Anticipation Of Fall Trout & Salmon

Man the summers are hard in New England.  Most waters south of the 45 parallel are just too warm and low these days.  The trout and salmon retreat into the deep lakes and the rivers are waiting for an autumn flush.  The north country and the few bottom release dams there will continue to fish well all summer.  These are day trips that can ware you down and be costly given the price of gas.  They are wonderful vacation spots with great fishing available from dawn to dark.  I go because fishing there is as close to perfect as an angler can get.

After one of the best spring seasons I can remember, I am now hopeful that the fall will bring a few trophies to hand.  This is a time of migration, as well as emigration, and you need only find the ins and outs of all the major water bodies throughout the entire region.  What is needed to kick off the season is that first major rain event.  I noticed there is a hurricane headed north after the week end and  heavy rain is expected for all of New England.

The first thing that will happen will be for trout to emigrate over dams.  They feel the water in the lake start to move and get close enough to be pulled into the flow.  These will be big fish and can reach twenty eight inches with most in the eighteen to twenty one inch range.   The possibility of this happening will increase between now and the end of the season.  Every rain can add fish to the system.

The major salmon runs will also start in the far north and continue in location farther south through the month of October. In a few cases the run will not happen till after the season closings in November.  These landlocked salmon have the same make up as their larger Atlantic brethren.  When Atlantic's spawn is also determined by latitude and happens from late October and into November.

A lessor known migration is that of the Brown Trout.  If you are lucky and hit these locations the last few days of the season you can be in for a wonderful surprise.  There are some locations where the browns are very large and they will move up to dams from lake and river locations.  This can happen from mid September through October.

The bows are a mystery to me.  I have been told that because these fish are hatchery raised they think that their naturally spring spawning run should be in the fall.  Although not the target of migration they are a big target for me as emigraters.  I have released my largest Rainbow Trout during this fall season.

This is also the time of the Brook Trout spawning.  Maine is alive at this time right to the final day of the season.  I love heading to Rangely with the anticipation of some wonderful angling.  This is New England in the old time tradition and I make at least two trips every fall. 

Between the beginning of September and the end of October you could fish a different trophy water each and every week and never visit the same location twice.  There are more of these hollowed waters than most of us can imagine.  What determines the place are the conditions and the conditions are determined by the rain.  Follow the weather and the river flow charts.  Make yourself a collection of these links and study them year after year.  You will understand what is the good to bad flows and having this info will help you make knowledgeable decisions.

William 

Fly Tying Tip #119

When ever you are using light color materials make sure that the thread is lighter in color than what is being tied.  At some point in the tie you will be able to switch to the final head color.  What a fly looks like dry can be very different when it gets wet.  Sometimes the material used will get translucent and what is underneath will show through.  The fly in the photo is a perfect example of what happens when the dark brown head color was also used in the body.  If you enlarge the photo you can see through the mylar.  Light green or chartreuse would have been a better thread choice.

There Are No Bad Days On A Salmon River

There are no bad days on a Salmon river, there just is no way to explain the feeling to you if you have never tried the game.  I'm home today from a wonderful but all too short trip to Matane.  The river is more than alive this year.  Every pool has a few fish and some have over one hundred.  It is a wonderful thing to see after so many years of waiting and hoping.

The Matane is like no other river I fish.  This is mainly because of the ease of access and the fact that most of the rules are created by the local people.  This is a kill river where only 28 of the over 600 angled this year were released.  Now don't get yourself in a tizzy as this is a very healthy river.  The fact is that should enough salmon spawn and the eggs hatch there will be so many Parr that they naturally die off because no river can accommodate a quantity greater than the balance of nature will feed.  Rivers like Matane and Matapedia, where there are high kill ratios do very well and should there ever be a problem the solution would come swiftly.  In Quebec the numbers are monitored very closely and rivers will close.

