Salmon Fishing Forum: Your Thoughts

[splash]

I thought it would be an idea to start a thread reflecting upon the forum and what it brings to members along with some observations and a request for suggestions on how we can perhaps improve things in the future. I know there was a poll on the forum a while ago but what I was really trying to do here was to here about some of the benefits people have obtained by being members and perhaps look at how to make the forum even better in the future. My personal view is that despite the odd thread which loses its way and the occasional bit of argy bargy (often on posts after 9pm when perhaps a small libation or two may have been taken on board : is that we as forum members should congratulate the Forum Moderators/Administrators for the overall tenet of the threads and posts. You can post on very technical subjects and issues relating to fishing and casting as well as related topics such as conservation issues but ,in general, the tone remains relatively lighthearted and an underlying sense of humor typically prevails.

As to the benefits of being a forum member, I joined the forum in early March and some of these have been fantastic including:

Meeting and fishing with Zephead and Donnie W for the first time and fishing with them on the Dee, Lochy and Tummel

Being offered free fishing on the Tweed by Stoater (it was rained off )

Having my broken guideline rod which was sitting in a cupboard because the local tackle shops wouldn’t touch it, repaired beautifully by Silver Stoat

Joining up with RobMason’s forum crew to fish the Tweed in November

Getting a forum members discount from our on-line tackle dealers

Collie dog and I meeting Woburn at Lunch in the Crathie Hut in May and finding out that we were all forum members

Not to mention the day to day mixture of banter, humour, advice, and debate plus the off-line advice from members on specific topics and opportunities to participate in events such as the casting schools organised by Springer

I’ve not too many suggestions on how to improve things but one obvious thing would be around how to engage the number of Lurker’s out there which seem to be large. Recent posts to the forum have been very welcoming to new members , eg the Craigindinnie post today, and it seems that the number of new members out there seems to have grown substantially over the past few weeks. However, it would be good if other forum members could comment on these issues and make suggestions as to how the forum could look in future
cheers
Splash

[Yorkshire Esk]

Personally I get alot of enjoyment out of reading people's post on there fishing.
I have also gain alot of useful tips that people have willing volunteered of their experiences.
This forum I believe is one of if not the best that there currently is. There is always going to be people who disagree with others comments, but that is a fact of life not everyone agrees with each other.
What else would you do on a cold rainy day sat? Me personally I always log on to the forum just to see what others have been doing.
I am not one of the fortunate ones to be able to go out fishing everyday or week, but it is always nice to see and hear from others that are fortunate enough to be able to go and do a sport which they enjoy and of which I enjoy doing too.
I do agree there are far too many lurkers on the site, but how can this be changed? I guess the only way is if they don't contribute in some way or other then they should not be allowed to view posts that forum members have posted.

Keep up the good work guys.

[jock]

My thoughts: the most important thing is that "lurkers, newbies, guests, regulars" whatever, are not put off asking their question or expressing their opinion. We provide info. again and again, even if it is in the archives. That anglers see this as a friendly, genuinely helpful forum, which from time to time has its spats, goes off at tangents etc. So far we have avoided meltdown and that is much to the credit of the regular contributors.

The forum has grown a lot since I first joined and I don't contribute as much as I once did, mainly because the advice or opinion I have has already been articulated by others. I do enjoy my regular visits and enjoy seeing good advice given to those who wish it, the reports of fishing forays, the friendly banter and the info about various beats and rivers.

Sometimes members get too serious, but that is part of life and it is up to us all to moderate and say when things are getting out of hand. My one bit of advice to avoid conflict.........we have ;D :'(use them

[Yorkshire Esk]

