To hook or not to hook.....................?

[macsalmo]

That is the question

I got lucky again yesterday on the Annan. I managed to winkle one out of Cleughhead (about 6lb rtn).

The thing is I lost another 3 !! I seem to be making a habit of this (+ the one I caught, the hook fell out in the net)

Last season I had a couple of days where I hooked 4-5 fish and landed only one of them, this season has been of a similar pattern.
A couple of Saturdays ago I had 3 takes and landed 3 fish

I fish with a small loop of line about 600mm ish, when I feel a fish I let go of the loop and gently but firmly lift in to it.

Does anyone else use a similar technique or could this be the reason for my topsy turvy Salmon career?

Ps: I have tried loop doubles, ED trebles, kamasan tube trebles etc (same results)

[jock]

I have experienced some terrible days when I just could not hold onto a salmon. One day I stopped counting having failed to land any of the 15+ salmon I hooked, and I mean hooked, not just lifts or plucks. I tried everything- loop of line, off the reel, striking straight away, nothing worked.

After that day I started to tie more on singles as well as doubles and trebles. Guess what ? I landed the first two salmon when I used singles. Thought I've cracked it. Guess what? I have not cracked it - since then I have successfully lost many a salmon on singles.
Somehow I think it all down to the salmon.

I tend to fish with a loop of line, I think singles have as good(maybe an even better chance) of keeping hold as they will slide back to the scissors and implant themselves more readily there, without the risk of catching into the bonier front.

If anyone out there has landed every salmon they have hooked then please pass on your secret. Only those who have landed more than 10 salmon need reply!!!!

[williegunn]

macsalmo said:

That is the question

I fish with a small loop of line about 600mm ish, when I feel a fish I let go of the loop and gently but firmly lift in to it.

Try holding about 2 ft you will find you get on much better.

[wilbert]

Malcolm 2 foot is 600mm well 609.6mm to be precise.

I have had days were fish keep falling off after about 10 to 20 seconds and sometimes at the net and others where the fish are very well hooked and are never getting off. I fish off the reel as when I used to fish with a loop I had a tendency to strike as if I were trout fishing. i am convinced its down to how the fish actually takes and not just how / when you lift. What I need is to be able to put this theory into practice by catching a fish a day instead of a fish every 6th or 7th day

[hadrian]

Hi Gary,I always fish off the reel with a firmish drag when on a sinking line or sinking tip,I think the slack between the rod tip and the water+the droop under the water is enough to allow the fish to turn and hook itself against a firmish reel drag.Once the weight of the fish is there I lift slowly and try to adjust the drag accordingly to play the fish.On a full floater I either keep a loop with very little droop from rod tip to water or have no loop but keep a high rod tip forming a bigger droop,I take flow and depth into account as well.I have found it to be a very successful way for me,all but one stuck last year,all have stuck this year.Its getting the buggers to take in the first place thats puzzling me at the moment.

Tony.

[macsalmo]

Im an imperial man myself Malcolm, that was for the younger members ;D

[macsalmo]

Hi Tony, good feed back there mate, get yourself a day on the annan if you can this week, its a cracking fly height and there are plenty of fish now well spread out I believe.

Cheers,

Gary

[jock]

I'm also an imperial man...........Pint please ;D

[macsalmo]

Will a half do Jock, its costing me to bl**dy much on the lower Annan

15 lost in a day, you must have been gutted. Its nice to know your fishing the right method when their taking but thats just taking the Michael!!

Gary

[tynespeycaster]

I always fish off the reel, could never trust myself with holding the loop!
Doesn't seem to matter on the angle of the rod etc but always drop the rod to the bank side when they take coming on to the dangle, that helps, sometimes, they either stick or don't!
One query, what do you guys do when stripping shrimps, sunray shadows or collies?
Do you give line at the take or just hang on?
My experiences have indicated that 99% of fish taken stripping stay on as they seem to gulp the fly and are hooked deeply, so no need to give line.
Problem is a deeply hooked fish tends to be a bleeder, not good on the Tyne before June 16th or if you want to C&R
Willie Gunn may have experienced this, being a convert to the stripped flee

[williegunn]

I have been known to strip a Collie or 2. Out of the 15 or so taken on this method in the Spring only one was deeply hooked and had to be dispatched. It was a strange take, I think the salmon hit the fly between pulls, the fly was slowing and the fish misjudged it speed.
Usually it is like catching the front of an express train, you have no option but just hold on to the rod for dear life.