There are two other things that I became aware of during this trip.  The first is that there is no official limit to catch and release.  My personal number is three. Most local people would like the number to be two.  The local officials would like three.  Some locals would like the number to be one, the same as an angler who takes a fish.  I think that you could surly find a few who would like catch and release eliminated.  I will leave the controversy over weather catch and release is a good thing for the answers that will hopefully be complete shortly.  Studies in fact are underway and are not being conducted in a laboratory.  Time will tell.

S.S.S.

The other thing, that to my knowledge, is unique to Matne is that the rotation system is conducted on both sides of the river as if one rotation were in place.  This is a foolish practice to me.  It makes for arguments and the possibility of bad feelings.  No one is more understanding than I am in relation to fly fishing etiquette, but having to worry about the people on the other side of the river is not necessary.  That said, the next time I visit Matane I will respect the local way.  I will also expect that the one person on the other side will wait for all in rotation to finish before starting again.  See what I mean about the policing?  

The fishing was very interesting and I was able to land a few with some very unusual flies.  I had many takes to my Super Salmon Sedge(S.S.S.).  I love dry fly fishing and I am tickled that my fly worked.  The other thing that worked was by rapid stripping.  It was really exciting to be casting and then stripping big Flat Head Muddler Tube Flies as fast as possible.  When the salmon hits it causes opposite reactions resulting in the water dramatically exploding.  Very exciting to see, and more exciting that it happened to me.

For long time Salmon guru or for your first Salar adventure, the Matane is every bit a prize.  This years quantity of salmon is the bonus.

Full Moon Over Matane

     

A Salmon In Every Pool

Never in my entire life with Salmo Salar has there been a year like this.  Most rivers are seeing record returns as well as some very large fish.   There are a few down spots in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia and for those rivers the work goes forward.

Maine
My first salmon came from the Narraguagus River in Cherryfield.  166 have returned this year and it makes me very happy to see so many when there were years with but a scant few.  Penobscot is tipping in the 3000 range and fish are traveling farther up stream as the numbers needed for the hatchery were met in early July.

New Brunswick
Reports that I am reading on NewBrunswickFishing.com seem to have a lot of very happy results.  Numbers on all the major rivers are way up and it is common to hear of three fish days.  One of the reports was on the Nashwaak River.  This is my favorite New Brunswick river.  As it is a Bay of Fundy river it is now closed, but the numbers in the spring run have been very impressive.  The Marimachi system is also seeing good numbers.  The Restigouche reports are scarce but in the upper reaches on Crown water anglers are seeing and catching fish in good numbers.

Quebec
Nothing short of spectacular can be reported.  The numbers angled on the Grande Cascapedia are higher than the usual total quantity in the river.  It started early and is still going well.  From Matapedia to Matane and out to the tip of Gaspe things are going very well.  Bonaventure seems to be having an above average year but not as impressive as the Petite and Grande.

Nova Scotia

They don't seem to be having the same luck as other locations.  It seems that acid rain and fish farms are still a big problem in the south and Cape Breton rivers are not seeing the numbers of last year.  Margaree summer fish are coming in good numbers.  Most pools are fishing well.

Newfoundland
Salmon counts are running less than last year for most rivers.  Above the ten year average and looking better but not what other locations have seen.  The Harry's River is the shining star and showing a dramatic doubling from last year's good number while the Torrent has seen only half last year's total.

Labrador
Numbers are very strong for this year.  The Sand Hill is seeing over 7000 fish to date, up from 1700 this same time last year.  Reports from the Flowers River are very good and some large fish being angled.

Iceland
Off to a good start in both quantity and size of fish.  As the rivers of Iceland are July to August rivers we will need more time to tell the complete results.

Scotland
The numbers and size this year in Scotland are mind boggling for most locations although rivers like Beauley are down.   Some have seen strong early runs that slowed just as quickly while others are still in good shape. It will be very interesting to see what happens with the late runs.