My week on the Till at Tiptoe was something of an anti-climax. The whole Tweed system has been blessed with the best runs of sea-trout for several years, so I was mystified on arrival to see the sum Total of seatrout so far this year standing at 3! Yes, 03! The neighbouring beats that i know of and fish (Ford and Etal, Doddington/Fenton area) have been really doing well with a significant amount of big seatrout too.
Then I discovered why. Tiptoe is an outstandingly beautiful valley beat, with the potential to be possibly the premier Till stretch. But the banks are so unkept and overgrown as to make fishing impossible over 90% of it's length. Tragic. Having spent a day swishing and slashing with my wading stick, I managed to approach two pools closely enough to have a cast.
Over the 3 days I felt up to getting stung, speycasting with a single-hander etc., I landed 2 2-3lb seatrout and lost several more. So they were there, as shown by a friend who day-fished the Ford/Etal water for 2 days at the same time. He had Salmon of 11, 10 and 8lbs, plus 7 seatrout with 3 over 7lb each.
All was not lost though, as thanks to the wonders of the internet I was able to book a day on one of the main Tweed beats- for £30, including the most amusing and hard-rowing Boatman ever! - and I landed 2 brand new salmon of 11 and 12lb, on the lower River near Coldstream. The Rod sharing the beat also had sport, with a 10lb salmon and seatrout of 5 and 7lb. The Cascade seemed the fly of the day.
I then fished Friday on Boleside, reckoning upriver would be the place to be. Wrong! Nigel Fell the gillie said they are only taking the very odd fish, always brand new, which seems to be the picture all over. The constant high water has not encouraged fish to become "resident", thereby encouraging others to take station alongside them. At least we have a truly clean river now, odd for now. My fear is that if we now get a dry spell, the pools on the tribs where all these fish have run to, may become vulnerable to predation, human and otherwise


This is what I think is so brilliant about this forum, that we can get the odd post like this one which has every gripped. Well done Stoater. (Tim)

It is a shame that alot more can't put posts like this on.

[jkboy]

I think the forum is top quality - loads of stories, tactics, pictures and stuff to pass the long hours in the library. I like to hear of peole catching fish and seeing pictures etc coz for me that's the next best thing to catching one myself.

Also, the posts of other people's success have given me encouragement to finally venture away from the Isla/Ericht and try new waters. For example, having read of Donnie W's success a couple of weeks ago I decided to have a day trip to Portnacraig which was a nice change and I even saw a heap of fish for a change; still couldn't catch the buggers though.

For me the forum is great; fair enough there may be dry spells where there's not much happening, but hey, that's just like salmon fishing at times.

[donnieW]

The forum has certainly broadened my horizons. Thanks largely to forum members I've fished heaps of new rivers/beats and it's amazing how often you bump into members purely by chance. It's reassuring to know that if you're planning to fish a new beat, someone out there will give you the information you want. (Fishscotland has it's uses but no beat will ever tell you the bad points.........)
The line pool is an excellent idea but was nearly the death of me! After all the reviews about the Monteith multitip I went and bought one. The transaction took place round the back of the (hideous) Newtyle hut, away from prying eyes, no packages arriving in the post, etc. A few weeks later my birthday came around and Mrs W asked if I would like "that line you were on about" (I considered taking it and selling it on for £100!!!)
Bullshat my way out of it, but a close call.
The lurkers will post when they want to - are they doing any harm just reading what others write?
Finally, It would be good to see more days organized where forum members take a whole beat or several rods for a day. I know it can be a gamble and to be honest I had no interest in the day at Newtyle but I'm glad I went. (Thanks ZH for the freebie ;D). No fish caught but terrific banter and loads of bullshit talked.

[splash]

donniewhiteford said:

A few weeks later my birthday came around and Mrs W asked if I would like "that line you were on about" (I considered taking it and selling it on for £100!!!)
Bullshat my way out of it, but a close call.

Donnie, you should have said that on reflection it was a new reel that you really needed, not a line after all.... ;D

[splash]

splash said:

donniewhiteford said:

A few weeks later my birthday came around and Mrs W asked if I would like "that line you were on about" (I considered taking it and selling it on for £100!!!)
Bullshat my way out of it, but a close call.

