Baiting game
BY LOUIS FEROX THE loch I’ve been fishing a lot seems to have merged with the next loch up and taken over the lower part of the attached town, leaving my usually productive perch needing a dinghy to get to.
I might make a run for the coast and see if I can get an elusive Clyde estuary bass but the sudden rise and run-off means the good weather this weekend will have dropping, clearing water in the rivers and salmon anglers out on the hunt. There won’t be a dry Flying C in the house.
Where the rules allow, fishing the worm and the lure are effective, skilful methods for salmon.
You shouldn’t be a one-trick pony and there are many salmon rivers throughout Scotland that simply aren’t conducive to fly fishing.
Rivers with sluggish slow current that won’t give life to a fly, big water pushing through that makes your pattern ineffective and those small rivers with overhanging trees where casting is nigh on impossible.
These places may have excellent runs of salmon but call for a different approach and skills to fish them properly.
Worming is a versatile method suitable for flooded, coloured rivers, with lobworms and brandlings the best choice.
Tackle shops sell both, or you can put your back into it and dig up some precious blackheads – tough bristly worms that salmon can’t resist.
I’ll usually fish with a Bouncing Betty rather than a bullet lead tied on a weak link to a swivel with a 24in hooklink below. This means if the weight gets snagged, you shouldn’t lose the fish.
The beauty of a Bouncing Betty is that it travels over the boulders and rocks – actually tip-toeing its way along the bottom, much the same way a rubber ball does.
It’s a great way to avoid snagging and creates a steady rhythmic drift down the stream. Be careful in choosing the size of your weight, you might need to lighten the rig by replacing the Betty with a couple of split shot or just free-lining the worm.
A softer-actioned rod that you can flick out light baits a decent distance has a sensitive tip for bite detection and enough power to deal with big fish properly.
It is important to keep the bait moving when worming and to explore as much water as you can.
Read the water and fish all the likely lies behind boulders, in close to the bank where the fish can rest up before the next leg of their journey, in the necks of pools and in deep runs where the current is fast.
You should always avoid anchoring your bait on the spot – always keep it moving with the current.
Takes when worming are usually a series of short sharp taps. If you hold the line by the reel with a finger, you can feel what’s going on through the rod tip.
Takes can be timid, don’t wait too long though – to save deep hooking. Then when you’re sure, set the hook with a firm strike.
Tight lines if you are out this weekend, it should be a great one now this week’s floods are behind us.