Fly Tying Tip #118

Make sure that your hands are polished and smooth.  Use a fine emery stick and work on your nails as well as the entire tips of you fingers.  This will keep thread and floss from sticking and gives you the ability to hold materials down and have your thread circle your fingers with ease.

FlySpoke Black Bear Green Butt Order

Here is the first fly order from the FlySpoke Shop.  I hope the buyer is as happy as I am with the results.  I used Arctic Fox for the wing because of how wonderfully it swims.  The only material that is better would be Temple Dog but that is illegal to possess or purchase in the USA.

I also used a very beautiful Salmon hook from Daiichi.  #2161

Saumons Atlantiques Sur Le Fleuve De Matane

Atlantic Salmon On The Matane River.  Flowing north out of the Chic Choc Mountains the Matane empties into the Saint Lawrence Seaway at the Village of Matane, Quebec.  It is called The Salmon School by many because of it's ease of access to the many pools as well as the river's gentle and steady decent.

August 4, 2008

The river opens in June when the larger fish come in,  but the main runs enter the last week of July and through the first ten days of August.  There is a dam at the very bottom of the river with a counting observatory.  This is a must see during the height of the run and also gives the anglers on the river knowledge of the quantity and size of the fresh fish in the system.  It is very exciting to hear that a very large fish has just passed through.

One of my favorite pools is called Grande Tamagodi.  The pool is broken into two distinctive parts.  The top is a rapid with Grande Tomogodi Stream entering the main river.  The bottom is a wide flat glide that is the finest looking dry fly water I have ever fished.  A number of years ago, Leo and I were on the pool.  I have been in a dry fly state of mind for some time now, and to see the glide was just too much to pass up.  A far greater number of fish will take up residence in the upper pool but when the river is right there will be the perfect opportunity to fish the glide.  My favorite Matane dry is the Canuel. Created by Raynald Canuel of Rene' de Matane and made to fish in a smaller size than the usual big Gaspe Bombers.  They say on Matane that the big bomber is to attract a salmon and the small one is to catch them.

I started casting in short drifts, from my river right position, starting at the very tail of the slick and flicked each cast a foot higher.  When I made the final cast as high up river as possible I let the fly dead drift all the way back to the tail and was sucked in a millisecond before I was going to pick it up.  What I am going to tell you is true, will never happen again to me or possibly anyone else, but true none the less.

Grand Tamagodi, Fish On

This was a big fish.  Twenty five pounds or more and acting as crazy as a salmon gets.  The first charge was a violent surge directly up stream that put a birds nest in my reel.  I hate when I am so stupid and don't make sure all is right.  I profess always making everything right and am guilty of not listening to my own good advise.   Such a simple thing to check.  While I was fumbling with my line, the fish made a sharp left and directly at me, another sharp left and like a rocket down stream, then making a 180 degree spin up stream with one big jump right into the circle of line that had been created while I fumbled.  This all happened so quickly that it took me some time to figure it out.   Now what do you do when a crazy twenty five pound salmon has tied your fly line in an overhand knot.   There was no way to hold the fish as I was on eight pound test and when she ran over the rapid directly below the pool it was over.  It pains me to even tell the story.

I have a few lessons that I learned that day.  First I will never use eight pound test for salmon unless it is Maxama.  My drag was set light because I was afraid that the leader material needed to be treated with caution.  Second, I will never let a fish get directly below me without immediately moving down stream as quickly as I can.  I will run if needed, and I will not hesitate.  A straight down river position is the least forgiving angle that you can have.  The third is that I love the Matane.  Watching a dry fly disappear to a big fish is fly fishing on steroids.

With August approaching rapidly I have made plans to be in Quebec.   The idea is that I will start with a dry fly and end with a dry fly.  Or maybe throw a big Muddler for a while.

