salmon in the night

[edenman]

what is the most you have caught in a single night fishing for sea trout. i once hooked 4 in 5 casts landed 2 8lbs each and the over cast got a herling it must of got in front of another salmon

[elwyman]

I think I once hooked and lost a salmon at first light, but I've never caught one at night.

Did you catch them in the dark, or at dusk/dawn?

[hornet]

Never done a nightshift on the river seems hard enough during day light hours .

Apart from being ultra quiet what other needs are required when fishing at night.

Hornet

[salmoseeker]

Got a grilse on the Tay years ago fishing for trout and a bat on the dropper! Was almost dark July about 11pm, Cargill (a favourite haunt then). Naturally the grilse was carefully returned. As I remember it was a very bonny fish, 6 pound and liced

[edenman]

caught in the dark 2.30am

[kercock]

I've caught grilse a couple of times,fishing for sea-trout on the South Esk at dark o'clock.

[davewallbridge]

I have had a few on the Dyfi.

Chatting to others, it seems quite a few are hooked each year during night sessions.

Dave.

[elwyman]

edenman said:

what is the most you have caught in a single night fishing for sea trout. i once hooked 4 in 5 casts landed 2 8lbs each and the over cast got a herling it must of got in front of another salmon

Now you mention it, I think I've heard it said before that Eden salmon can be caught at night - was it on the Eden?

[edenman]

yes it was on the eden.

[elwyman]

And do you hook salmon at night fairly often, or was it just a one off?

Re my last post - I was probably thinking about big brown trout being caught on the Eden using moths/skating flies, not salmon.

[edenman]

with the sea trout fishing that poor dont fish a lot at night now. had my fair share in the past

[DAZ]

I would say 90% of my Salmon are taken at night.

I am predominately a Seatrout angler,and if I am honest with you, the Salmon come in a close second.I take a fair few salmon each year at night,admittedly while targeting Seatrout,but on occasions when there is allot of salmon activity I will actually target them with fairly good results.
I believe they act very similar to a seatrout at night and become more confident under the cover of darkness,there is no messing about,and the takes are usually solid.On a few occasions the fish have been very deeply hooked and the fly almost out of sight in the back of the throat.
I think there are allot more people out there who actually target them at night,but choose to keep it to themselves.

Here are a couple of pics from last season.




DAZ.

[salmoseeker]

Nice fish and a great post - what do these fish fall for?

[salmonking]

I have caught two salmon after dark,and many more just before last light.
Cracking fish Daz.

[edenman]

that night i got 2 salmon lost 2 4 sea trout and 12 herling all on the dropper size 4 mallard and claret double.

[elwyman]

edenman said:

that night i got 2 salmon lost 2 4 sea trout and 12 herling all on the dropper size 4 mallard and claret double.

Some night then!

[edenman]

it was first night of fishing because it had been closed for foot and mouth 2 of us fished that night . midnight start other fella caught nowt

[DAZ]

Salmonseeker..Salmonking...Cheers guys.

salmoseeker said:

Nice fish and a great post - what do these fish fall for?

Salmonseeker.
In normal flows and clear water There is only two flies I ever reach for,and that is nothing more than a Hair Wing Butcher.Usually tied on a 10 or 12 Double,and a Stoats Tail variant.
The Butcher as accounted for more Salmon in the night for me and my friends,than any other fly I know of.

When the water is up a bit and carrying a little colour,again there is probably only two patterns I reach for,and by far and away the most successful is a 1 1/2" to 2"inch Blue & Silver Tube.The other is a Black & Yellow pattern tied on the same size Tube.
I could post a couple of pics if you like?should I post them here? or on the flies page?

Going back to the main question on catching Salmon at night.
One of my friends doesn't seem to catch anything else at night while targeting Seatrout,and it as become a bit of a joke between myself and the rest of the lads.What ever River he fishes,he always seems to catch a Salmon He as actually caught (and the only one I know off) a few Salmon on the Surface Lure at Night

DAZ.

[sagecaster]

In one June week of Summer fishing our party caught 9 Salmon(not grilse), 5 were caught in the black dark(as black as it gets in June). We have gone on through the years and caught odd fish at night since then.

However we now fish the same beat in July and have never repeated this phenomina.