Different view on catching of a salmon. Part 4

            Later, reflecting already only on flies realistic and close to them, I specially caught a salmon, being guided in an estimation of efficiency of baits by frequency  of accompanying grayling attacks. On records I have restored effectiveness of some of flies  within a week of catching (09.2004) on Chavanga river.. Certainly, these figures do not allow to do any thorough conclusions. But for me the fact of documenting of interest resident and a silver salmon to imitations of insects and influence of conducting on frequency of attacks was important. I alternated a method of "a wet fly" with "aggressive wet" and catching on the nymph downstream. On reaches, rifts and other places I tested serially 2 or 3 flies, replacing successful and trying the new.

Steams of flies        The Relation of number the                         Estimation of a fly                                        graylings (T) to a salmons (S) 

                                 caught in a concrete place

                                                                       T/S

 Black Zulu                              Wet                 1: 2                   Stable attacks 

Orange Partridge                    Wet                 2: 1                  Interest is changeable

Red Tag                                   Wet                 1: 1                  Constantly well

Partridge&Orange                  Wet                 3: 1                  The impression is pure grayling fly

Bead Head Pheasant Tail       The nymph      1: 1                  Took any localised fish

Olive Sedge Pupa                    Wet                 2: 1                   Well, but it is not always constant

March Brown                         Wet                 3: 0                  Does not work On the sun

Olive Sedge Pupa                  Wet                 1: 0                  Interest is changeable  

Bead Head Pheasant Tail       The nymph      2: 1                  Calls biting activization

Partridge&Orange                  Wet                   0: 0                  Absence of interest

March Brown                          Wet                 1: 5                  during a rain took each fish              

Caddis Green Butt Pupa        Wet                 0: 0                  Absence of interest

Brown Bomber                      Wet                  2: 1                  Half-heartedly

Green Sedge                           Wet                 2: 1                  Languid attacks

Stonefly Nymph                    The nymph      1: 3                  Stable interest

Bead Head Caddis Nymph   The nymph      1: 5                  Took each localised salmon

                

 Bivisible and silver                Dry/wet            1: 1                 Stable attacks

Red Tag variant                     Wet                    1: 1                 Constantly well

                         

            Can seem that I exaggerate in attempt to draw attention to rather productive, in my opinion, to a way of catching of a salmon on usual imitations of sedges, stoneflies and on weight of similar realistic and fantasy flies. I have no anything against traditions, against beauty of salmon flies and their efficiency in skilful hands. But it seams to me that nonconventional catching does not demand not only special flies, but also tackles of a "salmon" class seems important. After all for presentation of flies of 10-14 sizes are not necessary two-manual fishing-rods and other. It simply other world of enough delicate catching of large fish and special emotional aura which has the admirers.

 

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Different view on catching of a salmon. Part 3

Probably, technically catching on wet flies   and nymphs has advantage over giving of purely salmon flies. Giving and the bait conducting, by sight many where it is more important than the fly of its, especially, such private characteristics mentioned to a place and not so, as material game, a silhouette, colour, a transparency and many other things. In many respects working methods depend on density (floating - sinking) of line. Increase of weight and power of salmon tackle results, with rare exception, in restriction of quality of possession of it. If to spread out conducting to components it is necessary to throw, result precisely a fly into position, to process the area or a direction, without losing control over a front sight and in due time to define contact. Control which allows to translate all other qualitative parties of conducting in a quantitative indicator - time of correct work of a fly in water is key. Experience of catching by a wet fly offers these purely technical advantages correct cast and the subsequent control of position of flies. For some it sounds is paradoxical, but rather short cast   can be much more productive, especially in hands of the people who have not seized tops of shooting or a two-manual casting.

             It is quite probable that it is necessary to appreciate more not range cast, not superfluous 2-3 metres which certainly can sometimes play a role. It is more important to pay attention to a correct variant of a direction, speed of conducting and correction of movement of a fly.  

