Hardy & Greys - Alnwick, England

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1. Flyfishing
   1. Flyfishing
   2. Coarse

It could be argued that early spring fishing is somewhat of an acquired taste. Conditions can be wintery to say the least and it's fair to say that opportunities can be few and far between. Fly fishing for early season Salmon is almost a pain and pleasure concept. Endless hours of cold water wading can be instantly justified by the good solid ‘take' of a fresh-run Springer. During this coming month the first of the season's fish are starting to nose their way into some of our river systems and the most successful anglers are the ones that not only persevere in these challenging conditions, but also consider the various factors presented on any given day on the water. In this article I hope to offer some guidance on how best to maximize your chances by addressing some of the most commonly asked questions by us hardy early season anglers.

Firstly, let's take a look at the tackle for early season fly fishing. The industry standard 15ft Salmon rod is the general work-horse and ideal for covering medium to large rivers. This rod length offers good water coverage and equally important, the ability to control the speed of the fly as it swings through the stream. If you're fishing the lower reaches of some of our larger rivers like the Tweed, Dee and the Tay, then a 16ft rod would have the advantage of additional coverage and mending capability. In regard to fly lines, salmon anglers now benefit from a good selection of line profiles and sink densities to cover fishing at this time of year. With early season fly fishing historically a time for presenting the fly deep through the pools, the traditional full sunk lines have fallen by the wayside in recent years and been replaced with much more user-friendly multi-tip spey lines, skagit lines and shooting heads.

Taking that into consideration, the biggest dilemma we face in early spring is how deep should we present the fly? Although not etched in piscatorial stone, early season fishing is a ‘fish deep, fish slow' concept. River systems tend to be running full from winter rains and/or snow melt and and if so, fish will be laying in the high water pools that offer relative shelter from the strong currents. With such vast permutations in water type and depth, the important thing to consider is not just how deep the fly is, but also how close it is swimming in relation to the fish's holding position. In warmer water Salmon are much more active and willing to travel greater distances to intercept the fly. Fish will gladly launch themselves from the depths and take a fly just under or even from the surface. During February with the water temperature in the high 30's and low 40's, the Salmon's metabolism is decidedly slower due to the cold temperature and they are reluctant to move any distances to chase a fly. Under such conditions the fly line is the most important element of tackle to consider because it directly governs how deep the fly will swim through the pool. Although multi tip spey lines and skagit are effective in high water/cold temperature, my personal preference is to use sinking shooting heads. With the increased popularity of shooting heads, the line profile is widely available in a selection of densities ranging from 1IPS right down to 6IPS and beyond. Shooting heads offer a few key benefits. Firstly they are relatively easy to use and lend themselves to long casts and good water coverage. They are easily changeable for depth control by changing the density of the head, but the main reason I favour these lines is fly presentation. Due to the full head sinking, the fly swims through the pool on a more even keel than the other modern alternatives, the skagit or multi tip lines. Take a density compensated sinking head of say 34ft compared to 15ft of sinking tip on a standard multi tip or skagit line and you have more line sinking and a more evenly presented fly. When you need to get down to the fish in the winter, the sinking tip can gain the depth, but can swim the fly through the pool nose high.

Whilst I fully appreciate there are cold water situations on various rivers where Salmon will take flies high in the water column, looking to offer the fly within a few feet of the fish's nose is not a bad way to approach Salmon fishing in February. Although the depth and strength of current would change from pool to pool, the objective would stay the same and would be achieved by changing the density of the head and fine-tuning with the weight of the particular fly.

As for fly patterns, the factors to consider when selecting a fly are as mentioned, water height and temperature, but also clarity and the strength of the current. Although I'd suggest carrying a few large dressed flies, the standard weapon of choice in the early spring months are tube flies tied on plastic, aluminium, copper and brass bodies. The various body weights allow for fine-tuning of depth presentation depending on the head density and fishing situation. Body size ranges from 1/2' to 1'3/4, with the overall head-to-tail length of between 2" and 4" depending on pattern. Due to increasing conservation policies protecting our spring fish, short shanked doubles hooks have rightly replaced trebles at the business end of the fly. Unlike trebles that can lock both upper and lower jaws together, these double's tend to hook either the upper or lower jaws, making hook removal much quicker and easier, reducing any undue stress on the fish.

The angler's choice of fly is to a degree river specific or indeed personal preference, but here's a selection of well-known patterns that travel well around our spring rivers and should be in every early-season anglers fly box:

• The Gold-bodied Willie Gunn is a classic tube fly and works in a broad range of situations from clear water right through to high and coloured river conditions.
• The Junction Shrimp is an excellent fly with a proven history for when the river is carrying varying degrees of colour.
• Invented on the River Dee, the Long-Tailed Monkey is the must-have early spring fly - The Monkey has been hugely successful on rivers throughout the UK and abroad.
• The Snaelda is a style of fly rather than a specific pattern - This Black Snaelda is very effective in cold, clear water conditions.
• The Eternal Optimist is a firm favourite on many of the UK's salmon rivers, very good in cold, clear water conditions.
• The Willie Dog is member of the deadly Temple Dog family and with its gold conehead and pulsing wing is a great all round spring fly.