Donnie, you should have said that on reflection it was a new reel that you really needed, not a line after all.... ;D

Thinking about this further, we must all have stories of this nature where we have tried to get one over on our better halves after surreptitiously buying a new piece of gear. Mine came during my impoverished trout fishing days. Bought a Drennan Light Line rod and stashed it away in the fishing cupboard thinking Mrs Splash would be no wiser - big mistake . It was a 10ft 2 piece and the first rod ever to come in a triangular tube. Mrs S spotted it within 2 nanoseconds of opening the cupboard door and a bollocking was handed out which of course was double the one I would have received due to the fact that I tried to hide it, cover up, dishonest etc etc Can't try this with my Le Cie's though as that fluorescent orange tube stands out a mile - Guideline obviously didn't envisaged that their customer base would be making a purchase under the circumstances outlined above

cheers

Splash

[donnieW]

The worst aspect of the line pool was when I was genuinely trying out a couple of lines and she refused point blank to believe that they were on loan! You can't win with them.

[splash]

donniewhiteford said:

The worst aspect of the line pool was when I was genuinely trying out a couple of lines and she refused point blank to believe that they were on loan! You can't win with them.

Fantastic - we should supply Springer with some "Line on loan only to be returned by.... " stickers to put on the front of the envelopes the lines are dispatched in I don't know why but my wife knows that all these Carron and multi system lines cost "at least £20 each"

[fishingpip]

Hi, as an avid reader of the forum ( every evening so my wife says ) it would not be possible to purchase some of the hints and tips members provide, not to mention various opinions and relevant topics on all aspects of salmon fishing. Living in Notts. it's a bit like no mans land from a salmon fishing point of view, I dont get to salmon fish often, but i do get to read all about it through the forum. Had i been more experienced, i would be able to contribute more and get rid of the lurker label. So carry on the good work, sure theres more than me learning through the forum and if they enjoy it as much as me, good luck to them, and all fishermen. regards, fishingpip

[colliedog]

Thinking about this further, we must all have stories of this nature where we have tried to get one over on our better halves after surreptitiously buying a new piece of gear. [/quote]

On return from the tackle shop I used to leave anything significant in the boot of the car and wander nonchalently into the house with a modest bag of hooks, nylon etc. I would then head off to the garage under the pretext of "I must put this away right away" and smuggle the precious items in direct from the car. Worked fine til one time I turned round, new Sage in hand to find Mrs CD had followed me through. Doh!

CD

[weed]

Hi, for me the forum or rather Forum members have been my saviour. Saving me from making expensive mistakes on tackle and equipment, in all it has made my learning curve a lot easier , saved my wife a lot of money and me a lot of grief.
It s refreshing in this day to find a place where good advice is given freely and even basic questions from myself are given honest answers from people who have been there and got the t Shirts.
I don't post all that much but I can assure you there is no more than one day goes by where I don't catch up with what is going on. All day if the boss is out of the office.

[tyneflyfisha]

Just wish I had known about the forum a long time ago. Always something interesting to read about -

[zephead]

Likes:
Good thread Splash,

Likes:-
1.Helping out someone on a piece of tackle,how to fish a pool,giving them a shot of a rod they might want to buy-espesh if the are a Rookie/Starter Pack-as its a bloody hard learning curve this salmon fishing caper.

2.Folks I have met thro it on the riverbank/in the pub/in an Indian restaurant.All with a viewpoint,all passionate about their sport and their quarry and via those avenues,all driving forward the sport by bringing on beginners and challenging equipment and percieved theories.

3.Its cheaper and more hugely interactive and thought provoking than much of the trite navel- gazing and virility-test dross that passes for good copy in T&S etc.The quality of the comment in pieces on the SFF,in terms of of vibe,humour,technical skill/knowleadge and presentation wouldn't be amiss in the Flyfishers Journal.

Dislikes:-

1.Sense of humour failure during a thread.

2.Instant Reply not having smiley faces.

3.Posters taking themselves too seriously,and by dint of that,not seriously enough,during posts.

4.Engagement of digits before brain.

5.That Major the Hon John Ashley Cooper,Major Richard Waddington,Percy Laming,Hugh Falkus,Arthur Oglesby,Francis Grant,JH Chaytor,Scrope and Kelson aren't here with us to join in and for us to watch these heavyweights have their say although IMO,given the quality of info and opinion exchanged from time to time,I think both their ghosts and their mortal equals stalk the ether of the SFF.