William

Fly Tying Tip #117

Marabou makes a great wing material for streamer, wet flies and leeches.  It is sometimes difficult to work with because of it's natural fly away softness.  I find it easier to handle, at certain times, when wet.  Don't use chlorinated tap water or saliva as they have smell that a fish can detect with ease. Use natural spring water and pre-clip where you want to tie in the feather.

Matapedia 2011 A Sum Of 2 Parts

Part 1(The Set Up And Anticipation)

There are some days that I can't help but feel excited.  Today, I was able to clear my schedule so I can travel to Quebec for a few days on the Matapedia River.  Now the thought of hitting the Gaspe is all I usually need, but this year is different.  The reason is simple and becoming additional clear day by day.

Matapedia River At The Location Of The Largest Capture Ever
54 Pounds
Ste. Alexis de Matapedia   Habersham Pool

For the last forty years I have seen all kinds of conditions having angled Atlantic salmon on many rivers in North America and Scotland .  I started salmon fishing during a period of decline and watched the numbers in some rivers hit zero with others on the brink.  Now, due to what I believe is a natural climate cycle, the Atlantic salmon, as well as a few other North Atlantic cold water species, are experiencing a dramatic increase in size and numbers.  So far a three year trend that I hope continues.

So, I was sitting in my office today, with a very demanding schedule. I made the decision that it was an impossible and intolerable situation not be fishing when the best runs of my entire life with Salar were in gear.  My rods and flies have been ready for months and beyond tying a few choice temptations, I can hit the road and not look back.  My anticipation is high, too high for my own good, and the reports keep getting better and better every day.

I use three different rods for this river because there are different pools and runs that I will visit that demand the correct tool.  I already know the water conditions, the weather forecast and the locations that will be of most importance.   I am looking forward to the rhythmic dance of the single Spey with a traditional long belly and fifteen foot rod.  I am ready with my thirteen foot Scandi set up for Ste. Florance and will welcome using my 10'4' switch with a big dry fly should the fish be looking up.   The two hand dry fly flick is a blast and I can do the job well.

I'm as ready as I can be and will give you the details next Thursday.

Part 2 (The Report)

Sunday morning I set my alarm for 4AM.  Light comes early to the Gaspe and I wanted to make the most of the day.

Lord Mount Stephen built a fishing camp in 1870 on the banks of the Matapedia where the Causapscal River enters.  Later in 1917 the property was purchased by wealthy American and English speaking Canadians to form the Matamajaw Salmon Club.  They picked the sight because it represents one of the finest salmon pools in Canada.  The Causapscal will receive more than one fish over fifty pounds each year to the counting fence and the pool holds fish from mid May through the entire season.

I arrived at The Forks at 4:30 and was not surprised to be angler number twenty.  After waiting two and a half hours and watching seven salmon landed I started my first pass through the pool.  The people of Quebec are the heartiest of souls, friendly and kind,  and they take their sporting life very seriously.  The catch is more important than the fishing and they angle with great purpose.  The first person on the pool arrived at 1:30AM.

I made four passes through the pool with various flies as well as presentations and was not able to find the magic.  As well, over my blink your eyes two days I visited Le Tank, Heppel, Matalic, Cullen's, Alice, Ruthierville and Clark's Brook.  I fished hard and was constantly trying to open the door.  I saw salmon everywhere that I just could not get to take.  It is so frustrating to have such a bountiful table set before me and not feel that pull.  I watched each and every cast for what I knew was the right swing.  I was mumbling,"take it, take it, go ahead, take it," more than a few times.  But it was not meant to be.

Every trip I make to the Gaspe ends in the same way.  I drive across the Inter-Provincial bridge out of Quebec, up the Restigouche River on River Road and at the moment I make the sharp left turn away from the river's sight I am longing to return.  It will take me a bit of time to understand, or more than likely, I will never find out.

What a great season for Atlantic Salmon.

Please Welcome A New Sponsor, Quebec Sporting

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Fly Tying Tip #116

There are two ways to make bare Peacock Eye quills for quill body flies.  The first is when you want to make just a few.  Take an eraser and gently rub the quill from top to bottom until all the barbuals are removed.

