Somerset Salmon

[Westcountry]

Here in south west England we have just come to the end of a three and a half month long drought. My home river has been a pathetic trickle all summer and any chance of a salmon this season seemed to be slipping away. However last week the rains arrived. This off course doesn't allways mean that the salmon will arrive but this time they did :)
Saturday I went out in big water with the spinning rod :shock: :shock: This resulted in four!!! All grilse around 4-5lb (fish of this size make up 90% of the catch on this river) and all returned.
Today I went out to do it properly with the fly rod and got two more :D

Looking down into the valley, there is a river somewhere down there beyond the farm.



Down in the valley in brilliant sunshine, not ideal for fishing!



Luckily much of the river is well shaded.



The first fish was a touch unlucky. After fishing the first pool I was wading ashore with the fly dangling in the water a few yards behind when everything went solid! Ah well they all count ;)

Come to me.



Closer?



Back she goes.



Fishing the Ash Tree Hole. I really should get a more visible rod and a bright orange line for this sort of photo!



A low rod and lots of side strain on fish number 2 in the Ash Tree Hole. The dogs can hardly believe I've hooked another!


A nice bright one.



Happy days :)


Andy

[Doctor]

Well done on the fish ,looks a superb bit of river there .
I would be lying if I said I was not envious.

[AZWanderings]

Great photos. That looks a fantastic time. I wish I could take my two idiot dogs fishing with me. I'm sure it would end in a small disaster. Thanks again for sharing.

Ben

[soupmix]

Funny you brought that to my attention. You cannot see the fly rod or the line. It looks like you are dealing a deck of cards out into the river. Nice job though!

The Average Joe Fisherman
http://averagejoefisherman.blogspot.com/

[gusstrand]

Wow - very cool! Totally reminds me of my years steelhead fishing in Oregon. Awesome fish and location!

[Mostyn]

As always, your photos are just marvelous; and it's great to see those fresh run fish! Those dogs look intent on helping you to land the fish. Brilliant post.

Mostyn

[Westcountry]

thanks to all, glad you liked it :)

Andy

Those are beautiful fish. How do you fish for them, wet flys or drys, 3/4 down strwam swing. Just curious.

Nice Job.

Thanks
lee

Wet fly down and across. When the water is up like this the flies are fairly large, getting on for 2 inches long including the tail. As the water drops and slows we cast squarer but at this sort of height we aim to get more or less directly upstream of the fish and hang the fly over it's nose.


Andy

[BrkTrt]

Andy,
A great report, with beautiful photos.
Love the dogs, great companions.

What type of rod are you using, wt. length?

Thanks,
Brk Trt

[Westcountry]

Andy,
A great report, with beautiful photos.
Love the dogs, great companions.

What type of rod are you using, wt. length?

Thanks,
Brk Trt

Single handed rods are all that are needed here, the river is smaller than it looks in the photo's. I use an 11 foot 8wt. I nearly always use a WF8 fast sinker, we are usually fishing at such short range that even a fast sinker wont get down more that a foot. The other advantage of the sinker is the dark brown colour of the one I have, it doesn't show up against the trees and rocks.


Here are the sort of flies I use. I have a bit of a thing for upside down double hooks, it is just the way I like them.



Andy

[BrkTrt]

Andy,
A great report, with beautiful photos.
Love the dogs, great companions.

What type of rod are you using, wt. length?

Thanks,
Brk Trt

Single handed rods are all that are needed here, the river is smaller than it looks in the photo's. I use an 11 foot 8wt. I nearly always use a WF8 fast sinker, we are usually fishing at such short range that even a fast sinker wont get down more that a foot. The other advantage of the sinker is the dark brown colour of the one I have, it doesn't show up against the trees and rocks.


Here are the sort of flies I use. I have a bit of a thing for upside down double hooks, it is just the way I like them.



Andy

Nice looking flies.
I love lots of color in my flies, especially the streamers I use for the native brook trout in my home waters.

Thanks for the response.

Brk Trt