And for catching it would be desirable to approach to a choice of flies more logically and consistently. Practice of replacement of the "become familiar" fly on the new bears to a little simplified approach to a problem of fish activity. The flexibility of tactics leading to success, consists not so much in search of the flies quickening interest of getting tired fish, and in search of real model of a fly and its adequate presentation in water, after all the receptions usually used on our rivers, work and on the salmon.

Leah you agree, that on salmon   rivers grayling attacks are   good sign confirming a correct choice? Absence of attacks not only salmons, but also graylings sets thinking and change a fly. This supervision happens correct for salmon flies (let not for fully dressed, waddincton and super large tubes), especially it is correct for the usual.

            That is, I offer possibility to be beyond the scheme based more on aggression or seasonal "activity", in traditional sense of this word, because of the inconsistent dogmas connected with it. And to use much more clear component in behaviour - an eating instinct and near realistic flies corresponding to it.

In the imitating approach there is nothing new, at catching of a salmon expressly or by implication it is applied for a long time. After all the speckled feather gives effect of segmentation, wool is similar to short moustaches and aerials craws, topping a gold pheasant creates illusion of a contour of a translucent body. Many flies have passed from a number realistic trout, let the generalised imitations, in the salmon. Remember at least March Brown and Muddler Minnow. Return process is swept up also. Some salmon flies leave a category purely salmon. Losing in paints and decreasing in sizes, they, thus, come nearer to the natural prototypes stimulating appetite, instead of playing nerves. Estimating efficiency of flies, I want to result their indicative degradation on the river (for example, during summer season) from purely salmon to usual, let sometimes fantasy, but more often close in realistic products.

I already have teleologically decided to go deep into minimisation of the size of flies, it is interesting after all to find a limit or the line defining preference of fishes. Eventually, I have left alone everything that though somehow reminded salmon flies, and have passed to variants Red Tag or Black Zulu # 10- 12 in which the scrap of red wool, as a rudiment of a former charm of a salmon fly was saved only. It was necessary to stop on absolutely small wet flies with a red body of type Red Spinner, Hardy Favourite or, we name them so, «Bloody Gnat» under a full mosquito with a paunch from bright red to a cherry, bloody shade on 12-14 numbers of hooks. Still being very cautious, I could not refuse from "red", in any degree assuming its role in salmon interest.

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Different view on catching of a salmon. Part 2

To try to find the recipe of   a good bait is  incomparable pleasure. But it is necessary to return to a question: on what the salmon fly, is similar more correctly what should be an effective fly? Such question is more correct, considering that speech will go now about catching. Present disappointment degree when the found salmon fly appears - to catch only empty tribute of tradition a salmon on the salmon. Essentially I was ready to recognise that the salmon comes across on imitation sedges, stonflies, and on other small, including fantasy flies. When you stand on a belt in ice water and you work in the true sense of the word, trying to throw further, to spend more deeply, it would be desirable to think that it is simple and annoying accident - a salmon on a trifling fly. It is possible to tell that there was already such reception at catching of a salmon - to go to catch grayling. It is an old story, but to draw any conclusions I try now.                             

Any fish, and salmon not an exception in the behaviour, is guided by three basic instincts. Allow to name their instincts of self-preservation, reproduction and eating which role can change depending on conditions. This combination defines not only research and aggressive behaviour of fish, but also a reflex on food presence in river water which nobody cancelled! The eating instinct does not vanish, though, certainly, is muffled against high concentration of sexual hormones. Can be more correct at once to tell that I want to break off the settled chain of dogmas for the beginners, one of which links is the rule from the same scheme - «the big water - the big bright fly», or, for example, «small activity of fish - a small dark fly». Other approach is necessary at least because not clearly in what "activity" of fish, a leah in aggression or reaction to food occurrence is shown. 

