Not always a roaring river is needed. A big deep, quite holding pool is the perfect spot for the dry fly man - It is also often in parts of the river like this that the trophy salmon lies. Sun is turned down low and angler Mr. Jerry Rothman is in perfect time. Big fish in this pool will be 5 - 10 foot down. The bigger fish are “lazy” or rather; the big fish is more likely to move to a slowly mowing fly like the Monster Tube Caddis TM - rather than chasing of for a fast sub water fly. That is more a job for the grills or the medium size salmon. Try to keep the fly at absolute dead-drift as this seems to be very crucial in the case of big salmon. And let the fly fish well past the fish before lifting it of the water - You don´t want to disturb the fish and the salmon can now and then follow the dry fly downstream before intercepting it.

Fishing with dry fly or hitch flies - is foremost a visual sport...On this page we will show you some images that might guide you at the river

In 1924 pioneer George M. L. LaBranche wrote in his book The salmon and the dry fly how one should find places in the river where the currents would drift the insects to the waiting salmon. LaBranche who also was an avid trout fisherman was of firm belief that the salmon would choose to rest at such spots in the river, and would then only react to a fly presented through a very accurate cast, delivering the fly in these feeding lanes, or groves, as LaBranche would call them. We now know that it isn’t down to that very specific cast. The salmon isn’t always on-line and the much fruitless casting is an expected part of the sport, actually the casting can be used as constructive groundwork preparing the salmon to bite. Much like the trout the salmon will stay in given place in the river year after year. These places can change when the river drops, the riverbed or the water flow is altered. Some of these places will be so called: taking spots. Places where salmon for different reason will rise to the fly and intercept it. Ones such a spot is found try to remember it - salmon might be their next time you come around.

Good luck ! Jesper Fohrmann & Per Fischer 2008 

Two big salmon (centre of picture) resting in shallow water. Big fish will seldom rest in such a shallow place for long - but the shallow water is a good taking spot for the dry fly-man and well worth visiting - when you once have found the spot. 

One big female salmon and on smaller male resting in the eye of the pool. From my experience more than one fish and preferably more than two is better - Not only because more fish is advantageous, but because the chemistry of the fish seems to alter when more than two fish is near. The present of big female salmon is always positive - and will often draw attention from other fish..  

One small salmon coming up for inspection - It is well worth spending time on such a fish - try to use flies in same colour and pattern - but change the size. Let the fish rest in between casting - but try to keep the fly at a possible dead-drift... if doing so you are less likely to use up to much crucial attention from the fish and a hook-up could be possible later.     

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