Trout and Salmon Fly Fishing

Fly fishing has become the most popular and preferred method of fishing for game species such as trout, salmon (both Atlantic and Pacific), sea trout and steelhead. Game fish of the salmonid family, and other freshwater predatory species such as bass, pike, perch and countless saltwater species, can of course be caught by various other fishing methods, such as bait fishing or spinning with artificial lures, but fly fishing is now generally the most common method. An additional attraction, in an age of growing awareness of conservation and the ever increasing adoption of catch and release, is that fish caught on a fly, especially a fly with a barbless hook, are more easily returned to fight another day.

 

The Allure of Fly Fishing

There is perhaps also an added attraction in the unique nature of the tackle used in fly fishing. The lure, whether it be a minute trout dry fly dressed on a size 20 hook, or a huge pike lure of six inches or more in length, is propelled to the quarry by the weight of the fly line itself, combined with the practised elegance of the fly fisherman’s cast, in the idyllic setting of highland loch or lowland stream. No need for clumsy weights or complicated geared machinery! There is also the strong fascination of the fly itself, many patterns, whether for trout or salmon, steeped in the rich history of fly fishing. The angler may choose an ancient fly of legendary status, its origins lost in the mists of time, or, if skilled in the art of fly tying, he may create an entirely new pattern, a “killer” fly whose new found fame might spread like wildfire around the angling world. Either way, fly patterns offer the fly fisherman endless scope for study, speculation and experimentation.

Traditional Scottish Loch Flies : Greenwell’s Glory, Silver Butcher, Black Pennell, Blae & Black, Woodcock & Yellow, Grouse & Claret, Hardy’s Gold Butcher, Invicta and Kingfisher Butcher are the central trout fly patterns shown in the photograph above

The Challenge of Fly Fishing

It has to be said however, despite the essential simplicity of fly fishing as a method of catching fish, it has not escaped the attentions of modern and ever-changing technology. Manufacturers of fishing rods, reels and lines are forever coming up with new innovations, using the latest space-age materials to create the ultimate in fly fishing tackle, to guarantee the success of the angler, at not inconsiderable cost. Of course, in reality, guaranteed success is the very last thing the angler needs or wants. Half the attraction in angling lies in the uncertainty, in the challenge of overcoming the many variables of water and weather, of the changing seasons and moods of the fish. Who would truly envy the fly fisherman who found himself alone on a beautiful stretch of river, in the most pleasant weather with trout rising all around. No matter how clumsy or inattentive to the task in hand, on every cast, without fail, he hooked, fought and netted a beautiful trout of prodigious proportions. As dusk approached, his arm aching and his basket full to the brim, he encountered a fellow angler on the riverbank and declared: “What a day! I just couldn’t go wrong catching trout all day long, I think that I must be in Heaven!”. “Not so”, said his friend, “you’ll be here till the end casting flies on the Styx here in Hades”. We should be careful what we wish for. Piscator non solum piscatur

River Brown Trout Caught on the Fly

A Lifelong Pursuit

So, although it would not do to be catching a fish on every cast, we need to know that it is possible, through the application of knowledge, reason, diligence and stealth, to achieve some modicum of success in the objective. Tilting the balance of piscatorial fortune in our favour can be an all-consuming, obsessive, even addictive business, it is true. Once it takes hold, the catching of fish can become a lifelong pursuit. The thing is, though, that, no matter how much we learn about fish and fishing, no matter how accomplished we become in the art and the science of fishing the fly, success is never guaranteed. There is always an element of luck involved. If that were not so, it would be a rather dull game.

Nevertheless, the harder we practise, the luckier we get! Every fish hooked on the fly is invariably a small triumph, an achievement well worth the effort, and nothing is really worth having if we haven’t worked for it. If, through sound judgement, we have chosen the right place, at the right time; If, through long experience and study, we have dressed and selected the right fly; If, through care, patience and stealth, we have made the right approach; If, through long-practised skills and dexterity, we have put out a perfect line and pulled off the ultimate deception, then we might pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. If luck has played its part, all the better. It is good to be lucky! Sometimes luck is on our side, other times not. It is that uncertainly, that unique and complex mix of skill and luck required for success, that feeds the obsession.

Fresh Sea Liced Grilse Caught on a Needle Tube Fly

Fly Fishing for Brown Trout, Salmon & Sea Trout

But there’s fly fishing and there’s fly fishing! Not all are the same. Brown trout fishing might best be described as a pleasant recreation; salmon fishing can at times feel like a bloody hard day’s work; while sea trout fishing is, for some of us, a glorious obsession, akin, in some ways I imagine, to fishing for steelhead, the fish of a thousand casts! All have their devotees, all similarly afflicted and under the spell of their own particular piscatorial passion.

Here I present some thoughts, disconnected and random ramblings in the main, on the various branches of the sport we call fly fishing, one that has been an essential part of my life for more than half a century.

Trout Fly Fishing – trout fly fishing and trout fly tying, with the focus firmly on Scottish Loch fishing for wild brown trout.

Salmon Fly Fishing – salmon fly fishing, mainly in Scotland, and fly tying, with the focus on the development and use of Needle Tubes.

Sea Trout Fly Fishing – sea trout fly fishing and fly tying, concentrating on night fly fishing, mainly on Scottish rivers

Fly Tying – fly tying, for salmon, sea trout and brown trout, focussing on the use of Needle Tubes in the tying of tube flies.