smell and feel

[feroxfan]

what do you think? how many of us know when a fish is going to take ,even if we have not seen one all day. and has anyone anything to share on a fishy smell shortly before a take ?

[rennie]

Blowed if I know feroxfan,more likely think its to do with confidence(which I don't understand either).Have a pal who is supremely confident and he confounds and baffles those of us who aren't because when we watch him fish well you tend to think-NO WAY-but he does the business all too well(in fact we all think hes a jammy sod).Sometimes fish next to some one who most folk would call an expert and that person firmly believes when he goes into the water he will come out with a fish,he is supremely confident in what he will be doing and how he will do it,he has a plan of action nowt is left to chance or is remotely haphazard.A lot of the time most of that cant be said for me,but there are many times I feel I am wasting my time and I am never wrong about that.I know the only time I feel that a fish is likely to take is the once a Blue Moon I am in the spot,fish are showing,my cast goes where/how it should and I think stroll on that deserves a fish and it does.Yours more confused than a confused thing,Pedro.

[feroxfan]

i am no expert, but get the smell feely thing often enough to know there is something in it

[dryfly]

I know what you mean a bit of a tingle too maybe? Not that I ve caught many at all yet (8 and yes, I am counting them all and keep the fly too). I get it a lot with good sized trout too (been doing that for many years). I remember very well a ten minute spell fishing from the bank on Lock Stack, absolutely positive I would catch a bright silver fish, and bingo a 4 inch trout took my salmon fly!

I read somewhere it is a concious response to the subconscious recognizing a situation where in the past you caught (light, wind, sort of location, water colour etc) and promoting the conscious to heighten its attention to make the body and mind more alert. Could be a load of nonsense but it seems to make sense - the best hunters survived and if they had developed this trait maybe?

On the other hand it could be you need to wash your waders out and your hands need warming up a bit. Got any good gloves.

[salmonscotty16lb]

sorry guys i remember reading in t&s that a guy could smell salmon before he got a take and they spoke about getting a feeling or a smell but all i get is the fright of my life when a salmon takes ;D
trout fishing is different when i fished for trout nearly every day of my life i knew when, where, how, i would catch. thats probably what drew me back to salmon fishing

[dazko]

Not so sure about a smell......but there have been plenty of times this season when I have put out a cast or fished in a particular location when you know something is about to happen.

I'll describe one to you. It was on a little spate river in Devon. I had seen nothing all day long with the exception of a few sea trout lieing in the usual pools. I was honestly thinking of jacking it in, the water was low but it was a dark cloudy day so there was some hope left. I sat on the bank pondering my next move and suddenly was convinced that if I went back to a certain pool I would get something.

I picked up my rod went immediately to the pool at the other end of the beat in question and within 2 casts a 5lb Grilse was on the line and eventually landed after an acrobatic display.
That Grilse saved the day, it was the only salmon I saw.

I had consciously thought about the location, how the lure was fishing and when the fish hooked.

Belief is an important part of any fishermans armoury, the more you can focus on the moment your lure is fishing and project your ability down the line the greater the offers you will recieve. I'm convinced of it.

[magpie]

I think Hugh Falkus talks about this in his book Salmon Fishing. I remember him describing it as a sixth sense that most of his have long forgotten. He mentions examples of casts he has made when he feels certain he is going to get a take, and guess what - he did! I've tried to recreate this myself, but it's never worked - just ends up being wishful thinking!

[feroxfan]

dazko ,do you get the same feel on a new river / beat ? and there must be someone who has smelt fish

[roecaster]

I often know when a salmon is going to take. This isnt so much a sixth sense but because there are spots on my river where I KNOW im going to get a fish because I almost always will get one if the water height suits the lie and there are fish about.
However, I have felt the sixth sense thing, but more often whilst fishing for sea-trout at night. I suppose the senses are less distracted then.

[kingfisheryh02nxs]

I to have had the sixth sense feeling, some times hours before setting off for the river, and i don't recall it ever being wrong. Then theres time you go with your usual confidence and still catch so is there anything in it, i like to think so. As far as the smell thing i have never personally noticed anything in this regard.

[beanzy]

If you go saltwater fishing in estuaries then smell can be useful, especially at night. Among the general weedy smells and the like you will ofthen get that clear tangy smell of fish. Then you know you're in the right spot. I've only once had this when trying for salmon (last year). There's a pool on the Camel near Grogley, I went up to the edge for a peek from behind a tree which severely overhung the river, and I could smell the (coloured up) salmon before I saw her. That tree fell in at the beginning of this year so the pools not there anymore. I can only assume she was happy with her back out of the water as the over-hang completely hid the lie.