Top 5 Tips for a novice?

[castlikeaghille]

rpsalmon said:

Dear CLAG

Since I've already made my posting on the relevant topic, and you've already highlighted my remark concerning flexibility and adaptability etc, I suggest you go ahead and make whatever remark you already have in mind.

Based upon your previous posts, I expect it to be something of worth.

Is this your way of saying you don't know what they are?

Regards

CLaG

[acw]

sloggi said:

castlikeaghille said:

As there are, actually, three absolute rules of salmon fishing
Regards

CLaG

I know the answer 8-)

1. It's a game of two halves

2. I think, therefore I am

3. Never trust a man with a beard

4&5 Any vaguely appropriate cliche denoting hope

Never trust a man with a beard.

Why,I just shaved mine of

[castlikeaghille]

sloggi said:

castlikeaghille said:

As there are, actually, three absolute rules of salmon fishing
Regards

CLaG

I know the answer 8-)

1. It's a game of two halves

2. I think, therefore I am

3. Never trust a man with a beard

4&5 Any vaguely appropriate cliche denoting hope

:o ;D ;D

[scotview]

From personal experience, I would recommend that investing in a wading stick would be a good idea.

[salmonking]

scotview said:

From personal experience, I would recommend that investing in a wading stick would be a good idea.

Excellent advice,,,,,,why didn't i think of that one

[tyneandrew]

They get in the way too much - use your rod if you need help

[salmonking]

Ah,,,,T A,,,you can also use them to hit back at the club welding Geordie thugs ;D

[jkboy]

Always stay positive and believe you are going to get something... don't be like me and decide after half an hour of seeing nout that there's feck all in the water and you're wasting your time

Fish hard too and always fish out the cast into the side. If you can fish a water that's stuffed with fish that's also a bonus - unless they're like the kippers in the Muddy that would'ny look at feck all

Tagging along with and watching other successful fishers is another good tactic for learning the trade, but ignore the depressed guy who tells you 'there's no fish in this bloody pond'

[juststartedagain]

As my fishing time is limited, I always ensure I can fish on after the ghillie has gone (after ensuring an extended pass from the boss first )

I always set mysef a couple of challenges to achieve on the day, whether its improving casting technique or trying a new setup.

never be frightened to ask the ghillie for help or advice if you feel your something has gone to pot with your casting etc - ie you are unable to cope with a particular wind.

Fish hard

and the most important - enjoy yourself..

[billytheghillie]

you have got it spot on jsa. and remember to TIP your ghillie well.

[juststartedagain]

BTG - always!! Goes a long way...

[neptune]

i think the biggest tip that every body should follow is
when you have caught your first fish that you can take home no matter how excited you are
DO NOT rush upstairs at 3.00 in the morning to wake your wife with your exciting news waving the fish at her

[rennie]

Perhaps its easier to give some donts,then you can avoid the mistakes a lot of us make when we start:
1.Don't run round fishing everywhere like a headless chicken,stick to a few places first and get to know them and the carry on there.Right place,right time needn't cost a fortune.
2.Don't buy flies mail order,only buy what you can see or better still learn to tie yourself.
3.Don't assume the latest more expensive kit will catch you more Salmon,that money is better spent on better fishing (for now)
4.Don't fish on your own,try and find a pal or join a club,talk to people and better still watch those who catch fish.
5.Don't assume you will catch Salmon just because your Salmon fly is in the water all day,you will only gain success if you make your fly look alive(how many Salmon are caught on ledgered Salmon flies?).
Without any doubt regular access to Salmon fishing is the easiest way to improve try looking at club and association waters and learn to walk before you can run. Good luck and tight lines,Pedro.

[castlikeaghille]

Ok there are lots of excellent tips been posted. However, I did stick my neck out and say there are three absolutes any Novice should understand and the context in which they sit. I will qualify it very slightly by saying two are rules and one is a principle.


1. If there are no fish in the river you can't catch them

Oh that's obvious you say. Really, well why is it every year I hear horror stories of people who've paid good money to fish a beat or river at a time of year when quite simply there won't be any salmon there or at best a very, very, very remote possibility? Novices, research very carefully where you are going to spend your hard earned, and be particularly wary of fishing courses. I remember when one very famous "writer" started running 'autumn salmon fishing' schools on the Upper Tweed hotel (with options to fish prime Upper Private Beats) in the first week of September - I think he got away with it for two years before that con trick was shut down. If in doubt post here and ask (there are many people on here who would be delighted to give you an honest and realistic view of your prospects); be very wary of owners comments and catch statistic distribution they may not tell you the whole story, and in my experience they often deliberately don't.

