Builttocast
BY LOUIS FEROX OVER the years, I’ve met salmon fishers who invariably catch more than me – and the rest of the party for that matter.
I ask myself: “Is there something that singles them out to explain their success? Or are they just luckier than the rest of us?”
Perhaps the only thing they have in common is that they are sufficiently experienced – and thoughtful – to make their own decisions, irrespective of what others were doing.
That might seem unremarkable, even counterintuitive, but think about the “typical” salmon fisher who has just driven from a stressful job and busy home life.
On arrival at the river, they leap from the car, throw on their stocking foot waders, and start assembling their salmon rod, pausing only to ask the ghillie what fly and salmon fly line they should use.
In turn, the ghillie will tell them what was catching fish last week, while perhaps failing to mention that the water was some inches higher and several degrees colder then. In my experience, the more successful fishers will take time to inspect the water conditions and make their own decisions.
What you need, a friend once said, is a “nose” for deciding what to do where and when and how – which can change from one time and place to the next.
“Some might call it gut instinct,” he added, but the ability to make correct decisions undoubtedly improves with experience.
Something else about successful salmon fishers is that most, if not all, pay close attention to details.
Not simply in regard to keeping their fly reels oiled and hooks sharp.
For example, many tie their own variants of a few favoured salmon fly patterns, because they have a clear picture of how a salmon fly should look, and the common or garden shop-bought fly is seldom it. And of course, the most important of all in terms of attention to detail is how the fly is fished.
Casting is important and many salmon fishers can execute the perfect spey cast and can put out a decent line but only as a means to an end. The presentation is the important thing. Let me leave it at that.