The second and far more efficient way is to use bleach.  Take a disposable tin baking tray and put enough bleach in the bottom to fully saturate the entire Peacock Eye Feather.  Agitate in the bleach for 30 seconds or so and watch the strips become bare. Rinse liberally in cold water to neutralize the acid bleach.  Hang to dry.  Take care not to over bleach as the stems can become brittle.  Wet in spring water to soften when tying.

Good News For Penobscot River Atlantic Salmon

Now 3049 As of September 5th
If you are a reader of this blog then you know that I have been a proponent of natural climate cycles influencing ocean habitat.  The dramatic increases all over the North Atlantic in numbers and size of Atlantic salmon are, I hope, a sign of things to come over the next ten years.

For so many years I traveled to fish for Atlantic Salmon in  Maine.  The earliest run was on the Penobscot river that flowed through the City of Bangor and then on to the Atlantic Ocean.  I tried hard for that Presidential salmon, the first caught for the season, but it never happened for me.  This is a big river and also one that was blocked by the first up stream dam called Veazie.

In the middle of the dam was a stone block fish ladder that was very inefficient.  This was a good thing for fishing as they would stack up in the pools below the dam.  Later a new ladder was built to capture the fish to be transported and used for the stocking program.  Because the fish captured were the original genome the raising of these fish has a viable possibility to sustain the run.

A number of years ago fishing was closed on all Maine rivers as the Federal Government contributed funds so long as the salmon are considered endangered.

This year we are seeing a dramatic increase in early numbers when compared to the past few decades.  Some of the reasons are clear as the netting buyouts off Greenland.  The one factor that is also in  place is the cycle of ocean environment now in a good trend for a number of North Atlantic cold water species.  It will be interesting to see what happens with the North Atlantic Cod as well.


William

Selective Feeding Of Large Rainbow Trout

In your mind, imagine you are at a fine restaurant.  You have been to this establishment enough to know the order to which you rank each and every item on the menu by taste.  You know what is the best of the five different meals on the table in front of you.  Your palate is finely tuned and blindfolded you can tell the difference.

My guess is that given the choice, for most of the next hour, you are going to consume the one you like best. That is, until the kitchen runs out.  Even though the steak is really good tasting you like the shrimp better.  The shrimp is a smaller food than a the steak, but that is what you like even though you must work harder to get full.

I went fishing yesterday.  The weather was the best of what New England has to offer in the late spring.  Mid seventies and the feel of a crisp dry Canadian cloud rolling by.  The sun was strong, yet not as oppressive as it can sometimes be.   I arrived on the river at 6:30am and felt alive with anticipation.  Leo was on his way and not far behind.  A perfect scenario.

Just as Leo arrived, the river started to come alive with insect activity.  Two different looking caddis, a multitude of midges and sporadic mayflies.  I thought it would be easy to make my fly sellection, seeing the abundance of those size 14 caddis.  I had hoped that the change had accrued form early steak and eggs feeding and over to surface emergers and dries.  It would make for a very interesting day and I was sure I was ready.

By 8am the sun was high enough that I could see into the crystal clear water when standing up on the river bank.  What was before me can only be described as heaven for a trout angler.  Big fish were moving very rapidly around the pool.  There was none of that lane feeding that you alway hear so much about.  These fish were gorging themselves and not making a dimple on the surface.  If I were not able to see in the river, I might not have known the fish were even there.

It did take me a little while to understand what was happening. I was able to get three fish to take on size 18 flies. That's right, the fish wanted the midges.  After going through the caddis larva, then to emergers and even dries with droppers it was the Jailbirds, Red Ass and wire body Chironomid flies that did the trick.  This lasted for a while as I watched the number of hatching midges start the reduce.