ZH

[charlieh]

zephead said:

5.That Major the Hon John Ashley Cooper,Major Richard Waddington,Percy Laming,Hugh Falkus,Arthur Oglesby,Francis Grant,JH Chaytor,Scrope and Kelson aren't here with us to join in and for us to watch these heavyweights have their say although IMO,given the quality of info and opinion exchanged from time to time,I think both their ghosts and their mortal equals stalk the ether of the SFF.

Just imagine what it would be like debating C&R with Falkus, given how general opinion has moved in the last 10 years or so. I suspect the forum would go into meltdown! Or do you think he would have recanted if he were still alive?

[splash]

charlieh said:

zephead said:

5.That Major the Hon John Ashley Cooper,Major Richard Waddington,Percy Laming,Hugh Falkus,Arthur Oglesby,Francis Grant,JH Chaytor,Scrope and Kelson aren't here with us to join in and for us to watch these heavyweights have their say although IMO,given the quality of info and opinion exchanged from time to time,I think both their ghosts and their mortal equals stalk the ether of the SFF.

Just imagine what it would be like debating C&R with Falkus, given how general opinion has moved in the last 10 years or so. I suspect the forum would go into meltdown! Or do you think he would have recanted if he were still alive?

Interestingly enough, Francis Grant who IMHO authored by far and away the most progressive book on salmon fishing in recent years was vehemently opposed to C&R. In fact he actually went as far as saying that he would give the sport up if mandatory C&R were introduced. However, I think these remarks probably need context setting and I wonder if these past luminaries of the salmon fishing world would hold such polarised views given the siituation we face regardiing fish stocks today - probably!

[jimthefish]

splash said:

charlieh said:

Just imagine what it would be like debating C&R with Falkus, given how general opinion has moved in the last 10 years or so. I suspect the forum would go into meltdown! Or do you think he would have recanted if he were still alive?

Interestingly enough, Francis Grant who IMHO authored by far and away the most progressive book on salmon fishing in recent years was vehemently opposed to C&R. In fact he actually went as far as saying that he would give the sport up if mandatory C&R were introduced.

Probably because he frequently made a trip to Aberdeen Fishmarket earlymorning with the previous days catch before starting his days fishing. That was his standard ploy when he fished Ballogie in May.

[say]

I'll add my tuppence worth - Even though I'm too young to know what a tuppence looked like

I've been fishing for about 20 years and I can honestly say that the info I've gleaned from this site over the past year and a bit has double / trebled my knowledge of Salmon fishing.

The info the members are willing to share is tremendous, as I've fished the local club waters for 15 years and trying to get info from the 'older generation' was like getting blood from a stone.

I'm sure the newbies to Salmon fishing are getting a great education, very early in there pursuit of that bar of silver.

SAY

[zephead]

I think Falkus would have adopted a much more moderate approach to killing fish in these C&R days.

Like Grant and the Hon JAC,many of these luminaries of the salmon angling firmament sold their catches to finance their fishing-Ashley Cooper makes no bones about it although as Falkus seems to have had a lot of invitations to fish etc he draws a line at selling his catch somewhere in his later writings as I seem to recall.It seems strange concept in this day and age and yet I know couple of exceptionally good and sporting fishers for whom it was an absolute neccessity to kill and sell their catch to pay for their fishing in their early days and who still fish with the same zeal.

I think Falkus,as a wildfowler first and foremost in his formative enjoyment of country pursuits,would have adopted the conservationist mantle that embodies many "old school" shooters(and by that I don't mean new City money chasing over fed flying chickens or "partridges presented as pheasants" off the edge of a clapped-out grouse moor)approach salmon fishing which is very conservationist.

I'm sure that if he had seen salmon stocks fall to the perilously low levels that many rivers are experiencing,then he would have also been a very vociferous campagner for all manner of stock preservation/management tools,not that he wasn't before he died.

Maybe his true conservationist legacy survives from beyond the grave in the amount of people he helped thro books,programmes etc to take up salmon fishing as their principal form of recreation,indeed for some its a lifestyle choice.After all,the salmon's best freind,like those of the fox,deer and hare is the fisher who wishes to safeguard its future and habitat by dint of it being classifiied as a quarry species where the sportsman harvest only the surplus if there is one.

ZH.