Supervision over attacking fish not only thing emotional, but also informative. One fish has induced me on the whole series of experiences. It stood on depth from 1,2 to 1,8 m. at an input in a wide small rift. I   offered it working till now salmon flies, but the salmon did not react, inertly rocking in a shade of stones. It has quickened at the sight of olive   soft hackle sedge on 14 hook from grayling box and instantly became "active". Similar metamorphoses regularly repeated and further.

Essentially can exchange nothing in behaviour of fishes. Attacks to the live objects which are of value from the fish point of view, are carried out not somehow especially but only how it   is observable at others salmoidae in the river. Character of movement depends on a place which is occupied with a salmon more often and... Character of a fly. The fly under a surface calls lifting of fish with education of a classical hillock and a breaker at leaving downwards. Sometimes all occurs absolutely easy, the salmon rises almost vertically to a surface and quietly takes a fly. Thus anything on a surface does not occur and only the intuition forces to make cutting. The majority of fishes in such cases is marked for the tip of a nose, how both our usual grayling and the trout slowly collecting, collecting, a forage at a surface. At fly leaving aside from a parking lot of a salmon, fish rises and also on a diagonal follows a fly, studying it, leaving a wavy trace on water. The similar picture happens at attempts of fish to attack dry sedge, leaving with a furrow aside.            

In fast water of rifts or streams in stones, it is periodically possible to observe traces of a spontaneous exit of fishes to a surface. To regard all it as simple movement or fuss near to a spawning hole easier. But submit an ordinary wet fly and we will receive similar movement of fish which now we can name only attack to eating object.

Supervision of the fish evolutions at a surface are accessible to everyone and hardly will call many objections. The first lifting of a salmon to a surface for a fly has been described in 1659 when as salmon flies in modern representation also did not smell. It not summer entertainments as fish and in the spring in cold water and later, behaves in the autumn. The same hunting for flies goes and in depth at a bottom.

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Different view on catching of a salmon. Part 1

 Part 1.

I do not know, a leah of the rights I, naming "nonconventional" I catch salmons on not salmon flies. There is one standard statement which disperses from my practice of catching and supervision over this fish. Consider that the salmon does not eat in fresh water and, of course, are perplexed concerning the reasons forcing fish in the rivers to rush on every possible baits - on flies, wobblers, lures on worms, pieces of pipes with hooks and others edible and absolutely inedible objects.

 The salmon eats in fresh water of the rivers and lakes! Certainly, I will not begin to declare that the salmon eats natural food always, everywhere and without breaks for "dinner". The one who cleans salmons, usually does not look at all in a stomach. The result after all is known - slept and pure digestive organs, all is empty. But there is small, but an essential difference between "a"-trofia and «hypo»-trofia. I do not know that ichthyologists will tell, but the concept «hypo» means possible restoration of function in some conditions. These processes are well studied on a sea trout who in a month after spawning again has a silvery colouring and so on. And at the survived sucker by the spring the hook resolves, there is working teeth, silvery colour. About it wrote, and it was noticed by those to whom fish rolling down in the sea came across. Their stomachs already digest usual sedges and an other trifle, the same that we find in stomachs got on the trouts. Multimonthly break in a food at all a rarity in life of fishes.

It is impossible to look at a noble Atlantic salmon as on certain full riddles a unique person in wildlife, and to break to itself heads and hands, asking a question: «Why the salmon attacks an artificial flies?» The salmon always was and, I hope, it will be simple fish with the set of instincts which define its reflex movements at the sight of our flies, lures and other property. But while representation dominates that the salmon in the river "is not hungry, does not eat and does not search for food". For example, Malkolm Greenhalgh in articles for magazine "Fly Fishing and Fly Tying» on this basis does a conclusion about inexpediency of efforts on studying of this theme and the more so, on practical catching on similar baits. But in the same place, the paragraph more low, the author himself ascertains the facts of obvious interest of a salmon to the live insects getting to its field of vision.