Then the fish started to show.  Nothing big and flashy but head to tail porpoising that said to me the dream could happen.  I went back to the caddis dry with dropper and after a very long time had a fish take the dry.  Then Leo had one to an Elk Hair Caddis and I landed one on a black body EHC.  This was all done with many minuets of waiting for rises and the rises were few and far between.  There was no rhythmic feeding and we got the feeling that anything we made happen was a blessing.

That was the day.  Although we stayed on the river until 7pm with the caddis hatching like the snow in January at 6pm the action was done and complete much earlier.  The fish had so much to eat of what tasted the best that a second course was not needed.

So, what should I take away from this experience.  The first is that I was ready for the situation.  My fly assortment is well rounded with a large quantity of every style, size and color of flies required.  Two comments that Leo made were taken to heart and followed.  He mentioned the midges and he said to me that sometimes black ants can be used even early in the season.  The big thing I came away with is that I can never assume that the obvious is correct.  I must always look deeper into each situation and willingly change my plan as the environment changes before me.  Sounds like life to me.....

William

Fly Tying Tip #115

The late Gary LaFontane was a master of the caddis fly.  He created the Deep Sparkle Pupa and the Sparkle Emerger.  Two of my absolute go to flies.  The patterns for these flies and others are very similar.  The Pupa is meant to fish deep as the caddis are starting to get ready to float to the surface.  They must release themselves from the bottom of the river.  The Emerger version has an added tail or breaking of the body shuck and a bit more wing over the top.

So, here's the tip.  Only construct the Emerger version.  When fishing clip the tail and the top of the wing when you want to tumble along the bottom pre normal hatch time for your river.  When you see caddis coming off the water switch to the emerger and remove some weight.  The body of this fly is to simulate the gas bubble that forms on the insect that enables it to float to the surface.

Wooly Bugger becomes a leech,  Emergers become nymphs, dry flies become emergers.  I have done this even with Atlantic Salmon flies when I need a smaller fly or even trimming down a fly to only a body and tail.

Look in your fly box now,  you will start to notice some new and exciting flies that you didn't know you had.

William

Trout Fishing Has It's Moments, Some Teach Humility

I woke up this morning and yesterday was on my mind.  My gut is just in a knot over the events that happened and I am totally baffled.  Let me explain.

I arrived at the river at 7am, not early and not that late either. My friend, Al, was a few minutes ahead of me and crossed over to river right.  Things looked as perfect as can be for the river to fish well and the recent high water should have brought some bright ones down from the lake.  I decided to take up a well know position on river left.  I was in a wonderful frame of mind and starting the day with great anticipation.

Within a few moments, Al was into fish number one.  When he landed number three I crossed over as I figured all the fish must be there as the reason for my lack of connection.  I would work the run, Al would step in behind me and hook a fish.  I would put on a curtain fly, Al would do the same and hook a fish.  This was getting very troubling as I played gillie netting fish after fish for this well accomplished and knowledgeable angler. I was being schooled.

I did everything possible to get the set up correct.  I changed leader lengths, added weight, removed weight. went through dozens of flies, even ones I had Al give me from his box, and nothing, not one take could I make happen even though I worked as hard as possible..

The day came to a conclusion when a couple with two big dogs showed up and thought it would be a good thing to throw rocks and big sticks in the pool.  I guess dogs are more important than people at times.  Maybe this was the fate of my day.  Put me off the water and out of my misery.

Al finished the day with ten hooked and eight landed ranging from eighteen to twenty one inches.  All rainbows and very beautiful.

I will continue to figure this out.  It seems like I will have to evaluate every aspect of my setup.

Al left the river in a state of total bliss.  Like he was a child again in full appreciation for what just happened.  This was a very good thing to see.   Me, on the other hand am haunted by this day and by the experience.  Can't wait till Sunday for another dose of humility.

William

The Tools Of The Take

When I first started fly fishing the challenge to get a take was a big deal.  I am now working hard to see and understand what a perfect connection from reel to fly is and to also understand why.  This may sound simple but the total number of options can be substantial.  Getting them all right takes careful consideration.

