thing about this experience is that I did the opposite of what I expected to do when I realised I had a good fish on - I almost 'bullied it in' - if one can bully a salmon.

When I ever hook a sea trout I have a tendency to take it easy on the fish in the fear of losing it by playing it too hard. With the salmon, I was so scared of the hook coming out or him running down into the junction pool below, that I tightened up the Lamson's drag to an almost unfair degree and really gave it some stick. As Jon said - although the fish had had a few runs and was really pulling some, we both thought that it hadn't really woken up yet and I managed to get it into the net in less than 10 mins - probably nearly 5...

As someone once said - you don't really enjoy catching your first salmon at the time because you're so scared of losing it - but when it's in the net... what a grin I had... didn't stop shaking for 30mins afterwards!

Bri

[Tyne Angler]

Well done Bri. I take it you will be heading back to the Tyne again.

[The-Real-FlyBri]

You've got a PM

Bri

[exerod]

therealflybri said:

As someone once said - you don't really enjoy catching your first salmon at the time because you're so scared of losing it - but when it's in the net... what a grin I had... didn't stop shaking for 30mins afterwards!

Bri

I've had just over a hundred now (no not this season!) and I'm still terrified every time I hook one, its great ;D

Have you managed to sleep properly yet or do you find every time you shut your eyes you get a bloody great pull on the line!

Andy

[robmason]

Bri, just out of interest what beat was it? Looks familiar.

[The-Real-FlyBri]

you have a pm Rob

[tynetraveller]

What a great first salmon, so congratulations and well done for having the balls to give it some welly too! I took longer than that to land my first grilse.

I must confess to being slightly intrigued by your reluctance to name the beat, as I am 99% sure that it is well known day ticket water, but I will respect your secrets!

Congrats on a cracking fish.

Simon

[tyneandrew]

its an average beat on the south tyne.

[tynetraveller]

Steady now Alan, if he doesn't want to say that is his right- besides I don't think he has stumbled onto some previously undiscovered hidden gem!

Andrew- South Tyne? it says it was caught on the North Tyne in the post, and the pic certainly looks like the run in to a junction with one of its major tributaries, right?