Such representation about appetite of a salmon pushes us to search for a way to successful catching in area only salmon flies, salmon tactics and technics of catching. Defects of this nonflexible approach have created weight of the errors, concerning motives of behaviour of a salmon and have led to occurrence of enough ill-matched meeting of salmon flies with dim practical sense. Their classifications, and are more correct, division into groups are cogitable, if it is a question of carriers, ways are viscous also materials. Exaggerating, from someone's words, salmon flies exist, as a certain mix of impressionism with an expressionism, and reflect our purely subjective approach to business.

When I had to return to a draught copy of this article in search of objections and errors in reasonings, I have once again seen arguments of supporters of catching on salmon flies, more correctly, at first arguments in favour of salmon flies. After all "catching" concept wider and "salmon catching", "salmon" flies are entered in the settled term, certainly, organically. And so, what practical value of this variety of flies? Even if business concerns not a kind of a fly, and its variants and the styles adapted on a plan to concrete conditions of the river, it is difficult to understand, why how and when the given fly or a bait works. And a leah will work on a broader scale? There are convincing enough and detailed recommendations for choice the size, colour and some other characteristics of flies depending on a season, a water estate and so on. Really, it is possible to show change of preferences of a salmon on an example of an effective fly since spring Shrimp, big and bright in the beginning, degrading in warm   water to hardly appreciable orange or red element tag or butt on flies of 12-14 sizes.

All is correct, it is the ready instruction to action. Except for a frequent variant when fish   don`t want. I am assured that search of flies within the limits of these recommendations can not help. Business not only that the fly, well worked days-ones and a half, without any visible and notable changes in the nature ceases to catch. And not that your found confidential weapon suddenly on 100 % not similar that a companion, as most "terrible" has stretched for today you a fly. Simply there is all no considering templates-schemes of behaviour of fish. Someone puts in head presence of a thermometer and own growth, as a depth measure. Others see a basis of success in ability to estimate speed of water and its colour, putting temperature on last place among factors of a choice of a fly, a place and catching tactics. Therefore for me there was no unexpected a problem with a choice of the salmon fly, become before mentioned above "pure" salmon fisherman, described by him on pages of fishing magazine. And a logical exit it seems reception of its more skilled colleague which the ten the flies has picked up, 10 metres of a small reach everyone for. But also at the master selection of effective flies passed   empirically. It has occupied years, and criteria of selection remained are not clear.

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Hungry diet or over effective digestion?

The low water level in the end of July and in the beginning of August has led to appreciable reduction of places of parking for graylings. Many reaches and wide floods of the river, pre threshold sites have lost water.  Grayling has accumulated in places with a good stream, especially there where there were holes and ditches. Thus concentration of fishes was extremely great. From several metres of the river it was possible to catch from tens fishes. Probably, the forage lack has led to sharp increase of aggression of fish. Indirectly the forage lack in water drift proved to be true a short allowance of stomachs of the opened fishes. At least, in contents there were no habitual heavy elements, sedge including. But traces of the digested insects nevertheless were. The rests of covers and extremities speak about presence of this forage. Probably, it were easily digested stages of mayflies. Any role can play and acceleration of rates of digestion in warm water. Fish well reacted on provokers and to imitating dry and wet   flies and on the nymph.

 

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Pikes in a salmon rivers. Salmon fishing.

The pike always was considered as undesirable fish there where there is a salmon or a trout. But in the nature they adjoined always. And if fishing pressure does not change this balance no trouble in the presence of a pike and is not present for the salmon. Last our trips have shown that the top sites of Chavanga are almost inaccessible to the salmon. The falls almost completely close pass and to a salmon and a trout upwards. The pike appears the river isolated on the top site. But from the fishermen`s point of view  it is not  in any way a minus, and plus to a variety of the river. The pike has quite adequately occupied salmon in catching on   flies. First, its position on rifts, in shelters among stones in accuracy repeats habits of the salmon. Secondly, she attacks   fly extremely aggressively and perfectly well battles in fast water. Top Chavanga has given a surprise and pleasantly diversified the fishing program.

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