My opinion is that the correct presentation is the number one factor in getting a fish to act in it's natural state and strike the fly.  Your ability to understand a perfect presentation for a particular situation should not be hindered by your equipment choices.

The Rod
Hi, my name is William and I am a fly rod addict.  I have a neat and concise collection that I have not been afraid to sell from time to time.  Some rods I have regretted loosing and some not so much, but I am always trying to use the best tool that will present my fly correctly.  That means owning and using what you believe is true.

I use switch rods about 75% of the time as they give me the most versatile assortment of possibilities.  It is easy to carry multiple lines and reels and spools and flies but carrying two or more rods is impossible without making a long walk back to the car.  The only disadvantage to the switch is in dry fly fishing for trout.  Today with all the modern rod building techniques making a solid choice gets harder.  Rod builders are making very precise formulas that determine the way their rods function.  The only way to understand what style will work best for you would be the write down where and how you like to fish.  Don't skip any details.  Give this information to each of the rod companies that you are interested in making a purchase.  In talking with them you will receive a real education and have the information necessary to narrow down your choice.

The Reel
In my opinion, the reel is the most important piece of fly fishing equipment you can own.  It is not just a storage device, although the style of the reel is important to the style of line that needs to be stored.  A reel is a centrifugal device that needs to have an ultra smooth start and finish.  This is accomplished by incorporating sealed bearings that will turn without effort with a brake that does not stick.  Your reel will be tested on that first large fish that takes a light tippet.

The Line
The number of line choices is dramatic and completely dependent on the style of fishing and the fish you are after.  Learning about all the types of lines is possible by reading every top quality line manufacturers website.  There is enough information there to make even the most knowledgeable angler confused.  Learn as much as possible and you will be able to make some clear and important observations.  Your local high quality fly shop will be the key to choosing correct lines for each use.  Again, have your list ready so you can cover every aspect of where and what.  How is determined by the rod choice and your casting skills.  Many anglers today are using single hand rods with two hand casting strokes.  Customizing your line to have the proper weight distribution is necessary.

The key to a proper line is the ability to make a presentation in the way the fish want it to be.

The Leader

Guide Rick Gray Checks My Leader

Using a correct leader is a learned experience.  You not only must consider the diameter but the length of each segment.  Every fish as well as form of presentation and size of fly needs to have a different leader structure.  I will use different leader materials depending on what angling I am doing.  Trout and Atlantic salmon are in the same genome but not in relation to equipment and certainly not in the composition of leader material.  Today I mostly use a copolymer for trout, mono for salmon and fluorocarbon for the salt.  Learning and practicing the knots that have the highest strength percentage is critical.

The Fly
On any given day and any given location any fly could work.  Now, saying that puts me in the ranks of a total fool who does not have respect for what the great angling masters would say.   I have hooked Atlantic salmon on big Marabou flies that on the first cast hit the surface in a pile and taken the moment it hit the water.  I have also hooked salmon when I have removed all the materials except the body.  Trout can be the same way sometimes.

The best way to learn what will work is to ask and see.  Very few successful anglers are so anti social and secretive that they will not be willing to share.  Don't be shy, and when someone hooks a fish simply excuse yourself and ask what just happened.  "May I see it?  Nice fish, will get you a long way.  I have no problem asking or sharing.

If you are a fly tier, one of the best ways that I have used to learn is to purchase one of a pattern that I think will work.  I make sure that I have the exact materials and tie a few for the next time out.  Flies are so inexpensive in relation to the time to build correctly and materials cost that buying one should not be an issue.

So, there you have some thoughts with so many variations that it would take a book to cover a portion of each topic.  Just think about each thing as needed.  Do some homework and ask a lot of questions.  I own rods, reels, lines, leaders and flies that will never see the water.  This is part of the process toward getting it right.

William