2. If yer flee is not in the water ye'll nae catch nowt

It is self evident and absolute that if you ain't fishing you ain't gonna be catching. Again obvious isn't it just keep fishing 24 hours a day? Well, that would be the ultimate in persistence and true, but it is really a bit more subtle than that. I am lucky enough to fish with some seriously good fisherman and they all have one thing in common. It's not just that they fish hard generally, it's that they fish effectively all the time and remorcelessly at those times in the day that they think are best. To give you an examples of what I mean, they remove as many obstacles as possible to keeping their fly out of the water. All of them switch off their mobile phones. All are very sociable guys except when they are concentrating hard on the best part of a pool when they will not thank you to come down and have a cozy 15 minute chat. Most of them fish with more than one rod set up. They don't waste time changing flies and lines every two minutes, they simply change rod and fish something completely different. Finally, they all understand about the importance of presentation and good casting so they are not wasting 5 minutes every fourth cast sorting out tangles etc. The effect of all of this time saving is that during an average session their fly will be fishing effectively in the water far longer than most people. To novices, all I'd say is if you want to catch a lot of fish then this is something I have seen in common with all the very best fishers, but that doesn't mean you have to aspire to it if it's other things you are looking for.

3. We should never stop evolving and learning

This is an absolute because that is what happens in nature, and as Darwin noted the most successful speices are not the strongest or brightest, but those most adaptable to change. The same is true of salmon fishers. I have been genuinely gob smacked by comments that all you need to read is the old salmon fishing books 'cos it is all there and there is nothing new in salmon fishing etc etc - complete tosh. Yes you can gain insight and understanding from books written 20, 40 or even a hundred years ago. However, those books are written in the context of the attitudes, tackle, fish runs and climatic conditions of the time they were written. These factors have all changed dramatically in the thirty years I have been a salmon fisher, probably more so than in the preceding 100 years. So to novices I'd say keep looking at what is new. The more you do the easier it will become to see what is just a fad and what is a genuine change that you should embrace.

Regardeth

CLaG

[rpsalmon]

Sadly, from CLAG's previous tone, I suspected he was going to lower his standards in producing his three absolutes.

[Sloggi]

They seem fine to me

[sinkingtip]

Yo Pop-pickers ! All quality advice given back there to a man. Just like to double endorse the 'dual' post by Sloggi / Lomond re. casting lessons (you should have got the general idea). Ditto Lomonds advice to not spread yourself to thinly and get to KNOW a couple of bits of water intimately and by this I mean trying, if humanly possible, to fish a beat throughout the season and in all conditions.

A sensible alternative to simply gaining knowledge through FISHING your waters, assuming you are fortunate enough to live within an hour or two's drive away, is to VISIT the water as often as possible to LOOK and LISTEN. Usually this will cost nothing more than a courtesy phone call to the ghillie. However, be prepared on these occasions to be hit with a request from the ghillie such as "pick us up a single mock chop, 20 snouts, twa tins O' Export and a nude book" which, invariably, will result in you footing the bill. A small price to pay IMO.

My "top five" ?...........

1) Learn to tie a good turle knot. You might be fishing good water, have all the right 'kit', wetting yourself with anticipation and positively spewing confidence. If the fly is not swimming correctly your chances of connecting will diminish.

2) Try to make your last cast of the day as MEANINGFUL as your first. On a personal level, if I have achieved this then I consider myself to have had a successful day regardless of fish caught.....or not.

3) Learn to recognise "a braw flea min". Don't just look at the colours - look at the profile or silhouette - does it look 'real' or 'natural' ?. As an 'add on' to this I would suggest that you try to limit yourself to say a maximum of 5 patterns comprising tubes / waddingtons, big and wee doubles / trebles / singles and variations thereof. Why ? Because if your fly box, or boxes, contain a myriad of patterns then you run a serious risk of developing an angling affliction known as 'fly twitch' for which there is, at present, no known cure. The chances are you will spend more time worrying about your choice of pattern and wanting to change it (flea not in water). Fair enough if changing your fly will make you feel more CONFIDENT....then do it. Just try to avoid doing it every 5 minutes.

4) When the magic moment happens try to stay calm. Easier said than done - I know. PLAY your fish, don't "horse" it. Try to anticipate what its next move MIGHT be. Remember : if its a battle of strength between you and the fish, the fish will always win. After the initial furore of hooking your fish try to manoeuvre the situation where you are opposite the fish or, ideally, the fish is slightly upstream of you. Why ? They tire out more quickly. Try to avoid a situation where you are just simply holding a fish in the current 40 yds below you - why ?.... you might be standing there all day.

5) Take the trouble to learn the etiquette of fishing and field-sports generally. It can take what may seem like a lifetime to make 'good' fishing companions / connections which, once made, will last forever and be very much to your benefit BUT which can also be mercilessly ripped from you in a nano second for a variety of reasons...... some of which may SEEM remarkably trivial to you. Be warned !

Regards to all as always

STip

[hornet]

Some good advice Stip,

My top five is :

1. Stick with your fly choice and keep confident.

2. Enjoy everyday you go fishing, regardless.

3. Learn as much as you can. I personally write a diary from the
days events which i can always look back on.

4. Take a change of kecks just in case.

5. Try and fish with a buddy.

Cheers

Hornet