One of the questions I often get asked is ‘Should I move the fly?' Modern day Salmon fishing techniques are leaning towards moving the fly as it swings through the stream. Due to their design, line profiles like skagits and shooting heads are well suited for hand-lining techniques to help induce the take. Look for a moment at spinning as an effective method for catching early season spring fish. Not only does the spinner have the benefit of fishing deep through the pool, but equally important, the bait is being manoeuvered upstream at the same time as across the pool. This upstream action is imparting additional ‘life' to the bait, making it a very effective method for hooking Salmon. Relate the same concept of moving the fly upstream against the strength of the current by some form of hand-lining and you have the same almost ‘escaping' action. The fly not only swings across the front of the fish, it also moves away from the salmon. This can often result in a more committed attack on the fly and a good, solid hook hold. As for speed, this should be relative to the water temperature. Strip a Sunray Shadow through a summer pool and it feels like an aerobic workout. At this time of year it's a much more subdued affair. The rate of retrieve is most effective when slow and steady. Stripping the line should be about 4" to 6" per pull and at a tempo that just registers upstream movement. The figure-of-eight retrieve works very well in cold conditions. By the nature of the retrieve, the angler is in constant contact with the fly as it swims through the pool. Both techniques will result in slack line accumulating by the angler, which has to be managed when a fish takes the fly. Although solid, the ‘take' can be slow during the early months of the year. As you feel the take, lift steadily into the weight of the springer, allowing the fish to take line through your fingers until back on the reel. If you have a large amount of slack line around your position, you may have to tension the line with one hand as the other winds in the additional slack.

There is one inevitability when looking for Springers at this time of year and that is the presence of Kelts. Seasoned anglers please bear with me here, but Kelts are spawned or ‘spent' fish from the previous season. Unlike Pacific cousins that suffer a 100% mortality rate after spawning, a small percentage of our Atlantic Salmon are able to make the return journey back to sea in an attempt to return to the feeding grounds in the North Atlantic. They are identified by a few key changes in the pre-spawned appearance. The most apparent change is in the body shape. Gone is the powerful, full-bodied shape. Although the fish has regained its silvery appearance in preparation for its return to saltwater, the fish is now very thin, with the head disproportionate to the rest of the body. The fins are often damaged by the physical effort of cutting redds and the vent will most likely be inflamed and distended. Although in this condition the salmon are exhausted, they are ravenously hungry and more than willing to take a fly or spinner. The fish will tend to take in the slower moving pools and by law, must be handled and returned with great care.

If you took a ten year average, February would tend be a month of high water conditions. With the catchment area fairly waterlogged, any heavy rain that falls comes straight into the river system and can send the water into flood. Any seasoned Salmon angler has experienced the frustration of the dreaded F word! In these difficult conditions, is it still worth having a cast? First and foremost there are obvious health and safety issues related to fishing in flood conditions. If you are fishing a beat that has a ghillie or boatman, they will advise on whether it's safe to be fishing. Many beats have a cut-off level on the gauge which indicates flood level and can rightly deny the angler access to their water if the ghillie deems it too dangerous. From a fishing point of view, if the river is running high and coloured then the angler is faced with very challenging, but not impossible conditions. If the river is still rising with large amounts of debris coming down, then head for the golf course or off to the tackle shop. Once the water peaks and is beginning to fall, then after a few hours, it's worth a cast. In flood conditions, the powerful main current will force the fish to move close into the river's edge. This effectively means the fish are more condensed in back eddies and any place they can seek shelter from the river's force. The angler should look for this water profile to concentrate their efforts. Flies should be well coloured and clearly visible in the muddied water, but don't necessarily need to be too heavy. The river's edge can be relatively shallow compared with the main river and fast sinking lines with heavy flies can snag up just as the fly is swinging into where the fish are lying. In such a situation a multi tip line and a lighter tube fly can be a much better option and produce the fish.

Whatever the river conditions, if you have been fortunate enough to land a spring Salmon, then most likely it has to be returned in line with conservation policies implemented by the river system or protection agency. It's imperative that the unhooking and returning of the springer is carefully carried out to minimize any stress on the fish and maximize your contribution to conservation. Firstly, during the fight, try and bring the fish to the bank as quick as practically possible to reduce any undue exhaustion. If the fish is to be netted, make sure the net has a knotless mesh to reduce any aberration and removal of the fish's protective mucus. If your only option is to beach the fish, avoid at all costs dragging the fish well out the water and up the river bank. This can cause the fish serious skin damage leading to infection and potentially, a sealed fate. Wherever possible, only lift the Salmon enough out of the water to temporarily immobilize as you secure the fish. It's also important before handling that you dip your hands in the river not only to wet them, but to reduce their temperature. Dry and relatively warm hands handling a cold-blooded fish can again remove the the vital mucus that protects the fish from skin infection. If you can stand the cold water, it's a good policy to semi-submerge the fish on its side. This allows the Salmon to draw some oxygen from the water as the hook is being removed. Finally, gently support the fish with both hands, point its nose up stream and release when the springer kicks for freedom.

As I hinted at the beginning of the article, early spring Salmon fishing is not for the faint-hearted. However, it's well worth considering that Salmon fishing is well priced on our spring rivers in February and is easily accessible through beat's letting agents or web platforms such as Fishpal. The opportunity of fighting a fish in absolute prime condition is the major draw for early season salmon anglers. Yes, early spring fishing can be character-building, but with these fish fresh from the seas, hard fighting and chrome bright, there is no question that the reward justifies the effort required!

Eoin recomends the Hardy SINTRIX Zenith range of Salmon rods. He said;

"Hardy Zenith Rods have set the precedent for the future of rod design. The performance of these fly rods is quite simply superb - the rod action is defined and responsive, allowing not only loop control of the highest standard, but also the ability to subdue the strongest of fish. With the development of SINTRIX technology, the range of Zenith rods offer superior performance in all forms of modern speycasting and fly fishing techniques - I could not recommend them high enough."

Eoin Fairgrieve is a fully qualified casting member of the Association of Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructors (A.A.P.G.A.I) and a World Team Speycasting Champion.

Readers in the UK can buy the Hardy products mentioned in this article online from Hardyfishing.com - click here to shop online.