[tynespeycaster]

Usually it is like catching the front of an express train, you have no option but just hold on to the rod for dear life.

Malcolm, exciting fishing, no wonder you have converted

It's surprising it works so well in the spring when the fish aren't believed to move that quick or far to the fly.

We tend to strip faster as the water warms, on the Tyne, which usually carries more colour than the Spey, you can often see the bow wave of the fish following for quite a distance and if it takes, everthing just goes solid and as you say, hang on!

Magic fishing but not good for the old ticker

[jock]

This year I have landed everything with one exception.....my day on the Ridge Pool. This year I only lost 3 of the fish I hooked on that pool.

Now I always lift and hit the fish hard, often more than once to set the hook and as I regularly sharpen and check my hooks I do land a high percentage of those fish hooked. However, there has never been a year on the Ridge Pool when I have not lost fish that were hooked. More fish are lost on that pool than are ever landed. I'm not talking about plucks or gentle lifts I'm referring to fish hooked and on. Maybe it's because most are fresh on the tide and they take differently or still have very soft mouths but my conversion rate on that pool is terrible.

[storlaks]

Here's my 2p worth....... I agree about applying sustained pressure...definately, but as soon as you bring the rod spring into play (i.e. lifting the rod) you are reducing the pressure applied to the hook and therefore it will not penetrate as well. If however you leave your rod tip down and apply direct pressure without the rod leverage, then the pressure applied is much greater.

Try both methods with a hard bar of soap or something similar, simulating how a salmon would take. The results are different and as soon as the rod is bent the pressure applied reduces and your hook will not penetrate as well or as easy.

So if I get a take I let the fish take a yard from the reel (a loop works as well) and then I tighten, holding the line with my fingers and the rod tip down until I get the full weight of the fish, then I left into him. As with salmon fishing you don't get them all, but I feel confident that the hooks are going in somewhere in it's mouth. If the fish gets off, it does so during the first few seconds. This is important when fishing a longline (especially sunk/intermediate) where you have a belly in the line during the swing. Lifting the rod using a sinker with a belly in your line before you have set the hooks isn't going to set them very easily, if at all. Fishing with a short line you are already more direct with the fish when it takes so it's less critical.

It took me a while to work this out but it does make sense.
Before I was converted I lost a lot of fish, especially during springtime or late Autumn when using sinkers.

I still lose them, more so on floaters but nowhere near as much. Landed all I hooked this year in Sprintime. ;D

It works for me.

[macd]

All I can add is that I give the fish f-all. I let him cook for a second, rod low, then lift into him.

[macsalmo]

Cheers for the feedback lads, there are some cracking methods there to try. I especially like the last two I probably wont hook another fish now after all this info

Gary

[macsalmo]

1066, thanks for the hook sharpening tip, my sharpening stone landed today

Hope it works

Gary

[peter]

Hi in the last 2 trips i have hooked 3 fish and landed 2 ,the fish i lost was very small and coloured it leapt 3ft in the air no more than 20ft in front of me and threw the size 10 double the other 2 sort of hooked themselves the 1st hard the 2nd felt like a leaf or weed i lifted and he was on this was on the upper tweed

[hadrian]

I'm still relatively inexperienced, salmon fishing wise anyway,Ive been very lucky by all accounts this season,honestly,I havnt lost a fish,(Im sure thats all going to change now)this season.This isnt down to anything special,its down to luck,the law of averages and everything else that doesnt involve skill or knowhow.On most of the takes I have had,although fishing in a style taught/practiced,for a split second,I have panicked,sh** my pants,only briefly,but sh** them nevertheless.Amazingly the fish have been well hooked on most occasions,on other occasions the hook has come out in the net.In my opinion,as long as you get the basics right,the rest is in the lap of the Gods,once the weight of the fish is there you lift and prey.

Hadrian

[macsalmo]

Just like to thank you fellows for the advice.
I fished the Lune below Kirkby Lonsdale yesterday (ignore the camera date. I must alter it)

I hooked two fish and landed them both Sharp hooks and hung on for dear life for a couple of seconds

Both fish were coloured the one below is about 6-7lb and the other was a hen of 32" (about 12-13lb) I think. Pic to follow.
I thought I'd show this pic as, for a coloured fish it was a real good looker (not like its captor )